Summer in Sydney means ... Hyde Park, Opera Bar, Rivareno Gelato

What does Sydney mean to you?

It is the people who fascinate me most; a city made up of clever, creative, brash, hilarious, appalling, generous and incredibly welcoming people. Many of them like me have come from somewhere else to call it home.

Earliest/first memory of summer in Sydney?

Growing up in sleepy Tamworth during the 1970s and 1980s, Sydney always represented the exotic, sparkling jewel I dreamt of one day becoming a part of.

My father worked for State Rail, which meant we would have family Christmas holidays catching the train to Sydney. I vividly recall, dressed in our best clothes, desperate not to look like a country bumpkin, and on strict instructions to behave, my unbridled excitement of finally pulling into Central Station after an interminable six-hour trip.

We’d visit Taronga Zoo, catch a ferry to Manly, swim at Bondi, have lunch at the wondrous buffet inside the Woolworths cafeteria at Town Hall (jelly dessert in little silver parfait bowls!), admire the Christmas decorations in David Jones and soak up the crowds and energy.

I’ve now called Sydney home for two-thirds of my life, and I still have a sense of excitement and gratitude whenever I dip my toe at Bondi on a warm summer’s day.

Drinks on the fly: The Opera Bar.Credit: Rhett Wyman

When the weather gets hot I …

If it’s too hot for the beach, I’ll find the shade of a large tree, and living close to Centennial Park, Hyde Park and the Royal Botanic Garden, I’m lucky there is no shortage of spectacular patches of green to seek shelter from the heat. But much of Sydney lacks such green havens, and that is unfair. I have an aversion to air-conditioning and spending summer in a climate-controlled artificial bubble.

First place you take visitors?

For grown-ups, it’s sunset drinks at the Opera Bar at Circular Quay. It is truly the most spectacular setting, with all the city’s icons spread out around you. At the end of a summer’s day you can’t beat the twilight glow.

Favourite cafe?

Wolf Cafe in Paddington. It’s a dog-friendly cafe, and while I don’t have a fur baby of my own, you can soak up the canine adoration without any of the commitment! It’s a tiny cafe, the coffee is excellent, and it provides a wonderful meeting place for friendly neighbours to gather.

Secret spot you escape to?

Copacabana Beach, the hottest place north of Avalon. It’s only a 90-minute drive and it has everything you could ever want in a great little beach community, which can be a welcome antidote to the poseurs of Bondi.

Best summer food?

A day trip to Cabramatta for some of the freshest, zingiest Vietnamese cuisine you could ever hope for. Salt and pepper squid, lemongrass chicken, Vietnamese pancakes stuffed with prawns. Washed down with a cold beer – you couldn’t ask for better summer food.

I know it’s summer when I smell …

The unmistakable aroma of SPF50 on the 333 bus.

My favourite summer song is …

Hot in the City, Billy Idol.

Worst thing about summer?

Sweaty armpits on public transport.

My closest bolthole is …

Copacabana Beach.

Guilty pleasure?

A late-night trip to Rivareno Gelato in Darlinghurst.

What aspect of life in Sydney would you change and why, and what do you want to always stay the same?

To this day I’m a passionate advocate of public transport and have not owned a car in 20 years, but overcrowded buses and trains are no fun for anyone, and I believe more money should be spent on public transport than building yet more multi-lane tollways.

Private beach clubs are fine in Europe, but I never want to see them on our beaches – they should remain free to all.

Summer in Sydney is a series where Herald staff reveal the best – and worst – of our city in the hotter months.

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