slothis · English

Sydney Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour & Bondi Beach

2015-06-06 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

I wonder if this business trip was meant to teach me about human connections; after meeting a benefactor and some new faces, I even met up with a college friend. Unlike the previous encounters, of course, this time I reached out and made plans before I even left. My friend, Yong-wan, came to Sydney alone on a working holiday, went through thick and thin, finished his master's degree, and even landed an IT job here. Just seeing how he established himself all on his own over the past five years shows how completely different our personalities are, even though we're friends. Come to think of it, back in college, aside from being short, his voice and muscles were exactly like a middle-aged man's. He has absolutely nothing in common with me, a guy full of high-pitched energy. Just as I was wondering if he still looked like an old man, a Sydney local who looked exactly the same (even the same skin) as 10 years ago showed up at our meeting spot.

Wearing a hat that I couldn't tell was a fedora or a traditional bamboo hat, Yong-wan recommended a travel itinerary: taking the 'Hop-on Hop-off' (a really well-named sightseeing bus that literally means jumping on and off) city tour bus that you can find all over the world to loop around Sydney. He suggested the route from central Sydney to Bondi Beach, saying that doing a full loop first would help me scope out where I actually wanted to go. While getting on this bus, I sadly said goodbye to 'A' and 'J'. Maybe it's because we work in the same industry and I figure we'll cross paths again somewhere, but I have a feeling I'll see them again.

Hopping On to Start the Sydney Bus Tour

People walking along a street lined with high-rise buildings on both sides in downtown Sydney.
It's a double-decker bus, so you get a great view outside.
Antique building exterior with red and gold decorations and a sign reading The Strand.
People walking on the street in front of a large, ornate brown stone building with a green dome roof.
Queen Victoria Building
Magnificent brown stone building with a dome roof and intricate statues.
Several white tents set up inside a wooded park.
A beer festival was happening at a park near the Queen Victoria Building. I rushed over on the sightseeing bus, but it was a bummer that it had already ended. Why host a beer festival during the day?
Huge gray naval warship docked at the harbor.
As you know, Sydney is a massive port city, so there's a naval base stationed right inside the city.
Harry's Cafe de Wheels store by the roadside near the harbor where naval ships are docked.
The incredibly famous 'Harry's Hot Dog'. It's known as the 'addictive hot dog'. I wanted to try it, but I ended up not being able to eat it before my business trip ended.
Blue-roofed buildings with outdoor terraces and a long pier lined up next to the blue sea.
Yacht marina.
Huge Gothic cathedral building located at a road intersection under a clear sky.
St Mary's Cathedral. It's a truly beautiful cathedral even during the day.
Red double-decker city tour bus running on the road.
The bus A and J took. We parted ways at this intersection.
People riding a double-decker bus taking pictures of the ocean view.
After driving for a while, Bondi Beach started to appear in the distance. The sight of everyone grabbing their cameras to take photos is all too familiar.
View of the beach, the sea, and houses lined up on a hill.
Bondi Beach

Once you buy a ticket for the 'Hop-on Hop-off' sightseeing bus, you are free to get on and off all day long. It's like buying an unlimited bus pass, but because it's quite expensive at about 30,000 KRW and the operating hours are short, it's only useful when you're determined to spend the whole day looking around. There are two sightseeing routes in Sydney: the Red Route that focuses solely on the downtown area, and the Blue Route that hits Bondi Beach and comes back.

People enjoying swimming and surfing at a beach with crashing waves.
Shadows of two people cast on a green lawn.
White waves washing onto the sandy beach and the legs of a person lying in front of them.
True to its reputation as a great surfing spot, the waves crash strongly.
Exterior sign of a Rip Curl surf shop located on the ground floor of a building.
I couldn't resist in the end, so I decided to go surfing at Bondi Beach tomorrow morning and stopped by Rip Curl to buy some clothes. Since most surf brands are Australian, they sell a massive variety of clothes and gear.
View of the city skyline against a sunset background, with people in the field in the foreground.
The setting sun on the way back. Unlike us, people in Sydney like looking at the city from a distance, so the wealthy live in areas slightly outside the city center.
Panoramic view of the sea, yachts, and a coastal village looking down from a hill.

Things I felt during the hour-and-a-half bus ride: 1. Yong-wan must have been bored. He talks non-stop. He could probably make a living as a tour guide here. 2. The Sydney skyline from afar is truly stunning. There's a reason the expensive houses are gathered there. 3. There are so many yachts anchored here. It's a totally different culture from ours. 4. There are parks everywhere you go. No matter where you look, you can always see trees. 5. Whether white, black, or Asian, tourists all do the exact same things when they travel.

Seeing my friend chatter away in Korean for two straight hours made me think that living abroad must be pretty tough. Still, hearing him say he likes it here because of the clean air and relaxed vibe is a relief. Even to me, you look better off staying here. Cheer up, man! ㅠㅠ


#StillTooExpensive... #HopOnHopOff! #JumpingOnAndJumpingOff