'''East Sydney''' district of Sydney is immediately to the east of the Sydney CBD. Sydneysiders don't refer to their city by district, rather by suburb. This district includes the suburbs of Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Kings Cross, Potts Point, as well as an area also often known as East Sydney between Darlinghurst and Woolloomooloo.
Understand
This area is one of the oldest areas of settlement in the city. It is home Sydney's busiest nightlife in Kings Cross and along Ocford Street and Taylor Square. Some areas have enjoyed a mixed reputation over the years, largely due to being the city's main "red light" district. Beyond the focus around Darlinghurst Road, however, many fine cafes and restaurants have sprung up.
The area around Oxford street in Darlinghurst is the hub for Sydney Gay and Lesbian scene.
Get in
By train
The Inner East is well served by public transport.
There is a train station at Kings Cross on Darlinghurst Road. It it is on the Eastern Suburbs line, connect at Town Hall or Central, or catch it from Martin Place.
Best access to Oxford steet is from Museum Station. It's a five minutes walk from the station to the start of Oxford Street.
By bus
Frequent buses run up William Street.
Oxford street also has a fairly constant stream of buses from the CBD. The routes include 333, 392, 397, 373, 394, 399, 377, L94 run down the street while the Bondi and Bronte (eastern) services continue along Oxford Street past Taylor Square, the Coogee, UNSW and Maroubra (south-eastern) routes turn at Flinders Street at Taylor Square.
By foot
It's around a 20 minute walk to Kings Cross Station from Pitt St Mall in the CBD, across Hyde Park. Simply head east on Park St.
Get around
See
Events
'''Gay and Lesbian Mardi-Gras'''. Oxford street is the focus for the annual march, but many other related activites take place in the festival before the parade.
Landmarks
'''El Alamein Fountain''', ''Fitzroy Gardens entrance'' - Designed by Robert Woodward and erected in 1961 as a memorial to the Ninth Division during World War II. The fountain is somewhat iconic in Sydney, a "dandelion head" sphere of mist at the top of a tall stem and has been imitated globally on many occasions. A favorite meeting place for many travellers.
'''The British Lolly Shop''' Cnr Macleay St and Darlinghurst Rd tel 02 9368 1703- A great place to stop off and trip back down memory lane. With over 400 sweets and chocolates from Britain (and other countries), the British Lolly Shop is a taste sensation. The staff provide you with samples to taste while you take in the atmosphere. Open 7 days a week till late.
Do
Have a '''spa and sauna''' at the '''Ginseng Bathhouse''', The Crest Hotel, Level One, 111 Darlinghurst Road. tel 02 9356 6680, fax 02 9356 2348 [http://www.ginsengbathhouse.com.au/]. The Ginseng Bathhouse has separate men's and women's facilities, each with a hot bath, a cold bath, a ginseng spa, a wet sauna and a dry sauna. You can also get Korean treatments, massages and beauty therapy. Children from 5 years old are welcome. Open 9:30 am to 9:30 pm weekdays and 9 am to 9:30 pm weekends. Entry to the baths is $25, entry combined with treatments from $53.
Buy
Oxford Street
Home to a huge range of '''boutique shopping''', fashion, quirky gift stores and everything in between. Great for an afternoon's '''window shopping''' and casual discovery. Max out your credit card at one of the many higher end clothing and accessory shops running down Oxford Street. Featuring some of Australia's most popular brands and designers - Sass and Bide, Lisa Ho, Morrissey, Scanlan and Theodore and Kitten. Be sure to explore the side streets such as William St for the newer, funkier labels such as Ginger and Smart and the ever present Collette Dinnigan.
Paddington Fresh. ust across the road from the Church in Paddington. 242 Oxford St. 61 2 9380 9988. Fresh produce markets.
'''Paddington Markets''', 395 Oxford Street [http://www.paddingtonmarkets.com.au/]. Every Saturday 10AM-5PM. Held in the grounds of Paddington Uniting Church, just off Oxford Street, Paddington Markets has been in operation since 1973 and is a stylish stall venue for designers, jewelers and craftsmen. Not many true bargains to be had, but perfect for unusual gifts and clothing, as well as some mainstream items. Fantastic for people-watching.
'''The Bookshop''' [http://www.thebookshop.com.au/], 207 Oxford Street, ''+61 2'' 9331 1103, open Mo?We 10am?10pm, Th 10am?11pm, Fr?Sa 10am?midnight, Su and public holidays 11am?11pm ? Trading for over 20 years, the Bookshop is one of Sydney's premier retailers of gay and lesbian books, magazines, calendars and DVDs. Great for a browse.
Eat
Harrys Cafe de Wheels. ttp://www.harryscafedewheels.com.au.
'''Bills Two''', 359 Crown St, Surry Hills. phone 02 9360 4762. This is the cafe half of Sydney chef Bill Granger's two restaurants. A lovely place for a $15 breakfast.
Oxford Street
'''The Pink Peppercorn''', 122 Oxford Street, (02) 9360 9922. Away from Oxford Street's carnival carry-on, Pink Peppercorn is all calm understated class. Chocolate-box pinks and creams match the mahogany furniture. Monks robed in orange smile down from the walls and hot-pink napkins color tables. Its informal and minimalist, letting the food do the talking. Anouvong Kaseum's beautifully presented dishes fuse Lao flavors (think Thai with less kick) and Western influence.
'''Betty's Soup Kitchen''', 84 Oxford Street, (02) 9360 9698. If soup is your thing, then Betty's is the place to have it.
'''Balkan Seafood Restaurant''', at 217 Oxford Street, ''+61 2'' 9331 7670, fax ''+61 2'' 9331 7279, [http://www.balkanseafood.com]. Open 6 days - closed Monday. Croatian cuisine at its finest. Serves both seafood (mediterranean) & continental dishes. Famous for its generous portions and menu of the grill.
Perry Lane CafeArtStudio. ear 264 Oxford St via Perry Lane Paddington NSW 2021. own Perry lane Behind the Oxford Store. 2 8354 1222. tperrylane@live.com.au. rom 8am till Eve. ax Price is around $15. cked away only 20m from Oxford St. Great for a group lunch in this 3 level courtyard cafe or even a quick business meeting with WiFi also to hand. Or come and check out what artist or designer is showing in the ArtStudio which is rotated fortnightly. largely caters for vegetarians
It's also worth having a wander further down William st towards Five Ways, a Parisian inspired collection of cafes and restaurants nestled among five corners which meet at one roundabout. Coffee at Heeley's is highly recommended.
Drink
Kings Cross
'''Kings Cross''' (otherwise known as Potts Point )is, basically, the '''red-light district'''. There are a lot of drinking places in this area, but strip clubs and sex-oriented establishments are the most obvious. There is some street prostitution as well, with some evident even during the day.
'''Soho Bar and Lounge''', 171 Victoria Street, Potts Point, tel 02 9358 6511 [http://www.sohobar.com.au/]. Open until 6AM, no cover charge. The lounge bar of choice for celebrities, trend setters and those-who-aspire since the 1980s. The Soho Bar is spread over two levels just off the main drag down from Kings Cross, combining dance and cocktails in a consistently stylish, up-to-date manner. Great for star spotting: Tom Cruise, Prince Harry, various sports people - reportedly the place where Kylie met Michael all those years ago.
Oxford Street Nightclubs
Nightclubs
Beware of the 2am lockout policy, which affects pretty much every gay venue on Oxford St apart from The Colombian and The Midnight Shift.
'''ARQ''' [http://www.arqsydney.com.au/], 16 Flinders Street ? One of the premier gay night clubs in town. Upstairs features trance and hard house on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while downstairs has funkier music and shows on some nights. The venue often has short live performances in the middle of the night. Usually open from 10pm until dawn - often still going at 10am. The last friday of every month Arq hosts on of Sydney's biggest lesbian nights, named Moist.
'''The Midnight Shift''', [http://www.themidnightshift.com.au] 85 Oxford Street - A gay venue that has a great upstairs for Friday and Saturday nights. The downstairs bar is open daily. Very popular with the Asian crowd. Upstairs has a cover charge and downstairs is free.
'''Spectrum''', [http://www.myspace.com/spectrumsydney] 34 Oxford St - An intimate live music venue, with a capacity of 250 people, catering to the the rock and indie crowd. A good place to see up and coming local talent. After the band are over DJs play pop, rock and indie hits till the early hours.
'''The Stonewall Hotel''' [http://www.stonewallhotel.com], 175 Oxford Street - Drag shows, dancing and cocktails. Spread across three floors - the bottom floor tends to play the camp 80s/90s hits and hosts the drag shows, whereas the top two floors play dancier music. Attracts a young and beautiful gay / mixed crowd most nights.
'''Stonewall Hotel''' on Oxford St (between Crown St and Taylor Square) - One of the most popular gay bars on the strip, noted for drag shows, especially Friday and Saturday nights.
'''The Midnight Shift''' on Oxford St - bar downstairs, nightclub upstairs. Come on a Friday night to see amazing shows upstairs, or on a Wednesday night downstairs.
Oxford Street Bars and Pubs
'''The Columbian Hotel''' at 117 Oxford Street (on the corner of Crown Street - One of the most popular gay bars in the area. The beautiful people sit at the open table facing the street to be seen.
'''The Oxford Hotel''' On the corner of Oxford and Burke St is a great place to visit. The basement contains Gilligan's, home to the famous Oxford Smash cocktail.
'''Palms''' 124 Oxford Street ? bar/dancing area located underground. Attracts a mixed, generally unpretentious crowd. Very small, so expect long queues.
Sleep
'''Funkhouse Backpackers in Sydney''' [http://www.funkhouse.com.au] is a unique, upbeat hostel famous for it's friendly social atmosphere and funky murals. It is located in Kings Cross, Sydney. Best rates are available on its official website.
Lido Suites. Roslyn Street. 800 060 954. ttp://www.leisureinnhotels.com. 4:00. 0:00. rom $99. 33.87365805753277. 51.22440338134766. Lido Suites is right amongst all the action of King Cross_f famous nightspots, clubs, restaurants and cafes. Studio rooms with basic kitchenettes give guests choice flexibility.
Oxford Street
'''Sullivans Hotel''', 21 Oxford Street, +61 2 9361 0211, fax: +61 2 9360 3735, mailto:sydney@sullivans.com.au [http://www.sullivans.com.au/homes.htm]. Standard rooms from $135 a night - Great value hotel situated on the main drag between Paddington and Darlinghurst. Visitors suggest trying to get a courtyard facing room, as those facing Oxford Street can be noisy.
Cope
Fitness
'''City Gym Sydney''', 107?113 Crown Street [http://www.citygym.com.au/]. Heading north out of Darlinghurst is one of the premier gyms in east Sydney.
'''Golds Gym Sydney''', 23 Pelican St [http://www.goldsgymsydney.com/]. Part of the international chain of gyms, located in Darlinghurst, just off Oxford St near police station. Popular with locals & International guests. Involved with the local gay and lesbian community.
Stay safe
Kings Cross as an area, has a higher degree of drug use, prostitution, and alcohol consumption than most areas of Sydney. But it is an lively area, with many travelers and residents going about their business, and going out all nights of the week. It is probably as safe an area as any during the day. The main streets are busy until late. Expect the usual problems associated with areas having high alcohol consumption, some fights breaking out, and occasional hassles. Avoid the quiet alleys and lanes late a night. Expect visible prostitution, and groups of drunk young people. The normal rules apply in these situations, avoid trouble and don't get into arguments. There is probably a addict or two about, a bit desperate for cash. Don't give them an easy opportunity.
Kings Cross Police Station is located close to the El Alamein Fountain in Fitzroy Gardens.