3 things that shocked me about Sydney

By Yaryna, University of Sydney – Sydney, Australia

Rise and grind

Sydney, like the rest of Australia, is extremely health conscious. People here live with their circadian rhythms. Everything opens early and closes early too. There was one distinct situation that highlighted this stark difference to me.

I was staying at a hostel on the Gold Coast and couldn’t sleep at all because of a snoring man in the bunk bed next to me. I accepted my losses and left the hostel at 5am to go see the sunrise on the beach. I was shocked to find an open café next to the beach, already bustling with people.

After ordering a delicious açai bowl, I sat next to a full table of people, who were speaking loudly, as if it were a pub at night. Feeling energized, I got on a Lime bike and cycled down the coastline. For miles I saw women in different shades of pastel activewear and men topless, either on a morning run or already post-workout with a matcha in hand. It was awestriking and inspiring.

The downside of this is that most cafes here close at 3pm. So, if you’re hoping to get some studying done until late, your best bet is the uni campus or the state library.

Another uniquely Australian phenomena is the sober sunrise silent disco. “Dawnbreak” flips the script by making a ‘night out’ healthy and productive. Starting at 4am, you dance till the sun rises, ending with a plunge into the ocean and a coffee hang afterwards. For the many that show up it is truly the best way to start the day.

Birds everywhere

There’s a lot of fearmongering when it comes to spiders and snakes in Australia. But I have yet to encounter a big spider or a venomous snake (there are plenty of flying cockroaches though). Instead, Sydney has a huge number of fearless birds, that walk and squawk right next to you.

My favourite is the White Ibis. They’re better known as bin chickens, due to their trash scavenging habits. Their long beaks, and featherless head, give them a prehistoric, reptilian, dinosaur-like look. They’ll stare at you patiently, as you finish your pastry, hoping to get a bite.

I also love the punk hair looks of the sulphur-crested cockatoo and crested pigeons. They’ve got a natural mohawk or mullet going for them. Very Australian.

You have to beware of the Australian magpies. I had never heard of swooping prior to coming to Australia. Around the spring breeding season, male magpies will aggressively protect the nests where their chicks are hatching or learning to fly. I remember seeing a “Swooping Magpies active in this area” sign whilst walking down the campus at the University of Sydney. An Aussie friend later recounted her experience of getting swooped when she was on a jog. She had started to bleed on her head and is now very anti-magpie.

Cars, cars, and cars

As much as I adore Sydney, there’s one thing that I miss terribly about living in Europe and the UK. The infrastructure here is very car-centric. At an intersection, you may find yourself crossing the road multiple times just so you can take the crosswalk that goes in the direction you want. To make matters worse, traffic lights take forever to turn green for pedestrians.

There’s also no countdown system in most cases – it’s either green, flashing red or red. It can be quite scary not knowing how much time you have left to cross the road. So be ready to run if it suddenly stops flashing. The cars here don’t wait.

And to end my complaint, there are barely any bike paths around the city – the only people on cycles are food delivery couriers, and sometimes they’ll buzz straight up onto the pavement. Of course, there are many plans to make Sydney more walkable and cyclable, with new areas such as Barangaroo prioritizing bike lanes.

On the whole, I am very grateful to have had the chance to live in Sydney. The positive far outweighs the negative, and the lifestyle and habits of people here have really broadened my worldview.