The festive season is over, the Christmas trees have been taken down and life for most is (almost) back to normal. We are lucky here in Australia though that we still have so much to look forward to over the next few months: Summer has only just started and Australia Day is around the corner. Speaking of which, here is our Ultimate Guide to what’s on this Australia Day in Sydney:

On the Harbour – Lunch Cruises

Sydney Showboat

• Departs King Street Wharf 5
• 10.15am – 2pm
• $125 for adults and children, $325 for 2 adults and 2 children
• Includes entrée platter on arrival, deluxe buffet and dessert. Drinks are not included, but there is a licensed bar

Majestic Cruises

• Departs King Street Wharf 5
• 10.15am-2pm
• $165 for adults,$90 for children, $380 for 2 adults & 2 children
• Includes: deluxe buffet. Drinks are not included

Pontoon

• Departs King Street Wharf 4
• 10.45am-2pm
• $89 adults, $49 children
• Includes: buffet including desserts

Vagabond Cruises

• Departure to be confirmed
• 10.30am-1.30pm
• $89 adults, $59 children, $280 for 2 adults and 2 children
• Includes: seafood and carvery buffet
• Bar packages are available for:
  • $26 per adult for house beer & house wine
  • $28 per adult for premium beer & wine
  • $30 per adult for house beer, wine & spirits
  • $32 per adult for premium beer, wine & spirits
  • $10 per person for unlimited soft drinks
  • Or you can purchase them at the bar on the day.

Tall Ships

• Departs Walsh Bay Wharf 2
• 11.15am-3.30pm
• $225 adults, $190 children
• Includes: barbeque buffet including seafood, all drinks (bubbly, wines, beers, soft drinks, juices and water), live music, and a free mast climb

Captain Cook

• Departs King Street Wharf 1
• 10am-2.15pm
• Sky Deck: $219 adults, $159 children
  • Includes: Upper deck seating, 4-course premium menu, as well as premium wines, beers, spirits & soft drinks
• Club Deck: $189 adults, $129 children
  • Includes: deluxe buffet, as well as house wine, sparkling wine, beer and soft drinks
• Guaranteed window tables cost an additional $35 per person

Fantasea

• Departs Darling Harbour Wharf 9
• 10.30am-1.30pm
• $95 adults, $55 children, $245 for 2 adults & 2 children
• Includes: BBQ and one beer, and a Vegemite tasting station

Bass & Flinders

• Various options departing Manly, Sans Souci and Circular Quay
• From $30 adults, $15 children, $75 2 adults & 2 children
• Includes: BYO food & drink

On the Harbour – Dinner Cruises

Sydney Showboat

• Departs King Street Wharf 5
• 7-10pm
• $110
• Includes:
• 1-hr show featuring singer & dancers, 3-course dinner, as well as beer, wine & soft drinks

Majestic Cruises

• Departs King Street Wharf 5
• 7-10pm
• $110
• Includes: buffet. Drink packages available for $27

Coast Cruises – sold out

• King Street Wharf 6
• 6.30-9.30pm
• $115
• Includes: 1 glass of bubbles on arrival and canapés

Vagabond Cruises

• Departure to be confirmed
• 7-10pm
• $109=119 adults, $79-89 children, $340-380 for 2 adults and 2 children
• Includes: Mouth-watering seafood & carvery buffet, tempting desserts, fresh fruit platters with tea and coffee, house beer, fine wine, soft drinks and juices

Tall Ships

• Departs Campbell’s Cove
• 5.15-9.30pm
• $190 adults and children
• Includes: barbeque buffet, all drinks (bubbly, wines, beers, soft drinks, juices and water), live music, and a free mast climb

Not sure whether to do a lunch or dinner cruise? The dinner cruises give you a front seat to the fireworks display, whilst the lunch cruises allow you to enjoy the following events:

• Australia Day Best Dressed Vessel competition
• Australia Army 21 Gun Salute
• RAN Sea King helicopter will fly over Sydney Harbour with the giant Australia Day Flag
• Ferrython
• 180th Australia Day regatta
• RAAF Aerial display and Qantas fly over
• Cruising Concerts – at various locations throughout the day
• Salute to Australia including a 21 gun salute
• Flyover of RAAF jets
• Tug & Yacht Ballet
• Australia Day Harbour Parade
• Tall Ships Race from Bradleys Hea
• Russian Roulette large formation aerobatic display
• Red berets Australia Army Parachute Display

On Land

Opera House Concert

• 7.30-9.30pm
• Tickets on sale on 16th January
• The concert will be held outside, on the forecourt
• Directed by the highly-awarded John Foreman, this concert brings together a collection of Australia’s best talent, including:
  • Tina Arena
  • Guy Sebastian
  • Dami Im
  • More acts will be announced shortly.

The Rocks

• Enjoy the live music at First Fleet Park, including jazz, indie folk and blues rock
• The Rocks Markets will be on, with locally-designed fashion, jewellery and art, as well as tasty treats
• Play giant games on George St, as well as roving performers, including giant bubbles, a stilt walking blossom and a unicyclist

Barangaroo

• Wugulora Indigenous Morning Ceremony – watch a special performance by Indigenous dancers and singers at Barangaroo
• The Beach at Barangaroo – a joyous monochromatic installation of 1.1 million recyclable polyethylene balls that make an ocean without sharks, gently lapping against a 60-metre wide shoreline free of sand
• Award winning jazz virtuoso James Morrison and Junkyard Beats on the Cruising Concert barge
• It’s also a great spot to watch the harbour events, including the Ferrython and the Tall Ships Parade

Darling Harbour

• Children’s Festival with live music and family-friendly entertainment, including circus stunts and acrobatics, a free Wiggles concert, true blue Aussie bush challenges and much more!
• Australia Day Spectacular features more live music including an Indigenous welcome song, dragon boat racing, inspirational stories of this year’s NSW Australian of the Year recipients, and an extraordinary symphony of light, sound and fireworks.

Other Events

• Australia Day Ferrython or Rock Music Bridge Climb
• Festival Village in Hyde Park – enjoy free entertainment, buy a ticket to the Spiegeltent or get lost in the The House of Mirrors
• Goat Island Sounds
• Hottest 100 Party in Parramatta Park
• Every Man and his Dog at Watson’s Bay Hotel – stand-up paddleboard races for contestants and their dogs, as well as prizes for the best-dressed man and pooch duo
• St George Open Air Cinema – Hacksaw Ridge
• Moonlight Cinema – Red Dog: True Blue
• Brickman: Wonders of the World Exhibition: save $5 on tickets on Australia Day
• Movies by the Boulevard – Red Dog: True Blue and Strictly Ballroom
• Open Day at Government House – wander through the stately Government House, with hosted tours on the hour.
• Yabun Festival –  the largest one-day celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in Australia
• Great Sydney Swim at Farm Cove
• Free waterslides at Coogee Beach
• AusFest at Cronulla Park, with a stellar program of music and entertainment including internationally acclaimed The Ten Tenors as well as a stunning live fireworks display.
• BBQ at the Bridge – Enjoy a selection of barbecued cuisines from around the world, available from food vendors. The program includes live music, Australian wildlife displays, circus playground and face painting.
• 28th Annual GIO Oz Day 10k Wheelchair Race – See some of the world’s finest wheelchair athletes race around the city’s historic quarter at exhilarating speeds.

Please note all prices above are subject to availability and change.