I’m currently in Sydney for a week’s vacation. All my family have gathered from as far as London, Singapore, Melbourne and country and coastal New South Wales to celebrate my grandmother’s 90th birthday and I’m having a ball. Not only was Nana on fine form on her special day - even revealing scandalous tales from her youth, now captured on my iPhone - but she’s remained upbeat every day since, delighted to see regular visitors and be taken on coffee dates, sitting in the warm winter sun at her favourite beachbum haunt - Bronte beach.

Every day in my home town has been an absolute blast and my sister and I have managed to pack "the best of Sydney" into our schedule. Here’s what we’ve managed so far - and what I’d suggest you don’t miss on your next visit to this beautiful city:

• Coogee to Bronte beach walk - can also be done as Bondi to Coogee or return for those wishing to venture further. Stop off for brekkie at one of the many cafes along the way and read the inscriptions on the tombstones at Waverley Cemetary - one of the city’s oldest permanent resting places - which continues to offer residents the best ocean views in the Eastern suburbs!
• Sail on Sydney harbour - my cousin managed to coax her boyfriend into letting us crew his yacht for an afternoon and take in the sights of the Botanic Gardens, Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Luna Park and Taronga Zoo by water - an amazing experience I’d highly recommend.
• Tour The Rocks - Sydney cove’s oldest colonial settlement is filled with winding cobbled laneways, quaint cafes, historic museums, spooky ghost tours and Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
• Wine & Dine breakfast, lunch and dinner - anytime is a good time to enjoy delicious food and we’ve sampled some of the city’s best, from the most succulent and freshest oysters I’ve ever tasted at Cafe Sydney to sugar-rush sky-high desserts at The Rocks Cafe - try the chocolate merengue - and the cosy, hidden find of The Corner Room (contact details to follow) at Bondi.
• Shop ‘til you drop at Bondi Junction, Paddington and in town along George Street, Pitt Street and the QVB Building.
• Get flicked - check out the best of foreign and Aussie films at Palace, Dendy and Event cinemas. One Aussie film out now I’d highly recommend seeing is Animal Kingdom starring the delicious and menacing Ben Mendelsohn, ever-talented Joel Edgerton and superb newcomer James Frecheville and featuring a chilling performance by Jacki Weaver. Like mother, like son.