Sydney Greeters

02/03/2025

Ralph, a Greeter from Hamburg, was in Sydney for work and arranged to meet Joseph for an experience of the Marrickville neighbourhood. Starting with an acknowledgement to county along the banks of the historic Cooks River, they covered indigenous and colonial history of Sydney, sharing stories about life in Germany and Australia, before a leisurely walk through the breweries, shops, restaurants and sites of urban Marrickville. The greet ended with beers at the Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre. They farewelled at the Metro station with hopes of meeting again in Hamburg!


International Greeter Association

28/02/2025

Greeters Carolyn and Martin recently had the pleasure of meeting Mark, Sally, Dick, and Denise from Dover, UK. In between cruises, they were keen to explore the city highlights. Starting at the Queen Victoria Building the group walked through the CBD, Hyde Park and the Botanic Gardens, taking in The Barracks, Parliament House and the State Library. At Customs House it was easy to retrace the route on the underfloor scale model of the city. They met as strangers and parted as friends.


International Greeter Association

27/02/2025

Canadians Rob & Carol trained into Circular Quay from their accommodation in Haberfield to meet up with their greeter Bill outside the Museum of Contemporary Art. After a brief chat they toured the highlights of The Rocks. The guests were keen to jump on a ferry so they did a harbour loop across to Milsons Point, onto East Balmain, Barangaroo, Pyrmont and back to Circular Quay. They inspected the city model in Customs House before heading up Macquarie Street to check out the Rum Hospital and Trim the Cat. They also shared lunch at the cafe next to the Eye Hospital. They were very impressed with the weather, having just come from a freezing -26C in Calgary, Canada.



International Greeter Association

26/02/2025

The rain held off for Louise’s Greet with Kathleen, Ron, Susan and Jim from the USA. Starting from Circular Quay, they visited the obvious sights including Cadman’s Cottage and The Rocks Square. The “hidden gem” of Foundation Park was explored en route to Observatory Hill, all the while discussing Australian language and cultural norms such as - do Aussies really say G’day? A lunch stop at the Australian Hotel provided a chance to try their famous Coat of Arms pizza with its topping of kangaroo and emu. Later they dropped by the archeological ‘Big Dig’ and meandered through Nurses Walk and ‘Suez Canal’ to the underfloor model of Sydney in Customs House. The greet concluded with Louise escorting the group on the light rail to the Queen Victoria Building.


International Greeter Association

25/02/2025

Kathy and Glenn from Melbourne have been having a wonderful time house-sitting in Sydney and were keen to discover a different part of the city. With Ros and new greeter Carmelita they walked through Darling Harbour and along the Goods Line pedestrian walkway. This was followed by a look around some of the new and old of Chippendale before a quick bus ride to Newtown. A lunch break in one of Newtown’s interesting cafes provided great conversation and the energy for more exploration. Quirky shops, thought-provoking murals, colonial graveyards, good humour and Carmelita’s botanical knowledge all contributed to a great day.


International Greeter Association

24/02/2025

Fresh from the snowy winter of Vancouver, Bob, Dianne and Doug were keen to embrace the Sydney sunshine! Greeters Megan and Terence (one of our new Greeters) headed to Customs House at Circular Quay, before walking around to the Opera House – viewing the building both inside and out. A delightful harbour ferry ride brought the group to the Watson’s Bay Hotel for lunch. What do Sydneysiders typically do on a glorious summer day? Find a spot with water views and enjoy a meal, drinks and, most of all, lively conversation. Our Canadian friends toasted their wonderful day with Sydney Greeters, with an Aussie beer!


International Greeter Association

23/02/2025

It was a perfect sunny morning when Birte and Rainer from Rendsburg in Germany met up with Mark at their Darlinghurst hotel. After making their way down to Circular Quay via Kings Cross, Potts Point, Woolloomooloo, the Botanic Gardens and Farm Cove, with brief stops at Harry’s Café de Wheels and Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, they took prime viewing seats outside on a crowded Taronga Zoo ferry. The 7km coastal walk from Taronga to Balmoral Beach was a highlight for Birte and Rainer, particularly the stunning 270° views of the harbour from Georges Head. A late lunch and some refreshing beers at The Boathouse topped off an enjoyable and engaging greet.


International Greeter Association

22/02/2025

Our Quarterly meeting this week welcomed 18 of our regular crew plus 2 new greeters Terence and Carmelita. In addition an extra special guest was Laurence from London Greeters. We covered a range of topics including our favourite interactive segment ‘What’s New in Sydney?” We then adjourned for happy hour drinks in Noun Bar before heading off to dinner at the nearby Zetland pub. We all love being greeters and enjoying good company!


International Greeter Association

20/02/2025

Last weekend, Allan met with up with Mike and Verla who are visiting from Utah, USA. They are travelling for 3 months starting with an ocean voyage to New Zealand & Australia and back to their original port of Los Angeles. They walked around Circular Quay and caught the ferry to Watsons Bay viewing The Gap and south and north heads. Later they boarded a bus to Bondi Beach walking from south to north. Finally they returned via Pitt Street Mall and Martin Place.




International Greeter Association

19/02/2025

Greeter Stewart met Camilla and Francesco from Milan after their tour of the Opera House on Saturday. Their first stop was the under-floor scaled model in Customs House which was a great way for the visitors to become familiar with the city layout and to note the location of some of our key tourist venues and attractions. From there, they headed to The Rocks, Observatory Hill, Walsh Bay, Dawes Point and Observatory Hill Park. The last was particularly well received as the lookout point provided panoramic views looking North across the Harbour. A quick ferry trip across the water to walk along Cremorne Point was a great way to conclude the Greet and for our visitors to enjoy the reverse views across to the City.


International Greeter Association

17/02/2025

Visitors to Australia often have to adjust to our Australian lingo. Words like arvo, brekkie, Maccas and bonza roll off the Aussie tongue, but often leave visitors perplexed. One word that always brings a smile to an Aussie is TimTams. Silke & Armin from Munich Germany met with Greeter Ros just as a TimTam promotion began. A perfect start to the day! They wandered around Sydney’s historic Rocks area, popped into the Astrology Shop, hiked up to Observatory Hill, strode across the Harbour Bridge, meandered around to Wendy’s Secret Garden then ferried across the harbour to Darling Harbour, where they stopped for a relaxing drink at the Maritime Museum. It’s was a bonza day! 😁



International Greeter Association

16/02/2025

Stefan from Sweden met our greeter Laurie for a great day out. They explored Kings Cross and Bondi Beach .. even stopping for a dip in the ocean .. before lunch and a roam around The Rocks to top off a terrific summer’s day.


International Greeter Association

14/02/2025

Claudia, Heinko and Kirsten from Germany made a great start to their stay in Sydney and had already seen many iconic sites. They were keen to see some Sydney churches, and Greeter Megan began with St Benedict’s Broadway, which houses Australia’s oldest bells, before travelling by the new Metro over to North Sydney where they visited the Mary MacKillop Chapel, final resting place of Australia’s first saint. A visit to one of North Sydney’s oldest boys’ schools revealed the School Chapel with its very English-style architecture, ivy-covered walls and lovely harbour views. The final church was St James, King Street, where the group was delighted to attend the Lunchtime Concert with pianist Katya Cyargeenka, who played, very fittingly, Mozart and Beethoven!


International Greeter Association

13/02/2025

Sydney put on another perfect day for our Greeter Libby to explore the city with Nan from America (via Spain). They walked across the Pyrmont Bridge and along Darling Harbour to Tumbalong Park taking a peak at a Rhythm n Bubs session (“where music meets playtime joy!”), before stopping for coffee in Steam Mill Lane. Continuing along the Goods Line they admired the fabulous UTS Frank Gehry building and spent some time investigating the inside bottom floors. Nan enjoyed the different forms of architecture including Central Park, the open spaces around Chippendale Green and the artworks in the White Rabbit Gallery. They parted ways at Spice Alley leaving Nan to explore her lunch time options.

International Greeter Association

12/02/2025

Andrea met Thomas and Torsten, from Germany at the Town Hall. The summer day was kind, thunder and rain stayed away whilst the sun tickled the tourist's skin, to their delight. Together the three wandered along Sydney streets finding little gems here and there, including the bird cages and the Underwood Ark. They explored The Rocks and Andrea talked about the history of Millers Point. But the highlight laid ahead, a most refreshing dip in cool waters at Barangaroo. Thomas and Torsten were just about jubilant. The little café nearby was perfect for a lunch snack before they returned to Circular Quay. After four hours they bid their farewell on the 333 bus. Andrea went home and her guests continued to Bondi Beach… maybe for another dip at Bronte? A fabulous time for all three.


International Greeter Association

10/02/2025

On a beautiful summer’s day, Jean-François and Françoise from France accompanied our greeter Monica on a ferry ride to Milsons Point and from there they walked around Lavender Bay to Wendy’s Secret Garden. Later they wandered over to Milson Park, Kirribilli and had drinks at The Flying Bear Cafe on Careening Cove. The guests were very intrigued by the combination of beautiful gardens and city life for the residents. They were also impressed by the sparkling harbour and had fun taking the ferry as it’s not a normal mode of transport for them.


International Greeter Association

08/02/2025

Sydney Greeters inspired this interesting recent article by Canadian travel writer Wendy Helfenbaum about our wonderful worldwide Greeter network. Thanks go to our Greeter Frances for motivating such a great story. It’s worth a read!

International Greeters offer a chance to ‘come as a guest, leave as a friend’ while exploring a new city

07/02/2025

Good friends and travel companions, Georgean and Diane from USA and Sydney Greeter Karen walked through the back streets of Enmore and Newtown recently. Frequently stopping to comment about the street art, chatting to locals, and of course talking amongst themselves about life in general. Diane spoke of her experience as a cat cuddler in which she assists pre-adoptive cats to settle before being re-homed; so they visited and had a chat with staff at the Cat Protection Society of NSW. After catching a bus into the city they enjoyed a much deserved lunch and rest. Georgean had a well-organised list of places they wanted to visit, and they were walking towards the Royal Botanic Gardens when Karen left them. They met as strangers and parted as friends.


International Greeter Association