Things to do in Chippendale, Sydney: Plan your perfect visit

The main things to do in Chippendale, Sydney, are Chinese art at the White Rabbit Gallery and shopping at One Central Park. Also check out the five star Old Clare Hotel and Asian food haven Spice Alley.

A decade ago, no-one would have batted an eyelid at Chippendale. But some major development projects have turned Chippendale into a hotspot for art, food and shopping. The neighbourhood is adjacent to Sydney Central Station, south of the new Frank Gehry building in Ultimo. It’s just to the east of Camperdown, home of the University of Sydney, the Wayward Brewery and Victoria Park Pool, It’s also on King Street, main thoroughfare to street art hub Newtown.

13 brilliant experiences in Sydney you should book

The Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains.

(💲Great value 💲) Tick off several bucket list items on a highlights-packed Blue Mountains day tour.
Get perfect views of the world’s most beautiful city on a Sydney Harbour helicopter tour.
Save money with a multi-attraction pass.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoy the romance of a tall ship cruise on Sydney Harbour.
Eat all you can at the Skyfeast at the top of Sydney Tower.
See migrating humpbacks – on a whale-watching cruise.
(Highly recommended ✅) Go behind the scenes of Australia’s most famous building on an Opera House tour.
Dine as the city lights up on sunset dinner cruise around the harbour.
Combine beers and stories on a historic pubs tour through the convict-era Rocks district.
Stand on your board and catch waves during Bondi Beach surfing lessons.
Go to wombat and kangaroo-spotting hotspots on a Southern Highlands tour.
Enjoy Sydney’s wild side on a Manly snorkelling & nature walk.
(🥇Top choice in Sydney) And, best of all, paddle to hidden beaches on a harbour kayaking adventure.

Dig into the lanes, courtyards and semi-crumbling houses of Chippendale, and you’ll find several artists. Small galleries, studios, workshops and art collectives tend to cluster away from the main drag.

Attractions in Chippendale, Sydney: White Rabbit Gallery

The most important of these Chippendale creative hubs is the White Rabbit Gallery. It has been the figurehead for Chippendale’s renaissance since opening in 2009.

This private collection of contemporary Chinese art is deliberately weird and provocative. It does a very successful job of transforming impressions of Chinese art.

Not all of the main attractions in Chippendale are small scale, however. The former site of the Carlton and United Brewery has been transformed by an enormous development project. Here’s where you’ll find the Old Clare Hotel. The five star hotel is knowingly cool, with industrial chic bare walls, fashion shoot lights and a rooftop pool.

Next to it is One Central Park. This daring project is partly the brainchild of internationally-renowned architect Jean Nouvel. There’s a shopping mall in the lower level, and a series of cantilevered penthouses at the top. But the flower beds climbing the walls bestow the effect of ultramodernity being reclaimed by the jungle.

The new and old blend well in Chippendale. The big shiny projects don’t feel like they’re in a vacuum, and some of them pass as small scale.

Things to do in Chippendale, Sydney: Spice Alley

Spice Alley is a tremendous example of this. A U-shaped laneway just off the Parramatta Road is now an Asian street food hub, with simple stools and tables crowding the pavement. Curious food stall/ restaurant hybrids serve up Korean, Malaysian, Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese dishes. A garishly-painted tuk tuk guards the entrance. And Chinese lanterns hang overhead.

Spice Alley is a great place to eat relatively cheaply while feeling you’ve gone out somewhere special. Of all the attractions in Chippendale, this is the one you’ll probably come back to repeatedly.