A first trip to Sydney in December is easy to get right. It is early summer, with long days and highs in the mid-twenties, and the beaches are in full swing. The two things that catch newcomers out are the strength of the sun and how busy the city gets once the school holidays start in the second half of the month.
The sun is stronger than anything you know from home. In summer the UV index in Sydney regularly reaches the extreme range, when unprotected skin can burn in minutes. Wear a broad-brimmed hat and sleeves, use a high-factor sunscreen and put more on after every swim, and find shade in the middle of the day. Locals do all of this, so you will not look overcautious.
On the beach, swim between the red and yellow flags. They mark the stretch the lifesavers are watching, and no flags means nobody is on duty. For a gentle first morning, walk the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, about six kilometres past Tamarama, Bronte and Clovelly, with ocean pools for a calmer dip and Aboriginal rock engravings at Marks Park. Set off before the heat builds and carry water.
Carols in the Domain, a free concert usually held on a Saturday in mid-December, is an easy first taste of Christmas in summer. Take a rug and some food to the lawns near the Botanic Garden and settle in as the light goes. On Boxing Day the Sydney to Hobart yacht race leaves the harbour at 1pm, and South Head, above Watsons Bay, makes a free grandstand for the fleet heading out to sea, as long as you arrive well before the start.
New Year's Eve takes the most planning. There are two fireworks displays, one at 9pm that suits children and the main event at midnight, and dozens of free vantage points around the harbour, from Mrs Macquarie's Point to Barangaroo Reserve. They are first come, first served, and the popular ones fill during the day. Most are alcohol-free and glass-free, with bag checks at the gate, and at many of them you cannot leave and come back, so bring water, food, sunscreen and a hat for a long afternoon.
Choose your spot on the official vantage-point map the day before, and pick a second one nearby in case the first is full when you arrive.