Things to do in Surry Hills.

Surry Hills is the part of Sydney that knows how to slow down. Coffee is taken seriously, dinner is unhurried, and a high concentration of small makers — letterpress studios, ceramic ateliers, perfumery classes, watch assembly benches — give a Saturday in the neighbourhood real shape. Here's how to spend one.

Morning — slow start

Coffee at Single O or Reuben Hills

The two coffee benchmarks in Surry Hills. Single O on Reservoir Street is the classic. Reuben Hills on Albion Street is the design crowd's choice. Either will set the day's pace properly.

Walk Crown Street

The book shops, the antique stores, the small-scale designer ateliers. Crown Street from Cleveland down to Foveaux is the neighbourhood's spine. Walk it slowly with the second coffee in hand.

Afternoon — make something with your hands

Build a working watch at The Modding Bench

We run watch assembly classes at our workshop in Surry Hills — Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 12:30 to roughly 4:30. You arrive with no experience required, choose your parts from our library (Seiko-ecosystem movements, dials in every finish, hands, cases, bracelets), and over 3.5 to 5 hours assemble the whole watch with your own hands. You leave wearing it. We're the only class in Sydney where the watch you build is yours to keep.

Other Surry Hills workshops worth knowing about

Letterpress at Saint Cloche. Pottery and ceramics at Studio Enti or Clay Sydney. Perfumery courses pop up regularly along Devonshire Street. The Surry Hills Library runs occasional book-binding classes that fill fast.

Evening — wind down

Wine bar on Devonshire

10 William Street holds a particular gravity. Bistecca for steak. Bourke Street Bakery if you just need bread to eat with a glass at home. The neighbourhood does small-bar dining as well as anywhere in Sydney.

Carriageworks farmers' market — Saturday mornings

If you're early enough, the Carriageworks market in Eveleigh is a 12-minute walk south. The bread and stone-fruit stalls in particular.

Getting there

Surry Hills is a 10-minute walk from Central Station or a single bus ride from the city. Drive in only if you have a destination with parking — street parking is metered and tight.