Sydney has always been a city of villages. From its first days as a fledgling settlement on the shores of Port Jackson (more commonly known as Sydney Harbor), the village community mentality has continued. Today's urban colonists continue to transform the city's suburbs creating havens of modern village life. From the bohemian chic of Paddington to style ghettos such as Danks Street in Waterloo, here are five examples, each with its own character and identity.

down the Depot on Danks Street

It all began with one man's idea to turn a factory into an art gallery complex. The Depot concept took off and the trend was set. Light industrially zoned Danks Street in Waterloo has undergone an incredible metamorphosis in the space of five years, Today, ultra-modern warehouse apartment blocks, art galleries, restaurants and retail outlets are springing up all overnight.

The gallery complex known as 2 Danks Street was the brainchild of Sydney lawyer Leo Christi, who recognized that the former Kodak factory building with its high exposed iron girders and concrete floors was the ideal site for an art gallery. Ten galleries are housed here, among them Stella Downer (contemporary Australian works), Conny Dietzschold (an international and Australian mix) and the Aboriginal and Pacific Art Gallery, The building's resident eatery is the Danks Street Depot, a café/cocktail bar whose chef/owner Jared Ingersoll's Mediterranean-inspired menu set a high standard for area restaurants to meet.

Across the street at Fratelli Fresh, 7 Danks Street, Barry McDonald's fresh produce markets is the wholesale choice for some of Sydney's leading restaurants. The market, housed artfully in another of Danks Street's former factories, is open to the public from 10 A. M.

On the first floor, rows of coffee and food exotica such as imported Italian olives, olive oils, balsamics and anchovies share space with Café Sopra. A free cooking school also operates here and is so popular that it's often booked out for months in advance. Danks Street is the perfect example of Sydney's ever-evolving village culture.

brunch and baths at the beach

The southern beachside suburbs of Coogee Bay, Bronte and Bondi are each symbolic of the brashness, laid-back hedonistic nature of Sydneysiders. A magnificent walk along the cliff tops connects all three, offering an enduring angle on beach life on the “burbs.” Starting at Bondi, you can amble past all three beach fronts in a few hours, pausing for indulgent stops at the many cafes along the way or a dip in the sea baths built into the cliffs.

Bondi Beach is synonymous with Australian beach culture and its mile-long curve of golden sand has all the classic imagery in abundance: quintessential life-savers with their red-and-yellow caps, bronzed Aussie surfers, bikini-clad babes and the ocean that peels into the bay in a series of never ending waves.

From Bondi the cliff-top path snakes its way into picturesque little Tamarama Bay before reaching Bronte, just in time for brunch. Competition is fierce at the Bronte Strip – a row of beachside cafes popular with locals in the know. Holding its own is the well-established Bogey-Hole Café, 473 Bronte Road, the place to be seen and “do brunch.” Poached eggs in toast washed down with the ubiquitous latte while reading the Sydney Morning Herald and taking in the ocean view is about as Sydney as it gets.

Down at the Bronte sea baths, John Meggsie Maguire emerges from the azure-blue water wearing his trademark Bronte Speedos. Megsie's been a member of the local surf club for 53 years and swims the lengths of the pool everyday of the year come rain or shine. “I learnt to swim in these sea pools,” he reminisces, “My kids and grandkids learnt to swim here, heck I reckon half of Sydney has too.”

Back on the trail, the Coast Path winds through the Waverly Cemetery (Australia's most scenic place to be buried, with famous residents such as Henry Lawson and Dorothy McKellar) and Clovelly Bay (another great spot for refreshments) before drawing to a dramatic conclusion at Coogee Bay.

Coogee Bay is the great all-round Saturday arvo (afternoon in Australians) beach hangout. Not quite as grand in scale as Bondi, Coogee Bay has a more intimate feel with all the essential ingredients: golden sands lapped by blue seas, volleyball courts, headlands shaded with Norfolk Pines, and the place to stay whist in Sydney, The Dive Hotel, 235 Arden Street.

Owners Terry Bunton and Mercedes Mariano employed the genius of Sydney architect Virginia Kettridge to transform what was once a down-at-the-heels guest house into an oasis of style, maintaining much of its original charm while integrating the cutting edge of modern design to create a beach house feel.

boutique browsing in Paddington

The narrow tree-lined streets of Paddington with their sophisticated Victorian terraced townhouses are an enclave of who's who where the salons of some of Australia's top fashion designers can be found. The legendary Saturday morning markets on Oxford Street is something of launching pad for other up and coming designers, who sell eclectic hand-made jewelry, distinctive home accessories, vintage clothing: just about everything.

“I guess I resonate to the artistic community in Paddington,” says musician Dale Nougher, whose ultra-cool easy listening tunes bathe the market stalls with a fusion of icehouse and progressive jazz. “It's a sound that stems from my experiences in street theater.”

Fellow stallholder Ross Duncan is doing a good-morning's trade. A number of people browse his racks of custom-made shirts and jackets with 50s-80s retro-styles. “I got frustrated looking for good vintage clothing and decided to design my own. It all stemmed from that,” he says with a grin.

On nearby William Street well-heeled socialites strut their stuff as they browse the renovated Victorian two story cottages that have been converted into fashion boutiques housing the creations of big-name designers such as Collette Dinnigan, Leona Edmiston and Helen English. Peruse one side of the street and then pop into the Paddington Alimentari, 2 Hopetoun Street; a euro-style café delicatessen for lunch before heading back up the other side.

alfresco dining at Wooloomooloo

The thing to do at Wooloomooloo is to dine alfresco. The once dilapidated Finger Wharf in Wooloomooloo Bay – dating from 1917 – has been transformed into a swish complex of residential apartments (Actor Russel Crowe has his penthouse here) and swanky waterside restaurants, including Otto's (Italian), Manta (seafood) and China Doll (Asian). There's nothing more iconic of Sydney cuisine than a plate of shucked oysters combined with a crisp white wine while taking in the harbor views.

At the other end of the dining spectrum, though with every bit as much character, is Harry's Café de Wheels, Cowper Wharf Road. This 24-hour pie cart has been serving “I can't believe I ate that” pies and mushy peas alongside the wharves since 1945.

People of all walks of life have scoffed a pie at Harry's famous cart. The smiling faces of famous customers such as Elton John, Brooke Shields, Olivia Newton John and Pamela Anderson peer out of the multitude of photos on display at the counter. It's also something of an institutional rite for taxi drivers, sailors and late night revelers.

street savy Surry Hills

Surry Hills was once thought of as a slum for the city's poor. Today, the vibe is anything but… now it's a fashionable scene of restaurants, designer galleries and leafy Victorian streets where corner shops house some of Sydney's best cafes.

Down at the Bourke St. Bakery there's a queue out the door, but it seems the locals don't mind the wait, as the aroma of freshly baked bread overlaid with foccacias stuffed with mouth-watering fillings waft over the heads of those in front.

Over the road, the baristas in the Book Kitchen, 255 Devonshire Street, is in the zone, focusing on getting that perfect 30-second stream from the espresso machine. As the name suggests, the Book Kitchen is both a café and a book store, offering a huge selection of cookery and other food related books. Patrons linger over glossy pages of Tuscan recipes and wine guides while sipping some of the best coffee this side of the Harbour Bridge. Choose from coffee blends such as Certified Organic and Fair-trade coffee from Sumatra or Australian grown beans from the Byron Bay Hinterlands.

Further up the hill Mohr Fish, 202 Devonshire Street, which is a favorite of Bono's from U2 when he's in town. The menu in this dressed up fish n' chippery is anything but ordinary; the “Mahi Mahi with oyster mushrooms, snow peas and a generous dollop of creamy mashed potatoes” washed down with a chilled chardonnay is so good you can almost hear the seagulls squawking.

According to the New York Times, the scrambled eggs at Bills 2, 359 Crown Street (owned by celebrity chef Bill Granger) are the best in the world. Big words but the scrambled eggs are even bigger. Creamy, golden eggs drench thick slabs of toast accompanied by button mushrooms and roasted tomatoes.

Art and design is a big part of the Surry Hill Scene, and the Brett Whiteley Studio, 2 Raper Street, is a must see. One of Australia's best-known contemporary artists, Whiteley converted this one-time warehouse into a studio and living space in 1986. Since his death it has operated as a gallery and museum housing his paintings and memorabilia. Vibrant and constantly reinventing themselves, Sydney's collection of villages create a splendid picture of urban life.