Noodles, gelato and a dip: how to spend a day riding the rails of the Sydney metro extension

Train dreams: Elias Visontay rides the rails from Central to Crows Nest in search of good times. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

When I started on the transport beat at Guardian Australia, I envisioned spending plenty of time at airports and train stations, but I had no clue I’d end up posing topless for a beachy photoshoot.

Sydney has been gripped by a similar sense of surprise in recent weeks.