Sydney

Overview

Sydney basking in its worldwide recognition as the shining star of the Southern Hemisphere -- the "Emerald City"-- is one of the most attractive on earth. At the heart of Sydney – Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse city - is the outrageously good-looking Sydney Harbor. The city curves and sways through this glamorous maze of sandstone headlands, lazy bays and legendary surf beaches. The beaches are swarming, street cafés buzz and the harbor blooms with sails. It is more carpe diem than museum - a narcissistic 'Sin City' fixated on sunglasses, salons and soy lattes. It certainly has that relaxed feel. The genetic legacy of the British and Irish convicts who built Sydney is more evident in gutsy self-belief than anything mirror-worthy.

An edgy multiculturalism ignites the food scene and fuels the nocturnal life – you are bound to lose yourself in the restaurants, bars and clubs just as easily as on the streets. Aboriginal heritage makes an impact through art; you'll see many urban galleries celebrating indigenous culture. The Sydney experience is essentially active and engaging, with indulgent and intense nights.

Most of the interesting things in this huge city are concentrated in a relatively compact area around one of the finest urban harbors in the world. The Sydney Opera House forms one of the most recognized buildings in the world. This white-sailed construction on Sydney Cove is the pride of the city. A multi-venue performing arts center on Bennelong point is undoubtedly one of the greatest icons of the modern world and a mirror image of captivating beauty. It is a magnificent piece of architecture enjoying a universal acclaim. Right from natural splendor, in terms of serene beaches and wild bushlands, to exquisite architectural beauty, the city has it all. The delectable cuisine, cheerful music, numerous adventure options and pulsating nightlife of Sydney only add to the fun.

Those with a daredevil spirit can join a BridgeClimb Sydney tour across catwalks and ladders to the top of the main arch for 360-degree views across the Opera House and the ferries and boats far below.

There are also over 20 beaches strung along the city's oceanfront and dozens more around the harbor; you'll be spoiled for choice. The most famous is Bondi, a strip of golden sand legendary for its Speedo-clad Lifesavers and surfboard riders. Another beach favorite is Manly, a 30-minute ferry trip from Circular Quay. Pick up some fish and chips and head for the main beach, flanked by a row of giant pines that chatter with hundreds of colorful lorikeets at dusk.

Modern Sydney comes alive in the more recent developments around Darling Harbour and the nearby restaurant and entertainment areas in Cockle Bay and on King Street Wharf. You'll find the world-class Sydney Aquarium there, or you can start your gourmet tour of Sydney's Contemporary cooking style, which encompasses the best of freshness with spices from Asia and flavors from the Mediterranean.

Whichever way you look at it, there's so much to do in Sydney that you could easily spend a week here and still find yourself crashing into bed at night, exhausted from trying to see it all. Sydney offers a good value to the frugal traveler.

Sydney Trivia

• Sydney is the oldest as well as the largest city, in terms of population, in Australia.
• Sydney was first settled by the British in 1788 when 400 settlers and 750 convicts arrived on the First Fleet. The convicts were sentenced to Australia for crimes as small as stealing food.
• The name of the Aboriginal people that inhabited Sydney, prior to European settlement, were the Cadigal, who in turn are part of the Darug Nation or language group.
• That’s CABLE now…… Sydney Tower is stabilised by 56 cables each weighing seven tonnes. If these cables were laid end to end they would stretch from Sydney to Alice Springs or Sydney to New Zealand.
• Opera house… Approximately 4.5 million people visit the Sydney Opera House each year. This is about a quarter of Australia's total population and more than twice the number of yearly visitors to America's White House.
• Ready your paint brush…… The Sydney Harbour Bridge (affectionately dubbed 'The Coathanger') requires regular paint jobs as part of its maintenance. The surface area to be painted is equal to about the surface area of 60 sports fields.
• Get Fishy…….. When it comes to variety, Sydney's Fish Markets rank as the 2nd largest in the world, boasting over 100 types of fish on the market floor daily.
• Looking for Aboriginal Art??....... The Art Gallery of New South Wales is home to The Yiribana Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Gallery, the world's largest space devoted to the permanent exhibition of Aboriginal art.
• Mystery of The ROCKS……….. In 1989 on the site of the ANA Hotel in Cumberland Street, The Rocks, three intriguing artefacts were found - not at all what you would expect from the remains of houses dating back to the 1820s. There was an Egyptian "ushabti" figure made around 400BC, a topaz ring inset made in the fist century BC, and a Roman coin dating to 123BC. It is unclear how these pieces were brought to Australia by the 1820s.
• That’s Favorite!!!!!!!!!!……….. Sydney's Queen Victoria Building (or QVB) on George Street is the nation's favourite. Completely refurbished, the QVB is a shopper's dream, with over 180 shops, numerous cafes and a fantastic food hall.
• Indigenous Manly…… One of Sydney's most famous beaches - Manly - was named by Captain Arthur Phillip after the "manly" physique of the Aborigines he saw there in 1788.

• Attractions

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• Sydney Nightlife

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• Shopping

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• Events

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• Practical Know-how

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• Getting to Sydney and around

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• Hotels

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• Sports

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• Adventure sports

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