Sydney
Sydney is Australia's oldest city, the State capital of New South Wales, the economic powerhouse of the nation and the country's capital in everything but name. It's blessed with sun-drenched natural attractions, dizzy skyscrapers and friendly folk. The city has all the cosmopolitan amenities – top shopping, excellent restaurants and buzzing nightlife.
Sydney's first residents settled at the Rocks, where all walks of life combined together to create the beginnings of a burgeoning economy. Although it's come a long way from its convict beginnings, Sydney still has a rough and ready energy, and offers an invigorating blend of the old and the new, the raw and the refined. From its sordid beginnings as a British penal colony in 1788, Sydney rapidly flourished, establishing booming trade links and witnessing large-scale development throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
After the success of the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, Sydney has become increasingly recognized as one of the world's great cities. Its diverse and accepting population of more than 4,000,000 means its cultural communities bubble with energy and ideas, resulting in a creative, modern atmosphere.
Sydney is comfortable to visit at any time of year, but unless you enjoy humidity, broken by the odd torrential downpour, keep away in summer. Autumn is delightful, especially around March and April, with clear, warm days and mild nights. In Spring (September to November) there's more chance of rain, but it usually clears quickly. Average temperatures are around 25°C (77°F), though it can get to over 40°C (104°F) in summer. By and large, Sydneysiders enjoy well over 300 sunny days a year.
A city surrounded by water, Sydney is a fusion of spectacular architecture and white beaches. Set amongst native bushland and lush national parks, the key to this city's identity is its harbour. Its intricate coastal geography of headlands and secluded bays is the stunning setting for two of the modern world’s most ambitious architectural achievements – the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Celebrated as the ‘Queen of the Pacific Rim’, vast, vibrant Sydney is home to one of the world’s most beautiful harbours, with the imposing Opera House as the jewel in its crown.
The Sydney Opera House (a feat of avant-garde architectural vision) epitomises the city’s desire to lead the New World in the 21st century. Sydney’s architecture is a stunning melange, with little Victorian structures nestling below towering concrete, steel and glass skyscrapers.
But behind these modern monoliths, there is a wealth of history, culture and tradition. Kings Cross' funky architecture is highlighted with trendy boutiques and cafes, and Darling Harbour is perhaps most notably the location for the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Chinese Garden of Friendship. Australia's pre-history can be discovered at the Indigenous Collection at the Australian Museum, and the short trip north to Hunter Valley finds established vineyards creating several full-bodied, fine wines.
In inner-city Sydney, Macquarie Place and Macquarie Street are characterized by their imposing Victorian banking chambers and municipal buildings, while further afield, the areas of Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Paddington are thriving cosmopolitan communities, each with their own distinct character. Kings Cross, renowned more for its red light district, has a bustling café society, while Darlinghurst comes alive every March for the world-famous Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Paddington has a more genteel feel, with its fashionable restaurants, galleries, antique shops and restored Victorian terraces complete with wrought-iron lace verandahs.
Carved between the mountains and the sea, Sydney also offers the ultimate in the great outdoors. The Pacific Ocean swells onto golden beaches, while a seasonally shifting palette of colours unfolds further inland over the Blue Mountains. In addition to the harbour, famously adorned with sailing boats that mirror the distinctive curves of the Opera House, there are numerous inland waterways and national parks.
Sydney is one of the word's great walking cities-with a group of famous coastal tracks that are the perfect way to catch the waterfront sights (and shake off that post-jet-lag fatigue). If you're not a power-walker, you can try the mile-long (one-way) Hermitage Foreshore Walk; it starts at Nielsen Park in the harbor suburb of Vaucluse and includes a rock platform with superb views of Sydney Harbour and nearby Shark Island. Slightly longer (about two miles one-way), the Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk hugs the foreshore, winding south from Bondi Beach past rocky outcrops, intricately eroded sandstone rocks, Aboriginal art, and native plants. You'll see hundreds of Sydneysiders, too-this is the city's most popular walk. If you're up for a more strenuous trek, the 6.2-mile Manly Scenic Walkway takes between two and four hours one-way. You'll see the lovely Reef Beach and Forty Baskets Beach, the striking Grotto Point Lighthouse, a red gum grove, and bays where hundreds of yachts are moored.
Sydney Opera House
In April of 1966, the architect of the Sydney Opera House, Jørn Utzon, left Australia, never to return. His grand architectural vision was only half completed, but arguments with the State government over the spiralling cost of the project meant that the interior complex of auditoria, theaters, restaurants and bars was completed by other architects. In spite of its compromised genesis, the building instantly became a world icon on opening in 1973. Utzon has never seen the completed building but in recent years has collaborated on a A$70 million interior refurbishment that will bring the building closer to his original vision – including a 14-meter long tapestry that was installed in September 2004. The four main auditoria (the Concert Hall, the Playhouse, the Opera Theater and the Drama Theater) stage a total of 3,000 performances per year.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Not to be outdone by the imposing grandeur of the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is, in its own right, a feat of engineering genius. Affectionately known as ‘the Coathanger’, it took 1,400 workers (16 of whom perished in the process) eight years to complete the bridge, which opened in 1932. If the views from the Pylon Lookout across Sydney Harbour and over the Opera House are not spectacular enough, the Bridge Climb gives thrill-seekers the chance to walk to the top of the 50-story-high bridge (over the cars and trains rumbling across the deck below) and down the other side. Paul ‘Crocodile Dundee’ Hogan, a bridge-painter in a former lifetime, was one of the first to climb the bridge.
The Rocks
Nestled at the foot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Rocks (Sydney’s historical birthplace) is a neighborhood of winding streets, sandstone cottages and some of Sydney’s oldest pubs. The site of the first landing from Plymouth in England, in 1788, the area is now a busy tourist enclave, with cafés, restaurants, galleries, museums and countless souvenir shops. Among the district’s historic buildings are the Hero of Waterloo inn (built over a tunnel that was originally used for smuggling), the Sydney Observatory (on the site of the colony’s first windmill), Cadman’s Cottage (Sydney’s oldest building, built in 1816) and Susannah Place (a museum of working-class life). Other attractions include the Museum of Contemporary Art and The Rocks Toy Museum.
Darling Harbour
A former dockside area, this small harbor has been transformed into a major tourist site. The vast, paved and landscaped recreation ground is packed with restaurants and shops, as well as a number of tourist attractions. These include the Powerhouse Museum, Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Aquarium, IMAX Theater and the Chinese Garden of Friendship, a gift to Sydney from its sister city of Guangdong in China.
Bondi Beach
Bondi is one of the world’s most perfect beaches, a white crescent of sand strung between two rocky headlands, situated just 15 minutes from the city center. The waterfront scene, with its street musicians, surf shops and bars is ideal for a summer evening’s prowl or a lazy saunter past Campbell Parade’s restaurants, cafés and Sunday markets. Topless sunbathing is tolerated and swimmers should stick to the patrolled areas of North Bondi or Bondi Baths, on the southern rocks. The coastal walk takes in the whole gamut of beach cultures, from the wild surf and gleaming bodies at Tamarama to the palm-fringed views of Bronte and the soothing sea pools at Coogee.
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Featuring the Yiribana Gallery, the world’s largest permanent exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of Australia’s foremost art museums. Among its most impressive exhibitions is its Australian art collection, extending from the early colonial period to the mid-20th century. The recently completed Asian Galleries showcase the gallery’s significant Asian collection and touring exhibitions. Shortlisted portraits in the Archibald Prize (Australia’s most prestigious art award) are exhibited here annually.
Sydney Tower
Standing 250m (820ft) above Market Street, Sydney Tower is the city’s tallest building, with views over the city, the Harbour, the Olympic Park and as far as Terrigal Beach, 100km (62 miles) to the north. Entry to the observation deck includes the Skytour – a 35-minute virtual tour/ride on the podium level.
Royal Botanic Gardens
A short walk from the Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens sits on a slope overlooking the harbor and covers 30 hectares (74 acres) in the heart of the city. Established in 1816, it is Australia’s oldest scientific institution and home to over one million specimens. Highlights include the Sydney Tropical Center and the Rose Garden; there is a hop-on hop-off trackless train to get around them all.
Sydney Olympic Park
Built on the site of an old rubbish tip, the focal point of the ‘best ever Olympics’ in 2000 is now an attraction in its own right, comprising 15 architecturally magnificent venues as well as extensive parks and wetlands. Separate guided tours of the venues are given and a self-guided tour brochure is available from the Visitor Gateway or from the website.
Taronga Zoo
The most desirable residence in Sydney is inhabited not by the upper echelons of society but by a collection of seals, snow leopards, koalas, kangaroos and wallabies. Taronga Zoo’s location, on Bradley’s Head, at Mosman, is one of the most beautiful vantage points on Sydney Harbour, situated on elevated land along the waterfront. The zoo is home to over 350 different species of animals, ranging from old time favorites such as elephants, gorillas, giraffes, orangutans and so on, to more bizarre representatives of the animal kingdom such as the platypus (an animal so odd-looking that when settlers first came across it, they thought it was a hoax) and the echidna. There are keepers’ talks and shows throughout the day, and the sky safari (little cable cars going over the zoo to give a bird’s eye perspective) is extremely popular.
