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Sydney
The State capital is perhaps best known abroad for the Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point, a building whose distinctive shape is echoed by the sails of the boats in the almost equally famous harbour. Tours of the Opera House are available daily (0830-1700), except Christmas Day and Good Friday. The Opera House hosts many of Australia’s opera, ballet and theatre companies and symphony orchestras. Sydney is also a major commercial and business centre with first-class conference and exhibition facilities. The city-centre skyline rivals that of Manhattan, with the added attraction that Sydney is far more likely to be seen under a clear blue sky. There is a spectacular view of the city and its surroundings from the 305m-high (1000ft) AMP Tower above the Centrepoint Shopping Complex (daily 0900-2145). The city has a great number of concert halls, museums, art galleries and theatres. Among the many other interesting sights Sydney has to offer are the Harbour Bridge (the third-longest single span bridge in the world), Taronga Zoo, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australian Museum. The Rocks area (the site of Australia’s first European settlement) has been largely restored to its original state and features cobbled streets, gas lamps, craft shops and small restaurants. This district of the city also contains one of Sydney’s oldest buildings, Cadman’s Cottage (1816), as well as the ‘Lord Nelson’ and the ‘Hero of Waterloo’, the city’s oldest pubs. Tours around Olympic Park – venue of the 2000 Olympic Games – have become a popular visitor attraction, and include a visit to the Olympic Village. Apart from exploring various quarters such as Chinatown, Paddington and Kings Cross on foot, there is Darling Harbour, one of Sydney’s newest precincts, which is a five-minute monorail ride from the city centre. This bustling area contains numerous attractions including the Harbourside Shopping Centre, Gavala Aboriginal and Cultural Education Centre, Panasonic IMAX Theatre, the Chinese Garden, the Powerhouse Museum (design and science), the National Maritime Museum, Cockle Bay Wharf and the Sydney Aquarium. The city can also be enjoyed from the water with harbour cruises departing from Circular Quay. Other ways of seeing the city are from the bright red Sydney Explorer Bus which stops at 26 popular tourist spots on its 36km (22-mile) loop around the city or from the monorail train, or from a scenic flight aboard a seaplane or helicopter. The city has many beautiful green spaces including Hyde Park, The Domain and Centennial Park as well as the stunning Botanic Gardens with views of the Bridge, Opera House and Harbour. Sydney is also justly famous for its many excellent beaches in and around the city, such as Manly, on the north shore (15 minutes by Jet Cat), or Bondi, Watson’s Bay, Bronte, Clovelly or Coogee to the south. Most beaches are within reach of public transport. For reasons of safety, people should swim in the areas marked with flags only. Botany Bay, the first foothold of British settlers, is still a botanist’s delight with mangrove swamps and native wildlife as well as museums and picturesque walks.
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