Sitting on one of the largest natural harbours in the world, Australia’s first city has great natural beauty, enhanced by the artifices of its denizens.
Sydney was founded, as the convict colony of Botany Bay, in 1788. Captain Cook, who came upon it in 1770 and been impressed by the lushness of the vegetation. The convicts who laboured there took a decidedly less upbeat view of the colony. Today, however, it is Cook’s rather than the convicts’ opinion that has stood the test of time. Sydney is without doubt one of the loveliest cities in the world. Built around the natural harbour known as Port Jackson (named by Cook for an obscure naval commissioner), it combines the magnificence of nature with the attractions of human-built edifices. The soaring skyscrapers, captured in the Matrix film trilogy, of the Central Business District (the commercial heart of Sydney) make a modernist counterpoint to the low-rise residential areas, the parks and the harbour.
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is the world’s most recognisable landmark, an icon of both Sydney and of Australia as a whole – its location on Bennelong Point making it a focal point of the harbour. The World Heritage site was built in the Expressionist style, as a multi-venue performing arts centre – host to Opera Australia, Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian Ballet and Sydney Theatre Company. It has a number of venues, such as the 2,700-seat Concert Hall, with its high vaulted ceiling and timber panelling, and the 1,500-seat Joan Sutherland Theatre. There is also a spectacular open-air forecourt, with fantastic views of the harbour and the Sydney Harbour Bridge (to which it is adjacent). It is Sydney’s most visited tourist site, and there are guided tours, some of them especially for children and families.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Until the Opera House was built, Sydney Harbour Bridge, crossing the harbour between Sydney and the North Shore, was the city’s major landmark. It provides remarkable views of the harbour, and the best are from the top of its arches – it has been climbed by three million people. The climbs are guided by experienced Climb Leaders, who prepare visitors for climbing and entertain them on the climb with informative tales. There are a variety of tours available, including daytime, twilight and night-time ascents. Children are allowed and need pay slightly less than adults.
Parks
Hyde Park is quite different from its namesake in London. The oldest public park in Australia, it is conveniently situated for the city centre and a good place for walking, playing, meditating, viewing the bird life which flourishes there, or just sitting. At its centre is the Sandringham Garden, created to celebrate the intended visit of King George VI, and now a memorial to the death of that monarch on the eve of the visit. At the southern end are the ANZAC Memorial and the Pool of Reflection, flanked by poplar trees, reminders of the River Somme in France. At the north end is the Archibald Fountain, a water feature composed of a number of statues from the Greek myths.
North of Hyde Park is another vast urban park, the Domain, the major attraction of which is the Royal Botanical Gardens, founded in 1816, the oldest in the southern hemisphere. The Cadi Jam Ora (Aboriginal garden and settler garden), Rainforest Walk, Rare and Threatened Plants Garden, Australian Native Rockery, Succulents Garden and the Fernery are must visits. Stroll along Mrs Macquarie’s Bushland Walk, beside Woolloomoolo Bay, to Lady Macquarie’s Chair, which affords a wonderful view of the harbour.
Museums
Adjacent to the park is the Hyde Park Barracks Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where convicts were once boarded. It is a must-see for families with children, with its exhibits, reconstructions , and especially the stories of rats, which are sure to grab their imagination. The Powerhouse Museum, close to the centre of Sydney is part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. Because of its unique internal arrangements (it is located in an old power station), it is possible to look from various directions at its 120,000 exhibits, providing a delightful educational experience.
Port Jackson
The biggest attraction in Sydney is of course its natural harbour. This can be seen from a number of vantage points around it. The best panorama is from Bradley’s Head, and close-by Taronga Zoo – where the cable cars provide superb vistas. The entrance to Port Jackson can be viewed from the Arabanoo Lookout or Middle Head. These are all contained within Sydney Harbour National Park, which is a great place for discovering bush wildlife, observing Aboriginal rock-drawings, exploring nature, walking or picnicking. The best way to see Port Jackson at sea level is by the Sydney Ferry, by which it is also possible to get to a variety of destinations. During the Vivid festival, in May and June every year, the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and features in Darling Harbour and elsewhere are lit up with brilliant visual displays. Throughout the year, there are fantastic fireworks displays over Sydney Harbour. All of which make the Harbour City experience an unforgettable one.
Cuisine
Sydney is a town for eating out, from the bookshop cafes, where you can read while sipping your tea and eating your cake, to the best in fine dining and seafood on the abandoned jetties of the seafront. Australian cuisine has been influenced heavily by immigration and Sydney offers a fully representative menu. Meat pies were the traditional Australian dishes, but their popularity has declined. Traditional fish and chips are available, best at food outlets at the Sydney Fish Market, which serve seafood straight off the boat. For variation, try calamari and chips. There are cultural enclaves where ethnic cuisine may be had, for example Chinatown, where one may experience Yum Cha traditional tea-tasting with Dim Sum dumplings; Haberfield, where the best Italian food can be consumed; Marrickville for Greek and Vietnamese food; and Auburn for Turkish and traditional Iranian. Lebanese restaurants are ubiquitous and serve some of the best kebabs and pizzas.