Travel Destination: Sydney
About Sydney
Whoever thinks of Sydney gets fixated on the image of the Sydney Opera House found right smack on a scenic harbour where all of the city’s culture and beauty meld.
Sydney is the most populous and oldest city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. It is also known as “The Harbour City” due its location. It is built around Port Jackson (known as the largest natural harbour in the world) which contains the Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Sydney is bordered by the Woronora Plateau to the south, the Hawkesbury River to the north, Pacific Ocean to the east and the Blue Mountains to the west. City residents are called Sydneysiders.
Sydney is one of the most multicultural cities in the world and that makes it an interesting place to visit. Its population is peppered with people of Asian, European and Arab descent, a testament of its irresistible charm that anybody seems to get enchanted to want to settle in.
For international tourists though, settling in is not in the agenda (at least not yet) for it is more exciting to explore. Going around the city is easy for two reasons: Sydneysiders are native English speakers (although most speak a second language) and it has the largest public transport system in Australia. So you can actually take your pick--taxi, light rail, monorail or ferry?
But although you can go around as much as you’d like, Sydney can also easily overwhelm your curious minds and your itinerary can go haywire if you don’t plan. One suggestion is to do it geographically. You may start with Sydney Harbour. This is a must-see area because aside from the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, you can also do the Bridge Climb, visit historic forts and while away your time enjoying the views across the harbour in Watsons Bay, where incidentally, one legal nude beach is located.
Sun worshippers can frolic freely in Sydney beaches. From north to south to its harbour, you can surely find one to your liking, so there’s no reason to pass up. The world renowned Bondi Beach, Manly and Coogee are worth a try and also the famous Sydney harbour beach, the Balmoral, named after the Balmoral Castle, a favourite summer royal residence in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
The City of Sydney presents a totally different experience too. Here you can revisit the past through the historic area The Rocks, get impressed by the Sydney Tower (the second tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere and Sydney’s tallest free-standing structure), enjoy the major tourist attractions in Darling Harbour like the Sydney Entertainment Centre and Star City Casino, visit Kings Cross (the red light district), explore its museums and cool down in city parks such as Hyde Park and The Royal Botanic Gardens.
Set aside a day or two to get acquainted with its wildlife riches. Include in your itinerary the Taronga Zoo where 2,600 animals reside, Sydney Wildlife World where 6,000 native animals are found and go whale watching if your visit falls from mid-May to early December.
You may also schedule a suburb daytrip to seal the deal. The Centennial Park area, Blue Mountains National Park and Sydney Olympic Park promote outdoor activities that you can take pleasure in.