Forget Me Not: 5 Reasons to Remember Sydney

Posted by Jude Buttle on Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The oldest, largest and most cosmopolitan city in Australia, Sydney boasts natural beauty, idyllic beaches and an amazing harbour.

The Sydney Opera House

1. Bondi Beach

Bondi is a popular and fashionable beach resort, known for its famous sandy beach and as a great place to surf.

The beach promenade has a number of cafes and restaurants that overlook the beautiful coastline. The parkland area is regularly frequented by roller-bladers, cyclists and skaters, who all add to the atmosphere of health and vitality.

Over the years the beach has been used as a location for a number of Australian and International films and television series, as well as hosting the beach volleyball competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

To the north of the resort rests an Aboriginal site, which inside has Aboriginal rock engravings.

2. The Rocks

Often described as an "open-air museum," The Rocks is an important historical area of Sydney named after the sandstone bluffs from which convicts first cut bricks for the construction of new buildings. The Rocks is also the place where British settlement was initially established by the First Fleet when they stepped ashore on 26 January 1788, giving birth to Australia as we know it today.

Located on the western shore of Sydney cove between the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Rocks is now a vibrant and commercial precinct, which combines historic buildings with modern amenities including shops, cafés and top-notch restaurants.

At the weekend, The Rocks hosts a market with arts, crafts, homewares and collectables with an emphasis on Australian made goods. There are also street theatre performances to entertain visitors while they enjoy the sights and sounds of the city.

3. Taronga Zoo

Taronga Zoo is the country's leading zoological garden, featuring Australia's finest collection of native animals and assorted exotic species.

Due to its elevated location along the waterfront, the zoo offers spectacular views of Sydney Cove, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

One of the most popular attractions is the relatively new Great Southern Oceans exhibit. Covering 1.2 hectares, it features Australian and Californian Sea Lions, Australian and New Zealand Fur Seals, Leopard Seals, Pelicans and Penguins.

4. Sydney Opera House

One of the globe's most famous 20^th century landmarks, the Sydney Opera House sets the scene as a performing arts venue recognised the world over. This magnificent building is located in Sydney Harbour, close to Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on June 28, 2007.

The two largest structures often referred to as ‘shells,' house the Concert Hall and Opera Theatre. Other theatres are located on the sides of these with the Bennelong Restaurant in a smaller grouping of shells. The roof of the structure is covered with millions of white and cream tiles and was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who won the competition to design this Australian icon.

The Opera House is the headquarters of the Sydney theatre company, Sydney Symphony and Opera Australia. It also showcases many other theatrical, musical and ballet productions.

5. Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge frames the world-renowned Harbour and is one of Australia's best known and photographed landmarks.

It is the world's largest (but not the longest) steel arch bridge with the top point standing 134 metres above the harbour.

Fondly known by the locals as the 'Coat hanger,' the Sydney Harbour Bridge was officially opened in March 1932 after the initial construction started in 1924, employing more than 1500 men and costing £4.2 million.

It now carries eight traffic lanes and two rail lines, one in each direction, but at the time of creation the two eastern lanes were tram tracks, which were replaced by buses in 1958.

Since 1998, the activity of climbing the Bridge (BridgeClimb) has become a major tourist attraction, with some of Australia's most famous celebrities participating, including singer Kylie Minogue and actor Hugo Weaving.

For New Year's Eve celebrations and other famous announcements, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is normally shown with explosions of fireworks, which are broadcast around the entire planet.

Conclusion

Sydney is a spectacular city that boasts an iconic bridge, fashionable beach and world famous opera house, making it one of many must-see destinations in Australia.

Search for a property in Australia.

If you are looking for Property for sale in Sydney, such as villas, apartments or other types of real estate, why not check out TheMoveChannel.com Australia, which has a large number of listings from Australian estate agents and developers selling properties in the area: http://australia.themovechannel.com/

Photo by Now I'm Always Smiling!

Be the first to rate this post.

Currently 0/5 stars.
1
2
3
4
5

Subscribe to Newsletters

Recent Related Stories

Send us a Property Story

Forget Me Not: 5 Reasons to Remember Sydney

Comments

Add Comment

Bookmark This Page