Por Greater Sydney is spread over a vast area that stretches from the Blue Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east and from the southern shore of Lake Macquarie in the north to south of Botany Bay. Only about one-third of this region is classified as urban, but the great bulk of the region’s population lives in the urban area. A pattern of suburban sprawl, caused partly by the cheapness of land in earlier days and by the determination of ordinary Australians to own their own houses and gardens, has caused problems for the authorities responsible for sewerage and transport. The sprawl is also in marked contrast to the comparatively small and compact central business district, which is crammed into a narrow rocky peninsula between two arms of the harbour within the City of Sydney proper. Whereas most of the houses in the suburbs are one-story bungalows built of brick or wood, numerous buildings in the central business district—where land costs are much higher—are tall multistory structures.
The city’s other prominent theatre companies are New Theatre, Belvoir, and Griffin Theatre Company. Sydney is also home to Event Cinemas’ first theatre, which opened on George St in 1913, under its former Greater Union brand; the theatre currently operates, and is regarded as one of Australia’s busiest cinema locations. The Southern district of Sydney includes the suburbs in the local government areas of the Georges River Council (collectively known as St George) and the Sutherland Shire (colloquially known as ‘The Shire’), on the southern banks of the Georges River.
Bankstown Airport is Sydney’s second busiest airport, and serves general aviation, charter and some scheduled cargo flights. Bankstown is also the fourth busiest airport in Australia by number of aircraft movements.467 Other airports include Camden Airport, The Oaks Airfield, and Menangle Airfield, which are mostly used for general aviation, flight training468 and by private operators. Seaplane terminals are located at Rose Bay and Palm Beach, and military airports at Holsworthy and Richmond. Port Botany has surpassed Port Jackson as the city’s major shipping port. Cruise ship terminals are located at Sydney Cove and White Bay. The Sydney region is fortunate to be almost completely ringed by dozens of national and regional parks and recreation areas—a unique distinction for so large a city.
What can you do in Sydney for free?
The rapid development initiated in the 1960s has transformed the city centre, which now looks like a smaller Manhattan rising from the shores of the harbour, though in fact most of the buildings are not high by North American standards. Soaring above downtown is the Sydney Tower (completed 1981; spire added in 1991), which reaches a height of more than 1,000 feet (305 metres) and contains restaurants and an observation deck. Additional business centres have sprung up in North Sydney, which is linked to the City of Sydney by the Harbour Bridge, and Parramatta, about 15 miles (25 km) west of the city centre. Sydney has the largest public transport network in Australia, with 67% of residents having access to adequate public transport services.448 Sydney’s rail network began with the construction of a rail line to present-day Granville in 1855. Afterwards, the network grew with European settlement in the 19th century.449 The first electric trains were introduced in 1926, by which point electric trams were also running.
- Bankstown is also the fourth busiest airport in Australia by number of aircraft movements.467 Other airports include Camden Airport, The Oaks Airfield, and Menangle Airfield, which are mostly used for general aviation, flight training468 and by private operators.
- Or jump aboard a Tribal Warrior cruise and explore Aboriginal culture, the world’s oldest living culture.
- Sydney, city, capital of the state of New South Wales, Australia.
- The city’s other prominent theatre companies are New Theatre, Belvoir, and Griffin Theatre Company.
- As a result, it can catch many dust particles and offer a higher filter performance.
- The Parramatta River is mostly industrial and drains a large area of Sydney’s western suburbs into Port Jackson.
- The Northern Suburbs include several landmarks – Macquarie University, Gladesville Bridge, Ryde Bridge, Macquarie Centre and Curzon Hall in Marsfield.
Tourism and international education
Privately operated light rail lines, airport links, sightseeing buses and taxis complement the public network. Construction of the CBD and South East Light Rail was completed in April 2020.196 The project aims to provide reliable and high-capacity tram services to residents in the City and South-East. Discover upcoming events, find the best way to get around or ask our visitor information services to help you make the most of your stay in Sydney. Being one of Australia’s major cities, getting to Sydney is easy with many international and domestic flights arriving daily.
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Sydney’s first commercial theatre opened in 1832 and nine more had commenced performances by the late 1920s. The live medium lost much of its popularity to the cinema during the Great Depression before experiencing a revival after World War II.360 Prominent theatres in the city today include State Theatre, Theatre Royal, Sydney Theatre, The Wharf Theatre, and Capitol Theatre. Sydney Theatre Company maintains a roster of local, classical, and international plays. It occasionally features Australian theatre icons such as David Williamson, Hugo Weaving, and Geoffrey Rush.
Hills district
- The standard of architecture in the city is generally mediocre, though there are a few handsome buildings surviving from the 19th century and a few contemporary buildings of distinction, including the brilliantly designed Opera House.
- La Perouse, a historic suburb named after the French navigator Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, is notable for its old military outpost at Bare Island and the Botany Bay National Park.
- In 2015, Sydney was ranked the 13th top fashion capital in the world.375 It hosts the Australian Fashion Week in autumn.
- Sydney’s first commercial theatre opened in 1832 and nine more had commenced performances by the late 1920s.
- Seventy surf beaches can be found along its coastline, with Bondi Beach being the most famous.
- Modern and International architecture came to Sydney from the 1940s.
There are fun and informative Aboriginal-guided tours, including in national parks where you can see ancient indigenous ochre hand-paintings and rock engravings. In 1997, the Inner West Light Rail opened between Central station and Wentworth Park. It ran on a freight line extending from the city to Darling Harbour and the Fish Markets, part of the Metropolitan Goods Lines.459 The line was extended to Lilyfield in 2000 and then Dulwich Hill in 2014. The second stage of the project, the L5, servicing the Olympic park, is currently under construction.
Government in the present
With secure email as the foundation, you can also chat, make voice or video calls and collaborate on projects with shared files and tasks – all in one place.
The first organised sports were boxing, wrestling, and horse racing from 1810 in Hyde Park.392 Horse racing remains popular and events such as the Golden Slipper Stakes attract widespread attention. The first cricket club LuckyMax review was formed in 1826 and matches were played within Hyde Park throughout the 1830s and 1840s.392 Cricket is a favoured sport in summer and big matches have been held at the Sydney Cricket Ground since 1878. The New South Wales Blues compete in the Sheffield Shield league and the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder contest the national Big Bash Twenty20 competition. The city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations are the largest in Australia.373 The Royal Easter Show is held every year at Sydney Olympic Park. Sydney Festival is Australia’s largest arts festival.374 The travelling rock music festival Big Day Out originated in Sydney. The city’s two largest film festivals are Sydney Film Festival and Tropfest.
In total, nearly 225 million boardings were recorded across the bus network.463 NightRide is a nightly bus service that operate between midnight and 5am. On 26 May 2019, The Sydney Metro Northwest, which went from Chatswood to Tallawong, opened, with a large portion running through the Hills District, which meant the Hills District, for the first time, started having heavy rail.201Before this, The Hills was served by Bus Rapid Transit. There is a large cosmopolitan community and nightlife hub on King Street, Newtown. Sydney is a coastal basin with the Tasman Sea to the east, the Blue Mountains to the west, the Hawkesbury River to the north, and the Woronora Plateau to the south.
Ferries and harbour cruises are a memorable way to experience the beauty of one of the world’s great natural harbours. Indulge in a day of shopping and fine dining, take in a musical or an art exhibition or explore a harbour walk and glistening beaches. Bus services are conducted by private operators under contract to Transport for NSW.
Vivid Sydney is an annual outdoor exhibition of art installations, light projections, and music. In 2015, Sydney was ranked the 13th top fashion capital in the world.375 It hosts the Australian Fashion Week in autumn. The Centennial Parklands is the largest park in the City of Sydney, comprising 189 ha (470 acres). ‘Northern Sydney’ includes the suburbs in the Upper North Shore, Lower North Shore and the Northern Beaches. The Kurnell peninsula, near Botany Bay, is the site of the first landfall on the eastern coastline made by James Cook in 1770. La Perouse, a historic suburb named after the French navigator Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, is notable for its old military outpost at Bare Island and the Botany Bay National Park.
The standard of architecture in the city is generally mediocre, though there are a few handsome buildings surviving from the 19th century and a few contemporary buildings of distinction, including the brilliantly designed Opera House. The magnificent Macquarie Street, which leads down from Hyde Park to the Opera House, is lined by all of the important government buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries. Yet the general effect of Sydney is attractive, and the innumerable bays and arms of the harbour, stretching into the land and providing unexpected views from almost every street, make it a most pleasing city. Aboriginal people have a long connection with Sydney, dating back at least 50,000 years before the First Fleet arrived in 1788.
The Nepean River wraps around the western edge of the city and becomes the Hawkesbury River before reaching Broken Bay. Most of Sydney’s water storages can be found on tributaries of the Nepean River. The Parramatta River is mostly industrial and drains a large area of Sydney’s western suburbs into Port Jackson. The southern parts of the city are drained by the Georges River and the Cooks River into Botany Bay.
