Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Sydney - New South Wales                         

Sydney is the capital city of the south-eastern Australian state of New South Wales, situated on Port Jackson, more commonly known as "Sydney Harbour". With a population of just over 4.25 million, Sydney—the "Harbour City"—remains the largest, oldest and most cosmopolitan city in Australia.

Sydney has a reputation worldwide as one the most beautiful of cities, brimming with historical associations and globally influential in the realms of culture, art, fashion, cuisine and design.

The city is also home to many unique architectual styles, including the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, two of the most iconic structures on the planet.

Sydney is a dynamic centre for Australian economic activity and one of the most important cities for finance in the Asia-Pacific region. Sydney was also the host of the 2000 Olympic Games, which successfully raised the city’s global profile.

Though comprised of a large, sometimes sprawling population, Sydney nonetheless retains many large public spaces and lush green parklands—the city is literally surrounded by national parks, which extend even into the suburbs and the shores of the Harbour.

When flying to Australia, the foreign traveler is most likely to arrive in Sydney. Try and get a window seat to take in the awesome scenery as the plane sweeps in over the Harbour, the city spreading out beneath you. 

The airport is located in the drab and industrial suburbs to the South of the city in Botany Bay, where Cook originally arrived.

This bay was originally intended as the place for the city Sydney, but the subsequent fleet found another spot (this one even had fresh water - the Tank Stream, which now flows underground, its course now shown only by markers in city footpaths) in Port Jackson, also known as Sydney Harbour. The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge are located there.

And after a 20 hour flight, that is probably where you want to go after you arrive dead tired in Sydney. Change some money at the airport and then jump in a cab. And let it drive you to your hotel ’downtown’ (in the ’city’ or ’CBD’ as they say here). It’s going to cost you approximately $35 Australian dollars ($23 US). You can also take the yellow-green airport-to-city buses, if you want to save money.

Trains also run right into the city, but are a bit more expensive than buses.

An obvious starting point is Circular Quay, with the sails of the Opera House sparkling in the harbour off to your right, and the iconic arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (or the ’Coat hanger’ as locals over the age of 73 affectionally call it) looming up on your left.

From here you can jump on a ferry to Sydney’s entertainment hub, Darling Harbour, or jump on the scenic ferry trip out to Manly.

A short bus ride away is the world famous stretch of sand at Bondi Beach, one of Sydney’s most polluted beaches and full of only tourists as all the residents know of many much nicer beaches, not to mention the smaller beaches nearby at Coogee, Marourbra and others approaching the airport.

Further afield there are the stunning Blue Mountains, Ku-ring Gai National Park or the pristine Northern Beaches.