Sydney Opera House
Along with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the kangaroo, the Opera House is probably Australia’s most recognised icon. This magnificent building opened by her majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the 20th of October 1973 after years of controversy, design changes and cost blowouts.
The Opera House consists of several theatres, open space, and dining areas. The largest interior is the Concert Hall, With its high vaulted ceiling and interior finishes of brush box and white birch timber, it is designed primarily for acoustic performances. This theatre can seat up to 2679 people.
The Opera Theatre is a proscenium arch lyric theatre, it has an orchestra pit for up to 70 musicians. Holding up to 1547 people It is used mainly for opera, ballet, contemporary dance and musicals.
The Drama Theatre is a medium-sized proscenium arch theatre holding 544 people and is used for much of the theatre coming to the centre.
Several guided tours operate daily, and there is always a great show to see.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge has spanned the magnificent harbour since 1932 after nine years of construction. It is one of the longest one-bow bridges in the world with a length of 1,150 m Each day over 200,000 cars cross the bridge
Linking the city with North Sydney, it carries eight lanes of road traffic and two railway tracks which form part of the city’s rail suburban network.
The highest point of the arch stands 134 metres above the Harbour. There is approximately 49 metres of clearance under the bridge for shipping to pass through. Only a few of the new super cruisers are unable to venture under the bridge.
For one of the best views of Sydney- climb the pylon and there’s a great museum of Sydney Harbour Bridge artefacts at the top. If you are more adventurous, there is also a climb over the arch available. If you want something a with fewer stairs, you can also walk across the bridge on a path beside to the road.
Taronga Park Zoo
Opening in 1916, Sydney’s zoo is probably the most picturesque zoo in the world, on the banks of Sydney’s northern Harbour it has spectacular views of the city, Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
As well as one of the largest collections of Australian animals, kangaroos, koala, wombats, platypus etc the Zoo has hundreds of other magnificent beasts- There are in fact about 340 different species in total including favourites such as Gorillas, Elephants, Tigers, giraffes, and seals.
You can get to the zoo by bus or drive, but the best way to get there is by ferry, The 12 minute cruise from Circular Quay operates around every half hour and takes you right to the zoo’s door.
The Australian National Maritime Museum
The Australian National Maritime Museum covers Australian maritime history from the time of sail and includes several floating exhibits moored in the bay, including a submarine and the naval frigate Vampire. Inside there are a wealth of multimedia exhibitions and hundreds of artefacts including a sea rescue helicopter, jet boats, and indigenous craft.
