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Travel Destination Guide - Sydney
Sydney (New South Wales, Australia) 
Sydney Information
Slideshow of Photos
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Sunny, seductive Sydney is a high contender for the title of the world's most ideal city. It is slick and smart, the streets are clean, the neighbourhoods and busy pedestrian precincts pristine, the parks sublime, the water in the huge harbour blue, and the landmark buildings breath-taking.
Sydney is located in a State (New South Wales) that reveals a lifestyle, which is so full of variety that it's hard to find any kind of equivalent anywhere else in the world. If you're an outdoor enthusiast, then New South Wales has action-packed activities ranging from canyoning and white water rafting, surfing and abseiling into underground caves and cascading waterfalls.
On the other hand, New South Wales can spell relaxed tranquility in the form of more gentle pursuits such as casting a line into an icy river stream or play a round of golf on a tree-lined fairway.
Sydney's population is approaching five million, but it is easy to leave the frenetic urban pace behind with just a simple ferry ride to the North Shore for a bush walk, enjoy a stroll along the harbour beaches or take any one of a number of daytrips to explore the 'real' Australia on the doorstep.
Sydney is a dynamic city and visitors love its verve and vibrancy, its beautiful harbour and myriad waterways. From sailboats and ferry rides to fine dining at a harbourside restaurant or outdoor cafe, the soul of Sydney is the harbour. The city is also a wonderful base for touring the New South Wales countryside and beyond the city there are friendly country towns, national parks filled with extraordinary flora and fauna, and beautiful beaches up and down the coast.
Locality:
Situated on the east coast, in the region of New South Wales, Sydney's location gives it a temperate, sunny climate. Average maximum temperatures range from 17 degrees Celsius in winter (June-August) to 27 degrees Celsius in summer (December-February).
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Sydney is one of the world's most popular destinations and even aside from the 'Big Two' (Sydney Opera House & Sydney Harbour Bridge) there is plenty to do.
Fox Studios is Australia's film epicentre and you can happily while away several hours on a tour.
The Aquarium, Opera House and enormous clean shopping malls with their eclectic food halls are also appealing.
For the energetic, walking trips across the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge are now available and offer unsurpassed views of Sydney City and Sydney Harbour. It's not cheap, but it's a once in a lifetime experience!
The southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge has a museum where you can learn about the construction and history of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The museum is just a short walk from the famous Rocks area of Sydney. The Rocks contains many historic buildings, tourist attractions and boutique shopping. The Rocks is also where you can pick up unique bargain items at the weekend street markets.
Shopping in Sydney covers everything from luxury boutiques to the weekend markets. Sydney's oldest and most famous market is Paddy's Market in the Haymarket. It is open Thursday through to Sunday and sells just about anything you can think of!
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Population: 20.090.400
Languages: English 79%, native and other languages
Currency: Australian dollar
Currency code: AUD
Local Times:
Australia - Australian Capital Territory - Canberra
Australia - New South Wales - Sydney
Australia - Tasmania - Hobart
Australia - Western Australia - Perth
Country Dialling Code: +61
Voltage: 240V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
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Australia, officially called the Commonweath of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the continental mainland (the smallest of the World\'s continents).
The continent of Australia, with the island state of Tasmania, is approximately equal in area to the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). Mountain ranges run from north to south along the east coast, reaching their highest point in Mount Kosciusko (7,308 ft; 2,228 m). The western half of the continent is occupied by a desert plateau that rises into barren, rolling hills near the west coast. The Great Barrier Reef, extending about 1,245 mi (2,000 km), lies along the northeast coast. The island of Tasmania (26,178 sq mi; 67,800 sq km) is off the southeast coast.
It may be one of the world's most ancient lands with its mystical red centre and brooding rock formations, but Australia is also characterised by its youthful energy, its freshness and its \'no worries\' philosophy.
Most of the population lives within a few miles of the beach and with the working day beginning and ending early, it\'s not uncommon to see city slickers out of their suits and into the surf come 4.30pm.
In high summer many families will enjoy a simple backyard barbecue several times a week.
The 22-hour journey means most European people visit for at least a couple of weeks, allowing time for all that the country has to offer, including its chic cities, terracotta desert, lush bush and magical ocean reefs.
But the sheer size of Australia means that one visit is unlikely to be enough.
The most popular attractions are undoubtedly Uluru (Ayers Rock), the Great Barrier Reef and the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, but there are now more subtle incentives for a visit.
The wonderful fusion cuisine, the café society, the burgeoning art, culture and fashion scene, and the very real possibility of being the only person for miles around all conspire to make it a wholly alluring experience.
Australia is politically divided into six states and two territories, each one offering a different experience for the traveller. There is the drama of the remote \'Outback\', the colourful spectacle of the Great Barrier Reef and its coral islands, the excitement of the cosmopolitan cities, the sun and surf at some of the best beaches in the world, and the tropical rainforests of Western Australia. The list is endless in this diverse land of adventure, which boasts 2,000 national parks and 14 World Heritage-listed areas, along with more than 7,000 beaches.
Australia is a land of character too, with its melting pot of cultures. For more than 50,000 years the Aboriginal people lived and thrived in the continent\'s unique environment. It is believed the Aboriginals are the world\'s oldest civilisation, and in recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in keeping the Aboriginal culture alive and flourishing.
The vast continent at the bottom of the world was the last landmass to be discovered by European explorers. Captain James Cook arrived in Botany Bay in 1770 and sparked off generations of emigration to Australia, which for some time served as a penal colony. It was not until 1860 that two explorers - Robert Burke and William Wills - became the first Europeans to cross Australia from south to north. The country remains a magnet for modern explorers and adventurers and has a great deal to offer tourists and holidaymakers. |
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Local Area Weather
Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
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24°C
Feels like: 24°C |
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