Sydney is the largest Australian city - And the most beautiful

Its natural beauty, tourist attractions, urban development and quality of life put it in a strong position to compete with the best cities in the world.

In the annual Mercer surveys of local living conditions of more than 400 cities, Australia's premier city ranks high. Its quality of living earned it an enviable place at number 10.

Various other surveys prove that it is one of the best cities to live in or to travel to. For example the travellers reading the Condé Nast Traveller magazine have rated the capital city of New South Wales (NSW) as one of the top world cities. And they voted it as the best one. Just a couple of days after the International Festivals and Events Association recognised it as the world's most outstanding city in the over one million population category.

While there is a strong competition with Melbourne, another top city in Australia, people love Sydney for its attractions, climate, restaurants, accommodation and shopping.

Sydney CBD skyline

City skyline view from Darling Harbour

Sydney History

The area around the Harbour was home to various groups of Aborigines long before Europeans discovered it. In 1770, a significant year in Australia history, James Cook dropped anchor at Botany Bay.

18 years later, in 1788, Arthur Phillip in command of the First Fleet entered the Harbour and established the first British colony in Australia. The Rocks is considered the birthplace of Australia.

The Present

NSW capital covers a huge land area and its population lives in more than 650 suburbs. Here are some quick facts about its suburbs and roads.

sydney circular quay port jackson

It starts from Port Jackson which includes the magnificent harbour with its Circular Quay (here at the left).

Then extends west towards the Blue Mountains, north towards the Central Coast and Gosford and borders Wollongong in the south.

Here is more information about facts and figures, the population and where they live.

But its heart is the City and its CBD (Central Business District).

opera house sydney vivid sydney festival

The Vivid Festival

It is there that you can find the Opera House and do the Harbour Bridge climb.

Here they are photographed at night during an amazing lights festival.

The Kingsford Airport is probably the first thing you see when you come here. Here is more information about it and the hotels you can get at the airport. And here is a map to help find your way around.

The town has museums, parks, gourmet and specialty restaurants, luxury hotels, dance clubs, entertainment. They are just some of the temptations that pull you into the City. But there are so many things to do in Sydney, whether you are a tourist or a local.

First it's the weather. Then the vibrant atmosphere every month. Both combine to offer you such a nice climate and make it a desirable city to live in. Here is more information about the weather and what to do in spring, how to enjoy the summer, where to go in autumn and what to do in winter.

Entertainment is big. There are many annual festivals and events. Here is just a brief line up of some of the events celebrating:

    • Australian arts and culture with the famous Sydney festival in January which is the best time to be in Sydney Australia
    • various ethnic cultures that combine to make this city a cosmopolitan place, such as the Chinese New Year, or the Primo Italiano event

Sydney Darling Harbour skyline

Jazz festival in the Darling Harbour

  • music with a jazz and blues festival in Darling Harbour,
  • books with a writers' festival,
  • movies with a film festival,
  • Oprah's visit to the Opera House,
  • the celebration of the New Years eve, which is a spectacular event,
  • cultural diversity and gourmet food, with the Mooncake festival,
  • various food activities and events,
  • various unexpected and innovative cultural attractions, and annual art festivals,
  • Opera House lights that have created a spectacular display of images, colours, and a vivid atmosphere. See here how the Vivid Festival unfolded

opera house sydney 2 vivid sydney festival

Click the image above to read about the Vivid Festival

Tourist Attractions in Sydney

Some of the top tourist attractions are the:

  • Opera House, built by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon.
    The construction project took about 14 years and has quite a controversial history. Here are more facts about the Opera House.
  • Harbour Bridge;
  • Taronga Zoo;
  • Bondi and Manly beaches;
  • the Centrepoint Tower;
  • the NSW Art Gallery;
  • the Australian Museum.

Continue reading here: Uluru Australia - How to Get there?

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