Sydney

UNRATED

Guide
Practical
Essentials
Itinerary
Gallery
Review

Overview

Sydney is the capital city of the south-eastern Australian state of New South Wales, situated on Port Jackson, which is more commonly known as 'Sydney Harbour'. With a population of just over 4.2 million, Sydney is the largest and most cosmopolitan city in Australia. Sydney has a worldwide reputation for being one the most beautiful of all cities, brimming with historical associations and remaining vastly globally influential in the realms of culture, art, fashion, cuisine and design. Sydney is also home to many unique architectual styles, including Sydney's most recognized architecture: the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, two of the most iconic structures on earth.

The city is also an important place for economic activity and has since become one of the most important cities for finance in the Asia Pacific region. Sydney was also the host of the 2000 Olympic Games, which raised the city's global profile even higher. Sydney is known throughout the world as the 'Harbour City'. Though Sydney is built up of a large population, it still retains many public spaces and lush green parklands. The city centre of Sydney is known simply as 'the City of Sydney'.

Sydney became the centre of the world's attention in September 2000 when the city hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics - officially announced by the IOC Chairman at the Closing Ceremony as "the best games ever"! The Olympics saw a major building and renovation program take hold of Sydney, positioning it as one of the great world cities of...more

[Edit]

History

Sydney is the oldest European settlement in Australia, having been founded as a British penal colony on 26 January 1788 (now celebrated as Australia Day, a national public holiday, with major festivities around the city and the Harbour).

[Edit]

When to Go

[Edit]

Transport

[Edit]

General Weather

Sydney is perhaps best described as 'sub-tropical' - although Sydneysiders talk about 'four seasons', it is truer to say that Sydney has but two seasons: a hot, mildly humid one (summer), and a colder one (winter). Others , citing indigenous traditions claim up to six seasons (not all in the same year) : hot/dry, hot/humid, warm/dry, warm/humid, cool/dry, cool/wet. The city is generally comfortable for travellers to visit any time of year. The average annual temperature in central Sydney is 25°C (77°F). The city enjoys in excess of 300 sunny days each year - that said, when it rains, it really can rain, varying between days of grey drizzle to over a week of bucketing downpours with occasional localised flooding (although Sydney is currently in the middle of a years-long drought).

Summer can be extremely hot, with temperatures climbing to over 40 degrees Celsius for a number of days each year in Summer, accompanied alternately by stifling humidity and searing dry winds. Sydney is generally well equipped with air conditioning in public buildings, however, and the beaches and harbour are only a short journey away -- just remember your sun protection, as the UV exposure risk is extreme in Australia! Hot...more

[Edit]