Sightseeing in Sydney

Overview

Who can argue with the claim that Sydney has the most magnificent harbor in the world? Its intricate coastal geography of headlands and secluded bays is the stunning setting for two of the modern world’s most ambitious architectural achievements – the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is therefore hardly surprising that much tourist attention is focused on the harbor, with the revived cobbled charm of The Rocks, the perpetual motion of people arriving and departing Circular Quay and the enduring awe that visitors experience at the steps of the Opera House.

But behind these modern monoliths, there is a wealth of history, culture and tradition. In inner-city Sydney, Macquarie Place and Macquarie Street are characterized by their imposing Victorian banking chambers and municipal buildings, while further afield, the areas of Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Paddington are thriving cosmopolitan communities, each with their own distinct character. Kings Cross, renowned more for its red light district, has a bustling café society, while Darlinghurst comes alive every March for the world-famous Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Paddington has a more genteel feel, with its fashionable restaurants, galleries, antique shops and restored Victorian terraces complete with wrought-iron lace verandahs.

Passes

The All Day Pass & Tower & Aquarium package from Captain Cook Cruises incorporates entry to Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Tower and a hop-on, hop-off harbor cruise departing from Circular Quay. Tickets are available from any of these attractions and cost A$59.

The Darling Harbour Super Ticket, costing A$62 and available at the Sydney Aquarium, includes entry to the Sydney Aquarium and the Chinese Garden, Matilda Rocket Harbour cruise, a monorail ride, a meal at the Aqua Bar and Grill, discount entry to the Powerhouse Museum and IMAX Theater and discount travel on the People Mover train.

Combined ferry and attraction admission passes are available from the Sydney Ferries ticket office at Circular Quay. For example, the A$33.50 Zoo Pass includes return ferry and bus transport to Taronga Zoo, entry to the zoo and an aerial cable ride.

Key Attractions:

Sydney Opera House

In April of 1966, the architect of the Sydney Opera House, Jørn Utzon, left Australia, never to return. His grand architectural vision was only half completed, but arguments with the State government over the spiralling cost of the project meant that the interior complex of auditoria, theaters, restaurants and bars was completed by other architects. In spite of its compromised genesis, the building instantly became a world icon on opening in 1973. Utzon has never seen the completed building but in recent years has collaborated on a A$70 million interior refurbishment that will bring the building closer to his original vision – including a 14-meter long tapestry that was installed in September 2004. The four main auditoria (the Concert Hall, the Playhouse, the Opera Theater and the Drama Theater) stage a total of 3,000 performances per year.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Not to be outdone by the imposing grandeur of the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is, in its own right, a feat of engineering genius. Affectionately known as ‘the Coathanger’, it took 1,400 workers (16 of whom perished in the process) eight years to complete the bridge, which opened in 1932. If the views from the Pylon Lookout across Sydney Harbour and over the Opera House are not spectacular enough, the Bridge Climb gives thrill-seekers the chance to walk to the top of the 50-story-high bridge (over the cars and trains rumbling across the deck below) and down the other side. Paul ‘Crocodile Dundee’ Hogan, a bridge-painter in a former lifetime, was one of the first to climb the bridge.

The Rocks

Nestled at the foot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Rocks (Sydney’s historical birthplace) is a neighborhood of winding streets, sandstone cottages and some of Sydney’s oldest pubs. The site of the first landing from Plymouth in England, in 1788, the area is now a busy tourist enclave, with cafés, restaurants, galleries, museums and countless souvenir shops.

Among the district’s historic buildings are the Hero of Waterloo inn (built over a tunnel that was originally used for smuggling), the Sydney Observatory (on the site of the colony’s first windmill), Cadman’s Cottage (Sydney’s oldest building, built in 1816) and Susannah Place (a museum of working-class life). Other attractions include the Museum of Contemporary Art and The Rocks Toy Museum.

The Rocks, Sydney Harbour
Transport: CityRail or ferry Circular Quay.

Darling Harbour

A former dockside area, this small harbor has been transformed into a major tourist site. The vast, paved and landscaped recreation ground is packed with restaurants and shops, as well as a number of tourist attractions. These include the Powerhouse Museum, Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Aquarium, IMAX Theater and the Chinese Garden of Friendship, a gift to Sydney from its sister city of Guangdong in China.

Bondi Beach

Bondi is one of the world’s most perfect beaches, a white crescent of sand strung between two rocky headlands, situated just 15 minutes from the city center. The waterfront scene, with its street musicians, surf shops and bars is ideal for a summer evening’s prowl or a lazy saunter past Campbell Parade’s restaurants, cafés and Sunday markets. Topless sunbathing is tolerated and swimmers should stick to the patrolled areas of North Bondi or Bondi Baths, on the southern rocks. The coastal walk takes in the whole gamut of beach cultures, from the wild surf and gleaming bodies at Tamarama to the palm-fringed views of Bronte and the soothing sea pools at Coogee.

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Featuring the Yiribana Gallery, the world’s largest permanent exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of Australia’s foremost art museums. Among its most impressive exhibitions is its Australian art collection, extending from the early colonial period to the mid-20th century. The recently completed Asian Galleries showcase the gallery’s significant Asian collection and touring exhibitions. Shortlisted portraits in the Archibald Prize (Australia’s most prestigious art award) are exhibited here annually.

Sydney Tower

Standing 250m (820ft) above Market Street, Sydney Tower is the city’s tallest building, with views over the city, the Harbour, the Olympic Park and as far as Terrigal Beach, 100km (62 miles) to the north. Entry to the observation deck includes the Skytour – a 35-minute virtual tour/ride on the podium level.

Royal Botanic Gardens

A short walk from the Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens sits on a slope overlooking the harbor and covers 30 hectares (74 acres) in the heart of the city. Established in 1816, it is Australia’s oldest scientific institution and home to over one million specimens. Highlights include the Sydney Tropical Center and the Rose Garden; there is a hop-on hop-off trackless train to get around them all.
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Activities in Sydney

Sydney’s cultural life is uniquely diverse, from high classical at the Sydney Opera House to the most cutting-edge contemporary and experimental performance art. The Opera House is the major focus of attention for classical music, opera, theater and dance.

Cultural productions and events are listed in ‘Metro’, the Friday edition entertainment section of the Sydney Morning Herald (website: www.smh.com.au). Further listings and information are provided online (website: www.sydney.citysearch.com.au).

Music: The Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point , is the premier performance venue for classical music. The Sydney Symphony , the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs , Opera Australia and the Australian Chamber Orchestra hold most of their performances at the Opera House.

The Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Ultimo Center, Harris Street , tends to be used for smaller performances, as does Sydney Town Hall, 483 George Street , and City Recital Hall, Angel Place . The Conservatorium of Music, Macquarie Street , hosts symphony, wind and chamber concerts as well as jazz big bands.

Theater: The Sydney Theater Company is the city’s stylish flagship theater company. Performances take place at the Wharf Theaters, Pier 4, Hickson Road , the brand new Sydney Theater, 22 Hickson Road ( and the Opera House, Bennelong Point. Acting luminaries, such as Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett, have performed at the highly respected Belvoir Street Theater, 25 Belvoir Street . The Performance Space, 199 Cleveland Street , and the Seymour Theater Center, Cleveland Street and City Road , are the main venues for more left-field contemporary performance.

Musicals are staged at the Capitol Theater, 13 Campbell Street , the State Theater, 49 Market Street , and the Lyric Theater, Star City, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont . Newer Australian playwrights stage their work at the Stables Theater, 10 Nimrod Street . Sydney’s longest established theater is the Ensemble, 78 McDougall Street, Kirribilli .

Dance: The Australian Ballet performs mainly traditional pieces during its summer and winter season at the Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point . Similarly, the Sydney Dance Company , the city’s leading contemporary dance group, performs at the Opera House for two seasons per year. The Bangarra Dance Theater, Pier 4/5 Hickson Road , performs a fusion of contemporary and traditional dance at various venues throughout the city. The company also tours extensively, both nationally and internationally.

Film: The city’s central cinemas, situated near Town Hall, have all merged into the 17-screen Village Greater Union Hoyts George Street, 505 George Street . Fox Studios Australia, Lang Road, Moore Park , is home to two cinema complexes - Hoyts, which includes the luxury La Premiere cinema , and the arthouse, Cinema Paris . Other arthouse cinemas include the Academy Twin, 3a Oxford Street , home to the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival , the Chauvel, Paddington Town Hall , and the Art Deco Hayden Orpheum, 380 Military Road . First-run movies open on Thursday and discount night is on Tuesday.

The Sydney Film Festival takes place every year in June, with most screenings in the magnificent marble auditorium of the State Theater, 49 Market Street . Makers of short films enter Tropfest every February/March, with finalists shown on open-air screens set up in the Domain - a large park on the fringe of the city center.

Notable films set or partially set in Sydney include Peter Weir’s The Last Wave (1977), P J Hogan’s Muriel’s Wedding (1993), Stephan Elliot’s The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1993), Ray Lawrence’s Lantana (2001) and Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich’s animated feature Finding Nemo (2003).

Cultural Events: Sydney Festival, held in January, features open-air concerts and theater from around the world, alongside Sydney’s best. The Biennale of Sydney, held from May to July of even-numbered years, is an international contemporary art festival held in conjunction with the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is a month-long festival in February/March, which is famous for its colorful parade along Oxford Street, attracting over half a million spectators every year.

Royal Easter Show is a traditional 12-day show that brings farm life to the city during April. The Festival of the Winds is Australia’s largest kite-flying competition, held annually in September at Bondi Beach. Manly Jazz Festival, held on the Labor Day long weekend in October, is Australia’s largest, longest and best-known jazz festival, featuring traditional, big band, fusion, pop and contemporary jazz. Sleaze Ball, a fundraiser for the Mardi Gras Festival, is also held on the Labor Day long weekend in October. Up to 16,000 gay and lesbian revelers dress to a theme and party all night at Fox Studios.

Literary Notes: ‘One of the finest, most beautiful, vast and safe bays the sun had ever shone upon,’ wrote inveterate traveller Joseph Conrad in 1906. Sydney Harbour continues to inspire eulogies from writers, including Miles Franklin who, in 1946, wrote: ‘A month would not be long enough to imbibe such beauty.’ More recently, Clive James, the writer, satirist, broadcaster and critic, was rather more blunt: ‘Sydney is like Venice without the architecture but with more sea.’

Sydney’s literary luminaries include Peter Carey, who lived in the city before moving to New York, and set his Booker Prize-winning Oscar and Lucinda (1988) in 19th-century Sydney, where country girl Lucinda dreams of self-reliance and an industrial utopia. David Williamson, Australia’s most successful playwright, calls Sydney home. His Emerald City (1987) is a comedic hymn to the city’s temptations.

Patrick White, Australia’s Nobel laureate, lived in Sydney for most of his life, and passionately evoked the city’s artistic life in The Vivisector (1970). An idiosyncratic streak led Sydney-born Thomas Keneally from the priesthood to the life of a full-time novelist. He published his first novel in 1964 and was awarded the Booker Prize for Schindler’s Ark (1982).

Teenagers Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette wrote Puberty Blues (1979) as an expose of the sexual rites of passage of teens at the beach suburb of Cronulla. Robin Dalton’s Aunts Up the Cross (1965) is an affectionate memoir of Kings Cross in the 1930s, while John Birmingham’s Leviathan (2000) takes a more cynical look at the city’s history of criminals, ‘razor gangs’ and corruption.

Modern Sydney receives a sanction of sorts from one of its favorite sons, world famous art critic Robert Hughes, who wrote: ‘The provinciality that seemed to characterize Australian society, and could be plainly seen in Sydney 25 years ago, is all but gone. To a striking degree, the city’s habits have softened … Sydney is no longer quite so keen on the ‘ocker’ (Pacific redneck) image of the Australian: beer gut, thongs, nasal foghorn voice and a truculent certainty that, short of Paradise itself, Australia is the only ticket and that the rest of the world only displays its inferiority by not necessarily wanting to come here.’

Sport:

Sydney’s acres of coastline and parkland make it a dream destination for sports enthusiasts and lovers of the great outdoors. During the summer, Bondi shows off the bodies beautiful of surfers, rollerbladers and sunbathers. The region boasts some of the world’s top surfing conditions and the best beaches for beginners are Manly, Curl Curl, Freshwater or North Bondi. Surf aficionados in search of bigger waves should head for the beaches of North Narrabeen, South Maroubra, Newport, South Bondi and Queenscliff.

Waves aside, the ocean pools offer swimmers a spectacular alternative to chlorinated lanes. Scuba divers are also well served, with a number of local marine parks. For the international yachting set, Sydney Harbour is the starting point for one of the biggest fixtures of the year, the 2,000km (1,240-mile) Sydney to Hobart race.

Australians adore cricket and Sydney is no exception. The cricket season (October to March) includes Test and World Series Cup matches at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Driver Avenue . During the rugby and football season (March to September) soccer games, rugby league and rugby union matches are held at the Aussie Stadium, Moore Park . Sydney’s Aussie Rules football team, the Sydney Swans , plays at the Sydney Cricket Ground and enjoys considerable support.

Bush-walking: The national parks in and around Sydney offer some spectacular bush-walks. Routes and information can be obtained from Sydney Harbour Parks or the National Parks and Wildlife Service . (more…)

Transportation in Sydney

Most transport in Sydney is by automobiles, and there is an extensive network of large freeways and tollways (known as motorways) and roads across Sydney. The most important trunk routes in the urban area form the Metroad system. Sydney is also served by extensive train, bus and ferry networks. Sydney trains are run by CityRail, a corporation of the New South Wales State Government.

Trains run as suburban commuter rail services in the outer suburbs, then converge in an underground city loop service in the CBD. In the years following the 2000 Olympics, CityRail’s performance declined significantly. Public anger resulted in the introduction of a new timetable, the employment of more drivers and a large infrastructure project, called the Clearways project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2010.

Sydney has one privately operated light rail line, the Metro Light Rail, running from Central Station to Lilyfield along a former goods train line. There is also a large monorail which runs in a loop around the main shopping district and Darling Harbour. Sydney was formerly served by an extensive tram network, which was progressively closed in the 1950s and 1960s. Most parts of the metropolitan area are served by buses, many of which follow the pre-1963 tram routes.

In the city and inner suburbs the state-owned Sydney Buses has a monopoly. In the outer suburbs, service is divided between many private bus companies. Sydney Ferries, another State government-owned organisation, runs numerous commuter and tourist ferry services on Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River.

Kingsford Smith International Airport, located in the suburb of Mascot, is Sydney’s main airport, and the oldest continuously operating commercial airport in the world. The smaller Bankstown Airport mainly serves private and general aviation. There are light aviation airfields at Hoxton Park and Camden. RAAF Base Richmond lies to the north-west of the city.

The question of whether Sydney needs a second international airport has raised much controversy. A 2003 study found that Kingsford Smith can manage as Sydney’s sole international airport for 20 years with a significant increase in airport traffic predicted. The resulting expansion of the airport will have a substantial impact on the community, including additional aircraft noise affecting residents. Land has been acquired at Badgerys Creek for a second airport and alternative sites have been mooted.

Sports in Sydney

Sydney is arguably the rugby league centre of the world. It is the headquarters of Australian Rugby League and home to 8 of the 15 National Rugby League (NRL) teams (Sydney Roosters, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Parramatta Eels, Cronulla Sharks, Wests Tigers, Penrith Panthers, Canterbury Bulldogs and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles), and the northern home of the St George Illawarra Dragons is here (this team is half-based in Wollongong).

In addition to the NRL Sydney has teams in most national competitions including the Sydney Swans - AFL, Sydney FC - A-League, Sydney Kings and the West Sydney Razorbacks - National Basketball League, Sydney Uni Flames - Women’s National Basketball League, Sydney Blues - Australian Major League Baseball and the Sydney Swifts in Australian Netball’s Commonwealth Bank Trophy. The New South Wales teams New South Wales Blues - First-class cricket and the New South Wales Waratahs - Super 14 Rugby union team are also based in Sydney.

Sydney hosted the 1938 British Empire Games and the 2000 Summer Olympics. Sydney’s most famous sports grounds include Sydney Olympic Park which includes Telstra Stadium, home to such events as the NRL grand final, the rugby league State of Origin series and most recently the football (soccer) World Cup qualifier between Australia and Uruguay. Sydney Football Stadium (also known as Aussie Stadium) is home to such clubs as Sydney Roosters, Sydney FC and the NSW Waratahs, and the neighbouring Sydney Cricket Ground has been home to numerous sports for over a century. The Sydney Swans play most of their home games on the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Sydney Harbour is famous for its racing yachts, the Boxing Day start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and 18 foot (5.5 m) skiffs. The river is used for dinghy sailing and rowing as well as recreational boating, racing small yachts, recreational fishing, and occasional Dragon Boat racing. Sydney’s beaches are popular recreation and sporting locations with both tourists and locals. Famous Sydney beaches include Bondi Beach, Manly Beach and Palm Beach.

Media in Sydney

Sydney has two main daily newspapers. The Sydney Morning Herald is a centrist broadsheet, and is Sydney’s newspaper of record with extensive coverage of domestic and international news, culture and business. It is also the oldest extant newspaper in Australia, having been published regularly since 1831. The Herald’s competitor, The Daily Telegraph, is a populist and often sensationalist News Corporation-owned tabloid. Both papers have tabloid counterparts published on Sunday, The Sun-Herald and the Sunday Telegraph respectively.

The three commercial television networks (Seven, Nine and Ten), as well as the government national broadcast services (ABC and SBS) each have a presence in Sydney. Historically, the networks have been based on the north shore, but the last decade has seen several move to the inner city. Nine have kept their headquarters north of the harbour, in Willoughby. Ten have their studios in a redeveloped section of the inner-city suburb of Pyrmont, and Seven also have headquarters in Pyrmont as well as a new purpose built news studio in the CBD.

The ABC has a large headquarters and production facility in the neighbouring suburb of Ultimo and SBS have their studios at Artarmon. Foxtel and Optus both supply pay-TV over their cable services to most parts of the urban area. The five free-to-air networks have provided Digital Free-to-air TV transmissions in Sydney since January 2001. Additional services recently introduced include ABC’s Second Channel ABC2 (Channel 21), SBS’s world news service SBS2, an on-air program guide (Channel 4), ABC news, sport, and weather items (Channel 41), ChannelNSW: Government and Public Information (Channel 45), Australian Christian Channel (Channel 46), MacquarieBank TV (Channel 47), SportsTAB (Channel 48), Expo Home Shopping (Channel 49), and Federal parliamentary broadcasts.

Many AM and FM government, commercial and community radio services broadcast in the Sydney area. The local ABC radio station is 702 ABC Sydney (formerly 2BL). The talkback radio genre is dominated by the perennial rivals 2GB and 2UE. Vega is a new talk radio station on the FM band. Popular music stations include Triple M, 2Day FM and Nova 96.9. Triple J, 2SER and FBi Radio provide a more independent, local and alternative sound. There are also a number of community stations broadcasting to a particular language group or local area. For a full list see here.

Culture of Sydney

The culture of Sydney is diverse and multicultural. Many of the individual cultures that make up the Sydney mosaic are centred on the ethnic, linguistic and religious communities formed by waves of immigration. In addition, as a major Australian city, Sydney boasts a full roster of musical, theatrical and artistic activity.

Music

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is internationally noted and frequently performs at the Sydney Opera House. The Sydney Dance Company under the leadership of Graeme Murphy during the late 20th century has also gained acclaim. Many well-known Australian rock bands have had their genesis in Sydney, including Midnight Oil, The Easybeats, AC/DC and INXS, as well as a host of independent groups from punk rock Radio Birdman, indie rockers The Clouds and The Crystal Set, to electronic music pioneers Severed Heads, Single Gun Theory and Itch-E and Scratch-E.

To a lesser extent jazz and new music (such as Sydney-based The Necks) has found a home in places like “The Basement” and the Harbourside Brasserie. Australia’s other major arts institution has its headquarters in Sydney: Opera Australia, whilst the Australian Ballet locates its main corporate offices in Melbourne.

Many popular songs are inspired by Sydney, including “Sydney Town” by The Mexican Spitfires, “From St. Kilda to Kings Cross” and many others by Paul Kelly, “Summer Hill Road” by The Executives and John Kennedy’s “Love Gone Wrong”.

Literature and theatre

The Sydney Theatre Company boasts a regular roster of local plays, such as noted playwright David Williamson, classics and international playwrights. From the 1940s through to the 1970s the Sydney Push, an intellectual subculture of authors and activists questioning of authority grew, its members included Germaine Greer.

Art

Sydney has been home to many visual artists, from the lush pastoralism of Lloyd Rees depictions of Sydney Harbour to Jeffrey Smart’s portraits of bleak urban alienation. The Archibald Prize is a noted portraiture prize awarded each year by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales located in Sydney.

Festivals

Sydney is a host to many different festivals including the Sydney Festival, a celebration of free performances throughout January; the Big Day Out, a travelling rock music festival which originated in Sydney; the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (see below) the Sydney Film Festival and many other smaller festivals such as Tropfest.

Sydney communities and subcultures

Ethnic communities

Examples of ethnic communities in Sydney include;
Cabramatta (predominantly Vietnamese, but also Lao and Han Chinese)
Chatswood (Cantonese)
Leichhardt (Italian)
Strathfield (Shanghainese)
Fairfield, New South Wales Sydney’s Assyrian community est,35-50,000
Eastwood (Korean and Cantonese)
Bankstown (Lebanese)
Mount Kuring-gai (Polish)
Earlwood/Brighton-Le-Sands (Greek)
Petersham (Portuguese)
Auburn (Turkish)
St Ives (South African/Jewish)
Bondi (Jewish)
Liverpool (Fijian/Indian)
Northbridge (Japanese)
Hurstville (Chinese)
Willoughby (Armenian)
Blacktown (and surrounds - Filipino)
Kingsford (Indonesian)
Homebush (Sri Lankan/South Indian)

While such ethnic groupings exist, these are only general representations of the relative distribution of ethnic groups in Sydney. So, for example, while there are many Asians in Eastwood, the majority of the population is still of a Western European background. Areas with a large proportion of people born overseas and with non-English speaking backgrounds include Auburn, Fairfield, Liverpool, and Bankstown.

Generally Western European and North American born people have settled around the Lower North Shore and eastern suburbs, Middle Eastern people around the Lakemba-Auburn region, Indo-Chinese in the south-western suburbs, South Asians around Parramatta and the south east, and North East Asians in major nodes such as Hurstville, Burwood, Strathfield, Chatswood, Eastwood, Campsie and the Central Business District.

Apart from English, the 30 most widely spoken languages in Sydney are: (2004)

Arabic
Cantonese
Greek
Italian
Vietnamese
Mandarin
Spanish
Tagalog
Korean
Hindi
Croatian
Macedonian
Serbian
Turkish
Indonesian
Maltese
German
Polish
Assyrian
Russian
French
Persian
Tamil
Portuguese
Samoan
Japanese
Khmer
Hungarian
Armenian
Bengali
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Education in Sydney

Sydney is the site of Australia’s first university, the University of Sydney. Established in Sydney in 1850, it remains one of Australia’s most prestigious universities.[20] There are five other public universities operating primarily in Sydney; the University of New South Wales, Macquarie University, the University of Technology, Sydney, the University of Western Sydney, and the Australian Catholic University (two out of five campuses). Other universities which operate secondary campuses in Sydney include the University of Notre Dame Australia and the University of Wollongong.

There are four multi-campus government funded Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes in Sydney which provide vocational training at a tertiary level; the Sydney Institute of Technology, North Sydney Institute of TAFE, Western Sydney Institute of TAFE and South Western Sydney Institute of TAFE.

Sydney has numerous public, denominational, and independent schools. Public schools, including pre-schools, primary and secondary schools, and special schools are administered by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. There are four state administered education areas in Sydney, that together coordinate 919 schools.[citation needed] Selective schools are high schools that admit students on the basis of certain criteria, usually academic testing.

Demographics of Sydney

As of 2003 there were 4,198,543 people living in Sydney, commonly referred to as Sydneysiders, and a population density of 345.7 persons per square kilometre for the metropolitan area. Inner Sydney is the most densely populated place in Australia with 4023 persons per square kilometre.

In the 2001 census, the most common self-described ancestries identified for Sydney residents were Australian, English and Irish. The Census also recorded that 1% of Sydney’s population identified as being of indigenous origin and 31.2% were born overseas.

The three major sources of immigrants are the United Kingdom, China and New Zealand, significant numbers of immigrants also came from Vietnam, Lebanon, Italy and the Philippines.[citation needed] Most Sydneysiders are native speakers of English; many have a second language, the most common being Chinese languages, Arabic (including Lebanese) and Greek.

Some ethnic groups are associated with the suburbs where they first settled: the Italians with Leichhardt, Greeks with Rockdale and Hurstville, Lebanese with Lakemba and Bankstown, Koreans with Campsie and Strathfield, South Africans with St Ives, Russians and Jews with Bondi and Rose Bay, Chinese with Haymarket (where Sydney’s Chinatown has emerged), Vietnamese with Cabramatta, Filipinos with Blacktown and Assyrians with Fairfield.[citation needed] Redfern has a high concentration of indigenous Australians.

The median age of a Sydney resident is 34, 12% of the population is over 65 years.15.2% of Sydney residents have educational attainment equal to at least a bachelor’s degree, which is lower than the national average of 19%.

Approximately 67% of Sydney residents describe themselves as Christian, the most common denominations being Catholic and Anglican. About 9% of the population practice a non-Christian religion, the most common being Buddhism, and about 12% are not religious.

Economy of Sydney

As of September 2003, the unemployment rate in Sydney was 5.3%. As of December 2005, Sydney has the highest median house price of any Australian capital city at $485 000. According to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide cost of living survey, Sydney is the sixteenth most expensive city in the world. It is worth noting that, Australia as a country has by far the most overvalued houses in the Western world, with prices 52 per cent higher than justified by rental values, says OECD in a report published in November 2005.

The economy of Sydney is large and diverse, the sectors with the largest percentage of employed persons include property and business services, retail, manufacturing and health and community services.

Since the 1980s there has been a de-industrialisation of the Sydney economy, with jobs moving from manufacturing to the services and information sectors, Sydney is now established as the corporate and financial capital of Australia and is also an important financial centre in the Asia-Pacific.

Sydney is home to the Australian Stock Exchange and the Reserve Bank of Australia, a number of major Australian banks, and many major Australian corporations, it also serves as the regional headquarters for numerous multinational corporations. 20th Century Fox has large Sydney studios.

Governance of Sydney

Historically, Sydney was governed by Cumberland County (1945-1964). Today there is no overall governing body for the Sydney metropolitan area. Local affairs for the metropolitan area are run by bodies known as local government areas (LGAs). These areas all have elected councils and are responsible for a range of functions delegated to them by the New South Wales State Government.

The City of Sydney includes the central business area and some adjoining inner suburbs, and has in recent years been expanded through amalgamation with adjoining local government areas, such as South Sydney. It is led by the elected Lord Mayor of Sydney and a council. The Lord Mayor, however, is sometimes treated as a representative of the whole city.

The 38 LGAs in Sydney are:

Ashfield
Auburn
Bankstown
Baulkham Hills
Blacktown
Botany Bay
Burwood Camden
Campbelltown
Canada Bay
Canterbury
Fairfield
Holroyd
Hornsby Hunter’s Hill
Hurstville
Kogarah
Ku-ring-gai
Lane Cove
Leichhardt
Liverpool Manly
Marrickville
Mosman
North Sydney
Parramatta
Penrith
Pittwater Randwick
Rockdale
Ryde
Strathfield
Sutherland
Sydney
Warringah Waverley
Willoughby
Woollahra (more…)