Australia's Gateway City and Its Beloved Waterfront Icon - Sydney

You've got to love this city. Sydney is Australia’s largest, oldest, liveliest and brashest city, and the urban gem of the Southern Hemisphere. The "Emerald City's" young and relaxed vibe may remind you somewhat of San Francisco, but its population of more than 4 million Sydneysiders, as the residents are called, will make sure you understand it prides itself on its own unique character. You might even consider moving here - or hoping your best friend does so you can come and visit.

Sydney has everything to offer, from surfing beaches to ballet. Its world-recognized Opera House is the best and most popular place to start a tour around town. Harmoniously and picturesquely situated on the waterfront of Sydney Harbour (and hence the city's nickname as the Harbour City), it was initially reviled for its startlingly modern design (resembling a cluster of billowing white "sails") but has come to be as emblematic of the city as the Eiffel Tower is of Paris. Chosen from more than 200 designs submitted in 1957 by the world’s most prominent architects, the project was instantly controversial. The building took fifteen years to complete, during which time its disillusioned Danish creator, Joern Utzon, removed himself from the project, never to see it finished.

Today the opera house is the cultural heartbeat of the city and offers more than 1,500 performances in five different theaters every year. It is the home of the Opera Australia, the third busiest - and one of the most acclaimed - in the world. Numerous opera, symphony, ballet, and theater productions take place in its Opera Theater and Concert House (both of which pride themselves on perfect acoustics). If you want the experience without the music, a guided tour departs regularly, often including access to rehearsals and discount coupons for current performances. Various cafes and eateries offer a moment's respite amid magnificent harbor views, including the recognizable Harbour Bridge. A hike to its summit for those with good knees promises awesome 360-degree views (a walk across is only slightly less impressive but certainly less traumatizing).

You can head to nearby Circular Quay from which hundreds of ships zigzag their way across Sydney Harbour, or head to the 70-acre green oasis of the Royal Botanic Gardens (just east of the Opera House) by foot for some of the finest walks in town. Sydney’s historical waterfront district, The Rocks, is also close by, nestled next to the Harbour Bridge. Once the haunt of brawling sailors and ex-convicts, it has now been gentrified and made respectable, with restaurants, shopping, galleries, and exhibition spaces. Only the Lord Nelson, the city’s oldest continuously operating pub, evokes the area’s early days when this was the first British colony on the continent, founded in 1788.

 Sydneysiders talk in superlatives when asked about the Blue Mountains, the number one getaway that is an easy 90 minute drive west of town.  Microscopic droplets of oil from the leaves of dense eucalypt forests hang in the air, refracting the sunlight to create the misty blue haze that gave this park its name - or so romantic folklore goes. The beauty and importance of the Blue Mountains were recognized in 2000 when they were designated as part of a larger World Heritage Area. They are a glorious playground of twenty-six small townships that offer everything from antiques shopping to bushwalking, the latter ranging from an easy stroll to challenging treks. The mountains are not even really mountains but a vast sandstone tableland whose dramatic eroded scenery is best enjoyed from lookouts like Govett’s Leap. Echo Point is the best place to view the park’s famous sandstone pillars, the Three Sisters. Just west of here are two of the park’s highlights: The Scenic Skyway, Australia’s only gondola ride, travels 1,000 feet above the canyon, and the Katoomba Scenic Railway, an open-sided cog-rail incline, descends at 52 degrees but feels twice as steep. If they’re not hairy enough for you, there’s still the old-fashioned steam powered Zig-Zag railway near the town of Lithgow, an engineering marvel of switchbacks and bridges built in the 1860s.

You can catch a highlight or two on a day trip from Sydney, but the area really deserves a longer stay, and there are idyllic inns and B&Bs galore.

Sydney Opera House: Bennelong Point. www.soh.nsw.gov.au.  When: performances year-round; the opera season usually runs Jan, Feb, and Jun-Oct. The Rocks: located between the harbor, Kent St. to the west, and Grosvenor St. to the south.

Blue Mountains: approximately 75 miles/122 km west of Sydney.  Best times: Mar and Apr, when the mountains change to fall colors; spring (Sept and Oct).

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Patricia Schultz is the author of 1000 Places To See Before You Die (Workman) and 1000 Places to See in the USA & Canada Before You Die (Workman)

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