This guest post is by Brenda Richman, a Kansas City-based small business consultant.
Sydney Harbor Photo by Gnangarra.
Are you thinking about visiting Sydney, Australia? Here are 9 Fun Facts About the Top Tourist Sites In Sydney:
1) Sydney is the largest city in Australia, with a population of 4.6 million people who call themselves Sydneysiders. Seeming to stretch on forever. the city of Sydney sprawls over 670 square miles. It is a bustling center for industry, business, manufacturing and a major world port.
2) Sydney’s splendor is its harbor – one of the most beautiful harbors in the world with over 180 miles of shoreline. One of the best ways to enjoy this exceptional harbor and get a different perspective on the sights of Sydney is to sail in the harbor via a tour boat, ferry or cruise ship.
Bondi Beach Photo by Athena Lao
3) Sydney has 34 grand beaches are within easy reach of downtown. Bondi Beach and Manly Beach are two of the most famous. Sydney is surrounded by superb coastline with golden beaches, dramatic headlands, quiet bays and river estuaries – a haven for all things sun and water. Great swimming, surfing, fishing and boating abound.
4) Sydney’s 342 sunny days each year and warm subtropical climate make it an outdoor city. Summer daytime temperatures average 78 degrees, and winters are mild with daytime temperatures averaging 61 degrees. Rainfall averages 47″ per year.
5) Sydney proper lies on one side of the harbor and North Sydney on the other with the famous Harbor Bridge spanning the bay to link the two areas. It is the world’s second largest single-span bridge and carries vehicles, rail, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Nicknamed “The Coathanger” because of its arch-based design, climbing the bridge is a popular activity with both tourists and locals.
Sydney Opera House Photo by
6) Sydney’s Opera House is the international symbol for Australia. Besides being gorgeous to look at, you can tour it, take in a performance, or better yet do both. In the late 1950’s, the government decided to build an opera house on Bennelong Point – a beautiful headland bounded by the Harbor on three sides and the Royal Botanic Gardens on the fourth. They invited architects worldwide to submit designs. Of the 223 entries submitted, Danish architect Joern Utzon’s was selected. From inception to completion, took 17 years and $100 million which was paid for in only two years with a lottery.
7) British Captain Arthur Phillip and 1,000 convicts set foot on the shores of Sydney Cove in 1788 to start a penal colony. At The Rocks, this historic area of town, you can see some of the settlement’s restored buildings and browse shops, galleries, and restaurants.
Giraffes at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia
8) The Taronga Park Zoo on a north shore promontory overlooks the harbor and downtown Sydney. It’s just a quick ferry ride across the harbor. The zoo’s environment is open and natural for the animals, which makes a visit more enjoyable for you as well as for the critters.
The Blue Mountains Photo by Sardaka
9) The Blue Mountains just west of Sydney, are a popular destination for rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking as well as other adventure sports. They were named for the blue tinge the mountains take on when viewed from a distance. They consist mainly of sandstone plateaus, dissected by gorges up to 2490 feet deep, and thick eucalyptus forests. The highest point is Mount Werong at 3,986 ft.
Where would you like to see in a visit “downunder”? Please share in comments below.
Entrepreneur, Brenda Richman, has a passion for experiencing the world through travel adventures.
Learn more about Brenda’s travel experiences here, and her consulting work helping businesses increase market penetration and enhance the quality of their client experiences here.
If you will also be visiting New Zealand, you might enjoy”;”;.
- Destination Discovery: Rotorua, New Zealand
- Destination Discovery: Bay of Islands, New Zealand
- Destination Discovery: Exploring Auckland and New Zealand’s Northland
Other “Fun Facts” posts “;.
- 26 Fun Facts to Know About Hawaii
- 12 Fun Facts You May Not Know About the Great Wall of China
- Visiting Alaska? 22 Fun Facts You Might Want to Know
- 15 Fun Facts about Cornwall, England
- 14 Fun Facts to Know About Rotorua, New Zealand
Recommended Books for Further Reading:
Frommer’s Sydney Day by Day (Frommer’s Day by Day – Pocket)
Sydney, Australia Travel Guide – 3-Day *Best-Of* Itinerary
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