This page contains selected extracts from the Sydney Guide on CD-ROM. In the Guide there are over 310 images, 40 video clips, recorded commentaries and original music. The guide covers of the city and its surrounding area - from the Blue Mountains to the sea - and can be ordered using the online fax form on this web site.
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Top Row Left-Right
1. The State Library 2. Hyde Park Barracks 3. The Mint Building
4. The Queen Victoria Building 5. Sydney Opera House
Bottom Row:
1. Cadman's Cottage 2. S. H Ervine Gallery 3. Olympic Park 4.
Watsons Bay Wharf 5. Sydney Harbour Bridge
The City
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Sydney is a city built around one of the most beautiful harbours in the world, and it is a resource that Sydnesiders take full advantage of. The Harbour looks good at any time, but in the wonderful light of Australia, its really at its best during the day when white sailcloth contrasts with the dark blue waters of Port Jackson as yachts sail to and fro. Greater Sydney is home to over 4 million people and the city covers an area greater than Los Angeles in the United States. Its shear size makes Sydney one of the most spread out cities on earth. Sydney is probably the most culturally diverse city on earth and most nations are represented here. As an example of multicultural harmony, you're unlikely to find a better example anywhere else on earth. The European history of the city began on January the 26th, 1788 when the British Union Flag was raised by Captain Phillip on the shores of Sydney Cove. The aboriginal history of this area, however, probably goes back many thousands of years and that history is all but lost, though some is preserved in the Museum of Sydney, which is near Circular Quay. Today the Circular Quay area is world famous for the Sydney Opera House, which is located on the end of Bennelong Point about five minutes away. Unfortunately a disastrous planning decision by Sydney Council has seen the construction of a building at the end of Macquarie Street that has entirely blocked out the view of the Opera House from the Quay. The economic boom conditions that followed the end of World War II, saw a rapid growth of the city and many of its finest old buildings were lost to development and today little remains of Victorian Sydney although the area known as The Rocks has been largely preserved, and Sydney is the richer for this. The city itself is an extremely busy place during the week, and the CBD is the financial heart of New South Wales. There is an abundance of things to see and do in the city ranging from the world class Taronga Zoo right down to the excellent Royal Botanic Gardens - and everywhere there is the backdrop of Sydney Harbour. |
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Click on Selected Images to Enlarge
Top Row Left-Right
1. Palm Beach 2. Whale Beach 3. Manly Beach 4. Coastal Cliffs
Bilgola Headland 5. Surf Boats*
Bottom Row
1. Bondi Beach 2. Bronte Beach 3. Maroubra Beach 4. Congwong Bay
at La Perouse 5. Cronulla
*Surf Boats © B Sheridan
Sydney Beaches
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Sydney has over 20 sea beaches and each one has its own unique character. The sand on most beaches north of Sydney Heads generally have a slightly darker colour, and larger texture, than those found to the south of the Heads. All sea beaches are patrolled during the summer months and you are advised to swim only in the patrolled areas marked by flags as rips operate on most Sydney beaches all year round. Even in the middle of summer the sea can be quite cold, but this provides welcome relief from the heat, and high humidity, common in Sydney from late November until mid March. |
Bondi Beach
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The most famous beach in Sydney is of course Bondi, which is a short bus trip from the centre of the city. The suburb of Bondi is rather ordinary, but the beachfront is something else, and there are excellent dining and eating facilities along the entire length Campbell Parade, which is the main street behind the beach. Friday and Saturday nights are the times to be seen on Campbell Parade and it is a hive of activity on both nights. Parking at Bondi Beach can be quite difficult on the weekends; and even in the early morning it is the scene of great activity as joggers, roller-bladers and those out for a morning walk or swim come to this great beach. There is an excellent cliff walk on the southern end of Bondi, and this takes you to the lovely, though tiny, beach at Tamarama. |
The Northern Beaches
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The northern beaches are excellent, and the most popular of these is Manly where parking is almost impossible at any time. Like Bondi, Manly is within easy reach of the city and the best way to get there is by ferry - either the normal ferryboat or by JetCat. The beach itself is a short walk from the ferry wharf - just walk through the exit and keep going until you hit the beach. The trip to North Head should be on your itinerary as the view from there towards the city is spectacular - the entire harbour opens up before you like a gigantic canvas on which the liners, cargo ships, yachts and ferries paint with effervescent spume. |
Palm Beach
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If your after a quiet spot then Palm Beach has much to offer. It is about a 40 minute drive from the city but it's well worth the effort. Here you will find some of the best cliff scenery in Sydney - the view north and south from Bilgola Heads is spectacular. There is a walk to the lighthouse at Barrenjoey Headland which takes about 25 minutes to complete. The track through the bush is rough, but the slope is not great and its well within the reach of even the not so fit. From the top of the headland there is a 360 panorama of Broken Bay, National Parks and the ocean - this was a favourite spot for the designer of the Sydney Opera House, Jorn Utzon. |
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Bondi Beach, Sydney Australia, Sydney Opera House, A Sydney Visitors Guide, Information Centre, Botany Bay, Olympic Games, Harbour Bridge, Taronga Zoo, Captain Cook, The Rocks, Kings Cross, Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Festival, Heads, Observatory, Paddington. Glebe, Balmain, Mitchell Library, Hyde Park Barracks, Centrepoint, The Australian Museum, Wynyard Station, Macquarie Street, Lachlan Macquarie, Mrs Macquaries Point, Pinchgut, Fort Denison, Palm Beach, Whale Beach, Mona Vale, Bilgola, Warriewood, Narabeen, Collaroy, Manly, Tamarama Beach, Clovelly, Bronte, Coogee, Maroubra, Congwong Bay, Frenchmans Beach, Yarra Bay, Brighton Le Sands, Monterey, Ramsgate, Dolls Point, Cronulla, Ayers Rock, Aussie, Olympic Games, Marathon, Hyatt, Campbells Cove, Argyle Place, Visitors Centre, Royal National Parks, Botanic Gardens, Conservatorium of Music, ANZAC Memorial, Archibald Fountain, Australia Square Tower, Hawkesbury River, Jenolan Caves, Three Sisters, Katoombah, Redfern, Darling Harbour
