Attractions

Definitively Sydney, Bondi is one of the world’s great beaches: ocean and land collide, the Pacific arrives in great foaming swells, and all people are equal, as democratic as sand. It’s the closest ocean beach to t…

Sydneysiders adore their giant 'coathanger'. Opened in 1932, this majestic structure spans the harbour at one of its narrowest points. The best way to experience the bridge is on foot – don't expect much of a view c…

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, this World Heritage–listed building is Australia's most recognisable landmark. Visually referencing a yacht's billowing white sails, it's a soaring, commanding presence on th…

With its neoclassical Greek frontage and modern rear end, this much-loved institution plays a prominent and gregarious role in Sydney society. Blockbuster international touring exhibitions arrive regularly and there…

Built in the 1850s, Sydney’s copper-domed, Italianate sandstone observatory squats atop pretty Observatory Hill, overlooking the harbour. Inside is a collection of vintage apparatus, including Australia’s oldest wor…

A 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, this bushy harbour hillside is full of kangaroos, koalas and similarly hirsute Australians, plus numerous imported guests. The zoo’s critters have million-dollar harbour vi…

With a discordant soundtrack of blaring Canto pop, Dixon St is the heart of Chinatown: a narrow, shady pedestrian mall with a string of restaurants and insistent spruikers. The ornate dragon gates (paifang) at eithe…

Beneath a soaring roof, the Maritime Museum sails through Australia’s inextricable relationship with the sea. Exhibitions range from Indigenous canoes to surf culture, immigration to the navy. The worthwhile ‘big ti…

Under an ongoing process of modernisation, this museum, established just 40 years after the First Fleet dropped anchor, is doing a brilliant job of it. A standout is the Indigenous Australians section, covering Abor…

As well as regular wall-mounted tanks and ground-level enclosures, this impressive complex has two large pools that you can walk through, safely enclosed in Perspex tunnels, as an intimidating array of sharks and ra…