Sydney grew from a British penal colony, founded in 1788 on the land of the Gadigal people, into Australia's oldest and best-known city, spread around one of the world's great natural harbours. Its two most famous landmarks face each other across the water. Here are the facts and stories that make it special.
10 fun facts about Sydney
- Not the capital: Sydney is the capital of New South Wales, but not of Australia. Canberra was built as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, and Parliament moved there in 1927.
- A competition-winning design: Danish architect Jørn Utzon won the competition for the Opera House against 233 entries. He resigned in 1966 after disputes over cost and design and never saw the finished building.
- More than a million tiles: the Opera House sails are covered by more than one million glazed tiles made in Sweden. The building opened in 1973 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
- The Coathanger: the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened on 19 March 1932. The top of its arch is 134 metres above the water, which makes it the tallest steel arch bridge in the world.
- A bridge that grows in summer: on hot days the steel arch can rise by about 18 centimetres as the metal expands.
- Among Australia's oldest cathedrals: St Andrew's Cathedral, beside Sydney Town Hall, was founded in 1819 under Governor Lachlan Macquarie but not consecrated until 1868.
- A seat carved by convicts: Mrs Macquarie's Chair, a bench cut into the sandstone for the governor's wife in 1810, gives one of the classic views of the Opera House and the bridge together.
- From goods yards to waterfront: Darling Harbour, named after Governor Ralph Darling, was a busy area of wharves and railway yards until it was redeveloped for Australia's bicentenary in 1988.
- An Olympic city: Sydney hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics, where Cathy Freeman lit the cauldron and then won the 400 metres.
- A palace for shopping: the Queen Victoria Building was completed in 1898 as a market hall, faced demolition plans in the 1950s and reopened as a restored shopping arcade in 1986.
The man who cut the ribbon on horseback
On 19 March 1932 a huge crowd gathered for the opening of the Harbour Bridge. Just before New South Wales Premier Jack Lang could cut the ribbon, a man in military uniform rode up on a horse and slashed it with a sword. He was Francis de Groot, a member of the right-wing New Guard, who believed a member of the royal family, not a Labor premier, should open the bridge. He was arrested, the ribbon was tied back together, and Lang performed the opening after all. De Groot was convicted and fined, but won on appeal.
The Rocks, explained
The Rocks, beside Circular Quay, is where the convicts and soldiers of the First Fleet set up camp in January 1788, making it the oldest European-settled area in Australia. By 1900 it was a crowded slum, and an outbreak of bubonic plague that year led to the demolition of many houses. In the early 1970s residents and the builders' union blocked plans to replace much of what was left with tower blocks, through what became known as green bans. That is why its sandstone lanes, old pubs and weekend market survive.
What to eat in Sydney
- Sydney rock oysters: a native oyster, smaller and creamier than most, farmed in the estuaries of New South Wales.
- Meat pie: the classic Australian hand-held pie. Harry's Café de Wheels in Woolloomooloo serves its Tiger with mushy peas, mashed potato and gravy on top.
- Barramundi: a mild white fish from northern Australia, found on menus all over the city.
- Lamington: a square of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and rolled in desiccated coconut.
- Flat white: Australia and New Zealand both claim to have invented it, and Sydney's cafés take it seriously.
Good to know before you go
- Take the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly for one of the best views of the harbour, passing the Opera House on the way.
- You can climb the Harbour Bridge on a guided climb or walk across it on the footpath on its eastern side.
- The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk takes around two hours and passes beaches, ocean pools and sandstone cliffs.
- The Blue Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, are about two hours west of the city by train.
Explore Sydney with World City Trail
Our Sydney scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around three hours, with about 68 minutes of walking, and includes Darling Harbour and St Andrew's Cathedral.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like.
Play the Sydney scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.