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| Currency Australian Dollar (worth about .7 USD) | Population 4 Million | Language Australian English | Time Zone (GMT+10) Sydney, Melbourne |
| Sydney is not the capital of Australia—that responsibility goes to its planned sister-city to the south-west, Canberra—but Sydney is Australia’s economic hub and the cultural center of this sometimes surprisingly conservative country. Sydney is immediately recognizable for its gorgeous Opera House, which visitors may mistake for a fleet of sailboats beached on the shore of the inner harbor. In addition to this architectural marvel, Sydney has a bustling business district, packed with glass skyscrapers and a placid series of greener, satellite residential neighborhoods. Known as Warrane to the Aboriginal people who began to inhabit the area some 50,000 years ago, Sydney and its environs were first visited by Europeans beginning in the 17th century. Captain James Cook laid claim to it as New South Wales in the name of King George III on April 29, 1770, and Captain Arthur Phillip called the best harbor in the area “Sydney” after Thomas Townshend, the Baron Sydney, who was the sponsor of many a subsequent exploratory mission. After the Revolutionary War made it impossible for Britain to continue to send her undesirables to America, New South Wales became the penal colony of choice. Free settlers did not appear on its shores until 1793, but when they did they contrived a boisterous economy where rum was used as currency. In 1840 the convict-transport ended; in 1842 Sydney was incorporated as a city. Since then it has grown steadily to become a metropolis of close to 4 million people. |
 |  Map and Photos for Sydney |  |
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| jetset submitted a review on 2006-04-06 09:04... Sydney is one of those cities which is best suited to exploration by getting lost. Just forgo the map and wander. Vibrant and diverse, you never know what you'll walk into, be it Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown, Brazilian Capoeria (dance fighting) in one of Sydney's many parks, or dragon boat racing in Darling Harbour. And then, if you're feeling sprightly, continue meandering through Sydney's outlying neighborhoods, stopping in Glebe to soak in bohemian student culture (and don't miss its Saturday market), at Bondi for the glitzy beach experience, or in Darlinghurst for some people watching at one of its cool cafes. I loved Sydney because I never knew quite what to expect.
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