When the great West Indian batsman Brian Lara made it to Sydney in his fifth match, he scored a whopping 277 runs. It was his first international test century. Brian Lara eventually named his daughter “Sydney” for the city, for the cricket ground which gave him the most memorable of maiden centuries. So with the City’s Cricket capable of inspiring legends like Lara to stamp its immortality into his child, what are some other sights in Sydney you can’t miss?
Sydney is, and it isn’t modern. The story of its aboriginal settlements dates back to more than 30,000 years ago. Despite that, Sydney remains spiffy, much more than one might imagine. This city, which houses tens of beautiful beaches, has a potpourri of a population with people from mainland China, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Nepal: estimates have it that almost half of the population was born overseas.
With such a diverse population, the sights in Sydney, things to do, food to eat, and other delightful things to go along with the travel here will also be astonishing. With hundreds of sites to go to, Sydney is something of a gem, a marvel, which has inspired 1.4 M visitors year-over-year.
But before we delve into the most wonderful sights, let’s take a look at a few things about Sydney that you might not know.
Sydney, here are a Few Things you might not know about
Let’s run through a few things about Sydney, ranging from its indigenous heritage, origins, expressions, and more so that you can understand Sydney a bit more. And then it will appreciate this city more. And maybe you’ll echo Baz Luhrmann’s reminiscence on Sydney:
“One of the great things about Sydney is that it has a great acceptance of everyone and everything. It’s an incredibly tolerant city, a city with a huge multicultural basis.”
Indigenous Heritage
Sydney has a rich Indigenous history of tens of thousands of years, with the word “Eora” referring to the coastal aboriginal people here, while the ones on the Southern side of the Sydney harbor are known as the “Gadi.” The word “Eora” was the one that the aboriginal population had used to describe themselves to the Britishers. The Royal National Park and the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park houses rock engravings from the Aboriginal people.
Convict Origins of Sydney
Sydney was one of the penal colonies established by the British in 1788. Many fleets arrived at places like Sydney Harbor and Botany Bay. But the aboriginal people soon had to bear the brunt of this as the fairly isolated locals had little to no resistance to the smallpox the Britishers were carrying. Nonetheless, you can see the vestiges of the convict era in historical sites like The Rocks and Hyde Park Barracks. The latter was demanded to be converted into a museum in the 1940s by the Royal Australian Historical Society and the National Trust.
Unique Slang in Sydney
Sydney, over time, has developed its own distinct slang and colloquial expressions. This has led to often hilarious expressions in what is known as “Australian English.”
“Flairing” is a word typical of Sydneysiders, and this, as Adam Jacot de Boinod refers to it, means “the action of bartenders of balancing, catching, flipping, spinning or throwing bottles, glasses, napkins or straws with finesse and style.”
“Brekkie” is the term for “breakfast,” “ferry wharf” refers to “a dock where ferries depart,” and if you spend too much time in Sydney, you become a “beachie,” i.e., a person who spends a lot of time at the beach.
And if you have to circumcise a word the Sydney way, add an “o” to its end: If you need a break when you smoke, it will be dubbed as a “smoko.” a garbage collector would be a “garbo.”, liquor store, a bottle shop would be a “bottlo.”, and even a word that is as long as three syllables, would be an “arvo.”
Sights in Sydney You can’t miss
Now that you know a bit or two about Sydney, let’s dive into the places in Sydney you can’t miss.
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House, an architectural marvel home to more than a million annual visitors, is an iconic symbol of Australia and lies on the shores of Sydney Harbour. It was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and as the opera house stood the test of time and turned into a veritable symbol of Sydney culture, the designer was bestowed with the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2003.
Apart from its unique sail-like design, the Opera House’s magnificence is also cemented by the fact that:
- The Sydney Opera House has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007.
- Sydney Opera House is referred to as an acoustic Marvel as the million-glazed ceramic tiles on the exterior give an acoustic ring to the place that is too difficult to match.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
The Aboriginal Heritage of Sydney has seen a great protector in the form of the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase Park, which holds significant cultural and historical significance for the Guringai and Garigal tribes. You can also take a stroll around the trails to learn about the traditional lifestyles, beliefs, and practices of the local Aboriginal communities.
The park is also a treasure trove of rock engravings scattered throughout- some depicting animals, ancestral figures, etc., and over 600 years old. The bushwalking trails allow you to explore the park’s diverse flora and fauna. Navigating sections of the park are also accessible via boats, and the option of fishing is also available.
This third oldest national park of Australia derives its name from the Guringai population- who were thought to be the area’s original owners.
Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney
The Royal Botanical Garden is not simply the oldest scientific institution in Australia; it is also one of the most prestigious ones in the world. With an expanse that stretches 30 hectares, it is the second oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere- falling behind Rio de Janeiro.
The park is a haven for a fruit bat species known as “grey-headed flying foxes.” It has been recorded that close to 22,000 grey-headed flying foxes roosted in Palm Grove and Gardens at a point in time. In addition to this, the park has helped in the acclimatization of plants from other regions as well. The park also houses the library at the Royal Botanic Gardens, known as the Daniel Solander Library– the oldest botanical research library in Australia.
Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW)
AGNSW is perceived to be amongst the most important public galleries in Australia. It has been reported that the gallery was opened with the view:
“the public should be afforded every facility to avail themselves of the educational and civilizing influence engendered by an exhibition of works of art, bought, moreover, at the public expense.”
In addition to having Australian Art, the AGNSW also houses brilliant works of painters such as Van Gigh and Claude Money, besides the wonderful work of the Aboriginal population.
The gallery also houses works directed for the public, such as organizing workshops, films, performances, and a diverse range of educational resources.
Sydney Tower
Accessible from a lot of places, the Sydney Tower is an engineering marvel of Australia and towers 309 meters above the Sydney Central Business District. The tower was bestowed “The Engineering Heritage Plaque Award” by the Sydney Division. There’s a shopping center that lies at the bottom of the Sydney Tower, making it a cool place to cap off all your adventures in Sydney and perhaps search for some souvenirs back home- maybe sink in the marvel of the grandness of Sydney for one last time before you bid this city goodbye.
Finally, also think about the Environmental Problems in Australia
While there’s the showbiz that encourages you to travel and binge-shop, one should be mindful of the environmental impact that tourism has on a place. Think about the city of Venice in Italy, for instance, which has been wounded by over-tourism. So we need to be mindful of our environmental footprints while we travel anywhere, not least to Australia, which has been said to be “on the brink of overtourism.”
Mass Coral Bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef has been a soaring problem in Australia, and so has been chipping wood from the oldest forests in the country. World Wildlife Fund reports that Australia has been a country where overfishing, pollution caused by intensive agriculture, and an increase in salinity have been some of the major problems.
Though these problems have been exacerbated by the global rise in CO2 emissions, amongst other things, you, as a traveler, can be mindful of leaving the smallest ecological mark. Choosing to travel in modes of transport that promote a lifestyle mindful of the Carbon footprint should be everyone’s collective step forward.
Conclusion
We hope that your stay in Sydney with a visit to these unmissable sights is a “ripsnorter”- a typical Aussie word that means “wonderful” or “ridiculously good.” Travel well. Travel Responsibly.