Share ThisExploring Sydney Harbour Attractions
Officially called Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour is the focal point of Sydney and one of the features that makes this city so special. It's entered through the Heads, two bush-topped outcrops (you'll see them if you take a ferry or JetCat to Manly). The harbor laps at some 149 miles of shoreline before stretching out into the Parramatta River. Visitors are awestruck by the harbor's beauty, especially at night, when the sails of the Opera House and the girders of the Harbour Bridge are lit up. During the day, it buzzes with green-and-yellow ferries pulling in and out of busy Circular Quay, sleek tourist craft, fully rigged tall ships, giant container vessels, and hundreds of white-sailed yachts.
The greenery along the harbor's edges is a surprising feature, thanks to the Sydney Harbour National Park, a haven for native trees and plants, and a feeding and breeding ground for lorikeets and other nectar-eating bird life. In the center of the harbor is a series of islands; the most impressive is the tiny isle supporting Fort Denison, which once housed convicts and acted as part of the city's defense.
What follows are some key attractions around Sydney Harbour.
Next to the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens were laid out in 1816 on the site of a farm that supplied food for the colony. They're informal, with a scattering of duck ponds and open spaces, though several areas — including the rose garden, the cacti and succulent display, and the central palm and rain forest groves — are dedicated to particular plant species. Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, along the coast path, offers superb views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. The "chair" is a step cut out of sandstone with a huge stone plaque on top bearing the name of Elizabeth Macquarie (1788–1835), the wife of Governor Lachlan Macquarie. The sandstone building dominating the gardens nearest to the Opera House is the Government House, once the official residence of the governor of New South Wales.
Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge started in 1924 and took 1,400 men eight years to complete. Today it rivals the Sydney Opera House as the most photographed structure in Australia. The bridge is 3,772 feet long and spans 1,650 feet from the south shore to the north. It has pedestrian walkways, two railway lines, and an eight-lane road. The 30-minute stroll from one end to the other offers excellent harbor views. From the other side, you can take a CityRail train from Milsons Point back to the city. As you walk across, stop off at the Pylon Lookout. From the top of this bridge support, 292 feet above the water, you get panoramic views of Sydney Harbour, the ferry terminals of Circular Quay, and beyond.
Only a handful of buildings around the world are as architecturally and culturally significant as the Sydney Opera House. And this white-sailed construction caught midbillow over the waters of Sydney Cove is a working building. It's a full-scale performing arts complex with five major spaces. The biggest and grandest is the 2,690-seat Concert Hall, which has the best acoustics of any building of its type in the world. Come here to experience opera, chamber music, symphonies, dance, choral performances, and even rock 'n' roll. The Opera Theatre is smaller, seating 1,547, and books operas, ballets, and dance. The Drama Theatre, seating 544, and the Playhouse, seating 398, specialize in plays and smaller-scale performances. The Boardwalk, seating 300, is used for dance and experimental music.
