Sydney is not only a big city in Australia,
but also a great place for scenic views, nightlife, aquariums, parks, and much
more. It was found that in the year 2008, Sydney received close to 2.7 visitors
from all over the world. When talking about Australia or Sydney, the first
point of visitor attraction that comes to our mind is the Sydney Opera House. It
is definitely one of the major attractions, but there are other tourist
attractions too. Discover some of the major points of tourist attractions in
Sydney here.
Sydney
Harbour Bridge
 |
| Panoramic view of Sydney Harbour Bridge from the north shore of Kirribillli Image courtesy: Wikipedia |
Sydney
harbour is one of the world’s most beautiful natural harbours and the
Sydney Harbour Bridge carries almost all modes of transportation between Sydney
Central Business District and the North Shore; it is a steel bridge. Sydney Harbour
Bridge holds a Guinness World Record for the widest long-span bridge in the
world. One of the major tourist attractions of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is the
south-east pylon; one can access this through a pedestrian walkway. It is a
major tourist attraction almost all through the year, but it is at its best
during the New
Year Eve.
Sydney
Opera House
 |
| View of Sydney Opera House at night |
When talking about Australia can anyone
forget the famous Opera House? Sydney Opera House is the one of the most
distinctive buildings of the 20th century that was conceived by a
Danish Architect named Jorn Ultzon. This building entered the list of UNESCO
World Heritage Sites in the year 2007. There are multiple performing avenues in
this building and is a chief tourist attraction in Sydney. One can find a lot
of recording studios, cafes, retail outlets, restaurants, and much more in this
distinguishing building.
Royal
Botanical Gardens
 |
| A pond at the Royal Botanical Gardens Image courtesy: wikipedia |
The total area of the Royal Botanical
gardens is 30 hectares and is the most central of the three botanical gardens
present in Sydney and maintained by the trust of “The Domain.” It is situated
east of Sydney Opera House. If you wish to see fruitbats and grey-headed flying
foxes, the best place to visit is the Royal Botanical Gardens; however, for the
past couple of years, huge recorded sounds are played to drive away the fruitbats
as they destroy the trees in the garden. The garden is opened on all days
throughout the year.
Luna
Park
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| The current face at the entrance of Luna Park |
Luna Park is an amusement park located at
Milsons Point, the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. This amusement park was
opened in the year 1935, which was then opened to the public only for nine
months a year; however, after 1972, this park is opened all year-round. This park
was closed often for repair works and renovations, but is now functional till
date from 2004. This amusement park holds a place in the New South Wales State
Heritage Register. The main point of attraction is the Luna Park’s face; it is
30 feet wide. There are a list of rides like Rotor, Flying Saucer, Tango Train,
Wild Mouse, and Tumblebug to name a few. There are also separate rides for kids
like Whirly Wheel, U-Drive, etc.
Sydney
Tower
 |
| Sydney Tower, tallest free standing structure in Sydney |
Sydney Tower is the tallest free-standing
structure in Sydney and the second tallest in Australia; it is called by
various names such as Sydney Tower Eye, AMP Tower, Centrepoint, etc. This is
one of the major tourist attractions of Sydney and can be seen from various
vantage points across the city. The construction of the tower was over in the
year 1975; public access was given only in the year 1981. The shopping center was
connected to other areas of the tower in the year 2009; this is when the large
illuminated “Westfield” logo came into place. Four sections of the tower are
opened to public; this includes restaurants, observation deck, etc. The famous 360
revolving restaurant is at Level 1, Sydney Tower Buffet and Level 2 and Sky
Venue, the highest event space in the entire southern hemisphere is at Level 3.
Taronga
Zoo
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| Rustic Bridge at Taronga Zoo, designed with reminiscent of Italian grottoes |
Taronga Zoo is yet another tourist
attraction situated in the shores of Sydney Harbour and was officially opened in
the year 1916. Taronga means “beautiful view” in the aboriginal word. This is
one of the largest zoos in the world with over 2,600 animals spread across an
area of 52 acres. The rustic bridge of the zoo was designed with reminiscent of
Italian grottoes. There is a taronga ferry wharf available for the tourists to
go around the zoo and is one of the preferred modes of transport.
Sydney
Aquarium
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| Sharks at Sydney Aquarium Image courtesy: Wikipedia |
Sydney Aquarium is opened to public and is
situated on the east side of Darling Harbour. This aquarium holds the largest
collection of aquatic species of Australia with nearly 6,000 fishes. How will
it be if sharks swim above your head? Does that sound terrifying? Don’t worry…this
aquarium has acrylic glass tunnels and this is where the sharks move; this
gives the visitors an impact of sharks moving above their head. Sydney Aquarium
also holds a miniature or a recreation of “The Great Barrier Reef.”
Bondi
Beach
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| Panoramic View of Bondi Beach Image courtesy: Wikipedia |
Bondi Beach is a popular name in the area
and one of the main points of tourist attraction. In the aboriginal word, bondi
mean “water breaking over rocks” and according to the Australian Museum, bondi
mean “place where a flight of nullas took place.” This beach holds a place in
the Australian National Heritage List. Surfing is a major sport in this beach. Surf
Live Saving Australia has given a rating of 4 to the northern end and 7 to the
southern side in a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 mean safe and 10 mean hazardous.
Darling
Harbour
 |
| Panoramic View of the Darling Harbour Image courtesy: Wikipedia |
Darling harbour is situated very close to
Sydney city center and one of the largest recreational areas on the outskirts
of Sydney Central Business District. There are lots of tourist attractions near
Darling harbour; some of them include:
- Harbourside Shopping Centre
- Tumbalong Park
- Powerhouse Museum
- Sydney Aquarium
Blue
Mountains
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| Panoramic view of the Blue Mountains with Three Sisters on the far left Image courtesy: Wikipedia |
The foot hills of these Blue Mountains
starts roughly around 50 km west of the state capital and extends towards the
west of Coxs River. At different elevations, one can experience different
climatic conditions; the weather ranges from subzero to 22 degrees centigrade. At
the higher ridges, major vegetation is eucalyptus plants and on the sheltered
gorges, one can witness rainforests. Blue Mountains became a part of UNESCO
World Heritage list on November 2000. What is there for tourists at Blue
Mountains? There are a number of tourist attractions like:
- The Giant Staircase; this provide natural walk along the valley and passes very close to Three Sisters, the natural sandstone rock formation.
- Limestone caves called the Jenolan Caves.
- Toy museum
- Apple orchards at Shipley Plateau.
- The Zig Zag Railway
1 comments:
A very informative and excellently written post. Thank you for sharing.
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