|
No place in the world like Sydney WITH its sun-drenched beaches and shady parks, Sydney consistently rates as the world's best city to visit.The city is renowned for its outdoor lifestyle, physical beauty and friendly inhabitants. One of Sydney's triumphs lies in having all its attributes - beaches and national parks, restaurants, nightlife and fine architecture - within easy reach. Sydney Harbour Bridge celebrated its 75th anniversary in March 2007, the iconic bridge having straddled Sydney Harbour since 1932. One of the great ways to experience the bridge is with BridgeClimb, which in late 2006 launched a new experience that gives climbers access to the inner heart of the structure. Climbers will ascend from inside the steel cathedral to the summit, 130 metres above sea level. Whether it is dawn, day, dusk or night, climbing the "coathanger" is a great experience for anyone aged 10 or over. www.bridgeclimb.com.au Sydney is a fun city. About 300,000 people cram into Oxford Street, Darlinghurst and surrounding innercity areas every year to watch the flamboyant annual spectacle that is the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. From its beginnings in 1978, Mardi Gras has grown into the largest gay and lesbian arts festival in the world, and the Mardi Gras parade often draws greater crowds than any other event in Australia. www.mardigras.org.au The Sydney Royal Easter Show is Australia's largest and most treasured annual public event, showcasing the culture, heritage and tradition of Australian country life. Drawing almost one million people each year, the 14-day show combines a number of different attractions, including Australia's largest agricultural competition, a carnival, music festival, fine food fair, extreme sports show, death-defying motocross exhibition and fashion parade. There are more than 15,000 animals onsite each year. The show was first held in 1823, and is still one of Sydney's most cherished events. Besides the big events, the show is also about cakes, handicrafts, horticulture, shopping, entertainment, bush poetry and more. Visitors can see cowboys in action at the rodeo, watch tough axemen woodchop and find out how food gets from the farm to the table. www.eastershow.com.au Sydney Festival, one of Australia's mega events, consists of three weeks of theatre, dance, music, outdoor exhibitions and visual arts culminating in Australia Day celebrations on 26 January. Sydney Festival top-scored in the Sydney Chamber of Commerce poll of Sydney's Favourite Things, winning the title of the City's Favourite Annual Event. www.sydneyfestival.org.au Luna Park, with its big smiling face beaming out over Sydney Harbour, is one of Sydney's most famous attractions. The centrepiece is a beautifully restored 1894 English carousel featuring galloping horses and cockerels, but there's also thrill rides, including the Tumble Bug, Rotor, Wild Mouse, UFO , Ranger, Spider, Ferris Wheel, Tango Train and dodgems. Fun for all ages. www.lunaparksydney.com.au Sydney's acclaimed Taronga Zoo has recently welcomed five new Asian elephants - four females, Porntip, Bak Boon, Tang Mo, Thong Dee, and one male, Gung. The elephants are part of the first-ever Australasian Cooperative Conservation Programme, designed to help arrest the rapid decline of wild Asian elephants. The new arrivals from Thailand have settled into the zoo's Wild Asia exhibit, also home to 600 rainforest creatures, from exotic birds to rare Silvery Gibbons. www.zoo.nsw.gov.au Sydney Attractions Group offers a host of adrenalinepumping and educational attractions: the new Sydney Wildlife World at Darling Harbour, Sydney Aquarium, Skywalk, Sydney Tower and OzTrek, Oceanworld Manly and SharkDive Xtreme. Sydney Wildlife World, which opened in September 2006, showcases Australia's unique flora and fauna in the heart of Sydney city. Nine different habitats replicate a particular Australian ecosystem and their inhabitants. A two-storey tropical rainforest is home to hundreds of colourful butterflies, wallabies hop through semi-arid grasslands, the cassowary is at home in the rainforest and yellow-footed rock wallabies jump the rock formations. There are daily bird and reptile shows, scheduled animal feedings for public viewing, and there's a new interactive area where visitors can have their photo taken with a koala. www.sydneywildlifeworld.com.au Also at Darling Harbour is the Sydney Aquarium, home to more than 12,000 Australian aquatic animals. One of the most spectacular aquariums in the world, this is the place to see huge sharks and rays, seals, fairy penguins, crocodiles, platypus and more. Mustsee experiences include scheduled animal feedings and two "touch" pools, where you can stroke and feed baby Port Jackson sharks. Visitors can walk through underwater tunnels and visit the largest Great Barrier Reef exhibit in the world. www.sydneyaquarium.com.au Oceanworld Manly, on popular Manly Cove Beach (200 metres from Manly Wharf), holds 4.5 million litres of water and is home to huge sharks, giant stingrays, turtles and a 110 metre long underwater viewing tunnel. Shark Dive Xtreme allows visitors to dive in - even those without previous experience. Equipment and expert instruction is provided. www.oceanworld.com.au The golden-tipped, 305 metre high Sydney Tower is one of the city's most prominent landmarks. It is home to a fantastic attraction duo: Skywalk and OzTrek. OzTrek, a simulated ride, takes visitors (in moving seats) on a virtual magic carpet ride across Australia. The Tower's spectacular Skywalk is literally an over-the-top attraction. Skywalkers can step outside, on to the roof of the golden turret, and stand on see-through viewing platforms overhanging the tower. www.skywalk.com.au; www.sydneytoweroztrek.com.au Captain Cook Cruises offer sightseeing and dining cruises on Sydney Harbour. There are 25 departures daily, and cruises on offer include the Coffee Cruise, Harbour Highlights, Sydney Harbour Explorer all-day pass and a range of dining cruises. The Opera Dinner combines a three-course dinner with a selection of well-loved arias, from the world's most famous operas, performed by Australian opera singers. www.captaincook.com.au. For a different kind of harbour experience, Oz Jet Boating's Thrill Ride and Sydney Spin Adventure is what you're looking for. Go aboard one of Australia's most exciting jet boat rides for high-adrenalin fun - passengers will experience fishtails, wave riding, power-brake stops and incredible 270° spins. Jet boating is one of the newest and most exciting tourism products offered to Sydney's visitors. Oz Jet has recently added three new vessels to the fleet, now operating four 23 seat jetboats and one 14 seat jet boat, with capacity for 106 passengers overall. The high performance vessels travel at speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour. Oz Jet operates from Circular Quay every day, and vessels are available for charters and special events. www.ozjetboating.com |
About Us | Our Publications | Shopping | Visa Enquiries | Information Days | Links | Advertising | Privacy Policy
© 2005 Consyl Publishing & Publicity Ltd.