Sydney: The Pride of Australia

Located on the eastern coast of Australia, Sydney is very much a cosmopolitan city with an international population. The British established it as a penal colony though the Cadigal people are its original inhabitants. Sydney Harbour, which is a part of Port Jackson, is the central point of the city's development and activities. One of the prominent features of the city are The Opera House as well as The Sydney Harbour Bridge.

ECONOMY

Sydney is a prosperous city and is ranked within the top 20 most expensive cities of the world. With a flourishing economy it attracts a number of people from all over the world. Some of its main economic activities include manufacturing sector, retail, health services, business services, property and so on. It is also the financial center of Australia with its Security Exchange and Reserve Bank located here. This is also the place where most of the banks and multinationals have their headquarters, thus making it a major commercial and financial center.

CULTURE

It is also a major cultural center with several museums that display its art, rich history, technological development and contemporary art. Thus one can visit the Art Gallery of New South Wales, The White Rabbit Gallery for Chinese art, the 3 P's The Powerhouse Museum which is devoted to science and so on. It also holds several cultural events, out of which the Sydney Festival is the biggest festival of the city. The cultural highpoint, of course, is the Sydney Opera House consisting of six auditoriums.

NATIONAL PARK

There are several things to do for the average traveler to the city and you can choose from a wide variety of activities. The beaches are naturally a big draw with the white surf and waves playing with the people who venture in the sea. Bondi Beach and Manly Beach are the common attractions for beach lovers. If you love the outdoors, then a trek through the Sydney Harbour National Park is a must, where one can enjoy bushwalking, picnics, swimming, cycling as well as Australia's rich past. In fact, the park consists of several attractions such as Neilson Park, Quarantine Station at Manly, Greycliffe House at Shark Bay, Clark Island and so on. One of the best outings can be a leisurely cruise around the Harbour.

EDUCATION

Sydney is also home to several prestigious educational institutes. A sizeable number of people come to stay here for its educational facilities. There is the University of Sydney which is the oldest in Australia. University of New South Wales which is an elite research oriented institution. The Macquarie University rose out of a need for expanding university level education. In addition to this, there is the University of Western Sydney that has a number of campuses and encompasses nine schools. There are also the Australian Catholic University and the University of Technology.