Photo sourced from Wikimedia

15 Amazing Facts about the city of Sydney, Australia


 

Sydney is the oldest and biggest city in Australia. The city is found in the oldest and most populous state, New South Wales.

More than 4.5 million people call Sydney home. This city has some of the most world-famous landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Tower.

Sydney is also known for its idyllic beaches, great walks and world-class dining. About 10 million people visit the beaches each year, making tourism one of the leading employers in the city.

The lifestyle in Sydney is diverse while the economy is vibrant. Sydney was ranked as one of the affordable cities in the world.   

Home to the oldest university and library in Australia, Sydney has a lot more hidden facts and secrets.

Here are the top 15 amazing facts about the city of Sydney.

1. Sydney has been home to Australian Aboriginals for centuries

By Alfred Tischbauer – Wikimedia

Indigenous Australians have lived in this area for more than 300 centuries. Sydney is therefore one of the places to go to explore Aboriginal archaeological sites.

There were about 29 clans of the Eora tribe that lived in this area before the Europeans arrived.

The western part of Sydney was inhabited more than 500 centuries ago. James Cook, the first European, arrived in Sydney in 1770.

He found the Gweagal clan who were not very friendly or receptive to the Europeans.  

2. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park has the largest indigenous collection in Australia

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is an Indigenous Australian heritage. It has more than 1,500 pieces of Aboriginal rock art. The park was declared in 1894 and is the second oldest national park in Australia.

This is the largest collection of Indigenous sites in Australia. The park’s indigenous sites include petroglyphs, art sites, burial sites, caves, marriage areas, birthing areas, midden sites, and tool manufacturing locations.

This park has a scenic setting on the Hawkesbury River allowing for fishing, boating or picnic activities. There are also walking tracks in Ku-ring-gai Chase.

It is managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

3. The oldest natural history museum in Australia is found in Sydney

The Australian Museum first opened its doors in Sydney in 1827. Its main purpose was to collect and exhibit the vast national wealth of the country.

It is the country’s oldest natural museum. There are other museums in Sydney such as the Powerhouse Museum and the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Another interesting museum in Sydney is the Museum of Contemporary Art. It was opened in 1991 and the art collection date back to the 1940s.

4. Opera house in Sydney has had more than 100 million visitors

Photo sourced from Wikimedia

The Sydney Opera House is the home of Opera Australia and Sydney Symphony.

More than 100,000 performances have been held here with more than 100 million visiting the Opera house since 1973.

There are two other important performance venues in Sydney; they are the Town Hall and the City Recital Hall.

5. The oldest newspaper in Australia is still in print in Sydney

The Sydney Morning Herald is Australia’s oldest newspaper. This paper was established in 1879 and is still in print.

Its competitor is The Daily Telegraph which has been in print since 1879 as well.

Both papers have Sunday tabloid editions titled The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Telegraph respectively. Three of Australia’s commercial television networks have their headquarters in Sydney.

6. The city got its name after a British Lord

This city was to be named Albion; this was before they settled for Sydney. It was named after British Lord Sydney.

Albion was however not forgotten; the name was given to a street in Sydney that is between Elizabeth street and Flinders.

There are several historic buildings on this street that is a kilometre long.   

7. The coat hanger is a famous nickname for the Sydney Harbour Bridge

By Benh LIEU SONG – Wikimedia

You may be wondering why the bridge is nicknamed ‘The Coat Hanger’. It is because of the top arch that resembles a hanger.

Sydney Harbour is the deepest natural harbour in the world. One can climb to the top of the bridge which stands at 134 metres above the harbour.

When the bridge was constructed, 800 families were relocated to make way for it. Unfortunately, these families were not compensated. About 16 construction workers lost their lives during the construction of the bridge.

8. Sydney is the largest city in Australia

By Kenya Chan – Wikimedia

Sydney is Australia’s largest city and home to 4.6 million people.  It is also the largest economy in Australia. A quarter of Australia’s economic activities take place in Sydney.

9. There are 6 universities in Sydney

Sydney is a popular student city with 6 public universities and several colleges.

The universities are The University of Sydney, University of New South Wales, University of Technology Sydney, Macquarie University, Western Sydney University, and Australian Catholic University.

This makes the population in this city one of the highest educated in the world.

In 2011 alone, about 1.4 million residents of the city were enrolled in university.

10. The population in Sydney is made up of 2nd generation immigrants

By Algernon Talmage – Wikimedia

The Europeans settled in Sydney between 1788 and 1792. Soon after, criminals were sent from England to Sydney to decongest the prisons.

About 3,546 male convicts and 766 female convicts were shipped to Sydney. After serving their time, they were released to start a new life among the Aboriginals.

They used the little professional skills they had to start a colony. Food was little since farming was not doing so well at the time.

Today, this city is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. One-third of its population was born overseas.

In Parramatta, half the population speak a language other than English at home.

11. This city has hosted most of the major international sports events

Sydney has hosted major international sporting events such as the 2000 Summer Olympics.

It is among the top fifteen most-visited cities in the world. The tourists come to see its beautiful manmade landmarks and nature parks and reserves.

Some of these landmarks are UNESCO World Heritage Sites like the Sydney Opera House.

Kingsford-Smith Airport is the main airport serving the metropolitan area. Established in 1906, it is one of the oldest operating airports.

12. The official residence of the Australian Prime Minister is found in Sydney

Sydney is the location of the Admiralty House and Kirribilli House, a secondary official residence of the Governor-General of Australia and the Prime Minister of Australia, respectively.

Completed in 18816, the Parliament of New South Wales is found in Macquarie Street. It was used as a hospital first before it was converted to a legislature building.  

13. The largest market place in Sydney is the Fishmarket

This market is on the Blackwattle Bay foreshore in Pyrmont. It is 2 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the world’s third-largest fish market.

The Sydney Fish Market integrates a working fishing port, a wholesale fish market, a fresh seafood retail market, a delicatessen, a sushi bar, a bakery, a gift shop, a fruit and vegetable market.

 There are daily wholesale auctions for Sydney’s seafood retailers.

14. Sydney has some of the most beautiful beaches

By Dietmar Rabich – Wikimedia

Sydney is known for its incredible coastline and Bondi Beach fame. But there are other water-based facts about Sydney away from its ocean-hugging suburbs.

The beautiful beaches are found north of the city and attract several tourists annually.

15. The city is sometimes called sin city because of its past

You may hear someone referring to Sydney as ‘Sin City. The name was coined from its history of holding European convict.

These convicts were prisoners sent to the continent as punishment.  

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