Sydney - Australia 2004 - page 146

Free performances are given outside on the Opera House boardwalks on
Sunday afternoons and during festival times. The shows range from musicians
and performance artists to school groups.
Bennelong Point. & 02/9250 7250 for guided tours and inquiries. www.soh.nsw.gov.au. For box office
bookings, call & 02/9250 7777; fax [phone]; [e-mail]. Box office open Mon-Sat
9am-8:30pm; Sun 2 hr. before performance. Tours A$15 (US$9.75) adults, A$11 (US$7.15) children (family
prices available on application); backstage tours A$25 (US$16) (no children's price). Tours run Mon-Sun
8:30am-5pm (around every 45 min.) subject to theater availability. (Tour sizes are limited, so be prepared to
wait.) CityRail, bus, or ferry: Circular Quay. Sydney Explorer bus. Parking: Daytime A$7 (US$4.50) per hr.;
evening A$23 (US$15) flat rate.
ATTRACTIONS AT DARLING HARBOUR
Many tourists head to Darling Harbour for the Harbourside Festival Market-
place, a huge structure beside the Pyrmont pedestrian and monorail bridge that's
crammed full of cheap eateries and a few interesting shops. However, Sydney's
tourist precinct has a lot more to offer.
Australian National Maritime Museum Modern Australia owes
almost everything to the sea, so it's not surprising there's a museum dedicated to
the ships, from Aboriginal vessels to submarines. You'll find ships' logs, things to
pull and tug at, and the fastest boat in the world, the Spirit of Australia. Docked
in the harbor are a fully rigged tall ship; an Australian Naval Destroyer, the Va m -
pire; (which you can clamber over); and an Oberon Class submarine. Allow
2 hours.
Darling Harbour. & 02/9298 3777. www.anmm.gov.au. A$10 (US$6.50) adults, A$6 (US$3.90) children,
A$25 (US$16) families (for entry without access to navy ships). A$14 (US$9.10) adults, A$7 (US$4.55) chil-
dren, A$30 (US$20) families (for museum entry and navy ships). Daily 9:30am-5pm (until 6:30pm in Jan).
Ferry: Darling Harbour. Monorail: Harbourside. Sydney Explorer bus.
Chinese Garden The largest Chinese garden of its type outside China offers
a pleasant escape from the city concrete. Expert gardeners from China's Guang-
dong Province designed the garden according to principles of garden design dat-
ing back to the 5th century. Allow 30 minutes.
Darling Harbour (adjacent to the Entertainment Centre). & 02/9281 6863. Admission A$4.50 (US$2.90)
adults, A$2 (US$1.30) children, A$10 (US$6.50) families. Daily 9:30am-dusk. Ferry: Darling Harbour. Mono-
rail: Convention. Sydney Explorer bus.
IMAX Theatre Sydney Four different IMAX films are usually showing on
the gigantic eight-story-high screen. Each flick lasts about 50 minutes or so. If
you've ever been to an IMAX theater before, you know what to expect. As you
watch, your mind is tricked into feeling that it's right in the heart of the action.
Also shown are 3-D movies, which cost A$1 (US65¢) extra.
Southern Promenade, Darling Harbour. & 02/9281 3300. Admission A$15 (US$9.75) adults, A$12 (US$7.80)
students, A$10 (US$6.50) children 3-15, A$35 (US$23) families. Daily 10am-10pm (until 11:30pm Fri-Sat).
Ferry: Darling Harbour. Monorail: Convention. Sydney Explorer bus.
Powerhouse Museum Sydney's most interactive museum is also one of
the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Inside the postmodern industrial interior
you'll find all sorts of displays and gadgets relating to the sciences, transportation,
human achievement, decorative art, and social history. The many hands-on
exhibits make this fascinating museum worthy of a couple of hours of your time.
500 Harris St., Ultimo (near Darling Harbour). & 02/9217 0111. Admission A$10 (US$6.50) adults, A$3
(US$1.95) students and children 5-15, A$23 (US$15) families. Free admission 1st Sat of every month. Daily
10am-5pm. Ferry: Darling Harbour. Monorail: Harbourside. Sydney Explorer bus.

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