Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Welcome to Sydney
Book a window seat for your flight to Sydney: day or night, it
sure is good-lookin'. Scratch the surface and it only gets better.
Show Pony
Brash is the word that inevitably gets bandied around when it comes to describing the Har-
bour City, and let's face it, Sydney is one hot mess! Compared to its Australian sister cities,
Sydney is loud, uncompromising and in-your-face. Fireworks displays are more dazzling
here, heels are higher, bodies more buffed, contact sports more brutal, starlets shinier, drag
queens glitzier and chefs more adventurous. Australia's best musos, foodies, actors, stock-
brokers, models, writers and architects flock to the city to make their mark, and the effect is
dazzling: a hyperenergetic, ambitious marketplace of the soul, where anything goes and
everything usually does.
Making a Splash
Defined as much by its rugged coast as its exquisite harbour, Sydney relies on its coastal
setting to replenish its reserves of charm; venture too far from the water and the charm sud-
denly evaporates. Jump on a ferry and Sydney's your oyster - the harbour prises the city's
two halves far enough apart to reveal an abundance of pearls. On the coast, Australia ends
abruptly in sheer walls of sandstone punctuated by arcs of golden sand. In summer they're
covered with bronzed bodies enjoying a climate that encourages outdoor socialising, exer-
cising, flirting and fun.
After Dark
After a lazy Saturday at the beach, urbane Sydneysiders have a disco nap, hit the showers
and head out again. There's always a new restaurant to try, undercover bar to hunt down,
hip band to check out, sports team to shout at, show to see or crazy party to attend. The
city's pretensions to glamour are well balanced by a casualness that means a cool T-shirt
and a tidy pair of jeans will get you in most places. But if you want to dress up and show
off, there's plenty of opportunity for that among the sparkling lights of the harbour.
