Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sydney Today
With around 4.3 million residents, Sydney is Oceania's biggest and brightest city, and it dominates its home state
of New South Wales politically and economically. Australia may have escaped recession during the recent global
economic turmoil but much of that was due to a resources boom on the other side of the country. While plenty of
Sydneysiders are feeling the pinch, the city remains reasonably upbeat, taking solace in the knowledge that it could
have been much worse.
Best on Film
Finding Nemo
(2003) Animated feature following an adventurous clownfish who finds himself captive in a
Sydney aquarium.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
(1994) Sydney drag queens road-tripping to Alice Springs.
Muriel's Wedding
(1994) Both a good laugh and genuinely affecting; Toni Collette's Muriel reinvents her
frumpy Abba-tragic self.
Strictly Ballroom
(1992) Breakthrough Aussie comedy set in the surreal world of competitive ballroom dancing.
Best in Print
The Lieutenant
(Kate Grenville, 2008) The names are changed but Grenville's fascinating chronicle of first con-
tacts with the Eora people rings true.
Leviathan
(John Birmingham, 1999) A gritty history exploring Sydney's seamier side, written in the tone of an
unauthorised biography.
The Playmaker
(Thomas Keneally, 1987) A fictionalised account of First Fleet life.
Voss
(Patrick White, 1957) Nobel Prize-winner White contrasts the unforgiving outback with Sydney colonial
life.
