About Sydney

The City

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. It is on Australia’s south-east coast, on the Tasman Sea. In June 2010 the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people. Inhabitants of Sydney are called Sydneysiders, comprising a cosmopolitan and international population.
Sydney is a consistently high-ranking world city for quality of life. It has hosted multiple major international sporting events, including the 1938 British Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games), the 2000 Summer Olympics and the final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The main airport serving Sydney is Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport and its main port is Port Botany.

The site of the first British colony in Australia, Sydney was established in 1788 at Sydney Cove by Captain Arthur Phillip, of the First Fleet, as a penal colony. The city is built on hills surrounding Port Jackson, which is commonly known as Sydney Harbour, where the iconic Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge are prominent structures. The hinterland of the metropolitan area is surrounded by national parks, and the coastal regions feature many bays, rivers, inlets and beaches, including the famous Bondi and Manly beaches. Within the city are many parklands, including Hyde Park and the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Sydney CBD (top), Bondi Beach (middle), Blue Mountains (bottom)Source: Wikipedia

Weather and Climate

Current weather for Sydney is available from BOM

March is generally a warm and sunny summer month with little rain and occasional hot spells, and an ideal time to swim at the beaches. We do recommend to always wear a hat, shirt and plenty of sunscreen (SPF 30+) when outside. The sun is very strong here and even a short exposure can lead to dangerous and painful sunburn.

What to do

Here is the official tourist website for Sydney and NSW, and a partial list of popular activities around Sydney: