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Sydney Opera House

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Sydney Opera House Guided Tours

  • January 9, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Parisbeba from New York , New York
Sydney Opera House Guided Tours

What can I say about Sydney Opera House that has not yet been said? Not much. This beautiful white structure will just blow your mind away.

The roof is comprised of 10 sails. The Opera House is home to the Sydney Symphony and tours can be taken of the interior. We decided to explore the exterior of the Opera House and pass up on the interior visit.

From journal Flying Down Sydney Way

Sweeny Todd

  • September 24, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by pinkpassport from Corpus Christi, Texas
You can't go to Sydney without seeing a performance at the famed Sydney Opera House. The design and the engineering inside make it a truly unique experience. The acoustics are so innovative. I saw the Broadway musical Sweeny Todd in one of the performance halls after receiving a tour of the building. It's so much more than just a recognizable building on the harbor. Take advantage of the many plays and concert performances. Get tickets in advance.

From journal Living in Australia

The Sydney Symphony

  • August 24, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by rkaleal from Lawrence, Kansas
If you enjoy culture and are in Sydney, a must-do is seeing the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House.

To book tickets, simply go to the Sydney Opera House box office. Tickets range from about AUD$40 to AUD$93, but the $93 tickets are worth every penny!

Expect a much smaller performance hall that what it seems it should be—I was very surprised by this. Know also that formal dress is not required; they indicate that 'jeans and a smart shirt' are fine, but I would go for khakis and a smart shirt at a minimum. Also know that you will end up spending money on drinks either before or during the intermission of the performance—so bring extra money.

From journal A Semester Down Under

Editor Pick

Sydney Opera House

  • May 17, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by stomps from Houston, Texas
Sydney Opera House

The Opera House is always the first or second item on a first-time visitor to Sydney’s to-see list, only beaten out by the Harbour Bridge. The Opera House, located on Bennelong Point and bordered on one side by the Royal Botanic Gardens and the other by Circular Quay, was designed by a little-known Danish architect, Jorn Utzon, in 1955 but wasn’t opened until 1973. In between, there was plenty of bickering and budget changes that continually delayed construction. The most famous disagreement that occurred on this project happened between a minister set to supervise the project and the architect himself, which led him to leave the country and not see his most famous piece of work until the 1990s!

The question that stuck in my head when I wanted to visit the Opera House was: how? I had already seen it from the sky, albeit from very high up where it only appeared to be a large reflector, but should I walk up to it (and from which direction? From Circular Quay or the Botanic Gardens), or should I see it from on the Harbour, or in the air (from the CentrePoint Tower? From the Harbour Bridge? From a helicopter?). I ended up snapping it from the ferry, and then walking at it from Circular Quay, and then from the Harbour Bridge…and then from walking at it from the Botanic Gardens, and then from a harbour cruise, and then looking across the water at it from the Rocks. From every angle, it looks different and simply amazing. No wonder it is so famous and used in nearly every image you ever see advertising the city or even the country (to use Jon Stewart’s words: “Here’s the obligatory picture of the Sydney Opera House”). Not only that, but it has completely different character depending on whether you view it during the day, at sunset, or at night. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see fireworks reflecting off the roof like we did!

Even on my third visit to Sydney, I was still fascinated by the Opera House. It just strikes you every time with its tiles dancing in the sun, blinding you with their stark contrast to the jet black bridge behind it and the blue of the harbour water. I didn’t get a chance to go on a tour, which was only about $20 if you don’t go backstage, but I was happy simply to walk to it and take in the (slightly stormy) moment. In my first trip, I enjoyed just sitting on the steps, watching the ferries go by and the tiny climbers making their way to the top of the Harbour Bridge. This time, I found that sitting opposite the House on the Rocks side of Circular Quay was just as enjoyable, looking across at the world-renowned landmark and just soaking in the fact that I was indeed back in the beautiful Land Down Under.

From journal Sydney: Worth All the Fuss

Editor Pick

Sydney Opera House - everything you expected and more

  • May 1, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by actonsteve from London, United Kingdom
Sydney Opera House - everything you expected and more

I can guarantee this will be the first place you will visit in Sydney.

After arrival and throwing your bags on the bed, your legs will gravitate you towards Circular Quay and the promontory serving the famous building. This promontory forms the easternmost arm of Sydney Cove and backs onto an escarpment leading back into the Botanical Gardens. The "sharks fins" of the building loom above the foliage. This concrete promontory is called Bennelong Point. Named after the aboriginal tribesman who was kept by the first governor of Sydney, Arthur Phillip - his hut stood where the Opera House now stands.

Like all the worlds great buildings there is a story associated with it. This time it is one of infighting and factionism that would have done credit to the Borgias. This work of genius is the work of a Dane, Jorn Utzon, a man who had a family background in yacht design back in Copenhagen. From inception to completion the Opera House took about sixteen years with costs escalating almost at a yearly rate. It finally cost $102 Australian dollars (at 1973 prices) which for the time was an astronomical amount. Scapegoating and blame made Utzon resign in 1966 and he headed back to his native Denmark - ears ringing from all the abuse from politicians and media. Happily, he returned as a consultant in the 1999 renovation and is now revered as a deserved architectural genius. Around the world sixties architecture has been discredited and has often aged very badly; but here in Sydney, on its podium and glittering in the sun is the worlds best example of that architectural movement.

When you approach it is the colour which strikes you first. A kind of dull ivory that catches the sun. Three enormous beaky shells loom into the air signifying the whereabouts of the auditoriums. These are what give the Opera House its distinctive shape. As you get closer you can see the beaky shells are made of hundreds and hundreds of shimmering chevron shaped disks which reminded me of space shuttle tiles. What did the whole thing remind me of? A sailboat? An unpeeled orange? A cockatoo?

You can catch a performance at the Opera House (guided tours $17 - www.soh.nsw.gov.au) or look in the auditoriums to glimpse the interior. The Playhouse has a couple of models of the "House" by Utzon which are worth a look. Also tucked away amongst all the concrete, marble and white tiling are a couple of good restaurants - Guillame in Bennelong has a specially strong reputation.

But most people seem happy enough to sit on the concrete "Eisenstein" type steps or wander around to the seaward side to watch the life on the harbour. This promenade is encased in marble and the huge inert beaks tower above you in close formation. You can sit down underneath them and watch the ferries glide past .

From here you can see why they called Australia 'The Lucky Country'

From journal The watery city of Sydney - Gleaming, Glittering and Gigantic

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