Sydney, the birthplace of Australia, is one of the world's most scenic cities located majestically on the shores of the world's best natural Harbour. The city runs about 55km east-west from the Pacific Coast to the Great Dividing Range, and roughly 70km north-south within a 200-kilometre radius. Its subtropical climate and relaxed lifestyle resembles a Mediterranean city - it's vibrant, cosmopolitan, multicultural and known affectionately as “the best address on the planet”. The present city has over four and half million inhabitants and geographically one of the largest cities in the world due to the urban sprawl.

With the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships to Australia in 1788, the foundation of a penal colony was created. Under the rule of Governor Lachlan Macquarie the penal colony slowly changed from a lawless colony to a budding free society. Macquarie established public works, banks, churches, charitable institutions and developed good relations with the indigenous peoples, the Aborigines. He also allowed convicts who had been given conditional or absolute pardons to become free-settlers.

Large numbers of immigrant miners poured into Sydney when gold was discovered in the mid 19th century. This again influenced the social and economic development of Sydney and the first museums and art galleries opened, grand churches, private homes, banks and theaters were built and the University of Sydney completed in 1890.

If any city in the world is known for its connection to the environment it is Sydney. The city is almost completely surrounded by national parks and intact bushland. The harbour has many bays and inlets and white sandy beaches on the ocean side. Where else can you walk through native bushland and swim at golden secluded beaches - right in the heart of a major metropolis? It's no wonder that Sydney is Australia's major tourist destination.

Sydney Harbour is a spectacular vista of cobalt-blue water, sandy beaches and inlets. This busy harbour is speckled with private vessels, yachts, ferries and luxury ocean-going liners. Spanning across the harbour is the majestic steel span of the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge connecting the city with the North Shore. The gleaming white shells or sails of the Opera House are one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the 20th century, an icon and included on the World Heritage List. A cluster of glass and metal skyscrapers mark the central business district with Victorian terrace houses, apartments and restaurants lining the shores to boat-filled bays and secluded sandy coves.

The Rocks is the nation's oldest urban settlement located on the waters edge of the city. Once a lawless area of the city inhabited by convicts, drunks and prostitutes, it is now a fashionable and trendy area with heritage pubs and superbly restored Georgian townhouses, converted sand-stone warehouses and some of Sydney's most elegant hotels, outdoor cafes, restaurants and art and craft galleries.

Royal Botanic Gardens has a magnificent collection of South Pacific plant life including exotic species. The first farm on the Australian continent, at Farm Cove, was established in 1788, although that farm failed, the land has been in constant cultivation since that time, as ways were found to make the relatively infertile soils more productive. The Botanic Gardens were founded on this site by Governor Macquarie in 1816 as part of the Governor's Domain. The gardens are varied; from an old fashioned Rose Garden to an arid garden featuring cacti and succulents. The gardens are also known for their bat colony where at night you can see the bats flying to their homes in the trees.

Darling Harbour is the place where Sydneysiders come to play. Here you can find Star City Casino, the Maritime and Powerhouse Museums, Sydney Wildlife World complex which comprises the world's largest collection of native Australian animals and the Sydney Aquarium - a showcase of the marine life of Australia. This lively area has numerous waterside restaurants and bars and an easy relaxed atmosphere. Darling Harbour is also home to the largest Chinese garden outside of mainland China designed in the traditional southern Chinese style and well-located to nearby Chinatown.