Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House was inspired by its dramatic setting on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, a location that’s long been sacred to the native Gadigal people. While construction took 16 years, including four years to figure out the spherical solution to the icon’s soaring sails, any controversies melted away when the masterpiece was completed in 1973. The same outside-the-box thinking that built the shell-shaped sculpture seeps through its walls today in the form of boundary-pushing opera, theater, and dance as well as contemporary music and mind-opening lectures. The landmark is also home to the beloved Opera Bar and Bennelong Restaurant upstairs, where diners can eat pavlova shaped like the landmark in which they sit.
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The Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is one of the world’s most recognizable pieces of architecture. And apparently many people who come from around the world to see it aren’t walking in. BridgeClimb guide Tara Sculley-Pope said the top regret she hears from Sydney visitors is that they didn’t venture inside the Opera House to catch a show or at least take a tour. I had just come from an hour-long tour of the Opera House where I sat in on a couple of rehearsals, walked underneath its famous sails and learned how the iconic structure I was now overlooking from another Sydney icon — the Harbour Bridge — came to be. I’m glad I decided to venture into the building I’d spent so much time gawking at. Sometimes a selfie outside just isn’t enough.
Architectural Photography at the Sydney Opera House
Night or day the Sydney Opera House is a spectacular example of modern architecture and is a marvelous photo opportunity. The views of the city from the Opera House are as good as the building itself. It is a photographers dream of a structure and the perfect challenge of one’s Architectural Photography skills! The structure looks different throughout the day due to the angle of shadows and it is lit up brilliantly at night.
Vivid Sydney!
Each May the Sydney Harbor plays host to Vivid Sydney, a month-long festival dedicated to light, art, and music. Australia does public art right, and it can been seen in all of its cities, but this is a masterpiece. Vivid transforms the city into a gigantic projection screen by using 3-D mapping to cast incredible images across all kinds of buildings, including the Sydney Opera House. After dark, the streets of the Rocks are buzzing with activity; cafes are full, music pumps out from everywhere, and every human has a camera out. The iconic sail boat roof of the Opera House becomes a massive screen, projecting changing colors and images. Boats whiz through the harbor, adding to the color and speed of the event. Plan your trip around Vivid.
Bennelong in the Sydney Opera House
One of Australia’s most iconic buildings has opened its belly to more people who want a fine dining experience without stuffiness and pomp. Chef Peter Gilmore has taken over the pass at Bennelong, the restaurant inside the Sydney Opera House, set on the sparkling harbour and looking out to the country’s most famous bridge. Arguably Australia’s national dish (don’t tell New Zealand, which likes to claim the dessert), the pavlova, is given a twist at this iconic location. Shards of meringue form landmark sails in a sugary replica of the building that houses it. It is part of a menu that is particularly Australian; 98 per cent of everything served at Bennelong is Australian grown or produced. Roasted John Dory is roasted on the bone and served with saltbush, turnips and umami butter. Sydney rock oysters make an appearance and red claw yabbies’ are served in lemon jam and cultured cream, buckwheat pancakes. For the prosciutto, the pigs come from Byron Bay and the curing takes place in Sydney. There are four ways to eat here: the restaurant downstairs; those catching a show or a play can slip in for a supper menu including a truffle and five cheese toasted sandwich; there’s the cured and cultured section up a floor, and there’s the chef’s table in the custom-designed kitchen for AUD$650 a pop. But more than anything, it’s a beautiful place to be, and the food is just a spectacular bonus.
Tour the Sydney Opera House
You can’t go to Sydney and not visit the city’s icon – the Sydney Opera House. If possible, grab tickets to see the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Opera Australia, Sydney Symphony Orchestra or The Australian Ballet. Otherwise, sign up for one of the tour options to visit the stages and learn the history. It’s a great way to spend a day with friends or traveling solo!
Global Landmark
In a category of its own, the landmark Sydney Opera House stands out on the world stage as a “bucket list” must-see. To capture a view of the architecturally grand and unique structure, snag a seat on a ferry at Circle Quay (pronounced, key), which runs daily and frequently. Take a trip to Manly beach to spend the morning or afternoon on the sand, or peruse the boardwalk of shops and restaurants. Go by ferry or water taxi to Watson’s Bay and have lunch at Doyle’s restaurant, established in 1885. Best known for their signature fish n’ chips, you’ll enjoy a meal while admiring distant views of Sydney. Choose to spend the day with koalas at Taronga Park Zoo. You’ll find a ferry at the Quay for that too. Whatever you decide, it’s a great to way to see Sydney’s Harbor Bridge and Opera House from the water. Enjoy,...I did.
The street Lamp, the photographer Bride and the glorious Opera house.
While watching the beautiful opera house from a park in Sydney on a very clear day, I pondered why this lonely lady who is elegantly dressed up is trying so hard to adjust the lenses and tripod ? Of course, I realized she was not lonely when her groom came all Tuxed-Up after 10-15 minutes and they were happy posing together in front of their camera set on automatic mode.
Sydney Opera House from the Inside
While the outside of the Sydney Opera House is of course iconic, you should also make an effort to take a tour of the interior, which is pretty impressive itself. Plus, you will learn a lot of interesting historic details about the design and building of the Opera House. Try to go at a time when there isn’t a rehearsal or performance happening in the various performance spaces, as that could limit access.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour
The first production of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, was in 2012 – La Traviata– and in just four years this outdoor series has become one of the most-anticipated events on Sydney’s cultural calendar. Its success is easy to understand, given the combination of classic operas and a showstopping setting. While you enjoy the opera, you’ll have a stunning view of the Sydney Opera House—as well as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the white sails of ships glowing in the light of the setting sun—as arias float through the air. In 2016, Turandot, Puccini’s tale of intrigue and passion set in China, will be performed from March 24 to April 24 under the direction of Chen Shi-Zheng, trained in classical Chinese opera and acclaimed for his innovative productions of both Chinese and European works in London, New York, and Paris. It promises to be an unforgettable only-in-Sydney evening. Imagine sipping a glass of sparkling wine and dining al fresco on dishes from one of the five gourmet restaurants, dazzled by the dramatic set with its ivory dragon and mirrored Chinese pagoda reaching into the starry sky.