Sydney Australia

Description: Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia’s east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west, and about 80 km (50 mi) from the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the Hawkesbury River in the north and north-west, to the Royal National Park and Macarthur in the south and south-west. Greater Sydney consists of 658 suburbs, spread across 33 local government areas. Residents of the city are colloquially known as “Sydneysiders”. The estimated population in June 2022 was 5,297,089, which is about 66% of the state’s population. The city’s nicknames include the “Emerald City” and the “Harbour City”.

Population: 5,297,089

Demographics: At the 2021 census, the most common ancestries were English (21.8%), Australian (20.4%), Chinese (11.6%), Irish (7.2%), Scottish (5.6%), Indian (4.9%), Italian (4.3%), Lebanese (3.5%), Filipino (2.7%), Greek (2.6%), Vietnamese (2.5%), German (2.2%), Korean (1.4%), Nepalese (1.4%), Australian Aboriginal (1.4%), Maltese (1.1%).

History: The first people to inhabit the area now known as Sydney were Aboriginal Australians who had migrated from southeast Asia via northern Australia. Flaked pebbles found in Western Sydney’s gravel sediments might indicate human occupation from 45,000 to 50,000 years ago, while radiocarbon dating has shown evidence of human activity in the region from around 30,000 years ago. Prior to the arrival of the British, there were 4,000 to 8,000 Aboriginal people in the greater Sydney region. The first meeting between Aboriginals and British explorers occurred on 29 April 1770 when Lieutenant James Cook landed at Botany Bay (Kamay) and encountered the Gweagal clan. Two Gweagal men opposed the landing party and one was shot and wounded. Cook and his crew stayed at Botany Bay for a week, collecting water, timber, fodder and botanical specimens and exploring the surrounding area. Cook sought to establish relations with the Aboriginal population without success. Britain had been sending convicts to its American colonies for most of the eighteenth century, and the loss of these colonies in 1783 was the impetus to establish a penal colony at Botany Bay. Proponents of colonization also pointed to the strategic importance of a new base in the Asia-Pacific region and its potential to provide much-needed timber and flax for the navy. The First Fleet of 11 ships under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in Botany Bay in January 1788. It comprised more than a thousand settlers, including 736 convicts. The New South Wales Legislative Council became a semi-elected body in 1842. Sydney was declared a city the same year. When the six colonies federated on 1 January 1901, Sydney became the capital of the State of New South Wales. In January 1938, Sydney celebrated the Empire Games and the sesquicentenary of European settlement in Australia. One journalist wrote, “Golden beaches. Sun tanned men and maidens. Red-roofed villas terraced above the blue waters of the harbour. Even Melbourne seems like some grey and stately city of Northern Europe compared with Sydney’s sub-tropical splendours.” From the 1980s, overseas immigration grew rapidly, with Asia, the Middle East and Africa becoming major sources. By 2021, the population of Sydney was over 5.2 million, with 40% of the population born overseas. China and India overtook England as the largest source countries for overseas-born residents.

Elevation: 3 m

Climate:  Humid subtropical climate. Average annual temperature in Sydney is 18 C (64 F), the average for July is 13 C (55 F), the average for January is 23 C (73 F).

Attractions: Sydney Opera House, Sydney Ferries, Sydney Harbour, Manly Beach, Queen Victoria Building, Art Gallery Of New South Wales

Airports: Sydney Airport SYD, Bankstown Airport BWU

Distance To City Centre: 15 km

Commute Length: 25 min

Average Cost: 55 AUD

Peak Times: 6am-10am, 3pm-7pm