Sydney

Sydney is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Blue Mountains to the west, the Hawkesbury River to the North and the Woronora Plateau to the south.

Sydney enjoys a temperate climate with mild winters and an average 340 sunshine days a year. The summers are warm and balmy beginning in December through to February but days are often warm right through March.

CLIMATE DATA

Month                                      Dec                  Mar                  Jun                   Sep

Max Temp                                30.1                24.7                  16.9                   19.9

Min Temp                                17.5                18.7                  9.2                   11.0

Rainfall Total mm                        78                131                  128                   17.2

Rain Days                               11.5                13.3                  11.4                  69

Daily sun hours                         7.6                6.4                     5.4                  7.2

Buying a Home

Sydney offers everything the homebuyer requires from small apartments in the city, one and two bedroom units, larger style town houses to 3 plus bedroom houses.

Public Transport

Whilst many Sydney residents travel by car using the freeways and tollways, Sydney is serviced by an extensive train, bus and ferry network.

Sydney trains run by Cityrail. These trains service the outer suburbs then converge in the underground to form a loop service in the city area. Trains also leave the Sydney city area and run services to regional areas of New South Wales. There is a light rail service around parts of the Central Business District known as the Metro Light Rail and a small mono rail which runs around the main shopping district and Darling Harbour.

The metropolitan area of Sydney is serviced by the state owned Sydney Buses. In the outer suburbs many services are contracted to private bus lines.

Many bus and train services run 24 hours. The state government owned Sydney Ferries runs commuter and tourist services on Sydney Harbour and up the Parramatta River.

Sydney is home to the oldest continuously operating commercial airport in the world, Kingsford Smith International Airport is located in the suburb of Mascot. Bankstown Airport is smaller and serves private and general aviation. There are light aviation fields at Hoxton Park and Camden.

Education

Sydney University Campus

Sydney has public, denominational and independent schools. The public schools which include pre-schools, primary and secondary schools are administered by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. Primary school is kindergarten to year 6, then high school from year 7 to year 12. There are also four TAFE Colleges in the Sydney area.

Australia’s first university, the University of Sydney was established in 1850 and still operates today along with the other public universities; the University of New South Wales, Macquarie University, the University of Technology, the University of Western Sydney and the Australian Catholic University.

 
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Demography

The major sources of immigration are the United Kingdom, China and New Zealand but a significant number of immigrants also come from Vietnam, Lebanon, Italy, India and the Philippines. Sydneysiders speak English although many do have a second language. Some suburbs are associated with the ethnic groups that first settled there such as Italians in Leichhardt, Greeks in Rockdale, and Koreans in Campsie. Sydney has the seventh largest percentage of a foreign born population ahead of cities like London and Paris.

Approximately 67% of Sydney residents describe themselves as Christian with the most common denominations being Catholic and Anglican. About 9% practice a non Christian denomination, the most common is Islam at 3.4% and Buddhism. Approximately 12% of Sydney residents are not religious.

Health Care

There are a number public hospitals operating in the Sydney metropolitan area, operated by the NSW Government. They are also a number of private hospitals and clinics, some of which are aligned with religious organisations.

Recreation

Sunny day in Bondi Beach

Sydney is home to some of the best beaches in the world including the famous Bondi Beach, along with Manly, Palm Beach and Cronulla. There are many other beaches along the coast and National Parks for you to enjoy.

The headquarters of the Australian Rugby League is in Sydney along with many of the National Rugby League Teams. ANZ Stadium is the venue for the Grand Final. Australia’s first rugby Union club was established at Sydney Uni in 1864 and today the state team plays as the NSW Waratahs.

The major competition sports are Rugby, soccer, AFL, basketball, cricket. Any sport you wish to play there will be a club for it.

Sydney Harbour is also famous for its yacht racing including the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and the 18ft skiffs.

Arts and Entertainment

Chinese Gardens in Sydney

The Sydney Opera House has 5 theatres and is home to the Opera Australia the third busiest opera company in the world and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. There is also the Sydney Town Hall, City Recital Hall and the Wharf Theatre.

The National Institute of Dramatic Art is based at Kensington and boasts famous ex students such as Mel Gibson and Baz Luhrmann.

Fox Studios opened in 1998, with prominent films such as Moulin Rouge, Mission Impossible II, Star War II & III, Superman Return, The Matrix and Australia have been filmed in the city.

Sydney hosts many different events including the Sydney Festival, the Big Day Out and the Sydney Film Festival.

There are several museums, the biggest being the Australian Museum, the Powerhouse, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Australian National Maritime Museum.

There are many gardens around the city including Hyde Park, the Botanical Gardens and the Chinese Garden of Friendship at Darling Harbour.

The Business environment

The Economy

Sydney is an important centre in the Asia Pacific and the largest corporate and financial centre in Australia. It is home to the headquarters of 90 banks and more than half of the country’s top companies. The Australian Stock Exchange, the Reserve Bank and Fox Studios are all in Sydney. Tourism plays a major role in Sydney’s economy along with the increasing commercial role of many of the city’s medical laboratories and research centers.

Shopping

Sydney has many major shopping centre malls located in the Central Business District and generally provides various retail outlets to service most of people’s needs. There are large shopping centers dotted in handy distances to most areas. There are larger supermarkets open 24 hours on most days but close earlier on Sundays. Local grocery stores generally operated 7 days a week and often have the same hours as retails stores. The following is a rough guide to most retail outlets although larger chain stores have extended hours.

Mon 9am – 5.30pm

Tues 9am – 5.30pm

Wed 9am – 5.30pm

Thurs 9am – 9.00pm

Fri 9am – 5.30pm

Sat 9am – 5.00pm

Sun 10am – 4.00pm

These times can differ so it is wise to check.

Sydney and Surrounds

Things to Do

There are guided walks on the Harbour Bridge, many sessions at the Opera House, a days stroll around the Rocks area you can still find remnants for bygone days. You can take a leisurely stroll around the beautiful Botanic Garden or a sightseeing mission to the top of the Centrepoint Tower. Darling Harbour has many displays, shops and heaps of fun. A great day out for the whole family or just a solitary escape is Taronga Park Zoo.

Day Trips

An hour south of Sydney is the Illawarra region, stretching from the Royal National Park to the Shoalhaven River and encompasses the City of Wollongong. There are some beautiful beaches, lakes and of course the river in the south. The stunning scenery from the cliffs at Stanwell Park is breathtaking.

About the same distance from Sydney to the north is the natural aquatic playground of the Central Coast. With Gosford as the main center, there are coastal towns dotted around the area with pristine beaches, first class holiday resorts, fantastic waterways and hinterland tranquility.

If the inland is more to your liking, spend a day or a weekend at the Blue Mountains. See The Three Sisters, a fascinating rock formation which can be best viewed via eco point or take a ride on the Katoomba Scenic Railway.

The 3 sisters Blue Mountains

Further A Field

In the Lithgow /Oberon area are the Jenolan Caves world famous limestone formations. There are several caves and guided tours which take about two hours each. You can fish for trout, canoe in the Abercrombie River National Park lakes and waterways.

West of Sydney is Dubbo, a large town who popularity soared with the opening of the Western Plains Zoo, which houses over a thousand animals form all over the world. Other things to do are visit the Dubbo Observatory, go bush walking or visit the Dubbo Winery.