The bold lines of the Sydney Opera House speak more about Sydney than any other part of this cosmopolitan city of four million.
The Sydney Opera House is right up there with Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower, as a brand name for the exclusive elite of global cities. In fact it has long-since ceased to be just an Opera House. It's an icon. A powerful symbol, not just of Sydney, but of the whole of Australia. Those serenely simple, white-curving shells say something unexpected about this youthful nation. That Australians can do bold, as well as brash – and culture as well as brawn. When it opened back in 1973, it was a sign that Sydney, and Australians, were growing up. So if you come to Sydney, you really must see the Opera House – not so much a request, as a condition of entry. Not that you can escape its unmistakeable outline. Sydney seems to be arranged as a giant amphitheatre, purpose-built to show the Opera House off to its best, where-ever you are in the city. But you have to get up close and personal to really 'get' what all the fuss is about. Then you'll get to see how those shimmering white shells are actually made of a million Swedish tiles (which aren't even white). You might learn that it took 12 years, and 12 different designs, before the builders could get Danish architect Jørn Utzon's vision into concrete. Or you might feel your jaw-drop, as you take in the dramatic view back across Sydney, afforded by the Opera House's front-row seat on the Harbour. And don't forget the opera. Or the concerts, the plays, the dance productions and the ballet. Because the Sydney Opera House is home to three large-scale venues – the Concert Hall, the Joan Sutherland Theatre and the Drama Theatre – as well as many smaller ones. If culture is your thing, then the white-shelled Opera House is your oyster. And even if it's not, returning from Sydney without a snap of the Opera House behind you is as good as not going to Sydney at all.
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