OK so im copying everyone else.. but at 10am on the 17th im 1742 short of a little blue dot... my op...
OK so im copying everyone else.. but at 10am on the 17th im 1742 short of a little blue dot... my options are Work? or aim for little blue dot.. I think the little blue dot may win!
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Bennalong point in Sydney was named after an aboriginal who Governor Arthur Phillp took a liking too (way back in 1789). He bought the poor man back to London where Bennalong was just totally bewildered with London so returned to Australia, where he found he now belonged to neither the European or Aboriginal world. The point was named after Bennalong as Arthur Phillip built him a hut there.
How to get there: Bennalong Point is located on Sydney Harbour near Circular Quay, it is home to Sydney's rather famous Opera House. A short walk from the ferry terminal at Circular Quay, or the train station or the bus stops also at Circular Quay the Opera House boasts five theatres, five rehearsal studios, at least four restaurants and six bars. A fantastic spot with a spectacular view of Sydney Harbour and the
Sydney Harbour Bridge. There is a courtesy bus for less able visitors who are attending performances leaving from Circular Bay bus stand. Fares in Sydney for Bus/Rail and Ferry are all based from your departure point. Buses range from $1.20 to $4.60 and a ferry is $3.20-$5.20 (adult fares).
As a child growing up outside of Sydney I used to always think it was the biggest city in the world. Years and much travel later comes the realisation that Sydney is actually quite small. If you are staying in the city, anywhere, it's an easy walk to the Opera House.
What do you do? (aside from take a photo) There are five theatres inside which are the Concert Hall which seats 2679, the Opera Theatre, 1547 seats, the Drama Theatre 544 seats, the Playhouse 398 seats and the Studio Theatre being the smallest with 364 seats.
The Sydney Symphony, Sydney Theatre Company and the Australian Ballet are among those who perform here. Performances include Opera, Plays, Orchestra, Dance and Pantomime, basically anything goes.. Running at the moment (among many other choices) is The Pirates of Penanze, Drill (dance), the Damnation of Faust and performances of Shakespeare and Beethoven.
You can take a tour of the inside of the Opera House. Standard tour is $23 for Adults $16 consession which takes an hour. Backstage tours are a bit more pricey at $140. You can also book private tours (available with a translator) or Group tours (maximum of 40).
Tours depart from the Guided Tour Office located in the SOH store on the lower concourse of the Sydney Opera House. The Backstage Tour departs from Stage Door.
There is an Opera Bar, Guillame at Bennalong (restaurant), Bistro Mozart, Sidewalk café.. and a few others. I have only ever eaten at the sidewalk café and in summer time its great, you can sit out and watch the tourists go by and snack on a sandwich, pie or sushi (as well as other menu choices) Its open 7 days from 8am.
There is also a Sydney Opera House store which sells things like Gemstones and souvineers. Located in the Box Office Foyer and on the Lower Concourse.
Summertime an open air bar opens on the front of the Opera House, a windy spot right on the Harbour but a stunning view. Free open air movies are sometimes screened on the front steps (check the papers to see if anything is going on such as the Sydney Morning Herald).
A little bit of History: In 1954 the then Premier of NSW, Joe Cahill, answering a call for a new theatre for Sydney, as the current one (the Town Hall) was simply not big enough, organised a contest to design the new theatre.
233 entries were received and the winner was a Dane, Jorn Utzon. Utzon arrived in Sydney in 1957 and construction on the Opera House began. Well known in Australia is that part way through the building the Government changed over and refused Utzon permission to construct plywood protypes for the interior. The new Government also reduced Utzons role to design architect and stopped paying his fees Utzon (understandably) wouldn't stand for this and left the project and Australia. Governments since have apologised to Urtzon but he has never seen his amazing design completed.
Depending on who you ask the Opera House is inspired by either orange peels or sailboats. Sailboats being the romantic choice, but orange peels are apparently the truthfull choice.
After Urtzon departed Australia small changes were made to his design, such as different paving was chosen and the Opera House was finally finished in 1973, at a huge cost of $102 million. The original estimate in 1957 was $7 million and completion in 1963. The majority of the building was paid for by funds from the Australian Lottery.
The Opera House was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October 20, 1973. The opening was televised and included fireworks and a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
The roofs of the House are constructed of 1,056,000 glazed white granite tiles, imported from Sweden. Despite their self-cleaning nature, they are still subject to periodic maintenance and replacement. The House interior is composed of pink granite mined from Tarana, NSW and wood and brush box plywood supplied from northern NSW. The theatres are housed in a series of large shells, originally modelled by dissecting a globe. The Concert Hall and Opera Theatre are contained in the largest shells, and the other theatres are located on the sides of the shells.
Fun things: 1997 found Alain Robert in bare feet climbing the Opera House with no safety devices. In 2000 it was included in the Olympic Torch rally and Sam Riley (an Olympic Swimmer) stood on the top with the torch. The winning performance by Australian Pop Idol (Casey) was also at the Opera House.
Contacts: Tours: +61 2 9250 7250 Sidewalk Café +61 2 9247 0481 Information on any of the restaurants: +619250 7111. Sydney Public Transport 131 500
Really getting there: STA Travel has a deal at the moment for £670 for a flight to Australia. Phone them on 0870 1600 599.
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