Interesting facts

1. Sydney is Australia's oldest and largest city, founded as a British penal colony in 1788. 2. The traditional custodians of the land where the city center stands are the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. 3. The Sydney Opera House was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who won an international design competition in 1957. 4. The Sydney Harbor Bridge, completed in 1932, is affectionately known by locals as "The Coathanger." 5. Sydney Harbor (Port Jackson) is widely considered the largest and one of the deepest natural harbors in the world. 6. The Royal National Park, established in 1879 on Sydney's southern outskirts, is the second oldest national park in the world (after Yellowstone). 7. Sydney hosted the highly successful 2000 Summer Olympic Games. 8. The Sydney Fish Market is the third-largest fish market in the world by variety of seafood. 9. George Street, the main north-south thoroughfare in the CBD, is the oldest street in Australia. 10. There are over 100 spectacular beaches within the city limits, ranging from the famous Bondi to secluded harbor coves. 11. Sydney Tower (often called Centrepoint Tower) is the tallest structure in Sydney at 309 meters (1,014 ft). 12. The Queen Victoria Building (QVB) was threatened with demolition in the 1950s before being restored as a premier shopping destination. 13. The Australian Museum in Sydney, founded in 1827, is the oldest museum in Australia. 14. The Sydney funnel-web spider, native to the region, is considered one of the most venomous spiders in the world (though no fatalities have occurred since an antivenom was introduced in 1981). 15. Ferries have been operating on Sydney Harbor since 1889, making them a historic and essential part of the transit network. 16. The University of Sydney, established in 1850, is Australia’s first university. 17. Hyde Park is the oldest public park in Australia, set aside in 1792. 18. The Blue Mountains, located on the city's western edge, get their name from a blue haze caused by light scattering through eucalyptus oil droplets in the air. 19. The city is built upon the Sydney Basin, a major geological depression primarily composed of sandstone. 20. Vivid Sydney, an annual festival of light, music, and ideas, transforms the city into a nighttime wonderland and attracts millions of visitors.