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About Sydney

Sydney is a cosmopolitan, vibrant and multicultural city, made up of a series of precincts each with its own unique character and appeal to both national and international visitors.

Central Business District (CBD)

The CBD is home to Sydney’s major shopping centres, hotels and entertainment venues, as well as many of its important financial and business institutions. The architecture ranges from contemporary chic to important historical buildings.

Chinatown

Sydney’s original Chinese community settled at The Rocks but moved to the Haymarket area in the early 1900s. The precinct today is filled with restaurants, market stalls, and an exciting Chinese New Year festival in the summer. Nearby on Liverpool Street, Sydney’s growing ‘Spanish Quarter’ is peppered with Tapas bars and Latin dancing.

Darling Harbour (including Cockle Bay Wharf, King Street Wharf)

Once a busy harbour and industrial region, the Darling Harbour precinct was redeveloped in 1988 with shops, restaurants, bars, museums and entertainment. Many Sydney cruises leave from Darling Harbour, and the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre fronts its waters. Cockle Bay and King Street Wharfs are home to a number of premium Sydney restaurants.

Eastern suburbs

Sydney’s eastern suburbs stretch from Watsons Bay at the South Head entrance of the Harbour and follow the ocean coastline, east of Sydney’s central business district. These fashionable suburbs are home to stunning beaches, from secluded hideaways to the world famous Bondi Beach, as well as major restaurants and entertainment areas.

East Sydney and Darlinghurst

This area, between William Street and Oxford Street, is the heart of Sydney’s gay scene, and the home of the vibrant, world-famous Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in March each year. The precinct is best known for its historic pubs, the restaurants in ‘Little Italy’ (Stanley Street), the Australian Museum and the NSW State Library.

Inner west

Sydney’s inner west, while not a precise geographical region, is often used by Sydney-siders to describe the suburbs along the southern shore of Port Jackson, stretching south to the shores of the Cooks River. The area has a number of eclectic cafes and multicultural restaurants. For diversity, visit bookish Glebe, alternative Newtown and ‘little Italy’ Leichhardt.

Kings Cross

Kings Cross (called ‘The Cross’ by the locals) was once a home for bohemian artists and writers, and much of that flavour remains today. It is Australia’s most densely populated district, and famous for its nightlife and dining. Down the hill in Woolloomooloo, beautiful redevelopments like the Finger Wharf, house a glamorous hotel and fine dining restaurants.

Northern beaches

Sydney’s lovely northern beaches are a natural wonderland for relaxing, swimming and strolling the many beachside shops and cafes. Visit the Baha’i House of Worship; experience the incredible Shark Dive Xtreme at Oceanworld Manly; and take a trip to Waratah Park Earth Sanctuary to see Sydney the way it was before Europeans arrived.

Paddington

Paddington is one of Sydney’s most wealthy and fashionable suburbs, and shops along Oxford Street and its surrounds are among Sydney’s best. Every Saturday, the Paddington Markets sell original clothing, multicultural food and hand-crafted jewellery and homewares. A number of Sydney designers started out with a humble Paddington market stall.

Surry Hills

Once filled with slums and notorious for gangs and brothels, today Surry Hills is known for its art galleries, antique dealers, cafes, pubs and fashion. The area houses Sydney’s ‘garment district’, where ‘rag traders’ will often sell their clothes to the public at drastic discounts. A number of Sydney’s most awarded fine dining restaurants are also in Surry Hills.

The Rocks

Next to the ferry hub of Circular Quay, The Rocks is Sydney’s oldest residential precinct: convict tents were erected here in 1788. Traces of the early settlements are still found in The Rocks, along cobbled laneways, historic pubs and churches. The Rocks today is also a place for excellent shopping and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Note: Information on this page was sourced from the City of Sydney website.