Sydney Opera House Place guide

The Sydney Opera House at Sydney Harbour commands attention with its majestic white sails looming over the harbor waters from where it sits on Bennelong Point. In 1955, New South Wales state premier Joe Cahill announced an international design competition for an opera house, what would come to be Australia’s most famous structure.

Danish Architect Jørn Utzon submitted one among 233 entries, and his imaginative proposal of graceful white arches more akin to a sculpture than a typical building, won the top prize. It took fourteen challenging years, including the resignation of Architect Utzon, and almost fifteen times the initial budget to produce the masterpiece that changed the image of not only Sydney but Australia itself.

The opera house hosts over forty shows a week, with performances ranging from classical music and contemporary bands, to dance, opera, theatre–even stand up comedy and lectures. Six venues, from the vast Concert Hall down to the more intimate Utzon Room, provide the space for memorable moments and the expressive energy of artists and performers.

If you have the time, take a one-hour Sydney Opera House Tour to explore the remarkable structure and get to know the performances housed there, or have a Taste Of The Opera House and go on a four-hour tasting tour of the opera house’s food and beverage venues. Wait until sunset or 7 PM and watch Badu Gili for free from outside – with striking storytelling visuals projected onto the sails – about Australia’s First Nations culture and the original owners of Bennelong Point, the Gadigal Aboriginal people.