Sydney, Australia’s largest city.

This month, we focus on Sydney, Australia’s largest and best-known city. Sydney is a dynamic, pulsating, multicultural centre that was established in 1788 by the British, and is now home to about 4.3 million people.

In many ways, this booming, exciting, modern city is symbolic of a country that has enjoyed more than 15 years of strong economic growth, averaging around 4% in recent years. The growth is on the back of strong agricultural exports and exploitation of a wealth of natural resources including minerals such as metal ores, gold and coal. Australia exports to more than 200 countries and has enjoyed a budget surplus since 2002, due to strong revenue growth.

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales, and is the continent’s commercial capital (the capital of Australia is the less exciting Canberra). Located on Australia’s south-east coast, Sydney is nicknamed the “Harbour City” because it is built around the beautiful Sydney Harbour, home to the famous Sydney Opera House with its wave-like roof, and the giant Sydney Bridge. Sydney boasts a climate of warm summers and mild winters, with some rainfall spread throughout the year.

The city is famous for its diverse ethnic cultures: while English is the dominant language, there are communities of Chinese, Indonesian, Greek and Russian-speaking residents, among others.

Sydney is on the expensive side to visit and live in. A widely cited survey by Mecer Consulting in 2007 listed Sydney as the 21st most expensive city in the world and the most expensive in Australia.

The five most expensive were:

1. Moscow
2. London
3. Seoul
4. Tokyo
5. Hong Kong

In comparison, no South African cities were in the 50 most expensive cities.

But expense aside, Sydney is a tourist’s paradise. While there, go on a walking history lesson through the oldest part of the city, The Rocks (famous, too, for its pubs), tour the State Opera House, which has staged some of the most famous acts and productions in the world since Queen Elizabeth II opened it in 1973 and which has become an icon of modern architecture, and take a walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Be sure to visit the picturesque Darling Harbour, one of the best places to do some shopping, or have a meal here at one of the dozens of restaurants in “Eat Street”. You can also visit one or more of the city’s 34 beaches, Bondi Beach and Manly Beach being two of the most popular.

According to research undertaken in 2004, the city of Sydney estimates that a whopping 400 000 people travel into the city daily for shopping, education, business transactions and entertainment. Sydney buzzes with excitement and hype and there’s something to do for everyone, whether young or old. Other places to see include Chinatown, theme parks, museums, shopping centres, galleries, theatres and much more.