Colonial Beginnings

The story of modern Sydney begins in the 18th century with the arrival of a British fleet carrying settlers and convicts. The town’s beginnings in 1788 were as a penal colony, and a few edifices from its early days survive in great condition, alongside the tales of the people who built them.

The UNESCO-listed Hyde Park Barracks sits opposite a green space that shares its name. It is an extraordinary living record of early colonial Australia. Convict architect Francis Greenway was officially pardoned as a reward for his services to the development of the sandstock-brick building, originally constructed to house convicts. It is now a living museum, reopened in 2020 as an immersive experience.

Next door, the Mint is Australia’s oldest surviving public building, now home to a small museum. Meanwhile, the city’s oldest neighbourhood is The Rocks, which nestles beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Dive into its history on a stroll along cobbled lanes with The Rocks Walking Tours, then visit the Rocks Discovery Museum to admire artefacts uncovered there over the centuries.

Nearby, in Darling Harbour, the Australian National Maritime Museum features a replica of Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour, while the ferry at Barangaroo can take you to the Old Government House in Parramatta – another UNESCO-listed site synonymous with the colonial era.

The Traditional Owners’ story

The Gadigal people of the Eora Nation are the Traditional Custodians of Warrane – now known as Sydney. Their stories and traditions have survived despite the hardships faced since colonisation, with this rich heritage showcased on a diverse range of Indigenous-led experiences. Each tour reveals unique ancestral knowledge passed down to guides over generations.

Picture how Sydney looked before the First Fleet sailed through Sydney Heads while ascending the Harbour Bridge with an Indigenous storyteller guide on the Burrawa Climb. Then join Aunty Margret Campbell from Dreamtime Southern X on a wander around The Rocks to uncover its untold Aboriginal stories. Or sign up for the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney’s Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour to learn about the special relationship Indigenous Australians have with the environment.

Sydney’s museums offer myriad opportunities to deepen your understanding of Indigenous Australia, particularly the freshly renovated Australian Museum, where two permanent exhibitions showcase one of the country’s most significant collections of First Nations artefacts from communities across Australia. You can also now take a Waranara tour, led by an Indigenous guide, of the objects in the First Nations Galleries on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Revolutionary Museums

Unveiled last December, the Sydney Modern has been called the most significant cultural addition to Sydney in half a century. Showcasing contemporary art from Australia and beyond, including the superb Yiribana Gallery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, this new wing of the Art Gallery of New South Wales has doubled the exhibition space of the state’s showpiece gallery, which, refreshingly, remains free to visit.

Also new to the city’s museum scene is the Chau Chak Wing Museum, which brought Sydney University’s vast collections, including Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Eastern antiquities, under one roof in 2020. In the Ultimo neighbourhood, the Powerhouse Museum is on the cusp of a big change, and it is due to close in December for a major renovation.

Just as revolutionary are the changes afoot in the Museum of Sydney, which is built on the remains of Sydney’s first Government House, just a block from Circular Quay. It is also in the midst of a transition, gradually transforming from a colonial history-focused institution into a dedicated First Nations cultural space that puts Aboriginal perspectives at the core of understanding Australia’s history.

In an Art-Deco building on Circular Quay, the Museum of Contemporary Art is similarly unique. It has an impressive permanent collection, which it will be delving into to select pieces that explore the social and physical aspects of place in an intriguing exhibition that runs until July 2023.

The performing arts are back!

Fresh from a massive renovation, the Sydney Opera House is celebrating its 50th lap around the sun with a year-long programme that is far from focused just on opera. Shows include powerful Indigenous performances such as Yuldea, the first work from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company Bangarra Dance Theatre under new artistic director Frances Rings. Another to look forward to is The Visitors, a play produced in association with the lauded Sydney Theatre Company, which offers a riveting insight into one of the most impactful days in Australia’s history. Those dropping by can also experience the iconic waterfront venue on a range of backstage tours and experiences, and at quayside restaurants including fine-diner Bennelong, helmed by celebrated chef Peter Gilmore.

Planning is already underway to create Sydney’s own West End, a dedicated theatre district centred on George Street and Haymarket, which is already home to a trio of historic theatres. All three have roared back to life in 2023, powered by some showstoppers. Musicals such as Beauty and the Beast and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat are headlining at the Capitol Theatre, while crowdpleasers The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Tina kick off the season at the Theatre Royal.

The more intimate State Theatre, meanwhile, will host a range of smaller gigs, with the likes of laid-back guitar-plucker Ben Harper and Australia’s stand-up comedy queen Julia Morris taking the stage and the spotlight.

Over in Walsh Bay, the Sydney Theatre Company is in the midst of its first full season since the pandemic ground everything to a halt, with hot tickets including Julia, which will see acclaimed Australian actor Justine Clarke bring the story behind former Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s ‘misogyny speech’ to life.

Rainbow City

Sydney is widely known as one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world. Its annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras draws hundreds of thousands to what is one of the biggest celebrations of its kind. This year was even more special than most for the local LGBTQIA+ community, as it welcomed the arrival of the WorldPride festival in February.

There are plenty of places to connect with Sydney’s LGBTQIA+ community throughout the year, from the bars and clubs of Oxford Street to the iconic Drag N Dine shows hosted by the Imperial Hotel in inner-west Erskineville, where fabulousness comes as standard. Join a round of Gender Bender Bingo at the Potts Point Hotel, or hit the dance floor at a Poof Doof, which is held every Saturday night at The Ivy.