The Sydney Opera is one of the youngest inscribed WHS. It was officially opened in 1973 and inscribed as WHS in 2007 (less than 50 years later). As a basic rule, I feel WHS should be timeless. And timelessness can be better judged with adequate temporal distance. For the Sydney Opera House, though, I feel confident that this is a timeless building. On the one hand side, I enjoy the timeless, organic architecture, combing imagery of sails and sea shells. On the other hand side, it's influence on modern urban development cannot be overstated. Wherever a city tries to reinvent itself or create a new landmark, you find a Sydney Opera, e.g. the Opera in Copenhagen (mhew) or the Elbphilharmonie in my home town Hamburg.

We visited Sydney multiple days including New Year's Eve 2020 (NYE or sdNYEy). It's hard to miss the site if you are in town and most parts are open to visitors. If our resident Aussies (Joel and Shandos) are in town, you may even get a WHS tour from a local and catch up with the community. Thanks to Joel and Shandos for being our tour guides :)

Getting There

Assuming you are in Sydney, just walk. The site is open to public and you can walk through it. The concert halls require a ticket to some show, but we managed to get a peek. You can also join a tour. The best views are had from the bridge or from a ferry in the harbor. Seeing the site sits on a peninsula, there are plenty of vantage points.

While You Are There

One site of the Australian Convict Sites is in walking distance: the Hyde Park Barracks. At my time of visit (end of 2019), they were closed due to renovations. By now, they should be open again. By ferry from the nearby pier, you can travel to Cockatoo Islands and further on to Pannamatta City where the First Governor Mansion is located. Added benefit is that you get nice views of the harbour and the river.

sdNYEy

For those interested to see the Opera House during the fireworks of NYE (New Years Eve), some practical remarks. The access to the relevant view points is tightly regulated and crowd control is in place. Some of the best spots require a prior reservation and ticket, so plan accordingly. No sites allow you to bring your own drinks. We watched from below the bridge (Pylon Lookout) for free, but came in the afternoon to make sure we would get a good spot.