Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

136
CHAPTER 3 . SYDNEY
The history of the building is as intriguing as the design. The New South
Wales Government raised the money needed to build it with a lottery. Danish
Architect Jørn Utzon won an international competition to design it. From the
start, the project was controversial, with many Sydneysiders believing it was a
monstrosity. Following a disagreement, Utzon returned home, without ever seeing
his finished project, and the interior fell victim to a compromise design,
which, among other things, left too little space to perform full-scale operas. And
the cost? Initially the project was budgeted at a cool A$7 million (US$5.44 million),
but by the time it was finished in 1973 it had cost a staggering A$102 million
(US$66.3 million), most raised through a series of lotteries. Since then,
continual refurbishment and the major task of replacing the asbestos-infected
grouting between the hundreds of thousands of white tiles that make up its shell
has cost many millions more.
Tours & Tickets: Guided tours of the Opera House last about an hour and are
conducted daily from 9am to 4pm, except Good Friday and Christmas. Though
guides try to take groups into the main theaters and around the foyers, if you don’t
get to see everything you want it’s because the Opera House is not a museum but
a workplace, and there’s almost always some performance, practice, or setting up
to be done. Reservations are essential. Tours include approximately 200 stairs.
(Tours for people with disabilities can be arranged.) Specialized tours, focusing on
the building’s architecture and engineering, for example, can also be arranged.
The Tourism Services Department at the Sydney Opera House can book
combination packages, including dinner and a show; a tour, dinner, and a
show; or a champagne interval performance. Prices vary depending on shows
and dining venues. Visitors from overseas can buy tickets by credit card and then
pick them up at the box office on arrival, or contact a local tour company specializing
in Australia—a good idea, as performances are very popular. The views
from the back rows are hardly worth the effort and expense if you turn up on
the day of performance. Tickets for performances vary from as little as A$12
(US$7.80) for children’s shows to A$180 (US$117) for good seats at the opera.
Plays cost between A$40 and A$60 (US$26–US$39) on average.
Free performances are given outside on the Opera House boardwalks on
Sunday afternoons and during festival times. The shows range from musicians
and performance artists to school groups.
Bennelong Point. & 02/9250 7250 for guided tours and inquiries. www.soh.nsw.gov.au. For box office
bookings, call & 02/9250 7777; fax 02/9251 3943; bookings@soh.nsw.gov.au. Box office open Mon–Sat
9am–8:30pm; Sun 2 hr. before performance. Tours A$15 (US$9.75) adults, A$11 (US$7.15) children (family
prices available on application); backstage tours A$25 (US$16) (no children’s price). Tours run Mon–Sun
8:30am–5pm (around every 45 min.) subject to theater availability. (Tour sizes are limited, so be prepared to
wait.) CityRail, bus, or ferry: Circular Quay. Sydney Explorer bus. Parking: daytime A$7 (US$4.50) per hour;
evening A$23 (US$15) flat rate.
ATTRACTIONS AT DARLING HARBOUR
Many tourists head to Darling Harbour for the Harbourside Festival Marketplace,
a huge structure beside the Pyrmont pedestrian and monorail bridge that’s
crammed full of cheap eateries and a few interesting shops. However, Sydney’s
tourist precinct has a lot more to offer.
Australian National Maritime Museum Kids Modern Australia owes
almost everything to the sea, so it’s not surprising there’s a museum dedicated to the
ships, from Aboriginal vessels to submarines. You’ll find ships’ logs, things to pull
and tug at, and the fastest boat in the world, the Spirit of Australia. Docked in the