Did you know?
- It takes around 10 years to completely paint the Sydney Harbour Bridge. By the time painters finish the job it's time to start all over again.
- Australia's most famous colonial architect was Francis Greenway. He arrived in the colony as a convict sentenced to 14 years for forgery. The great Australian irony? He was depicted on Australia's first 10 dollar note.
- In 1789 Governor Arthur Phillip set up the first Australian police force - it was a nightwatch made up of 8 of the best behaved convicts.
- One of the first governors of New South Wales was William Bligh - the man who faced mutiny onboard his ship The Bounty. Bligh faced another mutiny in his time as governor of NSW during the rum rebellion when the military (known as the rum corps) ordered his arrest.
- In terms of actual area, Sydney is roughly the same size as London, more than twice the size of New York, nearly 10 times the size of Amsterdam and around 15 times the size of Paris.
- The Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney's Domain includes the world's largest space devoted to the permanent exhibition of indigenous art.
- In 1989, some interesting artefacts were uncovered in the historic Rocks district (an area that was home to Australia's early convicts). These included an Egyptian figurine dating to about 400BC and a Roman coin dating to 123BC.
- The full length of Sydney Harbour's shoreline stretches an amazing 240 km, and it comprises the most prime real estate in the country.
- Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth - the driest of all continents is Antarctica, parts of which have not received rainfall in the past 2,000 years.
- Around 85% of Australia's population lives on or near the coast.
- Nearly one-quarter of Sydney residents speak a language other than English at home.
- In the whole of 1932, Australia had a total of 23,000 vistors; today this number can be accommodated in central Sydney on any given night.
Most of our team have grown up in Sydney; those who didn't moved here because of the amazing lifestyle this city offers. If you are into the outdoor life then this is one of the best places in the world to live. Sydney has stunning beaches, national parks, mountains with awesome bushwalks 90 minutes away and of course, the amazing harbour. With the temperate maritime climate we enjoy here, every day on the harbour you will find people sailing, kayaking, swimming, fishing and even scuba diving.
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Wherever we go in the world, we take a responsible attitude with us. That means travelling in a way which both respects and benefits local people, their culture and the environment. Please read on for more information on our Responsible Travel policy and how you can be a responsible traveller for your entire journey.
