Sydney Opera House

  Work in progress: needs a good edit and update, and I am busy.

Sydney's Opera House is, to say the least, unusual. It is certainly one of the items which most overseas people know about, even if they know little of the saga behind it. It is built on a magnificent harbour promontory, and is worth visiting, just for the views of the harbour.

Winter or summer, there is always something happening on the harbour, most of it quite close to where you are. The wind can be bitterly cold sometimes, but there is always somewhere, out of the wind, where you can stand and look. On sunny days, of course, it can be quite hot, but there is shade to be had, as well, just by walking on the lower concourse.

How to get there

Any train, ferry or bus that takes you to Circular Quay will bring you close to the Opera House. If you can't see the Opera House, walk along the water's edge, under the covered walkway, with the water on your left. You'll see the Opera House soon enough!

If you don't wish to walk, the Sydney Explorer can drop you there, but walking is really the best way, even on a wet day, as there is now a covered route along the full distance.

One of the nicest ways to walk there, but a slow one, is to walk from the Sydney Harbour Bridge around the shores of Sydney Cove to the Opera House, a distance of about two kilometres, a bit over a mile.
Or you can try coming from the other side, through the Royal Botanic Gardens, down to the shores of Farm Cove, and so round to the Opera House. About the only way that you can't approach the Opera House is by swimming. Well, maybe you could, but watch out for ferries if you try it!

If you are going there at night, there is an expensive parking station at the Opera House. It is probably cheaper to park further away, and get a taxi, but the return is more difficult, as most other people are also looking for taxis. So stroll up to Circular Quay, have a drink, and let the crowd disperse first: it will still be cheaper!

At night, the main venues are nearly always used for performances, so you won't be able to get in, but during the day, there are tours at regular intervals, with bookings on the lower concourse.

If you arrive late for a performance, don't expect to be let into the theatre. Stay outside as a penance for your tardiness, but find one of the television monitors that will allow you to share some part of what is going on inside.

If you are just a little bit late, the front-of-house staff will do their best to get you in, but once the performance starts, that's it. So don't be late. 

Charges

The charges for performances in the Opera House will depend what is on, and where you want to sit: there are very cheap seats to be had in the Opera Theatre which have very poor views, or even no view at all: fine if you have limited vision, but not much use otherwise.

The loges should be avoided for anything where you want to see the performance as well as hear. Some seats, at the front of each loge section, have good views of much of the stage, but others have limited views of half of the stage or less. Ask to see the seating plan, and only take loge seats in the front of a section, and as close to the centre of the hall as possible.

If your aim is simply to "see something at the Opera House", try the HALFTIX bureau in Martin Place, described on page 000, where you can pick up cheap tickets.

Historical background

The area of the Opera House was originally known to the early settlers as Bennelong Point, after an aboriginal inhabitant of the early days. Then a small redoubt was built there to protect ships in Sydney Cove, and the area came to be called Fort Macquarie.

In more recent times, the point was covered with tram sheds, and older Sydneysiders can well recall trams running to Fort Macquarie, but sadly we lost our trams in the late 1950s.

In 1957, Joern Utzon, a Danish architect, came up with the design which we now see in modified form. His conception won an international competition, and state-run lotteries won the money to get started.

Utzon had to change many minor details: the shape of the sails, for example, was fine as an idea, but in practice, it was quite unsound. Still, within a few years, work was under way, and then it dragged on and on. In 1966, Utzon resigned in disgust, and the forces of darkness were able to take over.

What to do there

As I have already mentioned, take in the view, preferably by day and by night. Even if there are performances on in the theatres, you are still free to wander the foyers, or have a quiet coffee or drink.

During performances, you can generally see and hear what is going on, thanks to the closed circuit television, set up for late-comers. There are guided tours to be had in the day-time (9am to 4 pm), and behind-the-scenes tours on some Sundays: the booking point is on the lower concourse as you walk around from Circular Quay.

If you are exploring on your own, make sure that you get to the upstairs harbour-side foyers at night. The doors to the outside balconies are heavy but worth pushing through, even in cold and windy weather.

You can eat, too. If you wish, you can eat expensively and sumptuously in the Bennelong Restaurant: his name lives on there as well as in the restored name of Bennelong Point. Or you can eat quite cheaply at the Harbour Restaurant at the front of the Opera House.

Be warned, though: in the Bennelong Restaurant, seagulls won't steal your unguarded food, but they will do so at the Harbourside Restaurant. The tables are fitted with umbrellas in sunny weather, and this is a pleasant place to eat on a good day, but watch out for the gulls!

There is an under-cover eatery on the lower concourse, the Forecourt Restaurant, open from 9 am to midnight, that should be suitable on rainy days, but which has no views.

The Bennelong Restaurant is also open after performances for a late dinner.

 

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