Sydney

Sydney is the capital of New South Wales, on the shores of Port Jackson on the southeast coast of Australia. The Sydney Opera House, with its white sail-like roof shells designed by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Gadigal people of the Eora nation lived around the harbor for thousands of years before the British came. Arthur Phillip landed the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788, founded the first British colony in Australia there and named it after Lord Sydney, the home secretary. Gold rushes in the 1850s brought new settlers and wealth, and Sydney became the capital of a state when the Australian colonies federated in 1901. The Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in the 1930s, linking the city center with the north shore, and the city held the Summer Olympic Games at the turn of the 21st century.

Atlassian, the maker of the Jira and Confluence software, has its headquarters in the city, and so does Canva, whose online design tool is used around the world. Arnott's bakes biscuits such as Tim Tam and Shapes and is based in the inner west. Port Botany, on the bay south of the city, handles the container ships of New South Wales.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel arch nicknamed the Coathanger, and walkers can climb over its top. Bondi Beach, east of the center, is known for its surf, its lifesavers and the coastal walk to Coogee. The Royal Botanic Garden, opened in the early 19th century, curves around Farm Cove beside the Opera House. Taronga Zoo looks across the harbor toward the city and keeps koalas, platypuses and other Australian animals.