Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is the performing arts centre on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, designed by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon and opened in 1973. Anyone can walk the forecourt and promenade for free; a one-hour guided tour or a show ticket takes you inside, and Circular Quay is a seven-minute walk away.

The Opera House stands on Bennelong Point, a small peninsula at the eastern side of Circular Quay. The New South Wales government launched an international design competition in September 1955, and on 29 January 1957 the jury announced the winner from 233 entries: the Danish architect Jørn Utzon.

Construction began in March 1959, before the roof design was solved. Utzon and the engineers Ove Arup and Partners spent years on the shells until the team found the answer in mid-1961: every shell would be cut from the surface of one imaginary sphere, so that the curved segments could be mass-produced. Disputes over cost and design led Utzon to resign in 1966 and leave Australia, never to return. A team led by Peter Hall finished the interiors, and Queen Elizabeth II opened the building on 20 October 1973. Utzon won the Pritzker Prize in 2003 and UNESCO listed the building in 2007.

The roof is made of 2,194 precast concrete sections. It is covered by 1,056,006 tiles in two shades, glossy white and matte cream, made by the Swedish company Höganäs. The highest shell rises about 67 metres above sea level. Pink granite quarried at Tarana in New South Wales faces the podium.

Inside are several venues. The Concert Hall, the largest, seats 2,679 and holds the Grand Organ with more than 10,000 pipes. The Joan Sutherland Theatre is the Sydney home of Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet. The Drama Theatre, Playhouse and Studio host smaller shows, and the Utzon Room, opened in 2004, was the first interior rebuilt to Utzon's own design.

The forecourt, steps and outside promenade are open free at any hour, while the interior is seen on a paid guided tour or with a show ticket, both sold on the official website. Tours run through the day, but rehearsals can close certain theatres. The harbour walk from Circular Quay and the Royal Botanic Garden give the best views, especially in late afternoon. Allow about an hour for a standard tour.

Trains, ferries, buses and the L2 and L3 light rail lines all stop at Circular Quay. Driving into the city centre is slow, and the closest parking is the Opera House car park on Macquarie Street, which also has accessible bays. Lifts and accessible routes reach most venues, and a dedicated accessible tour is offered. Standard tours do not run from 25 to 31 December. During Vivid Sydney in May and June the sails carry light projections, and on New Year's Eve the forecourt faces the harbour fireworks.

The standard Sydney Opera House Tour lasts about an hour and covers up to 2.5 km on foot, with around 300 stairs and no lift, so it is not suitable for wheelchairs or walkers; the separate accessible tour serves those visitors. It runs daily in English, with guided versions in French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Spanish. Adult tickets cost A$50 booked ahead or A$55 on the day, children aged 5 to 15 pay A$30 ahead, and under-5s go free. Photos are allowed but video filming is not, and guests more than five minutes late lose their place.