La grande Dame, Sydney is home to Opera Australia, the Australian Ballet, The Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Dance Company, as well as domestic and international record companies and the nation’s biggest visual art show, the Archibald Prize. The local theatre and orchestral scene has never been busier, while galleries and museums have a packed calendar of events.

Things to do:
The gallery and museum circuit. Walk around Circular Quay from the Museum of Contemporary Art through the Royal Botanic Gardens to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, then through the Domain and Hyde Park to the Australian Museum. (You can also, cover Customs House, the Museum of Sydney, the Justice and Police Museum and Hyde Park Barracks on the same walk, but maybe another day.)

Wander from the Australian National Maritime Museum (www.anmm.gov.au) in Darling Harbour (www.darlingharbour.com) through Chinatown (www.chinatown.com.au/eng/) to the Powerhouse Museum. (www.powerhousemuseum.com)

Lose yourself at the Rocks to discover the many art galleries, cafés, restaurants and pubs. www.therocks.com

Stroll through the art dealerships and cutting-edge galleries of Paddington and Surry Hills.

Paddington has over 45 Art Galleries in around the streets and laneways. Add to that the many galleries, antique and book dealers in Woollahra, its neigbouring suburb, and you have one of the most densely populated areas in Sydney for art and antique shopping.

The main street for Art Galleries in Paddington is Glenmore Road followed by Elizabeth Street, Walker Lane, Albion Avenue, Goodhope Street, and Oxford Street, while in Woollahra the main streets for Antiques and Art are Queen Street, followed by Moncur and Jersey Streets. However, just by wondering around you will inevitably come across another gallery or antique store in a street close by.

Don’t miss
* Swoon at a full-scale production – ballet, opera, drama - at the Sydney Opera House. www.sydneyoperahouse.com

* Check out the edgier fare staged at The Studio, or book yourself in for a backstage tour of Opera Australia’s Surry Hills HQ. www.opera-australia.org.au

* Cutting-edge drama at The Sydney Theatre in Walsh Bay or Belvoir Theatre in Surry Hills. www.sydneytheatre.com.au

* Famous shows at the Lyric Theatre in the Star City Casino at Darling Harbour
www.starcity.com.au

Events
* Sculpture by the Sea, a free exhibition in October along the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk.
www.sculpturebythesea.com

* The Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales each March. www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au

* The Sydney Festival every January, the Sydney Writers’ Festival (May) and Film Festival (June).
www.sydneyfestival.org.au
www.swf.org.au
www.sydneyfilmfestival.org