Manly
"Seven miles from Sydney and 1,000 miles from care" was the slogan used by the Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company in 1940 to describe Australia's Premier Seaside Resort. Ferries have been plying this spectacular route between Sydney's Circular Quay and Manly since 1855. The 7 nautical miles via the magnificent waterway of Sydney Harbor is the original and still best way to travel, arriving at Manly Wharf - a brand new food and wine oasis at Manly Cove.

Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House, situated on Sydney Harbor at Bennelong Point, is considered by many to be one of the wonders of the modern world. Designed by Jørn Utzon and constructed under some controversy, it was opened in October 1973. The Opera House is the home, amongst others to the: The Australian Ballet, Australian Chamber Orchestra, The Bell Shakespeare Company, Opera Australia, Sydney Dance Company, Sydney Symphony and Sydney Theatre Company.

Prior to the Sydney Opera House, Sydney had no adequate dedicated music venue. Orchestral concerts were given in its Town Hall, and staging opera was almost impossible due to the lack of suitable stages. The appointment of Sir Eugene Goosens in 1947 brought into Sydney's musical life a focal point for the need to create a better venue for the performing arts. Goosens told reporters that his plans included the creation of a concert hall suitable for opera as well as orchestral performances. However, apart from occasional public announcements and exhortation from Goosens, nothing happened for seven more years.

Finally, late in 1954, the State Government of New South Wales, finding itself increasingly embarrassed by its own inaction, became involved in a moderately supportive manner. The Premier of the day, Joseph Cahill, set up the committee which got the project under way. He also set up an appeal fund to raise money for the building. When it became obvious that the fund would not even raise the $7 million the Opera House was first estimated to cost, Mr Cahill introduced the Opera House Lotteries. The original appeal fund raised about $900,000 and the rest of the $102 million that the Opera House ended up costing came from the profits of the lottery. The building was completely paid for by July 1975.

The committee set up by the Government selected the site for the building. Known as Bennelong Point, it was named after the first Aborigine to speak English, who was born on the site. Until this time, it was used as wharfing area and had a rather unsightly tram storage barn prominently occupying much of the site. An international competition was organized for the design of a performing arts complex, and although this was well known, the misnomer "Opera House" caught on.

Design entrants were free to choose any approach that they wished, and that there were no limits to the cost of the structure. 233 design entries were submitted. The winner , announced in January 1957, was the Danish architect Jorn Utzon. It was originally envisaged that it would take four years to build the Opera House; in actual fact, it wasn't completed until mid 1973. Construction of the building commenced in March 1959. The original design called for two theatres, but at this point the government changed the requirements for the building now required that four theatres be incorporated into the design—a large hall for opera, ballet, and large scale symphony concerts capable of seating 3,000-3,500 people, and a smaller hall for drama, chamber music and recitals, capable of seating approx 1,200 people. Recently, some internal changes to the structure have enabled a fifth theatre to be created.

The original design was so boldly conceived that it proved structurally impossible to build. After four years of research Utzon altered his design and gave the roof vaults a defined spherical geometry. This enabled the roofs to be constructed in a pre-cast fashion, greatly reducing both time and cost. The project was subject to many delays and cost over-runs, and (probably unfairly) Utzon was often blamed for these. A new government was elected in NSW in 1965, partly on the campaign promise to "do something" about the cost overruns with the design. The government withheld fee payments to Utzon and refused to agree to his design ideas and proposed construction methods. This pretty much forced Utzon to resign, which he did in February 1966 as Stage II was nearing completion.

The first performance was in the Opera Theatre on 28 September 1973, was The Australian Opera performed War and Peace by Prokofiev. The Sydney Opera House was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 20 Oct 1973.

The roofs are covered with exactly 1,056,056 Swedish ceramic tiles arranged in 4,253 pre-cast lids. The exterior and interior walls, stairs and floors are faced with pink aggregate granite which was quarried at Tarana in New South Wales. The two woods used extensively to decorate the interiors are brush box and white birch plywood which were both cut in northern NSW. There are 6,225 sq m (67,000 sq ft) of glass, made in France, in the mouths of the roofs and other areas of the building. It is in two layers - one plain and the other demi-topaz tinted. About 2,000 panes in 700 sizes were installed.