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I am not 100% sure how I have lived in Sydney for eight months and not posted on the Sydney Opera House… wtf mates?  This past weekend we had a friend visit from Hong Kong.  We spent the week catching up on our favorite things to do down under – making time for our favorite restaurants, bars, scenic spots, and of course all the amazing historical landmarks.  Top priority on the list was the Sydney Opera House.

A few times a week I run to the Circular Quay to see this spectacular piece of architecture – there is just something about it that mesmerizes me.  Not sure whether its the intricate detailing of golden beams separating the white panels, it’s seemingly impossible shape, the 70’s decor you can see when you peek in or it’s magnificent view of the Harbour Bridge (sighh).   Rain or shine the opera house is something special to see.  Read the attached story below because this beauty has a crazy history and was SOOOOOOOO ridiculously expensive to build…

this blurry photo was take on Australia Day – so I guess that means it has special sentimental value…

view from boat on monday

you can kind of see the gold fan-like beams breaking apart the white paneling

when I peeked into the glass walls around the house I was pleasantly surprised to find a very 70’s interior design motif

Contrary to its name, the building houses six venues. The two largest venues, the Opera Theatre and Concert Hall, are housed in the two larger sets of shells. Three smaller theatres, the Drama Theatre, Playhouse and Studio are situated on the western side of the building, and the Utzon Room on the eastern side.

source: Wikipedia – Sydney Opera House

here you can really see that there are actually two large shells to house events – something you can’t usually tell from most images of the Sydney Opera House

The Harbour Bridge view from the house is the best

view from Ben’s old apartment

view from airplane…

this Numero cover reminds me so much of the Sydney Opera House – I think it is the cascading fan…  This landmark seems to be inspiration for many creatives – even fashion

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House must be one of the most recognisable images of the modern world – up there with the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building – and one of the most photographed.

Not only is it recognisable, it has come to represent ‘Australia’.

Although only having been open since 1973, it is as representative of Australia as the pyramids are of Egypt and the Colosseum of Rome.

The Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point, which reaches out into the harbour. The skyline of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the blue water of the harbour and the Sydney Opera House, viewed from a ferry or from the air, is dramatic and unforgettable.

Ironic, perhaps, that this Australian icon – the Opera House with a roof evocative of a ship at full sail – was designed by renowned Danish architect – Jorn Utzon (1918–2008).

In the late 1950s the New South Wales (NSW) Government established an appeal fund to finance the construction of the Sydney Opera House, and conducted a competition for its design.

Utzon’s design was chosen. The irony was that his design was, arguably, beyond the capabilities of engineering of the time. Utzon spent a couple of years reworking the design and it was 1961 before he had solved the problem of how to build the distinguishing feature – the ’sails’ of the roof.

The venture experienced cost blow-outs and there were occasions when the NSW Government was tempted to call a halt. In 1966 the situation – with arguments about cost and the interior design, and the Government withholding progress payments – reached crisis point and Jorn Utzon resigned from the project. The building was eventually completed by others in 1973. After more than 30 years, the Sydney Opera House has its first interior designed by Utzon. The Utzon Room, a transformed reception hall that brings to life Jorn Utzon’s original vision for his masterpiece, was officially opened on September 16 2004.

The Sydney Opera House was included in the National Heritage List in 2005, and inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2007.

Sydney Opera House facts and figures

The Sydney Opera house:

• Was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon
• Was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973
• Presented, as its first performance, The Australian Opera’s production of War and Peace by Prokofiev
• Cost $AU 102,000,000 to build
• Conducts 3000 events each year
• Provides guided tours to 200,000 people each year
• Has an annual audience of 2 million for its performances
• Includes 1000 rooms
• Is 185 metres long and 120 metres wide
• Has 2194 pre-cast concrete sections as its roof
• Has roof sections weighing up to 15 tons
• Has roof sections held together by 350 km of tensioned steel cable
• Has over 1 million tiles on the roof
• Uses 6225 square metres of glass and 645 kilometres of electric cable

source: culture.gov.au