5 Sydney Opera House facts

The Sydney Opera House is easily one of the world’s most beautiful arts centres.

Without a doubt, the Sydney Opera House is considered to be one of Australia’s top attractions alongside the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru.

The world-famous building sits by Sydney Harbour, with millions of people visiting each year to see for themselves this brilliant architectural work.

The Opera House was built to have a musical facility for the symphony orchestra, opera, and music groups.

1. Sydney Opera House is one of Australia’s most visited attractions.

Over 10 million people every year will visit the Sydney Opera House! The world-famous building is one to see for every traveller’s visit to Australia. During the day it’s beautiful to see by the harbour and even at night as it lights up.

Whether it’s to go to an event, to dine, or to see the iconic building, it’s a whole lot of people yearly!

2. It took 14 years to build the Opera House!

With about 10,000 construction workers who helped build the Opera House, it took them 14 years to build! It was expected to only take about four years to build the iconic structure when construction started in 1959.

Then in 1973, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Sydney Opera House, which soon became Australia’s iconic building.

3. Over 1000 events take place at the Opera House yearly.

The Opera House sits by the water and hosts many events throughout the year, being over 40 a week! Throughout the year, the Opera House will have theatre shows, concerts, workshops, comedies, and so much more you can attend. Make sure you check online what will be happening at the Opera House when you visit Sydney!

4. The Sydney Opera House is cooled and heated by using seawater!

The Opera House has 35 kilometres of piping for the seawater cooling system which helps cool and heat the building. Because of this and other efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, it is five years ahead of schedule compared to the original goal!

5. The Opera House is a UNESCO World Heritage list.

In 2007, the iconic building became part of the UNESCO World Heritage list due to its brilliant architectural and creative work from the 20th century. The design was refreshing and never seen before and continues to be one of Australia’s top attractions.

Cameron Ward

Managing Director at Sightseeing Tours Australia

Cameron Ward turned his travel passion into a thriving Australian tourism business. Before he co-founded his own business, Sightseeing Tours Australia, he was enjoying being a Melbourne tour guide. Even now, Cameron delights in helping visitors from all around the world get the most out of their incredible Australian trip. You’ll see Cameron leading tours or writing about his favourite Australian places where he shares his local insights.