In 1955 an international competition was launched to design an iconic performance space in the heart of Sydney looking out over the gorgeous Sydney harbour. The criteria specified a large hall seating 3,000 and a small hall for 1,200 people, each to be designed for different uses, including full-scale operas, orchestral and choral concerts, mass meetings, lectures, ballet performances and other presentations. A total of 233 entries were submitted and the winning design was from Danish architect Jørn Utzon.
There were problems from start to finish, the design simply wasn't possible and the costs soared, eventually leading to Utzon's resignation in 1966 before the building was completed, he returned to Denmark and never returned. The building was finally completed and opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1973, at a total cost of over $100 million dollars.
I won't go into too much more detail but the building is absolutely incredible and I would encourage anyone in or near Sydney to have a tour (and hear the full story about the design and building!)..
Did you know the opera house is covered in thousands of interlocking tiles? They're self cleaning thanks to the grooves between them, when it rains the water trickles down and theres drainage built in to the floor.
Sadly we weren't allowed to take photos inside the concert halls, due to them being set up for performances that evening, but they were just as architecturally beautiful as the rest of the building.
Hand up who loves Sydney!
And sadly that concluded our little trip to Sydney, from there it was a relaxed day before heading on the flight back to Perth!
We had a total blast, and are so glad we booked our mini trip to Sydney, but we definitely felt like we were home back in Perth- I just love how laid back and spacious our city is in comparison!
Have you been to Sydney before or is it on your bucket list?
xo