R&H Suburb Profile SYDNEY

Sydney is Australia's largest city and the state capital of NSW. It has a population of about 4.34 million and an area of about 12,000sq km. It is one of the most multicultural cities in the world.

According to the Mercer Cost of Living survey, Sydney is Australia’s most expensive city and the 66th most expensive in the world. However, it also ranks among the top 10 most liveable cities in the world, according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting and The Economist magazine.

Sydney's CBD extends southwards for about 3km from Sydney Cove to the area around Central station. The CBD is bounded on the east by parkland, and the west by Darling Harbour.

The extensive area covered by urban Sydney is formally divided into 642 suburbs and administered as 40 local government areas. There is no metropolitan-wide government, but the NSW Government and its agencies have extensive responsibilities in providing metropolitan services. The City of Sydney local government area covers a fairly small area comprising the CBD and its neighbouring inner-city suburbs.

Shopping locations in the CBD include the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) and the Pitt Street Mall. The city is internationally renowned for its shopping and dining options.

Sydney hosts many different festivals and some of Australia's largest social and cultural events including the Sydney Festival, Biennale of Sydney, Big Day Out, Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Sydney Film Festival and smaller film festivals such as Tropfest and Flickerfest.

Sydney has a wide variety of cultural institutions. Sydney's Opera House is the home of Opera Australia - the third-busiest opera company in the world - and the Sydney Symphony. Other venues include the Town Hall, City Recital Hall, State Theatre, Theatre Royal and Sydney Theatre.

Prominent educational institutions include The University of Sydney, the University of Technology, Macquarie University, the University of New South Wales, the University of Western Sydney and the Australian Catholic University. Other universities with Sydney campuses include the University of Notre Dame Australia and the University of Wollongong.

There are four multi-campus government-funded TAFE institutes in Sydney - the Sydney Institute of Technology, Northern Sydney, Western Sydney and South Western Sydney.

Sydney has public, denominational and independent schools. There are four state-administered education areas in Sydney and together they co-ordinate 919 schools. Of the 30 selective high schools in NSW, 25 are in Sydney.

The NSW Government operates the public hospitals in the Sydney metropolitan region. Management of these hospitals is coordinated by four Area Health Services: Sydney South West (SSWAHS), Sydney West (SWAHS), Northern Sydney and Central Coast (NSCCAHS) and the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra (SESIAHS) Area Health Services. There are several private hospitals, many of which are aligned with religious organisations.

Many Sydney residents travel by car. Sydney is also served by extensive train (CityRail), taxi, bus and ferry networks. The city has one privately operated light rail line (Metro Light Rail) running from Central Station to Lilyfield. The Metro Monorail runs in a loop around the main shopping district and Darling Harbour. Most parts of the metropolitan area are served by buses. Sydney Ferries runs numerous commuter and tourist ferry services on Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River. Train and bus services connect with Sydney Airport.