Sydney Opera House was made a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. It is one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world.

Sydney Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It sits at the northeastern tip of the Sydney central business district (the CBD), surrounded on three sides by the harbour (Sydney Cove and Farm Cove) and neighboured by the Royal Botanic Gardens.

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. The award winning Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant occupies the smaller set of shells. A seventh performance space, The Forecourt, is regularly used for free community events and large scale outdoor performances.

As one of the busiest performing arts centres in the world, providing over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people, Sydney Opera House promotes and supports many performing arts companies including the four key resident companies Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Symphony. Sydney Opera House also presents more than 700 of its own performances annually that offer an eclectic mix of artistic and cultural activities for all ages from the educational to the experimental. It is also one of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia, with more than 7 million people visiting the site each year.

Visitors are allowed to go into the foyer of the Sydney Opera House and sometimes around the front. Tours of the Sydney Opera house are also available in a variety of languages.

The Opera Bar (located under the concourse) is a great place for a drink in the evening as you watch the sunset over the Harbour bridge.

Contining around Bennelong Point you will pass the ‘Toaster', a local name for the series of buildings put up on the east side of Cirqular Quay. Just after the Ferry terminal you will come the the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) and the overseas ferry passenger terminal; which also affords great views of the house.

For the especially keen, or those too broke to do the Bridge Climb, a fun and inexpensive activity for adamant walkers is to take the footpath across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Kirribilli, where you can get an often missed perspective of the Sydney skyline. Trains run regularly back to the city from Milson's Point where you can change for King's Cross.

All this being said, there is no other way to truly experience the Sydney Opera House other than to see a live performance.

The "Green/White Card" course is the essential ingredient to working on building sites or within the construction industry in Australia. This course covers health and safety in the workplace and entitles you to many more jobs which are restricted unless you have this card.

Regardless if you are a fully qualified tradey or have done similar jobs in this area previously, you will still need to provide this qualification in order to gain access to the building site. Click here to book this course.

Course details

Days: Mon - Sat

Duration: 6 hours

Where: Sydney city

Cost: $100 ($10 deposit paid at time of booking, remaining balance to pay on course date)

The RCG course is an essential licence for working in environments where gambling machines or acts of gambling are carried out. This may include bars, cafe's, restaurants and casino's. As well as the RSA (responsible service of alcohol) certificate you will also need the RCG if you are to work in such a place where you will serve alcohol and where acts of gambling are played.

This short course covers the performance criteria from the nationally accredited unit of competency SITHGAM006A Provide Responsible Service of Gambling. The unit of competency is from the Tourism and Hospitality Training Package SIT07. Click here to book this course.

Days: Every Wednesday

Duration: 6 hours

Cost: $70 ($15 deposit paid at time of booking and remaining to be paid on course date)

Where: Sydney city

Start your tour at the northern end of Bondi Beach; to get here take bus 380 or 389 from Circular Quay. From Campbell Parade, wander down Ramsgate Avenue to the (1) PANORAMIC LOOKOUT at the end of the street. Survey Australia's most famous beach and the craggy cliffs jutting south to Coogee.

From the lookout the track heads down along the rocks onto (2) BONDI BEACH, but if the sea is rough, backtrack along Ramsgate Avenue instead. There are strong currents and rips at Bondi that aren't always obvious. If you feel like a swim, stay between the red and yellow flags where the professional lifeguards can keep an eye on you.

After you've dried off, visit the (3) BONDI PAVILION. Built in 1928 in the Mediterranean style, the pavilion serves as a cultural center, hosting concerts, performances, exhibitions, and movie screenings. There's a crop of good restaurants here too.

If you're in Bondi on a Sunday, the (4) BONDI MARKETS (corner of Campbell Parade and Warners Avenue; ) will be underway at the Bondi Beach Public School. Browse the trestles for vintage clothing, secondhand books, jewelry, and retro records.

Bondi's main commercial strip is (5) CAMPBELL PARADE, which mimics the arc of the beach. Here you'll find surf shops, hole-in-the-wall juice bars, sushi stalls, and quality restaurants. Bondi locals are a strange mix of laid-back and highly fashionable: everyone from backpackers to surfers, models, and suit-wearing business people.

At the southern end of Campbell Parade, veer left onto Notts Avenue and the classy (6) BONDI ICEBERGS restaurant. At the end of the street the clifftop trail begins. Cut into the sandstone, the pathway is popular with joggers, dog walkers, and hand-holding couples.

Heading south, the first beach you'll come to is (7) TAMARAMA BEACH, also know as "Glamarama" for the beautiful crowds it attracts. Next up is (8) BRONTE BEACH, which has a string of low-key eateries and a family atmosphere. At the southern end of the beach are the (9) BRONTE SEA BATHS (Bronte Road), where you can swim without having to contend with waves or surfers.

Continuing south, the track winds past the (10) WAVERLEY CEMETERY. The residents here have some of the best views in Sydney.

The trail then winds through Burrows Park onto (11) CLOVELLY BEACH, a great spot for swimming and snorkelling.

Follow the path along Cliffbrook Parade to (12) GORDONS BAY, continuing through Dunningham Park to finish up at impressive (13) COOGEE BEACH (Arden Street). From Coogee, bus 372, 373, or 374 will take you back to the city.

If you are planning to come to Sydney between June and November then you are more than likely to come across one of the many humpback whales which visit our shore lines. These spectacular giants of the ocean often play around near Sydney Harbour and can often be viewed from many of the look outs on the Bondi to Coogee walk. A real pleasure to see!!

Start your journey west of Darling Harbour in Ultimo at the hugely popular (1) POWERHOUSE MUSEUM. This interactive science museum is housed inside the old power station of Sydney's defunct tram system.

From the Powerhouse Museum, walk one block north along Harris Street then turn right onto Pyrmont Bridge Road-this will take you down Murray Street to the (2) AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM on the western shore of Darling Harbour. Exhibits here celebrate Australia's ties with the sea, from Aboriginal canoes to tall ships and submarines.

Just south of the museum, cross Darling Harbour on the elaborate (3) PYRMONT BRIDGE, which opened to traffic in 1902 as the world's first fully electric swing bridge.

Climb down the stairs on the far side of the bridge and visit two of Sydney's big-ticket attractions: the (4) SYDNEY AQUARIUM and the new (5) SYDNEY WILDLIFEWORLD. In the Aquarium you can walk through underwater glass tunnels and get tantalizingly close to Australia's underwater species. At the end of the pier, WildlifeWorld takes a broader approach, recreating nine different Australian habitats-koalas, snakes, butterflies, and birds seem right at home.

Feeling hungry? Continue north to the ritzy (6) KING STREET WHARF dining and entertainment precinct or follow the crowds south for more of the same at (7) COCKLE BAY WHARF. Take your pick from the excellent seafood restaurants, casual bars, and busy cafés in both complexes.

Once you've refueled, walk south under the freeway flyovers, past the IMAX cinema, through Tumbalong Pa rk, and retreat into the (8) CHINESE GARDEN OF FRIENDSHIP. Designed by Chinese architects for Australia's Bicentenary in 1988, the tranquil garden features ponds, pavilions, waterfalls, and a Chinese Teahouse.

Continuing south, stop by the (9) SYDNEY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE (35 Harbour Street) and see who's performing that night, then duck into (10) PADDY'S MARKETS, the commercial epicenter of Chinatown. There's not much for sale here that you'll want to take home with you (mobile phone accessories, cheap T-shirts, and sneakers prevail), but it's a stimulating place to wander through.

Across Hay Street from Paddy's Markets is the southern end of (11) DIXON STREET, the historic heart of Chinatown. The opium dens and gambling lairs of the past are long gone, but a walk through here is still a sensory extravaganza: exotic cooking smells, noisy crowds of streetside diners, aggressive restaurant touts, neon-lit food courts, and colorful signage. If you're here in late January/early February, the streets will be awash with Chinese New Year festivities. Pull up a seat and order some fabulous Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, or Thai food.

Soon after the bay you get to (2) ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS. Stop at MACQUARIE POINT for a shot of the Opera House with the Harbour Bridge in the background and then it is just a short walk from there to the famous (3) OPERA HOUSE.

Start your tour at Observatory Park, where you can visit the old (1) SYDNEY OBSERVATORY and take in some sweeping harbor views. At the base of the hill is (2) THE GARRISON CHURCH. Built in 1843, this is Australia's oldest church and where Australia's first prime minister Edmund Barton went to school. From here, wander down Argyle Street through the (3) ARGYLE CUT (corner of Argyle Street and Bradfield Highway), a dramatic tunnel dug through the hillside by convicts. On the far side, head left onto Cumberland Street where you'll find (4) BRIDGECLIMB.

If you're feeling brave, take a tour over the grand arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Alternatively, climb the stairs from Cumberland Street onto the bridge's eastern footpath and visit the (5) PYLON LOOKOUT in the southeastern pylon. Displays here document the bridge's construction during the 1920s and '30s.

Back on Argyle Street, head downhill and hang left onto Kendall Lane for the (6) ROCKS DISCOVERY MUSEUM. The intriguing exhibits here focus on early European artifacts and The Rocks' original residents, the Cadigal people.

From Kendall Lane, turn right onto Mill Lane and walk towards George Street: If it's a Saturday or Sunday, (7) THE ROCKS MARKET, the city's "premier" farmers and authentic Australian products marketplace, will be in full swing. Also here is (8) CADMAN'S COTTAGE (110 George Street). Built in 1816, this is one of Sydney's oldest houses. John Cadman was a shipping officer at the fledgling harbor; his house later served as a sea captain's retirement home and police headquarters. Today it houses the Sydney Harbour National Park Information Centre.

Below Cadman's Cottage is Sydney Cove. Navigate your way around the shoreline to (9) CIRCULAR QUAY, the hub of Sydney's public transportation system. From here, ferries, buses, and trains will take you anywhere in the "Harbour City."

Just inland from Circular Quay is the sandstone (10) CUSTOMS HOUSE. Originally an import/export clearance hall, it's now a library and civic center. Grab a coffee at Café Sydney on the roof, and inspect the 1:500 Sydney scale model built into the lobby floor.

Detour up Bridge Street to the (11) MUSEUM OF SYDNEY (southwestern corner of Bridge and Phillip Streets, an outstanding multimedia museum documenting Sydney's places, people, and development).

Back by the harbor, wander around Circular Quay East past a lively string of (12) BARS AND EATERIES. Savor some local oysters with a cold beer, or just enjoy the photo-worthy views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge across Sydney Cove.

Finish your tour on the steps of the iconic (13) SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE (Bennelong Point, Circular Quay East), Sydney's architectural masterpiece and No. 1 attraction.

So you're going to the beach on Christmas day, right? Of course you are! Well if it's Bondi beach you're after then you may want to consider purchasing a ticket to Sunburnt Christmas, the ultimate in Orphans Christmas festivals. Everyone who is everyone will be there and they all like to share the Christmas spirit together as one big family.

The event takes place in a sectioned-off area right off the beach.  Advance tickets are $69 with Christmas lunch included, or $79 on the door (if not already sold out). This legendary beach party starts at midday and punches on through till 10pm.  It's a fully licensed event, all food and alcohol will have to be purchased there. The only thing you absolutely need to bring is your identification, sunscreen, a hat, and your dancing shoes, or in this case, your thongs!!

The line-up of entertainers is full-on-funky; you'll have 3 stages, over 20 DJs, a Miss Bikini Comp, as well as a Wet T-Shirt Contest. If this sounds like your idea of a perfect Christmas and you're interested in purchasing tickets, just make your way to our reception and our Funky people will be happy to sort you out.

A Funky feast you do not want to miss out on!! Our Famous Funky Rooftop BBQ kicks off every Wednesday evening at 7:30pm. It's perhaps the most anticipated of our weekly events because it's such a great way to meet new friends.

There's heaps of food for everyone, burgers, sausages, salad, corn, mushrooms, crisps. Trust us, you'll be chocker blocked! Oh and did we mention, it's only going to cost you $3 and you get a free beer with that! So sit back, relax, have a beer and watch the sunset over beautiful Sydney.

What's more, the music is fantastic, and there's no doubt that after dinner you'll be ready to join us for our 10pm Wednesday night out to the Sugarmill! How funky is that!?!

Most places to stay in Sydney will require a minimum stay period which can vary between hostels/hotels and they may also ask for full payment up front. As this is Sydney's busiest time of year we do ask for a 14 night minimum stay and full payment up front to secure a room for you.

Why not book a room with your friends? As all of our dorm rooms are only 3 or 4 bed you can book a whole room with your mates and not have to share with other people.

We are very confident you will have an awesome time here, with Christmas day lunch's organised free of charge for all our guests plus free drinks upon arrival, entertainment activities organised every evening and some of Australia's best festivals and orphan's parties right here on our door step.

If you are looking to stay in Sydney over a longer period to find work over Christmas then the earlier you arrive here the better. The reason for this is that most retail outlets advertise for part time staff over the Christmas period from October onwards. These positions do get filled very quickly so get in early to avoid disappointment. You can also ask us about our long term rates which could help you save more money.

Please feel free to e-mail if you have any enquiries and/or follow this link to check availability, prices or even to make a booking.