Harbour trips include Manly Ferry - this is the quintessential ferry ride, taking in the vast expanse of Sydney Harbour. This delightful half-hour journey from Circular Quay passes the Opera House, Fort Denison, Clark and Shark Islands, across the choppy waters of the Heads and finally into the pine-clad beaches of Manly Cove. The ferry ride offers magnificent views of waterside mansions in the eastern suburbs, the lush bushlands of Sydney Harbour National Park to the north, and yachts skimming in every direction. Parramatta RiverCat - is a relaxing way to visit the historical city of Parramatta. The river cruiser departs from Circular Quay and heads under the Harbour Bridge to begin a 70-minute journey through some of the city's most historic riverside suburbs. The cruiser slips under Gladesville Bridge, past Five Dock, along Concord and Homebush bay, site of the 2000 Olympic Games. Cronulla to Bundeena is one of the city's best-kept secrets, the 20-minute ferry ride from the beachside suburb of Cronulla to the exquisite beach and bushland retreat of Bundeena in the Royal National Park. If you want to explore a little further, there's a three-hour morning or afternoon coffee cruise along the beautiful Hacking River. Sydney Ferries - if you are looking for something longer than a ferry ride, Sydney Ferries now operates a series of harbour cruises lasting one hour, ninety minutes and two-and-a-half-hours, taking in the best of the harbour highlights. Sydney Ferries also operates a weekend ferry to the Fish Markets, Watsons Bay and Balmoral Beach.

Homebush Bay and the Olympic Site hosted the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games and is open to visitors. It is easy to get to Homebush Bay by public transport, by either train or ferry. An Explorer bus service operates on site between 9.30 am and 3.30 pm 7 days a week. Guides also conduct walking tours several times a day.

The Rocks and Circular Quay is the birthplace of modern Australia and has become a thrilling part of the city, essential to any visitor's experience. In the galleries, museums, shops and cafes of this area, you can trace the evolution of a society from beginning to the present. Customs House, a magnificent Victorian building, is now a cultural and gallery space. The gallery, housing the Australian collection of indigenous arts and crafts - is the largest of its kind in the country. The Ferry terminal is the gateway to Sydney's network of commuter ferries and some cruise vessels. It is also the only place where bus, ferry and train services intersect. Cadman's Cottage built in 1816 is the oldest house in Sydney and is now the Information Centre. Observatory Hill is the highest point in the city and originally known as Windmill Hill because the first windmill in the colony once stood here. The signal station was built on the summit in 1848, later to become the Sydney Observatory.

Sydney Opera House with its flowing white roofs and prominent position on Sydney harbour, is the most famous building in Australia. The Sydney Opera House captures the spirit of modern Sydney. Guided one-hour tours of the Opera House depart at frequent intervals from the tour office.

Royal Botanic Gardens is a 74-arce horticultural park, just west of the Domain. Palm forests, ponds, green lawns, exotic plants and wonderful bird life in a majestic setting overlooking the harbour. The Tropical Centre, housed in the stunning Pyramid and Arc glass house is one of the highlights. Open daily.

Darling Harbour and China Town is Sydney's playground and has something for everyone. Museums, theme parks, gardens, shops, waterfront restaurants and eye-catching features. Amongst the attractions here is the Australian National Maritime Museum, Star City Casino, Panasonic IMAX theatre, Cockle Bay Wharf, Sega World, Sydney Aquarium with a fish-eye view of the underwater world, Chinatown with its flashing neon calligraphy, vitality and the aromatic scent of Asian cooking and the Chinese Gardens.

Fox Studios is the world's newest film and television studio. Offering the visitor a unique dining, entertainment and shopping experience. Also hosts the Farmers Markets every Wednesday.

Manly is a lovely setting for an escape from the city. Some of the attractions here are the manly Art Gallery and Museum celebrating beach culture and fashions, Ocean World with a see-through underwater tunnel, Shelley Beach and Manly Beach and the Quarantine Station where immigrants who arrived on vessels with contagious diseases were once isolated until pronounced free of illness.

Watsons Bay is a former fishing village tucked inside Sydney Harbour and is now home to some of Sydney's finest houses. Here is where you find Doyles, Sydney's legendary seafood restaurant. The Watsons Bay Hotel is one of Sydney's much-loved traditional pubs. A short walk will take you to the famous Gap.

North Shore - Taronga Zoo is located in Mosman and has an exotic assembly of feathers, fur and fins in a wonderful environment that evokes the animals' native habitats. There are koalas, wombats and kangaroos among the 4,000 animals here. Set on a dramatic hillside setting you have views of Sydney Harbour. Kirribilli means place for fishing and is now the place for politicians with Admiralty House being the residence of the governor general and Kirribilli House home to the prime minister.

Fish Markets Australia's only working fishermen's market, the Sydney Fish Market is colourful and vibrant. It's a meeting place for the fishing industry and consumers, where each weekday morning the Southern Hemisphere's biggest seafood sale takes place; 1000 crates every hour and 65 tonnes of fresh catch are auctioned daily and shifted swiftly to the city and suburban retailers and restaurants. The Market is first and foremost a fishermen's market. Fishermen from across Australia and as far afield as Singapore, New Zealand and the Pacific sell through the Market auction. Every morning Monday to Friday the auction starts at 5.30am and runs until all the fish is sold. By late morning fishermen and merchants are replaced by tourists, shoppers and the lunchtime crowd. All of them with an anticipation of a fresh catch: of live mud crabs and delicately sliced sashimi salmon, of king prawns and coral trout, of barbecued prawns and fried calamari. Shoppers come to the Market for the quality, freshness and variety, but also the atmosphere. And that's the beauty of the Sydney Fish Market - an amazing choice of ocean fresh seafood complete with outdoor, harbour fronted dining facilities. Preparing and cooking fish the right way, is vital if you want to enjoy its subtle flavours. Through its Sydney Seafood School the Sydney Fish Market runs seafood cooking classes. The Market also runs Fish Line, a free phone in advisory service to answer any of your queries about seafood. The Sydney Seafood School, New South Wales Department of Fisheries, the Master Fish Merchants Association and Oceanwatch are also housed in the Sydney Fish Market building.