I first visited Sydney 30 years ago when I was still working in Britain. And has it changed since then. It used to be like England in the sun, what with all the colonial architecture and familiar commercial names. A bit old-fashioned, if you like.
Now it's very much a vibrant international city in its own right. For more than 20 years, I have been based here as a foreign correspondent, interviewing the people, sampling its many obvious and hidden delights and witnessing the changes first hand.
As the Australia correspondent of this newspaper, I cover everything from political stories to human-interest news. This means I've probably come to know Sydney better than many of the locals. My advice to visitors, even those who have just 48 hours here, is to enter into the spirit of this hedonistic, multiracial melting pot as you will not be disappointed.
ABOUT SYDNEY
Most Australians live by the coast. As a result, urban Sydney stretches for kilometres. The city has a population of more than four million and covers an area of about 1,600 sq km, from the Blue Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east.
During the summer and on weekends, they head for the beach or the harbour at every opportunity. And, of course it's all free. The harbour, which spans 250 sq km, is Sydney's greatest asset. Indeed, few cities can boast such a large body of water sloshing around, slap bang in the middle of their community.
Catch the waves at Manly Beach
As for the beaches, you are spoilt for choice. Bondi is the most famous and most accessible, the favourite haunt of backpackers and surfers. But there are also many smaller beaches around the harbour, where the water is calmer and the atmosphere more like the Mediterranean than the South Pacific.
The coldest months are usually June, July and August when it also tends to rain, although the weather patterns are never set in concrete. February this year was one of the wettest months on record.
Often, winter days produce blue skies and sunshine with day-time temperatures nudging 20 deg C. But it can be cool at night, so bring a coat if you are visiting in the middle of the year. Summers can be hot and humid but not as bad as in Singapore.
WHERE TO STAY
In the run-up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the authorities feared there would not be enough accommodation for athletes and fans, so the city went on a building spree. Nowadays, there is rarely a shortage of hotel rooms. If money is no object, try the Four Seasons (full price A$615 or S$786), or check out their website at www.fourseasons.com/sydney , the Intercontinental (full price A$620, www.InterContinental.com ) or the Park Hyatt (full price A$875, sydney.park.hyatt.com/ ) with its stunning views of the Opera House and the harbour. A lot of celebs stay here when they are in town.
For middle-range accommodation, try four-star hotels such as the Hyde Park Inn (271 Elizabeth Street) where a standard room costs about A$165. For those on a budget, the Formule 1 in Kings Cross ( hotelformule1.com ) offers a small room for A$89 and backpacker accommodation is available for as low as A$30 if you don't mind sharing a dormitory. Best to check wotif.com for the cheapest deals.
WHERE TO EAT
You'll never go hungry in Sydney no matter what your budget is. The city has the widest range of restaurants and cuisines imaginable. Famous for a mix of food that combines Asian and Mediterranean styles, some of the most stylish restaurants are near the harbour.
Otto's at Woollomooloo ( Otto.net.au ) is popular with the glitterati. Anybody who's anybody, from Hollywood stars in town to promote their latest movie to multi-millionaire businessmen, dine here.
Doyles at Watson's Bay ( doyles.com.au ) is a must for seafood lovers and offers extraordinary views of the harbour. Choose an early evening meal and watch the sun go down with a glass of chilled chardonnay in one hand and a king prawn in the other, and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven.
For those who want a full-blown assault on their culinary senses but don't want to break the bank, try King Street, Newtown on a Friday or Saturday night. There are more restaurants per square kilometre here than any other part of Australia.
WHAT TO DO AND SEE
The Bridge Club
The Bridge Climb ( http://www.bridgeclimb.com/ ) is a must for those who want to see the harbour at its best. It took entrepreneur Paul Cave a decade to get permission to take tourists to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Now, more than 250,000 people make the climb to the highest point of the main arch each year even though prices start at A$179 for an adult.
A guided tour around the Opera House ( sydneyoperahouse.com ) is also highly recommended, as is a visit to Taronga Zoo ( zoo.nsw.gov.au ), the Museum of Contemporary Art ( mca.com.au ), the Australian National Maritime Museum ( a nnm.gov.au ) and the Art Gallery of New South Wales ( artgallery.nsw.gov.au ).
Make friends with a leopard seal at Taronga Zoo (Photos: Reuters, AFP)
After this, you will doubtless be extremely thirsty, so pop into the Lord Nelson pub (190 Kent Street) near The Rocks for a pint of its home-brewed beer. Or head for Sydney's oldest pub, The Fortune Of War which opened in l828, in the heart of The Rocks.
WHERE TO SHOP
Like Singapore, Sydney has many indoor shopping malls. The best are probably at Chatswood on the North Shore and at Bondi Junction. There are also many department stores such as David Jones and Myer's. The range of clothes and styles is as extensive as what you find in the top department stores of London and New York.
Other favourite shopping spots are at the Queen Victoria Building in George Street, Oxford Street in Paddington and Double Bay, popularly known as Double Pay, because you need a hefty salary to shop there. Paddington Market, which is held in Oxford Street on Saturdays, is a must for those who like cheap, trendy clothing and unusual knick-knacks. And there's also a thriving street market in The Rocks at the weekend.
HOW TO GET AROUND
The best and most economical way to see the city is by bus ( sydneybuses.info ). The Day Tripper ticket allows unlimited travel on bus, train and ferry until 4am the next day (A$16 per adult and A$8 per child). Walking is also a safe and popular option for the city centre and The Rocks area, where Sydney was founded in l788.
HOW TO GET THERE
Getting to Sydney has never been easier. Singapore Airlines and Qantas have daily flights and, with the growth of budget airlines such as Tiger, Air Asia and Jetstar, it should soon be even cheaper to fly from South-east Asia to Sydney.
STAYING SAFE
This is still one of the safest cities in the world, though the pubs can get a bit rowdy on a Friday night. Tourists are also advised to avoid the cinema strip in George Street.
BEST KEPT SECRETS
Some of Sydney's best-kept secrets remain unknown because the locals prefer it that way.
So at the risk of being hounded out of town, let me recommend Bill and Tony's Italian eatery in Stanley Street (tel: 9360-4702) which offers some of the best and cheapest pasta in town, and the Palm Beach Ferry ( palmbeachferry.com.au ) which cruises every hour around Pittwater, adjacent to the city's northern beaches (return fare A$12.60 for adults, A$6.30 for children).
This is one of the most spectacular and undeveloped waterways in Sydney but rarely attracts overseas tourists because no one tells them about it. It is also the spot where Prince Charles and Princess Diana chose to spend an idyllic afternoon away from the papparazi on a visit to Australia in the 1980s.
In Sydney's south, you could visit the birthplace of modern Australia on the shores of Botany Bay, where Captain James Cook stepped ashore on April 29, 1770. Surprisingly, a grey plinth is the only memorial to the man who gave the British their first foothold in New Holland, as Australia was then called.
