Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west. Greater Sydney consists of 658 suburbs. Residents of the city are colloquially known as "Sydneysiders". The city's nicknames include the Emerald City and the Harbour City.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
4summer
warm to hot; openmeteo mean 21.2-22.6 °C (Feb warmest 22.6; the CBD averages 14.9 days ≥30 °C, but the inland western suburbs 35-65 days); the wettest months (Feb 4.2 mm/day); the sea ~23.7 °C in February; the surf-beach season
- the beach-and-harbour season opens — the 70 surf beaches (Bondi) and Sydney Harbour are the defining summer affordance
- the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race starts from the harbour on Boxing Day; bushfire risk peaks in hot dry spells, often ended by a 'southerly buster'
autumn
mild and the wettest period; openmeteo mean 17.1-21.6 °C; the transition, with Mar-Apr the wettest months (Mar 3.5, Apr 3.0 mm/day)
- the comfortable, greener autumn — the Royal Botanic Garden and the coastal walks at their best; the City2surf training season
winter
generally mild to cool; openmeteo mean 13.7-14.6 °C (Jul coolest 13.7; extremes to 2.1 °C); frost a few times in the western suburbs; the sea ~18.5 °C
- the mild winter — the whale-watching and coastal-walk season; the lowest beach density but still usable outdoors
spring
the warming transition; openmeteo mean 16.2-19.5 °C; the driest months (Sep 1.7 mm/day); 'spring showing a larger temperature variation than autumn'
- the wildflower and jacaranda bloom; the start of the surf-beach season; the spring bushfire-risk window
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Sydney To Hobart Yacht Race
- the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race — a 1,170 km race starting from Sydney Harbour
- recognized as one of the most difficult yacht races in the world
City2surf
- the City2surf — a 14 km run from the CBD to Bondi Beach
- one of the largest runs of its kind in the world (80,000 runners in 2010)
2000 Summer Olympics
- Sydney hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Sydney Olympic Park built with athletics, aquatics, tennis, cycling and Stadium Australia
NYE Harbour Fireworks
- the New Year's Eve midnight fireworks over Sydney Harbour — a global New-Year broadcast image
On the record
source-trackedSydney has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with 'warm, sometimes hot' summers and 'generally mild', to 'cool' winters.
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation … play an important role in determining Sydney's weather patterns: drought and bushfire on the one hand, and storms and flooding on the other.
The hottest day in the metropolitan area occurred in Penrith on 4 January 2020, where a high of 48.9 °C was recorded.
Seventy surf beaches can be found along its coastline, with Bondi Beach being the most famous.
The metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west.
In 1788, the First Fleet of convicts, led by Arthur Phillip, founded Sydney as a British penal colony, the first European settlement in Australia.
By 2021 over 40 per cent of the population was born overseas. Foreign countries of birth with the greatest representation are mainland China, India, the United Kingdom, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is a 1,170 km event that starts from Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day. Since its inception in 1945 it has been recognised as one of the most difficult yacht races in the world.
The first surf lifesaving club was established at Bondi Beach.
With a rate of 26.3% in 2014, Sydney has the highest utilisation of public transport for travel to work of any Australian capital.
It is classified as an Alpha+ city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.