The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour. Planning started in the 1940's, formal construction of the Opera House commenced in March 1959 and was officially completed in 1973. The total cost of the project was $103 million. The Sydney Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It sits at the north-eastern tip of the Sydney CBD, surrounded on three sides by the harbour (Sydney Cove and Farm Cove), and neighboured by the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Partway through the project, Robert Askin's state government came into power in 1965. Davis Hughes became Minister for Public Works, with responsibility among other things for the completion of the Sydney Opera House. Hughes refused to accept Jørn Utzon's approach to managing the Opera House project and, specifically, to give permission for the construction of plywood prototypes for its interiors. He cut off Utzon's funding so Utzon couldn't even pay his own staff. Utzon was forced to resign, and Hughes immediately accepted. The Opera House was subsequently completed according to designs that were not consistent with Utzon's original vision.

The Opera House was formally opened by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on 20 October 1973, with a large crowd in attendance. Utzon was not invited to the ceremony, nor was his name mentioned. The opening was televised and included fireworks and a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.

Beginning in the late 1990s, the Sydney Opera House Trust began to communicate with Jørn Utzon in an attempt to effect a reconciliation, and to secure his involvement in future changes to the building. In 1999 he was appointed by the Trust as a design consultant for future work. In 2004, the first interior space rebuilt to an Utzon design was opened, and renamed "The Utzon Room" in his honour. In April 2007, he proposed a major reconstruction of the Opera Theatre. Utzon died on 29 November 2008.

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

Contrary to its name, the building houses several separate venues rather than a single opera theatre, the two main venues, the Opera Theatre and the Concert Hall, being defined by the two larger shells. The Sydney Opera House is a major presenting venue for Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony, as well as hosting many touring productions in a variety of performance genres, and is a major tourist attraction. It is administered by the Sydney Opera House Trust, under the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts.

This photograph was taken in early 2008 and I dedicate it to its visionary architect, the late Jørn Utzon.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of both Sydney and Australia. The bridge is locally nicknamed "The Coathanger" because of its arch-based design.

The bridge was designed and built by Dorman Long and Co Ltd, Middlesbrough Teesside and Cleveland Bridge, Darlington, County Durham and opened in 1932. Until 1967 it was the city's tallest structure. According to Guinness World Records, it is the world's widest long-span bridge and it is tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres from top to water level. It is also the fifth-longest spanning-arch bridge in the world.

A couple pose for a photograph with the Harbour Bridge looming behind.

The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as 'QE2', is a retired Cunard ocean liner, now owned by Nakheel, a division of Dubai World. She was named after the earlier Cunard liner RMS Queen Elizabeth, and served as the flagship of the line from 1969 until succeeded by RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004. Built in Clydebank, Scotland, she was considered the last of the great transatlantic ocean liners prior to the construction of the QM2.

Here, the QE2 is seen visiting Sydney in February, 2008.

A cold, cloudy afternoon at Collaroy Beach, located 22km north-east of the Sydney CBD.

A hot summer's day down at Avalon Beach, located 35km north of the Sydney CBD.

An episode of the American television show, Baywatch, was shot at Avalon Beach in the late 1990s. Producers of the show, seeking to relocate from their Californian base due to cost constraints, proposed a full relocation to Avalon. However, following complaints from residents (supported by former world surfing champion and local property owner Mark Warren), the series moved instead to Hawaii. The anti-Baywatch supporters were led by former Pittwater mayor Alex McTaggart who was subsequently elected to NSW State Parliament for two years.

A hot summer's day down at Avalon Beach, located 35km north of the Sydney CBD.

An episode of the American television show, Baywatch, was shot at Avalon Beach in the late 1990s. Producers of the show, seeking to relocate from their Californian base due to cost constraints, proposed a full relocation to Avalon. However, following complaints from residents (supported by former world surfing champion and local property owner Mark Warren), the series moved instead to Hawaii. The anti-Baywatch supporters were led by former Pittwater mayor Alex McTaggart who was subsequently elected to NSW State Parliament for two years.

A partial shot of Darling Harbour, shot on New Year's Eve, 2006. Darling Harbour is a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district. The locality extends northwards from Chinatown, along both sides of Cockle Bay to King Street Wharf on the east, and to the suburb of Pyrmont on the west. Cockle Bay is just one of the waterways that makes up Darling Harbour, which opens north into the much larger Port Jackson.

The Sydney CBD, as seen from Fisher Library at The University of Sydney, located a few kilometres away.

Two tugboats help maneuver the Queen Elizabeth 2 oceanliner into Circular Quay during February 2008.