Sports fixtures
Winter:
The winter football season generally begins with trial matches in february, before the season proper kicks off in march and runs to late september or early october. sydney's most popular winter football code is rugby league often just called 'football' or 'footy' by locals - although never just 'rugby', which refers to rugby union. nine teams from the national competition are based in sydney and the sport is an important part of the city's culture - many teams play at least some of their games at intimate grounds in their suburban heartlands, and this can be a good way to experience the traditional heart of the sport. other major sporting teams playing in sydney over the winter are the sydney swans and greater western sydney giants afl, the nsw waratahs rugby union and the sydney swifts netball.
Summer:
Sydney's primary summer sport is cricket, which you'll find being played in somewhat modified form on beaches and in backyards across the city. the professional stuff is largely based at the sydney cricket ground close to the cbd: the traditional new year's test, between the australian team and whichever foreign team is touring at the time, commences around the 3rd of january and runs for four to five days. later in the summer, international one-day and/or twenty20 matches are held at the scg.
The primary domestic tournaments, contested between Australian state teams, are the Sheffield Shield first-class, Ford Ranger Cup one-day and KFC Big Bash Twenty20: they are usually sparsely attended and so are much cheaper to attend than internationals. Some one-day and Twenty20 matches are played at ANZ Stadium at Olympic Park rather than at the SCG, but the cavernous stadium is far inferior to the grand old ground if you really want to get a feel for cricket culture. Australia's professional soccer tournament, the A-League, runs over the summer and struggles to attract a great deal of public enthusiasm; Sydney's team is Sydney FC, which plays out of the Sydney Football Stadium.
Walk
Across the Harbour Bridge
From the rocks on the south side to milsons point on the north side or vice versa.
Bradleys Head
Take a ferry to taronga zoo wharf and then head to your right along the promontory. there's pristine bushland almost unchanged from the time of european colonisation, quiet beaches, and knockout views across the harbour, and in the warmer months you'll spot plenty of eastern water dragons, a type of large lizard. once you reach the tip of the headland, you can either amble back to the wharf or - if you're feeling more ambitious - follow the track several more kilometres to clifton gardens, ogling the gigantic houses along the way. from there, you can either hike all the way back to taronga or get a bus to a ferry wharf.
Sydney has a huge amount of green space, much of it beside the sparkling harbour or ocean, so walking is a great way to experience the city's parks, reserves and remnant bushland. There are also great walks through the more built-up areas, allowing you to check out the city's modern architecture and its colonial heritage. The following are just a few of the better-known routes.
Coogee Beach to Bondi
Following the eastern coastline past several of sydney's beautiful beaches - stop off for a swim if you get too hot.
Circular Quay and surrounds
Start underneath the sydney harbour bridge, then walk past the rocks, circular quay, the sydney opera house, the royal botanic gardens and mrs macquarie's chair. for an extended tour of the city centre, covering these and other major sights, see walking tour of sydney.
Skate
Macquarie Ice Rink
Macquarie ice rink is in the vast expanse of macquarie shopping centre in north ryde. activities include training sessions, birthday parties and casual visits. skates are available for hire usually a bit worn and not necessarily sharp, or bring your own. phone to enquire about public session times as the ice is shared between many other users like hockey teams and may not be available for the whole day. it is located within a 2 minute walk from macquarie university railway station.
Sydney has three indoor ice skating centres in the suburbs. The closest to the city centre is:
Swim
At one of sydney's many surf beaches. try bondi, manly, coogee, cronulla or wattamolla, or get off the tourist trail at one of the other beaches in sydney's eastern suburbs or northern beaches.
You can take language classes, join a cafe book group, learn to draw, sign up for historical or foodie walks, or take computer or business classes at City of Sydney Library, where you can sign up to borrow books or just read magazines in their café as well.
Cycle
Around centennial park in the eastern suburbs or bicentennial park at sydney olympic park
cinema
Sydney has mainstream movies showing on multi-screen cinema complexes all around Sydney, including the City Centre and Moore Park. The two main operators are Event Cinemas (http://www.eventcinemas.com.au)] and Hoyts (http://www.hoyts.com.au).
For arthouse, or more obscure movies, try the Chauvel, Verona and Academy Twin cinemas on Oxford Street in the City East, or the Dendy near the Opera House in the City Centre or in Newtown, or Cinema Paris at the Entertainment Quarter at Fox Studios at Moore Park in the City East.
Many of the larger cinema complexes offer premium seating and services for a premium price.
There is one drive-in movie left open in Sydney, at Blacktown in the Outer West.
The IMAX Theatre, which provides a movie experience with the largest cinema screens in the southern hemisphere in Darling Harbour.
performance art
Sydney has three theatres which show major international productions, the Capitol Theatre in Haymarket, the Theatre Royal under the MLC Centre in the CBD and the Lyric Theatre in Star City in Pyrmont Bay. Usually one of the latest theatre blockbusters will be on show at these theatres. Slightly more on the cutting edge, with more locally produced drama can be found at the Sydney Theatre Company, in Walsh Bay in The Rocks, or occasionally at the Opera House Drama Theatre. Similar productions are often on at the Seymour Centre next to Sydney University just off Broadway on City Road. Smaller theatres, some with lesser known performers, featuring new and local writers can be harder to find. Try the Belvoir St Theatre in Surry Hills in City East, or the Newtown Theatre in the Inner West. Amateur theatre, especially musical theatre, proliferates in Sydney, with over 30 amateur musical theatre companies providing a fun night of theatre for around $20 per ticket in the suburbs. Check the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta, the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood on the Lower North Shore, or the Sutherland Entertainment Centre in Sutherland.
For classical music fans, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra plays at the Opera House and at (http://www.sydneysymphony.com/) Angel Place Recital Hall (http://www.cityrecitalhal...). If the Sydney Symphony aren't playing, the Recital Hall may have other performances of interest. Conservatorium of Music often hosts performances on a smaller scale. (http://www.usyd.edu.au/ne...).
Opera Australia perform at the Opera House in the City Centre.
A handy guide for performing arts in Sydney is the Spectrum liftout, which you'll find in the Sydney Morning Herald's voluminous Saturday edition. It contains reviews and features on all things cultural, as well as fairly comprehensive listings towards the back.
festivals
Sydney is home to a number of major and minor festivals and calendar events each year. Listed chronologically these are: