Sydney's Iconic Monument

It boggles the mind.

- Brinda Bala

Sydney - what's the first image that comes to your mind when you hear this name? Of course, the Opera House - one of the most unique, innovative and grand structures in the world. The Opera House, a multi venue performing arts centre in Sydney declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2007. Today, the Sydney Opera House is one of the busiest performing arts centres in the world, each year staging up to 2500 performances and events, and attracting an estimated four million visitors.

The Sydney Opera House which took 16 years (19571973) to construct, is an icon of Australia's creative and technical achievements. A masterpiece of modern architectural design, engineering and construction technology, is the outcome of its designer, the Pritzker Prize winner Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the successful engineering by the Danish firm Ove Arup and Partners, and the Australian building contractors M R Hornibrook and the later architects Hall, Todd and Littlemore.

During our group tour, we were privileged to have a guided tour inside Opera House. We drove to the place in the morning. We were enthralled to see the unique shape of this world wonder at close quarters. When we looked to the left, there was this superb sight of skyscrapers of Sydney and a little ahead was the Harbour Bridge. Then there were those majestic steps leading to the Opera House. We were informed that these monumental steps are utilised for seating arrangements for events at the Outdoor Forecourt. We managed to spend more than an hour touring inside the monument appreciating its minute and intricate details.

As we walked up the steps and entered, we were welcomed by our guide for the day. She gave a walkie-talkie to each of us and took us around the building, briefing us about the highlights.