At the heart of Australia’s biggest city is the largest natural harbour in the world.However, Port Jackson, known as Sydney Harbour, is technically a ria, or a drowned river.This phenomenon occurs when global sea levels rise, flooding the estuary of a low-lying region.In Port Jackson, this has resulted in several islands dotting the harbour that would have been hilltops before sea levels rose.The capital of New South Wales grew around Port Jackson, with the surrounding topography creating the city’s 649 distinct districts and neighbourhoods.The oldest parts of the city, dating from 1788, are located on the flattest areas of land south of the harbour, whereas the North Shore developed later due to its hilly nature.Sydney nestles in a coastal basin between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Blue Mountains to the west.
The Blue Mountains stretch from Melbourne to Sydney, their foothills starting some 50 kilometres west of the city.They get their name from a photochemical smog that is given off by the trees, which makes the mountains look blue from a distance.
The mountain peaks contrast the low-lying city; rising to 1,190 metres above sea level, with gorges up to three-quarters of a kilometre deep.UNESCO has listed the Blue Mountains as a World Heritage Site, now in league with the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.The mountains attract large numbers of visitors each year, who can enjoy skiing in the winter and bushwalking in the summer.Sydney is also home to some of the world’s most famous beaches: Bondi is the biggest and most popular with tourists and locals alike.Australia means a beach lifestyle, and Bondi Beach with its kilometre of broad white sand attracts more than 2.5 million people to visit Sydney each year, in addition to its 4.5 million residents.