No building on earth looks like the Sydney Opera House. Covering almost 1.82ha (4.5 acres) the Opera House is Sydney's most popular tourist attraction, and is also one of the worlds busiest performing arts centres. But the Opera House is more than a just tourist attraction, it is a presence, a part of the landscape that seems to have been there forever, and it is impossible to imagine the Harbour without it. Each time the sun shines on it just a little different than the moment before, each time the blue Harbour waters reflect off the tile and glass exterior, it seems to change personality, to change moods. Even Sydneysiders who have seen it for years are awestruck when they catch a glimpse of it through the corner of their eye.

In 1957, Jørn Utzon won an international competition to design the Opera House. He envisioned a building that could be viewed from any angle- land, sea, or air- with the roofs as a "fifth façade". It presented architectural and engineering problems that had never been encountered before. When the construction began in 1959, the original design was impossible to execute and had to be greatly modified. Utzon resigned in 1966 and an Australian design team completed the building interior. An appeal fund was set up, eventually raising A$900,000, while the Opera House Lottery raised the balance of the A$102 million final cost. The Opera House took 14 years to complete and was opened in October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II.