Sydney is Australia's oldest and largest city. It is also the capital of the state of New South Wales. Sydney lies on a lovely, deep harbor on the southeastern coast. This harbor is officially called Port Jackson, but it is commonly known as Sydney Harbour. Sydney is Australia's busiest seaport and the nation's business center.

The British established Sydney as a prison colony in 1788. At that time, many nations sent criminals to distant lands. The names of many buildings and places in Sydney are reminders of its days as a prison colony. A museum called Hyde Park Barracks was once the home of male prisoners. An island in Sydney Harbour is called Pinchgut because it served as a prison where the prisoners often went hungry. One of Sydney’s most famous buildings is its beautiful Opera House. The building has huge white concrete shells that look like billowing sails. Near the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge crosses the harbor between Dawes Point and Milsons Point.

Sydney received its last British prisoners in 1849. In 1851, gold was discovered in New South Wales. Sydney grew rapidly as people arrived in the colony in search of gold.

In 2000, Sydney hosted the Summer Olympic Games.

Sydney. (2020). In World Book Kids. Retrieved from https://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home#article/ar831421