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Circular Quay CityRail or ferry. The Sydney Opera House , such an icon of Australiana that it almost seems kitsch, is just a short stroll from Circular Quay, by the water's edge on Bennelong Point. It's best seen in profile, when its high white roofs, at the same time evocative of full sails and white shells, give the building an almost ethereal quality. Some say the inspiration for the distinctive design came from the simple peeling of an orange into segments, though perhaps Danish architect Jřrn Utzon 's childhood as the son of a yacht designer had something to do with their sail-like shape - he certainly envisaged a building which would appear to "float" on water. Close-up, you can see that the shimmering effect is created by thousands of white tiles. The feat of structural engineering required to bring to life Utzon's "sculpture" made the final price tag AU$102 million, ten times original estimates. Now almost universally loved and admired, it's hard to believe quite how controversial a project this was during its long haul from plan, as a result of an international competition in the late 1950s, to completion in 1973. For sixteen years, construction was plagued by quarrels and scandal, so much so that Utzon, who won the competition in 1957, was forced to resign in 1966. Some put it less kindly and say he was hounded out of the country by politicians - the newly elected Askin government disagreeing over his plans for the completion of the interior - and xenophobic local architects. Seven years and three Australian architects later the interior, which never matched Utzon's vision, was finished: the focal Concert Hall, for instance, was completely designed by Peter Hall and his team. However, Utzon will now have a chance to have the final say: in 1999 he was appointed as a design consultant to prepare a Statement of Design Principles for the building, which will become the permanent reference for its conservation and development. "Opera House" is actually a misnomer: it's really a performing arts centre, one of the busiest in the world, with five performance venues inside its shells, plus two restaurants, several popular cafes and bars, an Aboriginal artists' gallery, and a stash of upmarket souvenir shops. The building's initial impetus, in fact, was as a home for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and it was designed with the huge Concert Hall as the focal point; the smaller Opera Theatre is used as the Sydney performance base for Opera Australia (seasons Feb-March & June-Nov), the Australian Ballet (mid-March to May & Nov-Dec) and the Sydney Dance Company . There are three theatrical venues: the Drama Theatre and The Playhouse , both used primarily by the Sydney Theatre Company, and the more intimate Studio , offering mainly contemporary Australian work and cabaret. There's plenty of action outside the Opera House too, with the use of the Forecourt and Monumental Steps as an amphitheatre; the steps provide seating for everything from free rock concerts to outdoor films. Sunday is the liveliest day, when the Tarpeian Markets (10am-4pm), with an emphasis on Australian crafts, are held, further enlivened by a programme of "Sundays 'Round the House" - free outdoor concerts ranging from jazz, classical and folk to rock.
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