Strolling through the glass and solid downtown, known as the Central Business District (CBD), you could be in some other Western-society city - until a fluorescent red and green lorikeet parrot swoops overhead or an unforeseen blaze of the splendid blue harbor shows up between the high rises.
Any legitimate visit to Sydney must start in the harbor, which is both the origin of the city and its current notorious centerpiece. The range is called Circular Quay (claimed "key" by local people).
It is difficult to envision a more pleasant setting for a city's heart than this, with the Opera House and Harbor Bridge showed against the gulf's brilliant water.
Sydney spreads over a gigantic geographic territory, however the dominant part of its most intriguing regions can be found close to the sea coast, in the region known as the Eastern rural areas. Oxford Street, the fundamental lane running east from downtown to the sea shorelines, has Sydney's well known gay and lesbian Mardi Gras parade each February and is prominent year-round for its upscale shops and bistros.