Sydney Opera House Facts

More than any other man-made construction in the country, the Sydney Opera House serves as a famous symbol of Australia that is widely recognised all over the world. With its unique shape and wonderful waterfront location the Opera House has – along with Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef – become synonymous with all things Aussie.

Here are some quick facts about the Sydney Opera House - including its history, construction and more - that you may not already know, ideal for both adults and kids.

• The Sydney Opera House began being constructed in 1959, and it was officially opened in 1973
• While the original cost of the Sydney Opera House was estimated to be $7 million AUD, it ended up costing $102 million AUD - more than 14 times the initial estimate. Ouch.
• The highest tip of the Sydney Opera House reaches 67m above the water - the equivalent height of a 22 story building
• Over 350 kilometres of steel cable was used in the Opera House's construction, which is long enough to reach from Sydney to Canberra
• The Opera House is home to seven individual concert venues within, with the largest seating a maximum of 2,679 guests and the smallest only having capacity for 210

• The Sydney Opera House's grand organ is the largest of its kind in the world and took 10 years to build
• The Sydney Opera House celebrated its 40th anniversary this year (2013) which was commemorated with a month-long lineup of high-profile theatric and musical events
• Around 10,000 builders and other construction workers were assigned to the Opera House, and were initially expected to get the job done in 4 years. It ended up taking 14.
• 233 architectural designs for the Sydney Opera House were submitted - the winner, Jorn Utzon won $5000 for his winning design (around $140,000 AUD in today's money)
• The roof of the Sydney Opera House consists of 1,056,006 tiles in total. That's a lot of tiles.
• The Opera House is open every day of the year except two - Christmas Day and Good Friday
• The largest concert ever held at the Sydney Opera House in terms of attendance was 1996's "Farewell to the World" by band Crowded House, with estimates of over 250,000 people in total
• Actor/body builder/Governator/general badass Arnold Schwarzenegger won his final My Olympia title at the Sydney Opera House back in 1980
• The first ever official opera performed at the Sydney Opera House was a rendition of War and Peace by Sergei Prokofiev on 28th September, 1973

If you're looking for things to do in Sydney and its surrounding areas, be sure to visit our main Sydney region page for information on tours, attractions, activities, information and much more.