Education and Culture of Sydney

Sydney is home to numerous institutions of higher education, including five major universities: Macquarie University (founded in 1964), with about 22,000 students; University of New South Wales (1948), with about 30,000 students; University of Sydney (1850), Australia’s first university, with about 35,000 students; University of Western Sydney (1989), with about 26,000 students; and the University of Technology, Sydney (1965 as NSW Institute of Technology, then given university status in 1988), with about 26,000 students.

Cultural institutions in Sydney include several of the country’s most important museums.

The Art Gallery of New South Wales, established in 1874, houses some of the finest works of art in Australia, including Asian, European, and Australian collections.
It also includes the Yiribana Gallery, which houses the world’s largest exhibit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture.

The Australian Museum, founded in 1827 and the country’s first museum, contains natural history and anthropology exhibits.

The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (1880) comprises the Powerhouse Museum, which includes science and technology exhibits, and the Sydney Observatory astronomical museum.

The turbulent history of Sydney from 1788 to 1850, including the effects of European colonization on the local Aboriginal population, is the subject of multimedia exhibits at the Museum of Sydney (1995).

The State Library of New South Wales has a collection of 4 million items, including the nation’s most important collection of Australian archival material in the Mitchell Library (1906).

The Sydney Opera House is the centerpiece of the city’s venues for live performances of ballet, opera, and classical music.

The Australian Opera, Australian Ballet, and Sydney Dance companies regularly stage performances there.

Moreover, the venue often hosts internationally touring performances.

Sydney also has many venues for musical theater, drama, and popular music.

The Sydney Theatre Company is one of many successful theater companies in the city.

Sydney is also home to the internationally acclaimed Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The cultural life of Sydney is vibrant and varied, reflecting the multicultural nature of the city.

Many festivals, parades, and outdoor concerts enliven the city streets in the summer months.

Annual events include the Sydney Festival in January and February, the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in March, the Royal Easter Show in April, and the multicultural festival Carnivale in September and October.

Sydney has also become world renowned for its street parties and fireworks on New Year’s Eve and on Australia Day, celebrated on Sydney’s founding date, January 26.