Sydney is a city imbued by the sea. It is a city as free and democratic as its sunshine and sea; well into its second century it is proud of its heritage of historical links with the earliest days of settlement.

There are certain aspects of Sydney, which will shine through all the centuries. Her fretted harbour, though it runs back only thirty kilometers from the sea to Parramatta, has a meandering shoreline ten times as long with scores of sequestered coves and beaches as lovely as the golden afternoons that so often lie upon it.

From thousands of homes, flats and offices in Sydney you may see sunlight reveling on the harbour water for most days and in the evenings, reflected lights twinkle and beckon.

Ferries constantly crisscross the harbour, ferrying tourists and locals alike. There are many Sydney-siders whom the morning and evening tranquility of the ferry crossings is as necessary as breakfast and supper.

Sydney is eclectic with its modern international architecture – the glass houses on stilts, the big rectangular buildings with a general unifying texture of glass and stone that reflect the pattern of light and shade, buildings that are outward viewing as well as upward looking.

The heavy steel arch of the harbour bridge, spanning the harbour, the Sydney Opera House with its soaring white sails so supremely beautiful in the sunlight, the bright Luna park face, the historical buildings that cluster around the harbour.

In the many parks and gardens, stairways have been cut through the brown or reddish sandstone to connect differences in level, which occur unexpectedly. Every step is a lookout. I particularly like the sudden gap of Moore Stairs looking down to the ferry boats of Circular Quay.

Darling harbour with its many restaurants and cafes is a place to sit to either drink a cold beer or sip a glass of wine or drink a cup of coffee and watch the world pass by. Take the monorail and ride above the rooftops of the stunning metropolis and over an arm of the glorious bay - past convention centers, soviet subs and impatient sharks. Sydney is a City to explore on foot, or by boat or by car. It is a City of hidden secrets and amazing views. It is a City that will continue to grow and change but the harbour will always be its constant.