Leaving behind a rich legacy, Sydney has become one of the most prominent cities of the modern word. Some evidence suggests that humans walked on the lands of Australia 50,000 years before the first European settlers arrived. In the late 1700s, a British Lord named Thomas Townshend, also known as Lord Sydney, decided to establish a penal colony on the east coast of Australia. The first fleet of 11 ships arrived on the coasts of Australia in 1788. Convicts that came with the ships brought with them diseases that spread rapidly and dissolved most of the native population. The second fleet of ships carrying more convicts arrived in 1790. The fleet which was to bring relief brought more misery with it, which in turn resulted in food shortage and starvation. Lack of farming also led to the clean sweep of the natives along with the convicts and their guards. Relief came in 1810 with the arrival of Lachlan Macquarie, who made the conditions in Sydney liveable and gradually strengthened the weak economy of Sydney. After his departure in 1810, the growth of Sydney remained intact and ever-growing. Despite many setbacks like the spread of Bubonic Plague, Great Depression and the two World Wars, the economy of Sydney was not hindered.

Before the invasion of the Europeans, the Aborigines comprised as the sole inhabitants of this part of Australia. Today, the total Aborigines population approximately accounts for 2% of the total population. The total population of Sydney according to 2012 census is 4.293 million. The arrival of the Europeans resulted in a diverse population existence in Sydney. Most of the inhabitants cite their ancestry back to the British, Scottish, Chinese or Irish. The people of Sydney are characteristically kind and gentle. Roman Catholics and Anglicans are the majority religions followed in Sydney. Islam stands third in the religious groups and more than 18% of the population does not identify with any of the religious groups. The majority of the population in Sydney comes under the working class professionals.

Sydney has a rich culture and a traditional backdrop to its simple façade. The people of Sydney have great taste in music, art, dance, performing arts as well as cuisine. Sydney has three major theatres that showcase the talents of all the aspiring performing artists. In the cinema and film industry as well, it has a great stand and is an inspiration to many. More than 60 Australian labels export their modern fashion wear to shops in Europe, Asia and the United States. Trench Coats, jeans, skirts, wraparounds and other western apparel are quite prominent in Sydney. The Australian cuisine is very delicious and while you are visiting Sydney, you must hit a steakhouse. Steaks, coffee, fish and many such other foods are eaten on a regular basis. You can also experience in-house cafes to dine in with the locals or you can just visit the eat streets to indulge in the local taste of Sydney.