Sydney

Sister cities

• Florence

History

The first people to inhabit the area now known as Sydney were Aboriginal Australians who had migrated from southeast Asia via northern Australia. Flaked pebbles found in Western Sydney's gravel sediments might indicate human occupation from 45,000 to 50,000 years ago, while radiocarbon dating has shown evidence of human activity in the region from around 30,000 years ago. Prior to the arrival of the British, there were 4,000 to 8,000 Aboriginal people in the greater Sydney region. The earliest British settlers recorded the word 'Eora' as an Aboriginal term meaning either 'people' or 'from this place'. {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" |+ class="nowrap" |Aboriginal clans of Sydney area, as recorded by early British settlers !Clan !Territory name !Location |- |Bediagal |Not recorded |Probably north-west of Parramatta |- |Birrabirragal |Birrabirra |Lower Sydney Harbour around Sow and Pigs reef |- |Boolbainora |Boolbainmatta |Parramatta area |- |Borogegal |Booragy |Probably Bradleys Head and surrounding area |- |Boromedegal |Not recorded |Parramatta |- |Buruberongal |Not recorded |North-west of Parramatta |- |Darramurragal |Not recorded |Turramarra area |- |Gadigal |Cadi (Gadi) |South side of Port Jackson, from South Head to Darling Harbour |- |Gahbrogal |Not recorded |Liverpool and Cabramatta area |- |Gamaragal |Cammeray |North shore of Port Jackson |- |Gameygal |Kamay |Botany Bay |- |Gannemegal |Warmul |Parramatta area |- |Garigal |Not recorded |Broken Bay area |- |Gayamaygal |Kayeemy |Manly Cove |- |Gweagal |Gwea |Southern shore of Botany Bay |- |Wallumedegal |Wallumede |North shore of Port Jackson, opposite Sydney Cove |- |Wangal |Wann |South side of Port Jackson, from Darling Harbour to Rose Hill |- | colspan="3" |Clans of the Sydney region whose…

Geography

Sydney is a coastal basin with the Tasman Sea to the east, the Blue Mountains to the west, the Hawkesbury River to the north, and the Woronora Plateau to the south. Sydney spans two geographic regions. The Cumberland Plain lies to the south and west of the Harbour and is relatively flat. The Hornsby Plateau is located to the north and is dissected by steep valleys. The flat areas of the south were the first to be developed; it was not until the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge that the northern reaches became more heavily populated. Seventy surf beaches can be found along its coastline, with Bondi Beach being the most famous. The Nepean River wraps around the western edge of the city and becomes the Hawkesbury River before reaching Broken Bay. Most of Sydney's water storages can be found on tributaries of the Nepean River. The Parramatta River is mostly industrial and drains a large area of Sydney's western suburbs into Port Jackson. The southern parts of the city are drained by the Georges River and the Cooks River into Botany Bay. There is no single definition of the boundaries of Sydney. The Australian Statistical Geography Standard definition of Greater Sydney covers , and includes the local government areas of Central Coast in the north, Hawkesbury in the north-west, Blue Mountains in the west, Sutherland Shire in the south, and Wollondilly in the south-west. The local government area of the City of Sydney covers about 26 square kilometres from Garden island in the east to Bicentennial Park in the west, and south to the suburbs of Alexandria and Rosebery. Sydney is made up of mostly Triassic rock with some recent igneous dykes and volcanic necks (typically found in the Prospect dolerite intrusion, west of Sydney). The Sydney Basin was formed in the…

Most-observed species

• Rainbow Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Aves
  61,942
• Noisy Miner

  Manorina melanocephala (Latham, 1801) · Aves
  54,662
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  43,567
• Australian Ibis

  Threskiornis molucca (Cuvier, 1829) · Aves
  37,569
• Pied Currawong

  Strepera graculina (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  32,418
• Australian Raven

  Corvus coronoides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 · Aves
  31,460
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

  Cacatua galerita (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  31,044
• Welcome Swallow

  Hirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 · Aves
  30,397

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2025-05-28
  3 km WNW of Cobbitty, Australia
• M 3.5 — 2024-03-08
  14 km SSW of Woodford, Australia
• M 3.2 — 2012-09-10
  33 km ESE of Blue Bay, Australia
• M 3 — 2007-08-22
  24 km W of Oakdale, Australia
• M 3.2 — 2007-08-18
  10 km NW of Mittagong, Australia
• M 2.6 — 2007-08-18
  11 km NW of Mittagong, Australia