It’s known as Bennelong Point to most.  The Gadigal people of the Eora Nation call it Dubbagullee.

On it once stood a house built for an Aboriginal man captured by First Fleet Governor Arthur Phillip in 1789.  The man’s name was Woollarawarre Bennelong (hence Bennelong Point).

Due to the land’s strategic importance in Sydney Harbour, a fort was built there in the early 1800s, named Fort Macquarie after New South Wales Governor Lachlan Macquarie.

A man standing at Fort Macquarie, circa 1858-1859

In 1901, Fort Macquarie was torn down as the city of Sydney had grown around Bennelong Point.  The decision was made to open a tram depot on Bennelong Point to store tram cars when not in use.  To pay homage to the (settler’s) history and the fort that once stood there, the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot was built in a similar style to the fort.

In 1958, the tram depot reached the end of its line.  It was demolished to make way for an epic project that would change the face of Sydney forever.  A project with an original budget of $7 million and an estimated 4 years to complete.

It ended up being completed 10 years late, 1357% over budget, and was largely funded by a state lottery.

You may have heard of it.  If you’ve come to visit me in Sydney, you surely have seen it.

The Sydney Opera House is an icon, truly one of the most magnificent structures ever built by man.  It is likely the first thing people think of when someone mentions Sydney (besides the spiders).

I’ve captured the Opera House from almost every angle at every time of day, from across the Harbour…

To a long exposure from Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair (seriously like half of Sydney is named after Lachlan Macquarie or his wife it seems)…

To the numerous pieces of Ferry Content I share on my Instagram stories as I pass by on the ferry.

Suffice it all to say, I’ve seen the Sydney Opera House almost daily for the past two years.  It hasn’t gotten old, it is still as beautiful as the first time I laid eyes on the majestic, iconic design.

I’ve posted plenty of pictures of the Opera House over my various social accounts and this blog.  I was bored one Sunday and thought “why don’t I take a closer look?  What it would look like to capture the intricate details of the Opera House from up close?”

Well, I cannot personally fly, and drones are not allowed in that party of Sydney Harbour, so I grabbed the next best thing: a Fuji GFX100sII camera and mounted a 500mm f5.6 lens.

A close look at the Sydney Opera House

I wanted to find every angle I could.

Many people see the “shell” design of the Opera House but never see inside the shells.  Now you can.

(and yes, people do clean it pretty frequently)

What surprises many people is that the shell-like roofs of the Opera House are not made of fabric or canvas, but actually a million carefully-placed tiles.

I walked into the Royal Botanical Gardens for another perspective.

When captured in isolation, I thought the tips of the shells almost resemble the back of an echidna.

Then some birds flew in front so I had to get that shot to give the roof some scale.

From the right angle, you cannot really tell whether you are looking at the front or the back of the Opera House.  Then again, I’m not sure I could tell you what the actual front and back of the Opera House actually are.  I felt like when I zoomed in close enough, it almost became abstract.

Seeing the spines inside each shell added some nice texture to the shots, especially when the Harbour Bridge came into view.

From the right angle, it looked like the roof of the Opera House was built to follow the lines of the Harbour Bridge.

With the right angle, you even caught three different lines matching up to the Harbour Bridge!

And then I captured a sight that really encapsulated the moment: the Australian flag and Australian Aboriginal flag flying side by side, representing the joint history (however tragic) of the land I was standing upon, as well as some tourists enjoying BridgeClimb Sydney at the top of the Harbour Bridge representing the 10 million visitors the Opera House sees each year.

My efforts continued with some incorporation of a small portion of the interior of the Opera House (I’ll show you the inside someday).

As I began to walk back around towards my ferry home to Manly, I couldn’t help but capture a non-zoomed view of the Opera House, the tree just created too nice a frame.

I made my way around the western side of the Opera House as the sun continued to set, casting a warm glow on the tiles of the roof(s).

I boarded my ferry as the sun finally made its way below the horizon and captured one more photo, with the colours changing ever so slightly and the light softening up the scene.

And thus wrapped a wonderful afternoon (“arvo”, in Australian English) hanging out with an Opera House.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures!