If you are looking from a bird’s view, it might seem simple from that height, but the closer you go, the more intricate it gets with the boundaries of Sydney city, the state capital of New South Wale. It is situated on the country’s eastern coast.
One of the largest cities in the country, and not just that, it holds some historical importance too for the continent. What is metropolitan Sydney? The word metropolitan suggests a large city or constituting a mother country from a colony, and that’s why they call it metropolitan because it covers a larger area, including Sydney.
Historical Aspect of the City of Sydney
As the historical evidence says, Sydney is the oldest city in Australia or even the Ancestor of the whole of the continent. Lieutenant James Cook first landed at the Silver beach and got in contact with a clan named Gweagal; they came from Europe, and that was the first recorded encounter between the Australians and the Europeans.
These people were called “Eora” By James Cook and their fellows, which means ” from this place.” The people who inhabited the city were Indigenous Australians, basically who migrated from the Northern part of Australia and used to live in clans initially.
New South Wales
New South Wales state, a coastal state of Australia on the country’s eastern side. The state of New South Wales covers the area from Queensland in the north to Victoria in the south, South Australia on the west side, and as it’s a coastal state, the eastern side is surrounded by the Coral and the Tasman seas.
Local Government Areas
It is further divided into LGAs, which stands for local government areas, and states having around 128 LGAs. These areas in groups form different parts within the state, for example, Metropolitan Sydney and Greater Sydney. They both are different at the same time and overlap to some extent.
Looking at that area on the map and even politically, Greater Sydney includes some local government areas, which Metropolitan Sydney doesn’t even though they seem to be within the Metropolitan area. It can be said that the former one sheets the latter one, but they are not the same.
Suburbs
Each local government region is further subdivided into suburbs.
What is Metropolitan Sydney?
1. About Metropolitan Sydney
Metropolitan Sydney is on the eastern side of the state and includes the city of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick, Canada bay, Inner west, Bayside, and Woollahra local government areas. It covers the area till Hornsby in the north and Sutherland Shire in the south. On the west side, it goes till the blue Mountains.
Hawkesbury is a local government area, and Hornsby is a suburb of this. Metropolitan Sydney has 33 local government areas and is further divided into suburbs.
Local government areas within the NSW state are sorted by region in clusters. There are 658 Suburbs in Sydney metropolitan area. They form different regions like Metropolitan Sydney or Greater one, Murray, The Riverina, Southeast region, Central West, Northwest, and many more.
If we focus more on the map of the metropolitan region, we can further see these LGAs in clusters forming the region. What is metropolitan Sydney will be clarified by dividing it into directions.
(i) The eastern coastal side covers the inner west council, Northern Beaches, Sydney city, Woollahra, Bayside council, and others.
(ii) The northern side spreads over areas like Hills Shire and Hornsby.
(iii) Penrith city also Liverpool are on the western side of local government areas.
(iv) The Southern area includes Sutherland shire, Campbelltown, and others.
Just like its boundaries overall, you would find little intricacy within regions as some of the regions overlap a bit with the state capital. To understand in detail, we would explore a little deeper as we move further.
2. Difference between Metropolitan Sydney and Greater Sydney Region
Even though the Greater and the Metropolitan Sydney both are different, they overlap on the Physical Map to some extent, but politically they share the difference.
The blue mountains on the west Central Coast on the eastern side. From the Hawkesbury to the Northern Beaches regions (the Northern Beaches regions are different than North beach) in the North, Wollondilly, and Sutherland regions in the bottom and going further south,
The Wollongong and The Shellharbour are the southernmost LGAs of the Greater Sydney region. As the name suggests, Greater Sydney covers a larger area than the Metropolitan.
Hoping that you might have got the idea about what is metropolitan Sydney and how it is related to other nearby areas.
3. Some Tourist Spots in Metropolitan Sydney Area and Nearby
Sydney is also called the “Emerald City” or “harbor city,” Known for its two famous places, the “harbor bridge,” Which looks like a coat hanger, and sometimes the residents of Sydney call it the hanger bridge or coat hanger. Another well-known place is the Sydney opera house, which also comes under the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
These two famous tourist spots are situated at Sydney Harbor, which is natural and formed by the inlet of the Tasman sea. one of Its main tributaries is the Parramatta River. If you look on a map, you will see how this estuary enters Sydney and has its mouth as Port Jackson.
If you view this geographically, the Ocean surrounds the continent in the southern hemisphere, such a great location but not just from the above. When you explore closely, you will find the rich biodiversity it has to offer.
even though we want to know about every gem, In the form of flora and fauna, time and words are not going to be enough, so let’s explore a little about some of the well-known parks and places;
The Blue Mountains
This region has a lot to offer and is one of the places that add to the state’s charm about an hour away from Sydney. Blue mountains come under the world heritage sites, and you can experience deep valleys, canyons, waterfalls, and bushwalking tracks, which are easy to moderate to go through.
Sydney Harbor National Park
Sydney Harbor National Park is located in Greater Sydney, offering its features in the form of Islands, Bays, and Foreshore. Not just that, you will explore some sites here of historical importance, lookout points, and secluded beaches.
If you enjoy mild activities like going for a picnic and walking, this park has perfect spots such as bushwalking tracks. Sydney Harbor comes under the supervision of NSW national parks and wildlife service.
Royal National Park
Royal National Park shares a perfect spot from a historical perspective, and even its name has a history behind it. This is the oldest national park in Australia and the second oldest in the world. It is located in the Sutherland Shire. The features of these parks are coastal heath, waterfalls, natural swimming pools, and beaches.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
The park is famous as a weekend destination for Sydneysiders and tourists and has many characteristics that give you variety in experiences in one place.
Like rainforests, rock cliffs, lookout points, Mangroves, Beaches, and many picnic areas, if you enjoy biking, it has got biking trails too.
Hyde Park
This 16.2-hectare rectangular-shaped park is well-known in Australia because the location is perfect. It is the oldest public parkland in Sydney and comes under the world heritage sites.
At a 20-25 minutes distance, you would find Bondi beach, a surrounding suburb in Sydney and one of Australia’s most visited tourist sites.
Not just these but many, Sydney offers a wide range of natural spots like waterways such as the Hawkesbury river, national parks, and gardens even within the city center and the CBD areas. The great part is that you can be inside the city and still enjoy such views.
4. Endemic Species in Area
When we think of nature, it’s not just about the scenic beauty or some pretty geological features but the precious fauna which completes the ecosystem.
People who like to spend time with them will not miss the opportunity to visit the various animals, and some of them are endemic, which means only found in Australia. Let’s explore a little about them.
Kangaroo
Hoping not only to seem a unique way of locomotion but energy efficient too, which may be due to the rough terrain of their habitat and where food and water are scarce.
They are marsupial, basically any member of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia and have this distinctive feature in them like they carry their young ones in a pouch, also called Marsupium.
Having bushy ears, a long nose, and a mouth that seems to be smiling at you, it looks like a bear, even sometimes called “koala bear,” But not a bear.
These tree-dwelling marsupials can be found in eastern and southern Australia. Mostly they eat eucalyptus leaves, a less nutritious plant, and I guess that’s why they spend most of their time sleeping.
Platypus
They have the appearance of a duck’s bill at first glance, feet of an otter, and waterproof fur, allowing them to have enough time in the water. This type is called a monotreme, like a mammal that lays eggs and is also one of the very few venomous mammals.
The males are known to have a spur on their hind foot which can kill a smaller animal and cause extreme pain in humans. These are just some of them we have tried to know about, but in reality, the fauna is rich and worth knowing about it.
have a look at this;
Even though we see, at times, most people get confused between what is Metropolitan Sydney and what the greater Sydney region is and refer to them as similar, they are different.
The whole place has many perfect spots that anyone would want to visit, but the NSW regions, being the easternmost coastal state in the country and the capital state of Sydney, hold even more importance.
