Port Jackson , more commonly known as Sydney Harbour , carves Sydney in two halves, linked only by the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Harbour Tunnel. The South Shore is the hub of activity, and it's here that you'll find the city centre and most of the things to see and do. Many of the classic images of Sydney are within sight of Circular Quay , making this busy waterfront area on Sydney Cove a good point to start discovering the city, with the Opera House and the expanse of the Royal Botanic Gardens to the east of Sydney Cove. It's also near the historic area of The Rocks to the west, and prominent museums and art galleries. From Circular Quay south as far as King Street is the Central Business District (CBD), with pedestrianized Martin Place at its centre. Just east of Martin Place, Macquarie Street is Sydney's civic streetscape, lined with fine colonial sandstone buildings including the New South Wales Parliament House. Beyond Macquarie Street the open space of The Domain stretches to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. To the south of the Domain, Hyde Park is very much the formal city park, overlooked by churches and the Australian Museum and with a solemn war memorial.
Park Street divides Hyde Park into two; heading west along it you reach the ornate Town Hall , around which Sydney's shopping heart is focused, including the glorious Queen Victoria Building. Watching over it all is the AMP Centrepoint Tower , with 360-degree views from the top. The city's two main thoroughfares of George and Pitt streets stretch downtown to the increasingly down-at-heel Central Station and the area known as Haymarket , where a vibrant Chinatown sits beside the entertainment area of Darling Harbour , with its major museums and attractions.
