Begin here for a close-up gander at the great steel arc of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House's splendid sails. Here too, housed in a restored 1930s-designed building, is the Museum of Contemporary Art, tel: (61-2) 9245 2400, and the Customs House Library, tel: (61-2) 9242 8555. One block on, the Museum of Sydney, tel: (61-2) 9251 5988, is set behind a starkly beautiful art installation that marks initial contact between the British colonizers and the Cadigal people, the area's first Australians.

• 1. Museum of Contemporary Art
  140 George St, NSW 2000, Sydney, Australia; (61-2) 9245 2400 -33.86003151.209 mca.com.au
• 2. Customs House Library
  31 Alfred St, NSW 2000, Sydney, Australia; (61-2) 9242 8555 -33.8622151.21086 wickedthemusical.com.au
• 3. Museum of Sydney
  37 Phillip St, NSW 2000, Sydney, Australia -33.86363151.21136 hht.net.au