Next to the opera house is the Royal Botanical Gardens . Centrepoint Tower, another Sydney landmark, has a restaurant and observation gallery with views of the city and harbour. It's Australia's tallest and the Southern Hemisphere's second tallest building. The Rocks at Circular Quay West near the Sydney Opera House were home to Australia's first European settlement . The area, which has maintained its colonial atmosphere, has many historic buildings, pubs, galleries and arts and craft shops.
Beaches are a big part of life in Sydney.
There is the famous Bondi Beach , popular with the younger crowd, south of the Sydney's harbour, and Manly Beach, which is accessible by walking, driving, or by ferry. It is attached to the mainland by road. Rip tides are strong at the beaches and every year thousands of tourists get hurt when they go out too far. Shark attacks are another danger and shark nets are usually set up about 1 km offshore. When the nets aren't up signs warn people to swim at their own risk.