Of course it is impossible to sum up a whole city of people in a few sentences, these views are based on our general experiences of Sydneysiders.

Most people (even Australians) find Sydneysiders to be cocky and a bit rude at first. This attitude is probably due to the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne for Australia’s best city (which is why neither of them is the capital). Most Sydneysiders believe their city not only to be the best in Australia but the best in the world. If Sydney were the capital city, this attitude probably would not be as prevalent; there would be nothing to prove.

The longer you spend in Sydney however, the more you understand their bravado is just a front (except for whenever a major sporting event occurs). Once you get to know them you will find most of them have hearts of gold and are more than willing to help out.

Sydney promotes itself as one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. While this may be a bit of an exaggeration, 30% of its population is born overseas. Most are from various parts of Asia (mainly China) which is not surprising considering Australia’s proximity to South-East Asia. Most Sydneysiders embrace this diversity however many are proud of their Australian culture and worry that such an influx of foreigners may dilute it. These simmering racial tensions overflowed in 2005 with riots on Sydney’s southern beaches. Aboriginals make up approximately 0.5% of the population of Sydney and many Sydneysiders appeared to be intolerant of Aborigines and their culture, seeing them mainly as a social nuisance.

However, relations between the Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people in Australia as a whole continue to improve, helped by the Australian Prime Minister’s apology in 2008 on behalf of the Government for the Stolen Generations.