In 1972 the Sydney Opera House was in the final stages of construction. With the external structure all but complete, this film focuses on the internal fit-out.

Accompanied by a chamber orchestra the Sydney Opera House is shown from many angles both inside and out.

Composer Larry Sitsky comments that the opera theatre has many 'liabilities'. Opera director Sam Wanamaker suggests that the space is manageable. 

The charismatic architect of the Sydney Opera House, Jørn Utzon, is initially enthusiastic about undertaking the construction of Australia’s most famous building.

The exterior walls of the Sydney Opera House were inspired by the sails of the pleasure craft on the nearby harbour.

A look back at the 2008 visit to Australia by Pope Benedict XVI through footage from the NFSA News and Current Affairs Program.

 The Ships that Flew, 1974 - Film Australia Collection © NFSA.

This sequence describes the impact of the 1960s development of the Sydney skyline on the work of labourers building its new skyscrapers. Summary by Susan Lambert.

A mother takes her twin children, Janet and Michael, for a birthday outing to Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo.

Desperate for a swim, Jimmy (Heath Ledger) buries an envelope containing $10,000 in the sand at Bondi beach.