What are some places that are worth seeing in Australia other than the harbor and the opera house?

You should take a trip to the Blue Mountains for the day. Go to Taronga Zoo, one of the most beautiful zoos in the world. Take a walk from Circular Quay up Argyle St under the Sydney Harbour Bridge approaches to Observatory Hill. The view from the top is well worth the walk and the Observatory is worth seeing. Stroll down the hill to the Lord Nelson Hotel where they brew their own beer. Walk back towards the Bridge and turn left at the Garrison Church which is worth a visit. Carry on down the hill past the hero of Waterloo hotel, Australia's oldest pub. Stop for a beer if you feel thirsty then continue down to Dawes Point under the Bridge. Follow the sea wall round to the Overseas Passenger Terminal and the Museum of Contemporary art back to Circular Quay. carry on round to the Opera House and then through the Botanic Gardens to Mrs Macquarie's chair. You can get a red bus back to the city if you are feeling a bit tired by then. It is a lovely walk. Take the ferry to Manly. Walk down the Corso to Manly Beach and have fish and chips on the beach. Go to Bondi and see Australia's most famous beach. Macquaries St has some of Australia's oldest civic buildings with the Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney Hospital, Parliament House and the State library. The Australian museum is just up the road in College St. Other museums include the Powerhouse and the Maritime Museums, both near or in Darling Harbour and there is always the Art gallery. You should Google "What's on in Sydney" to find any particular events that are on while you are there that you might want to go to. You could spend weeks in Sydney, it is Australia's biggest and oldest city and the most beautiful. Melbourne is a fine city too but it isn't a patch on Sydney.

Blue Mountains, Sydney Aquarium and Taronga Zoo is all I can think of that isn't the Opera House/Bridge/Harbour. But I agree with the other two posters and say that you should definitely take a trip to Melbourne while you are in Australia. It's the best city for shopping, dining, culture, art, music, cafes, and nightlife too! If you want to do touristy things, head to the Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne Aquarium, Melbourne Zoo, Eureka Skydeck, NGV, Federation Square and MCG. Melbourne is only about an hour's flight south from Sydney.

If you can swing it, do yourself a favor and hop a quick flight down to Melbourne! The flight is roughly an hour and completely worth it. Melbourne is a fun, artsy, musical city with great shopping (Bourke Street), art galleries, tons of fabulous restaurant (try South Bank area for both shopping, beautiful restaurants and a great evening atmosphere), walk along the Yarra river, check out Flinders Street Station...the possibilities are endless! If you need to stay in the Sydney area, however, one easy way to see several major sites is to book a touring company. Down near the Opera House and along the harbour area are many booking agencies - beware of sharks and book directly through a company and not a subcontractor or you'll lose a few bucks! These companies will take you on a journey of several sites via bus; you can get on and off at will, as the buses continue to pick up and drop off at 15 minute intervals through out the day. One hot spot: Bondi Beach. It is probably the most famous beach in Australia, absolutely gorgeous and a great place to enjoy a beautifully sandy beach, gorgeous water and get a great tan. In addition, there is quite a lot of shopping near the habour, but it is slightly upscale, so be prepared to open your wallet! Have fun!

Definitely go to Cairns and see the Great Barrier Reef as it is stunning. Maybe do one of those Quicksilver trips. Also seeing the rain forest at Cape Tribulation is also breath taking. Another not to miss is Uluru and Olga's - the outback is spiritual, mysterious but amazing. Nothing beats seeing sun rise and sun set at Uluru. Do the sounds of silence dinner at Uluru too- amazing beyond words. So if my time was limited and it was my first time in Australia then I would do Sydney - Uluru- Cairns termed as Rock reef and harbour trip. I visited Australia in 2005 and loved it. We did Sydney, Melbourne, Uluru, Cairns, Brisbane. When in Sydney we did the bridge climb- twilight so you could see the harbour go from day light to dusk when all the lights come on - stunning, we also did a harbour lunch time cruise with captain cook cruises which was great and the food delicious - also fantastic photograph opportunities. We spent a day looking at all the wonderful shopping malls, did a day at the blue mountains and went on the railway which was great fun, went up centre point tower and posted post cards from the highest mail box in the southern hemisphere. I am planning another visit in about 2014 for my silver wedding anniversary if fortunate enough.

I totally agree with RunRunRun on the Melbourne side trip. I lived in Melbourne for a while so I am definitely bias but it has a lot of great streets close to the CBD with great food, nightclubs, alleyways for shopping etc. Sydney is international, too many people, too crowded and confusing to navigate. Although I thought the Chinese Gardens were beautiful! If you're travelling to Aust in your summer not ours then prepare for it be pretty cold. I went swimming in the ocean pool at Bondi in July and could only manage 40 metres before getting the shakes it was that cold. Come in summer when it's warmer then you can appreciate more of the Australian 'beach' culture in Melbourne, Brisbane, AND Sydney!

If you have time, go to Melbourne. Otherwise, if you're keen on culture, go to the museums. Highly recommended: Powerhouse Museum; Art Gallery of NSW. Also, don't forget to checkout the Royal Botanic Gardens, Bondi Beach, Manly Beach, Blue Mountains.