Sydney Open 2014

Overview

Once a year, Sydney Living Museums hand their keys to the city over to the general public. For one glorious day, we can wander freely into more than 50 buildings that are usually rather tough to access, unless you're some kind of very important person. The Sydney Open list covers more than 200 years of architecture across a range of civic and private purposes.

Included are a number of theatres, from the Eternity Playhouse, the former tabernacle where reformed alcoholic Arthur Stace may have been inspired to scrawl 'Eternity' on Sydney's streets, to the grandiose and gilded State Theatre; several present and past financial and political institutions, including the Reserve Bank and Government House; an array of contemporary marvels, such as Harry Seidler's 9 Castlereagh and 8 Chifley; and a bunch of artsy, creative spaces, like Alaska Projects at Stockton House and the William Street Arch, where Underbelly Arts works its magic.

If you're keen to take an especially close look at any particular building and learn more about its history, or get inside a place that isn't on the main list, you can opt to take a guided 'Focus Tour'. Purchase your Sydney Open City Pass or book a tour before October 17 to go in the draw to win one of 100 Golden Tickets, which gives you access to an exclusive adventure inside the Queen Victoria Building's ultra-fancy dome.