Sydney - Chinatown

A short distance south of the Town Hall is Sydney's Chinatown, centered on Dixon Street (pedestrian zone), with lion gates at each end on Goulburn Street and Hay Street. The area bustles with activity all week long, day and night, with different Chinese regional cuisines to choose from, shops and markets, a temple and offices, all labeled in Chinese script. Over the years Chinatown has spread beyond George Street towards Haymarket, covering a much larger area than the early 20th c. quarter in the Rocks.

In the first half of the 19th C some 2000 Chinese came to Sydney to work as coolies, but during the gold rush they came in their tens of thousands. A magnificent spectacle in Chinatown is the celebration of the Chinese New Year on the first full moon after January 21st.