The Seymour Centre, for example, is a suite of theatres where many performances are held at very reasonable prices. There’s an excellent school holiday program, and during the warmer months, bands perform in the courtyard outside the main entrance every Friday evening. You are welcome to sit and have a drink while listening to great music. Find out what’s happening at www.seymourcentre.com.
Further afield, many low-priced or free concerts are held at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. It’s worth being on the mailing list so you can find out what is going on in advance. See music.sydney.edu.au.
There are some fantastic talks you can attend at the Camperdown Campus. During October, for example, there are free talks on subjects ranging from the future of cancer care to environmental activism. Find out more at sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas.
For those who prefer sport, it’s worth checking out the Sydney University Sports and Fitness centre at www.susf.com.au. In addition to the fully equipped sports and aquatic centre, there’s also another smaller gym on campus, and a climbing centre, all of which are open to the public. The centre also hosts a range of short courses, from dancing to Pilates, and we have tennis and squash courts, martial arts, boot camps … the list goes on. Anyone can join our gym, or organise to use our excellent sporting facilities, and a great many community tournaments are held on campus.
The University’s museums and galleries are also open to the public for free. The Nicholson Museum is home to the largest collection of antiquities in the Southern Hemisphere. The Museum often features special exhibitions, and at the moment you can bring your children to see the Lego Pompeii. The Egyptian mummies are also bound to have them talking. The Macleay Museum has a great collection of natural history, while the University Art Gallery owns more than 7000 works, including Chinese art, Japanese woodcuts and a broad range of Australian art. Find out more at sydney.edu.au/museums.
On the more social side, the University of Sydney Union runs two bars on campus. Manning Bar and Hermann’s Bar each have regular bands, cheap meals and events including trivia and movie nights, and are open to the public as well as our students and staff.
Finally, we have a series of festivals all year, ranging from Vivid to concerts, such as this year’s Freedom Ride concert, to celebrations for Chinese New Year, to Disability Awareness Week. The campus is always open; come and see what we are up to, or keep an eye on our website for further information. On behalf of the University of Sydney, I welcome everyone.
