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At first glance, Sydney’s appeal seems obvious: an extraordinarily beautiful harbor, balmy weather, world-class food and wine, and a people brimming with an antipodean case of joie de vivre. But things weren’t always so sunny. In the late twentieth century, Sydney labored under the yoke of its reputation as a destination that was all style and no substance, like a flashily clad dame whose charms were destined to fade. On top of that, the city long suffered from an inferiority complex, having lived in the shadow of its southern sister Melbourne, for many years the country’s financial and cultural hub.

How times have changed. These days the enthusiasm and optimism in Sydney are electrifying. Maybe it has something to do with the country’s steady stretch of economic prosperity. Last year, the stock market index broke through the magical 5,000 mark, a milestone that served to confirm Australia’s collective wealth. In addition, foreign investments have been flowing into Sydney from around the globe. Or the tipping point that was the 2000 Olympic Games, a euphoric time during which the city’s boom got under way in earnest and Sydney finally claimed its place on the world stage (for many, the buzz never wore off). Then again, it could be the city’s newly acquired status as a premier food and wine mecca, complete with maestros like Tetsuya Wakuda, whose restaurant was named in the top five worldwide by an international panel of judges for London’s Restaurant Magazine. Australian cuisine—much like Australian culture—is no longer an oxymoron.