Fifth Test Match Australia v England. When 2 - 6 Jan 2007. Where Sydney Cricket Ground

England will start the fifth test 4 - 0 down and facing a whitewash for the first time in over 80 years. Maybe this will spur the team on and revive the "will to win" the "skill to win" might be in shorter supply.

Fifth Test Match: Australia v England.

When: 2 - 6 Jan 2007.

Where: Sydney Cricket Ground.

I just want to see some fight and pride on parade, not the dismal performances of previous matches.

Sydney looks like a good place to visit regardless of what sporting events are taking place.

Destination Guides > Australasia & South Pacific > Australia > New South Wales > Sydney

Flying into Sydney provides a thrilling close-up snapshot of the city as the aeroplane swoops alongside sandstone cliffs and golden beaches, revealing toy-sized images of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House tilting in a glittering expanse of blue water. Towards Mascot airport the red-tiled roofs of suburban bungalows stretch ever southwards, blue squares of swimming pools shimmering from grassy backyards. The night views are nearly as spectacular, skyscrapers topped with colourful neon lights while the illuminated white shells of the Opera House reflect on the dark water as ferries crisscross to Circular Quay.

Sydneysiders are sports mad, especially for the ostensibly passive spectator sports of rugby league, Aussie Rules football, cricket, tennis and horse racing. No matter what it is, from surf lifesaving competitions to yacht races, it'll draw a crowd. They're keen participants too, whether it's a game of squash or the latest infatuation with yoga, but getting into (or onto) the water is their greatest joy. The Sydney Morning Herald 's Friday listings supplement, "Metro", has a Sport and Leisure section, with details of the best events around town.

Sydney has several great eat streets, each with a glut of cafés and restaurants: Victoria Street and Oxford Street in Darlinghurst, Macleay Street in Potts Point, Crown Street in Surry Hills, King Street in Newtown, and the Darling Street strip running from Rozelle to Balmain.By the sea, Bondi Beach , Coogee and Manly all have countless café and dining options. The standout ethnic restaurant areas are: Italian on Stanley Street in East Sydney and Norton Street in Leichhardt; Turkish, Lebanese and Indian restaurants on Elizabeth Street and Cleveland Street in Surry Hills; Eastern European and Jewish around Bondi; and Chinese in the Chinatown section of Haymarket. Sydney's Vietnamese community is concentrated in Cabramatta , west of the CBD (fourteen stops from Central CityRail); there are some superb restaurants clustered along Park Road and John Street, just west of Cabramatta Station.

Destination Guides > Australasia & South Pacific > Australia > New South Wales > Sydney > Ocean beaches

Sydney's beaches are among its great natural joys, key elements in the equation that makes the city special. Its ocean beaches provide surf, but also some more sheltered coves, and there's usually a sea pool where you can swim laps away from the waves. With the harbour splitting the city in half, the two stretches of ocean beaches on either side are deemed the Northern Beaches - which continue beyond Manly for 30km up to Barrenjoey Heads and Palm Beach - and the Eastern Beaches , which stretch south from Bondi to Maroubra.