Travelers take in the view and snap photos as they pass by the Sydney Opera House while riding on a... 
(AP)
Can you visit Down Under without the cost going up and over? Too right, mate.
Australia is a long way from just about everywhere else and the airfare alone will blow a big hole in any travel budget. But in Sydney, the country's largest city and one of its major drawcards, some of the best things to do and see are free, or nearly so.
THE HARBOR: From the landmark Sydney Opera House and the harbor bridge to towering skyscrapers, parks and multimillion-dollar mansions, Sydney huddles around the glittering azure waters of Port Jackson.
The best ways to see it all is by boat, though a charter cruise can cost thousands. Instead, why not take one of the ferries that shuffle workers to and from downtown each day? From Circular Quay, ride past the opera house, the former prison island of Fort Denison and some of the city's most exclusive properties (ask a local if they can point out Russell Crowe's apartment at Woolloomooloo) to Watson's Bay for about $3.55 return (5.20 Australian dollars), http://www.sydneyferries.info. Buy takeout fish and chips on the wharf and brave the seagulls on the small beach before retiring to the Watson's Bay Hotel beer garden — , http://www.watsonsbayhotel.com.au/ — to watch the sun set over the city skyline.
THE ICONS: The white sails that form the roof of the Sydney Opera House — http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com — make it one of the world's most recognizable buildings, and one of the greatest meldings of architecture and art. You can take a guided tour of the interior for about $19 (A$27.50) and hear the tragedy-tinged story of architect Joern Utzon's masterpiece. But the real appeal is the exterior, and it costs nothing to look. The thickest crowds are at dusk, when kids run up and slide down parts of the building and people mill around on the steps. Make a game of counting the minutes before a tourist asks you to snap his or her picture in front of the landmark.
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