Albury Sydney has local musical and theatrical institutions including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Theatre Company, and the Sydney Dance Company. Annual cultural events include the Archibald Prize, a competition organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the Sydney Festival, a celebration of music, theatre and visual arts, held in January. The Sydney Opera House has five theatres capable of hosting a range of performance styles. For seven months of the year, it is the home of Opera Australia, the third busiest opera company in the world. Other venues include the Sydney Town Hall, City Recital Hall, the State Theatre and the Wharf Theatre.

Melbourne Melbourne is often referred to as Australia's garden city, and the state of Victoria is officially known as "the garden state". There is an abundance of parks and gardens close to the CBD with a variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas, pedestrian pathways, and tree lined avenues. There are also many parks in the surrounding suburbs of Melbourne, such as in the cities of Stonnington and Booroondara, south east of the CBD.

Melbourne Melbourne is often referred to as Australia's garden city, and the state of Victoria is officially known as "the garden state". There is an abundance of parks and gardens close to the CBD with a variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas, pedestrian pathways, and tree lined avenues. There are also many parks in the surrounding suburbs of Melbourne, such as in the cities of Stonnington and Booroondara, south east of the CBD.

Sydney Sydney hosts many different festivals including the Sydney Festival, a celebration involving both indoor and free outdoor performances throughout January; the Big Day Out, a travelling rock music festival which originated in Sydney; the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras along Oxford Street; the Sydney Film Festival and many other smaller festivals such as Tropfest and Archibald Prize, a competition organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Sydney Sydney hosts many different festivals including the Sydney Festival, a celebration involving both indoor and free outdoor performances throughout January; the Big Day Out, a travelling rock music festival which originated in Sydney; the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras along Oxford Street; the Sydney Film Festival and many other smaller festivals such as Tropfest and Archibald Prize, a competition organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.