Draw the House
Slow down, observe…
Tour details
| Date | Artist | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday 26 October 2025 | Rosemary Lee | 9:45am - 11am 11:30am-12:45pm |
| Sunday 30 November 2025 | Christian Bonett | 9:45am - 11am 11:30am-12:45pm |
| Sunday 22 February 2026 | Christian Bonett | 9:45am - 11am 11:30am-12:45pm |
A $20 fee will be charged per transaction. It will be refunded after you’ve attended the tour.
Maximum two (2) tickets per person. Tickets registered in excess of the ticket limit may be cancelled without notice.
The only authorised agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about authorised agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
A social story provides information about what to expect when attending a venue or show. It has short descriptions with images. See the Centre for Creativity Social Story.
For any special access requirements phone the Contact Centre on + 61 02 9250 7777 or email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com.
The tour involves walking throughout the Opera House site to find interesting aspects of the building, so we will be stopping frequently to sit and draw. Please advise us upon booking if you have any particular learning or mobility needs for us to support.
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House.
This class is for all ages and skill levels, from beginners to experienced. Come solo, with a group of friends or a family member.
Please note that the tour route includes indoor and outdoor spaces across the Opera House, so there is a fair bit of walking up and down stairs. There will be moments to stop and sit during drawing activities to get your rest.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Please dress for the weather as we will be working outdoors. Participants must provide their own sketchbooks. Our venue is Heritage listed so please only bring dry drawing materials (pencils, charcoal pencils), not any oil or wet drawing materials (no oil pastels or watercolours).
The tour will meet at the Welcome Centre located on the Lower Concourse. Our Welcome Team will be around to help direct you. We highly recommend bringing sunscreen, a water bottle and wearing a hat.
This walking tour will visit various spaces throughout the Sydney Opera House and will include around 300 stairs. Pease wear flat, comfortable shoes - your feet will thank you! If you have any concerns about the intensity of the tour please contact our Tourism Reservations team on 02 9250 7250 or tourismbookings@sydneyoperahouse.com.
Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour to allow sufficient time to cloak all your bags and personal belongings. Where possible, please leave bags at home.
John Berger - Art Critic, Novelist, Painter & PoetDrawing is a way of coming upon the connection between things; just like metaphor in poetry reconnects what has become separated.
About the artists
Rosemary Lee is a Sydney based artist. She received a bachelor’s degree in fine art from the National Art School in 2018. Lee was the winner of the Dobell Drawing Prize, Megalo residency, William Fletcher grant for drawing, Clyde and Co. art award and ADFAS residency. She received the highly commended award in the Tony White Memorial, and has been selected as a finalist in the Portia Geach Memorial, Lester portrait prize, Brett Whiteley Travelling Scholarship and more. Lee is currently represented by Flinders Street Gallery.
Christian Bonett is a multidisciplinary artist living and working on Gadigal Land in Eora/Sydney. Bonett employs installation, ceramic sculpture, painting, and neon elements in his work. His work references iconic Australian cars, road signs, and the urban environments they occupy. Through playful manipulation of context, Bonett provocatively transforms, distorts, and subverts these everyday objects and spaces, challenging our perceptions of these forms to critique and challenge societal constructs of identity, gender, class, consumerism, and environmental concerns.
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Attending this tour
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
The tour meeting point is at the Welcome Centre located on the Lower Concourse of the Opera House.
It’s a great idea to arrive early, grab a drink and soak up the view. Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour to allow sufficient time to cloak any large bags.
This should allow enough time for the mandatory visual inspections and/or cloaking of bags and personal belongings by Opera House staff before starting your tour.
Where possible, please leave bags at home. If you bring a bag, those larger than A4 size will need to be cloaked before you can go on the tour. We're unable to store suitcases or large bags as we have limited cloaking facilities.
If you are going to be late for your tour please call our Reservations team on 02 8188 3734 for assistance.
If you are more than 5 minutes late from the start time of your tour, your tour will be forfeited and a refund will not be available. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the tour time so we can provide the best experience for you and other tour guests.
Where possible, please do not bring bags to the Sydney Opera House. Bags larger than A4 size will need to be cloaked before you can go on the tour. However we can’t store suitcases or large bags as our cloaking facilities are extremely limited.
Cameras are allowed on the tour and there are plenty of photo opportunities throughout the entire tour. Your tour guide will advise you whilst on tour if photographs are not to be taken inside any venues. Please note there is no video filming on the tour.
Mobile phones are permitted on the tour however please ensure they are switched off or on silent for the duration of the tour.
You will have the opportunity to visit some of the Opera House’s many venues and theatres on this tour.
Please note that as we are a busy performing arts centre, venues and theatres are subject to availability at the time of your tour.
You can make a booking for up to 11 people though our maximum capacity per tour is 35 people. For capacity reasons the booking must be made by calling 02 8188 3734. Our Reservations team will assist with your reservation.
We encourage you to purchase your tour in advance online or via the phone where you’ll receive an eTicket. Please bring this with you and present it upon check-in at the Welcome Centre located on the Lower Concourse of the Opera House.