BIRTHDAY BRILLIANCE

Some of the world’s top tourist attractions celebrate major birthdays in 2023, and we’ve got the lowdown on the ones you need to visit

2023 is a year packed with anniversaries, starting with a very special birthday for Australia's Sydney Opera House, which is turning 50. There's a packed calendar of special events to mark the occasion, although we recommend heading to one of the venue's festivals, which include Inside/ Out at the House in May and the Open House Festival in October.

If you're heading down under, consider combining a visit to Sydney with a ride on the Ghan, the luxurious sleeper train. Next year marks 20 years since the first passenger train reached Darwin on the Ghan's Alice Springs-Darwin stretch, allowing passengers to travel the entire 2,979-kilometre journey from Adelaide to Darwin by train for the first time.