If you close your eyes and think "Sydney", the white-tiled sails of the Sydney Opera House are probably among the first images that spring to mind.
They have become iconic not just of the nation's most populous city but, for many, are also synonymous with Australia itself.
The World Heritage-listed building has been the site of tens of thousands of events in its near-50-year history — upwards of 38,000 have been staged in the last two decades alone.
