Oxford Street, the heart of Sydney's gay area, buzzes with cafes and clubs (gay, straight and mixed) while the established red-light district of Kings Cross continues to cater for the seedier side of life. The Rocks was the original drinking heart of the city and in the early 20th century it was the raucous setting for the 'six o'clock swill', when workers would drink as much as possible before the pubs shut at 1800. Today the period pubs have been cleaned up for the huge tourist clientele and drinks at the harbourside terraces are expensive but worth it for the views.

Sydney's night owls are predominantly designer clad. Bouncers at the more fashionable clubs enforce strict dress codes and ID checks. The days of the six o'clock swill are long gone - Sydney's licensing hours are extremely relaxed. At any hour of the day or night, someone somewhere is serving drinks to anyone over the legal age of 18.

For up-to-date listings, free weekly entertainment guides Drum Media (website: www.drummedia.com.au) and 3D World (website: www.threedworld.com.au) are available at most city-centre bookshops and record stores, as is the gay and lesbian Sydney Star Observer (website: www.ssonet.com.au). The arts and entertainment magazine Time Out (website: www.timeoutsydney.com.au) has recently launched in Sydney and is an excellent guide to what's on in the city. The Sydney Morning Herald (website: www.smh.com.au) also carries a comprehensive entertainment guide, 'Metro', in the Friday edition.

Bars: The Establishment, 252 George Street, lives up to its name as Sydney's de rigueur after-work drinking place. Chic and enormous, it incorporates the exclusive Hemmesphere cocktail lounge. Middle Bar, 383 Bourke Street, plays host to many beautiful young things. East Village, 234 Palmer Street, offers a sophisticated take on the classic Sydney pub, as does the beautiful art deco Civic, 388 Pitt Street.

ECQ, 69 Macquarie Street, has stunning views of the Harbour Bridge - and equally as stunning prices. The Victoria Room, 235 Victoria Street, fills its cavernous space with British colonial décor and sophisticated drinkers. The Colombian, corner of Oxford Street and Crown Street, offers the best of both worlds: straight upstairs and gay downstairs.

The Stonewall, 175 Oxford Street, is another good place to start a gay night out in Sydney - there are DJs, drag shows and friendly faces galore. The Darlo Bar, 306 Liverpool Street, the Green Park Hotel, 360 Victoria Street, and the Bank Hotel, 324 King Street, are where the younger inner-city crowd converge for pool and beer.

Clubs: Sydney takes clubbing very seriously. It is always safer to dress up rather than down and be prepared to queue. Home, Cockle Bay Wharf (website: www.homesydney.com), has four different sections featuring funk, techno, two-step and disco. Tank, 3 Bridge Lane, is part of The Establishment complex, 252 George Street (see above). The Chinese Laundry, 1 Slip Street, combines a blistering sound system with mock East Asian décor.

Sydney's well-connected society clubbers go to Cave, Pirrama Road, while the old stand-by, Q Bar, 44 Oxford Street, is a reliable choice for mid-week clubbing. Other notable venues include Soho, 171 Victoria Street (website: www.sohobar.com.au), and The World Bar, 24 Bayswater Road (website: www.theworldbar.com). The gay dance scene revolves around Arq, 16 Flinders Street (website: www.arqsydney.com.au).

Live Music: The Hopetoun Hotel, 416 Bourke Street, and the Annandale Hotel, 17 Parramatta Road (website: www.annandalehotel.com.au), are the best centrally located venues for up-and-coming bands, while leading Australian and international acts perform at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, Harbour Street (website: www.sydentcent.com.au), the Metro, 624 George Street (website: www.metrotheatre.com.au), and the Enmore Theatre, 130 Enmore Road (website: www.enmoretheatre.com.au). Jazz fans can find world-class performers at the Basement, 29 Reiby Place (website: www.thebasement.com.au).