2000: Sydney: The Cheap Manhattan

When I was younger, I remember reading a reference to Sydneys as "little Manhattan" which I believed referred to our skyline. Sydney streets can also easily resemble streets in New York, especially Lower Manhattan where narrow streets bend, surrounded by tall buildings.

Two decades ago, Sydney was not just attracting Hollywood blockbusters, but also American advertisers. With the Australian Dollar averaging around $US 0.58 cents, American advertising agencies could stretch their dollar further.

Access to local actors and props meant any part of Sydney could be turned into an American city with great ease.

Below is an article as published in The Daily Telegraph in June 2000.

Source: Skelsey, M. 2000. "The Cheap Apple: Budget Sydney lures ad makers". The Daily Telegraph, June 13: 5. 

Even in recent years, Sydney has been featured in American commercials, even if they feature in just  split second shots. One commercial by Opdivo in 2016 featured Sydney in its entirety, though cars drove on the right hand side of the road.