THE BUILDING - SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957.

The Sydney Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. It is one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world.

The Sydney Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It sits at the northeastern tip of the Sydney central business district (the CBD), surrounded on three sides by the harbour (Sydney Cove and Farm Cove) and neighboured by the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Contrary to its name, the building houses multiple performance venues. As one of the busiest performing arts centres in the world, hosting over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people, the Sydney Opera House provides a venue for many performing arts companies including the four key resident companies Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and presents a wide range of productions on its own account. It is also one of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia, with more than seven million people visiting the site each year, 300,000 of whom take a guided tour.

The Sydney Opera House is administered by the Sydney Opera House Trust, under the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts.

Why Australians are rated as one of the most pet-loving countries in the world

Australians are rated as one of the most pet-loving counties in the world with 63 per cent of households owning a pet. For many of us our furry, feathered, scaly or aquatic friends are a huge part of our lives.

There is nothing we can't buy for our BFFs (Best Furry Friends) everything from designer label pet carriers, custom collars, luxury bedding, designer duds (for every occasion, even weddings), toys, doggles (goggles for dogs), helmets, car seats, training aids, designer dinnerware, monitoring systems and portable loos.

There's a plethora of services and treatments also available; doggie day care, pet psychics, state of the art boarding kennels with cable TV, holistic treatments and even cafes where you can share a pup-a-cino or order pet-friendly birthday cake.

These cute critters great and small have become an integral part of our families (at times in place of children) or our companions, during sickness, emotional trauma or keeping the empty nesters and elderly company.

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The Commonwealth Bank released a study on their own customers' spending habits last year and found they spent $345 million on pets compared with $58 million on gym fees.

Of the 2,241,859 individual pet-related transactions recorded, $101 million was spent on vet services, $54 million at pet stores and related suppliers, $2.6 million was splurged on boarding and kennels and $640 000 was spent on grooming services.

So we like to flash our cash when it comes to our pets, but what are they giving us in return?

The experts agree ... there is no doubt our pets are good for us, they can help lower blood pressure, lessen anxiety, boost immunity, improve our mood and even help our love lives (nothing like swapping doggie stories and numbers in the park over a pooper-scooper).

Current research also shows cats are also very important for preventing death from heart arracks. "Results of a decade-long study suggest cats may have special health-sustaining qualities, which is probably no big surprise to Americans, who own more cats than dogs. For 10 years, Adnan Qureshi, professor of neurosurgery and neurology at the University of Minnesota, followed 4,500 people and in 2008 announced his study's intriguing conclusions: Those who owned a cat were 40% less likely to die from heart attacks than those who had no feline in their lives. 

Is Australia Still The 'lucky country' for a better life?

Australia has been revealed as the world's happiest industrialized nation for the third year running, based on criteria including satisfaction, work-life balance, income and housing,

The so-called "lucky country" beat Sweden and Canada to take the top spot in the (O E C D)

Australia has remained largely immune from the global financial crisis, with its economy growing on average 3.5% over the last 20 years to 2012, according to the CIA.

The economy of the natural resource-rich nation has been buoyed by strong demand from Asia and China, while its robust financial sector has helped combat the global downturn.

Such growth is in stark contrast to recessions which have gripped Europe and the U.S. since the financial crisis exploded in 2007.

Australia's employment levels, at 73% of those aged 15 to 64, are above the OECD average of 66%. Average household disposable income sits at $28,884, more than the OECD average of $23,047 and despite Australians working an average 83 hours less a year.

Life expectancy, at 82 years, is two years higher than the OECD average of 80 years and satisfaction, at 84%, is higher than the 80% global average.

In its report, the OECD said Australians felt "a strong sense of community and high levels of civic participation," with 94% of people feeling like they knew someone to rely on should they need help.

Sweden came second in the survey, with the same life expectancy as Australia but a lower disposable income of $26,242. Employment for those aged between 15 and 64, sits at 74%, and in general, Swedes are "more satisfied with their lives than the OECD average," the survey found.

According to the report, 85% of Australian people said they had more positive experiences on an average day, such as pride and enjoyment, than negatives ones such as pain or boredom.