Sister Cities

 The Town had the honour of declaring "Sister Cities" relationships with three cities: on May 3, 1984, with the City of Cairns, Queensland, Australia; on June 7, 1996 with the City of Anacortes, Washington, USA; and on June 30, 2008 with the City of Niimi, Japan.  In establishing these affiliations, each community has a greater opportunity to develop meaningful and long term relationships and enjoying mutual benefits in tourism and economic development.

The Sidney Sister Cities Association (SSCA) facilitated communications and played a key role in the twinning of these cities. The Association is a non-profit organization made up of community volunteers who work on behalf of the Town to promote peace through respect, understanding and cooperation. The goal of the SSCA is to foster international relationships, understanding and cooperation at the grass roots level, person to person and between organizations. The Association is continuing to grow and strengthen relationships with Cairns and Anacortes and is pleased to have ties with our new sister city Niimi, Japan.  The prospects for new professional, educational, recreational and cultural exchanges are excellent and the Association is continuing to move ahead to help Sidney become internationally known.