Australia unveiled the Sydney Opera House fifty years ago today - but it almost looked completely different
The Sydney Opera House is a distinct and unique piece of architecture, with the city celebrating the 50th anniversary of it's opening today.
Danish designer Jørn Utzon ultimately won a competition to design the national opera house at Bennelong Point with his concrete shells concept.
But what would the harbour look like if one of the other hundreds of entries won?
From a hulking brutalist concept, to a "vivid red façade" - here's what could've come to life in the harbour had the iconic sails not been picked.
Philadelphia Collaborative Group
This design by The Philadelphia Collaborative Group came in second place and cuts a very different shape to the Opera House.
Inspired by a nautilus shell, it consists of a spiral form with full-height windows, topped with a roof made from folded concrete covered in copper.
Seven seminal American architects who taught at the University of Pennsylvania designed the building.
From another angle, the design takes a different shape, with a large pegasus statue taking pride of place by the water.
Vine and Vine
But the judges didn't favour the two-hall design, and it lacked the drama needed to become one of Australia's most recognisable buildings.
Sir Eugene Goossens
This design, by Sir Eugene Goossens was never officially entered into the design competition - but it was still considered for the Opera House's final look.
The art deco design featured an outdoor music bowl out the front.
Goossens was both the conductor for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the director for the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music.
He was one of the leading figures in the fight to get an official opera house built for Sydney.
SW Milburn and Partners
Stanley Wayman Milburn and Eric Dow's design is far boxier than the winning concept.
However, it did feature a helicopter pad on top.
The duo worked together at W & TR Milburn and eventually left together in 1947 to form a new firm.
Milburn went on to win a competition to design the Welsh Medical School at Cardiff, but died before seeing it completed.
The design features a promenade under a raised building.
Peter Kollar and Balthazar Korab
Peter Kollar ended up calling Australia home after fleeing a brutal regime in Hungary in 1950.
His collaborative entry with Balthazar Korab was the highest-ranking entry from Australia.
After arriving in Australia, Kollar joined the architecture faculty at Sydney's University of New South Wales where he lectured until his death in 2010.
Judges commended Kollar and Korab's design for its "very skilful planning".
Korab was prominent in architectural photography and was based in Detroit for most of his career.
His work is said to have captured the moodiness and romanticism of even the most austere buildings.
Paul Boissevain and Barbara Osmond
Another boxy concept was dreamt up by the Dutch-British husband-and-wife architectural duo, Paul Boissevain and Barbara Osmond.
Competition judges were impressed with the human scale of the two buildings, which are separated by a courtyard and promenade.
The design's emphasis on walking is reminiscent of the tilted ground-to-roof walkway of the Oslo Opera House in Norway, which was built 50 years after Boissevain and Osmond's unrealised vision.
The iconic sails as we've come to know and love them.
Read on to see some unforgettable moments featuring the Sydney Opera House.
In the 50 years since it opened, it has welcomed arrivals to the city from it's prominent position in Sydney Harbour.
Celebrity Cruises cruise ship Solstice approaches Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour on a summer morning at sunrise in 2020.
Prince Harry at the Sydney Opera House on May 7, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. Prince Harry visited Sydney following a month-long deployment with the Australian Army.
The Sydney Opera House sails are illuminated as part of the yearly Vivid festival.
The Sydney Opera House sails illuminated in green and gold in support of the Matildas, as they took on Denmark in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Cathy Freeman's Olympic gold winning 400m race from the 2000 Sydney Olympics was projected onto the Sydney Opera House. 25th September 2020,
The Sydney Opera House has also lit up with a Progress Pride Flag on 17 February 2023 to mark the start of Sydney WorldPride, in a visible display of welcome to locals and tourists alike.