The Drover's Wife at the Sydney Opera House

No trip to Sydney is complete without a visit to its most famous building. And the best thing to do when you visit the Sydney Opera House is to come inside and see an opera performance.

The Drover's Wife is a monumental new opera based on Leah Purcell's groundbreaking adaptation of Henry Lawson's classic short story. Emotional melodies, lush orchestration and operatic grandeur meet contemporary Aboriginal storytelling.

Molly Johnson is a survivor. Heavily pregnant, she's left alone to care for her children in a remote Snowy Mountains shanty. Between the snakes, bullocks and hostile travellers on her doorstep, she faces no shortage of threats. With her husband away droving sheep, she faces them alone. But when Yadaka, an Aboriginal man evading colonial authorities, disrupts Molly's hard-won sanctuary, the pair's shared history of brutal hardships can no longer be ignored.

Melodies soar with raw emotion. Luscious orchestrations capture the beauty and violence of the Australian High Country. Grand opera traditions meet contemporary Aboriginal storytelling. Australia's newest opera star, Nina Korbe (West Side Story on Sydney Harbour), leads the cast as the titular drover's wife in a role that will leave you breathless.

A must-see if you love Australian stories, outback thrillers, Henry Lawson, contemporary treatments of classic works.

Performed in English with English surtitles.