Huge crowds turned out to see Freeman carry the torch

The flame arrived in Sydney from Greece early on Friday at the start of a 70-day, five-continent trip to the Olympics, which start on 13 August.

Olympic swimming champions Susie O'Neill and Kieren Perkins were among the relay runners.

Cricket legend Steve Waugh relit the cauldron from the 2000 Sydney Games.

Freeman became the public face of the Sydney Games after winning gold in the 400m.

"I'm very proud to be here carrying the flame and hopefully uniting the world," she said.

"I'm very proud of my history, not just because I won a gold medal in Sydney, just because I'm an Olympian and all of the messages that the Olympic movement are all about are really special to me."

A small lantern carrying the flame arrived at Sydney International Airport on a chartered jumbo named Zeus.

It was officially received by Australia's acting Prime Minister John Anderson before being transported to the Sydney Opera House for a ceremony with Aboriginal and Greek dancers.

Freeman held her torch to the lantern and emerged from a circle of olive branches for a short jog around the harbour.

The flame was passed from one bearer to the next on a route that passed the Harbour Bridge and Bondi Beach.

It ended at Sydney's Olympic stadium at Homebush Bay, where Waugh relit the cauldron in front of thousands of spectators.

The flame will travel to Melbourne, which hosted the 1956 Olympics, on Saturday before leaving Australia for Tokyo on a tour that will take in 33 cities in 34 days.

It is due to return to Greece on 9 July for a final homecoming tour before entering the Olympic stadium to light the cauldron on 13 August.