The Sydney Opera House has been refurbished so patrons can see the city's harbour from the theatre foyers. (Associated Press)

A $37-million refurbishment of the Sydney Opera House opened Tuesday, with improved access for people with disabilities and new views of the Australian city's harbour.

The refurbishment more closely matches the original 1960s plan for the venue of architect Jorn Utzon, who died last year without seeing his design carried out.

The Danish architect designed the opera house, with its distinctive form resembling the sails of a ship, in the 1960s, but was sacked before the building was fully built because of a change of government in Australia. Other architects finished the interior of the building, which opened in 1973.

Utzon's son Jan Utzon and Sydney architect Richard Johnson have worked for the last seven years on the refurbishment.

The building now has a stylish new foyer with views of the harbour and Sydney Harbour Bridge, instead of blank walls.

"I remember my father's enthusiasm for modelling the western foyer into something really useful for the opera house and the patrons," Jan Utzon said.

The redesign also includes more toilets for patrons of the building's three theatres, which see 7.5 million visitors every year.

The changes were praised for their accessibility, highlighted by a visit from Australian wheelchair Olympian Louise Sauvage.

Utzon's original vision would also require a complete rebuilding of the opera theatre to enlarge the seating capacity, the stage and the orchestra pit. But Sydney Opera House chief executive Richard Evans said that step has yet to receive the necessary funding from the federal and state governments.