Look at the evidence.
Other people on the board read it as Sydney first. Thus, to some people, your interpretation is incorrect. I actually found it ambiguous.
However, I omitted to say that the comma can introduce an implied "the" in the first variation, altering the meaning to what I have already posted.
I know you have a well-deserved reputation for being a stickler for and being highly knowledgeable about English grammer (despite it not being your first language), but in this case I believe you are mistaken. Particularly as English is *my* first language and studying how it works and how it has developed has always interested me.
Wade.
