Historical architecture |
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Circular Quay
Sydney Cove was the site of the initial
landing of the First Fleet in Port Jackson. Circular Quay was
originally mainly used for shipping and slowly developed into a
transport, leisure and recreational centre.
Circular Quay was originally known as "Semi-Circular Quay", this
being the actual shape of the quay. The name was shortened for
convenience.[4]The Circular Quay railway station was opened on the
20th January 1956 and the elevated Cahill Expressway was opened on
the 14th March 1958.
Circular Quay was the focal terminal point of most electric tram
services to the eastern suburbs, then as now allowing easy transfer
to ferries. For many years, 27 regular services operated from
Circular Quay. |
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The Rocks
The Rocks became established shortly after the
colony's formation in 1788. The original buildings were made mostly
of local sandstone, from which the area derives its name. From the
earliest history of the settlement, the area had a reputation as a
slum, often frequented by visiting sailors and prostitutes. During
the late 1800s, the area was dominated by a gang known as the Rocks
Push. It maintained this rough reputation until approximately the
1970s.
By the early twentieth century, many of the area's historic
buildings were in serious decay. In 1900, bubonic plague broke out,
and the state government resumed areas around The Rocks and Darling
Harbour, with the intention of demolishing them and rebuilding them.
Part of the area was demolished, but redevelopment plans were
stalled by the outbreak of World War I. During the 1920s, several
hundred buildings were demolished during the construction of the
Sydney Harbour Bridge. However, the outbreak of World War II once
again stalled many of the redevelopment plans, and it was not until
the 1960s that serious attempts to demolish much of the area were
revived.
The Rocks walking tour |
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Hyde Park Area
Hyde Park was named after the original Hyde
Park in London.
The centrepiece of Hyde Park is the majestic Archibald Fountain. The
fountain was designed by François Sicard and donated by J.F.
Archibald in 1932 in honour of Australia's contribution to the Great
War in France. Also at the northern end are the Nagoya Gardens
featuring a giant outdoor chess set and the entrance to the
underground St. James railway station.
At the park's southern end is the ANZAC War Memorial behind the
'Lake of Reflections' or 'Pool of Remembrance' and the entrances to
the Museum railway station. A monument consisting of a
104-millimetre gun from the German light cruiser SMS Emden stands at
the south-eastern, Oxford Street entry of the park. |
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Midtown Commercial
Sydney's central business district (CBD)
extends southwards for about 3 kilometres (1.25 mi) from Sydney
Cove, the point of the first European settlement in the area at the
southern end of the bridge known as "The Rocks". Densely
concentrated skyscrapers including Sydney Tower which is the city's
tallest structure.[28] Other buildings including historic sandstone
buildings such as the Sydney Town Hall and Queen Victoria Building
are interspersed by several parks such as Wynyard and Hyde Park. The
Sydney CBD is bounded on the east side by a chain of parkland that
extends from Hyde Park through the Domain and Royal Botanic Gardens
to Farm Cove on the harbour. The west side is bounded by Darling
Harbour, a popular tourist and nightlife precinct while Central
station marks the southern end of the CBD. George Street serves as
the Sydney CBD's main north-south thoroughfare. |
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Martin Place
Martin Place is synonymous with corporate
Australia, home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Sydney GPO and
the Commonwealth Bank. The Seven News Centre is also located on
Martin Place, from which many live national news programmes are
broadcast. Martin Place has become a national Australian icon in
popular culture for attracting high-end productions and actors to
the area. Martin Place runs between George Street and Macquarie
Street, and provides entrances to the Martin Place railway station
below street level. Other cross streets include Pitt Street,
Castlereagh Street, Elizabeth Street and Phillip Street.
Martin Place was opened in 1891 and was named in honour of the three
time Premier of New South Wales and Chief Justice of Supreme Court
of New South Wales, Sir James Martin. Closed to traffic in 1971,
Martin Place is surrounded by many heritage buildings and features
the 1927 World War I ANZAC Cenotaph, water fountain, entertainment
area, railway access and pedestrian seating. It is very popular at
lunchtime, often crowded with office workers and bicycle couriers. |
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Town Hall Area
The Sydney Town Hall is a landmark sandstone
building located in the heart of Sydney. It stands opposite the
Queen Victoria Building and alongside St Andrew's Cathedral. Sitting
above the busy Town Hall station and between the cinema strip on
George Street and the Central Business District, the steps of the
Town Hall are a popular meeting place.
Town Hall was built in the 1880s from local Sydney sandstone in the
grand Victorian architectural style, and remains the only
non-religious city building from the era to retain its original
function and interior. The building houses the Sydney City Council
Chamber, reception rooms, the Centennial Hall and offices for the
Lord Mayor and elected councillors. The Centennial Hall (main hall)
contains the world's largest entirely mechanical pipe organ, built
in 1890 by the English firm of William Hill & Son, which possesses
one of only two full-length 64′ organ stops in the world (the
Contra-Trombone in the pedal). Before the opening of the Concert
Hall, Sydney Opera House, the Town Hall was Sydney's concert hall. |
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Special Features |
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Gone but not forgotten
Included in the Historic Houses Trust's
portfolio are properties saved from demolition. The Green Bans
imposed on The Rocks by the NSW Builders Labourers' Federation in
1973 in support of The Rocks Residents Group, prevented the whole
sale demolition of the area by the Sydney Cove Redevelopment
Authority. Susannah Place was saved although three of the terrace's
houses, left vacant for the next eleven years, suffered major damage
through lack of proper maintenance. |
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Contemporary architecture |
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Commercial Sydney
Australia’s showcase city, Sydney has one of
the world’s most recognizable skylines. Its famous harbour is
commonly referred to as the most beautiful natural harbour in the
world. A large harbour with many bays, inlets and secondary harbours,
it is spanned by the monumental Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House
decorates the shoreline like a white flower. The Sydney skyline is
"world-class" with hundreds of skyscrapers in the central business
district and many more high rise buildings in the outlying
neighbourhoods. In fact The CBD has 10 times the working population
over that of Sydney proper. |
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Non-Commercial Sydney
This has been the best boom ever, and the
recent architecture in Sydney shows it. |
In the suburbs... |
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the Haymarket
Located adjacent to Darling Harbour, Haymarket
is home to Sydney's Chinatown, the city's Chinese community having
settled there in large numbers in the second half of the 19th
Century. Fittingly it is filled with food halls, noodle bars and
grocers specialising in genuine Asian cuisine.
Wander through the local Chinese supermarkets. Catch live music at
Cafe Nine, or live musicals and international performances at the
Capitol Theatre and Sydney Entertainment Centre. Experience Eastern
traditions by watching as remedies are prepared by Chinese
herbalists. |
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Pyrmont
The Pyrmont-Ultimo peninsula was once a vital
component of Sydney’s industrial waterfront, with wharves,
shipbuilding yards, factories and woolstores. As industry moved out,
the population declined and the area became rundown, but in recent
years it has experienced a building boom and an influx of residents
and office workers.
Ultimo was formerly the setting for a sandstone quarry and a vast
power station, now the Powerhouse Museum, but this leafy suburb,
home to a large Chinese community, now contains parks, historic pubs
and terraced houses, the ABC Centre, TAFE and the University of
Technology. |
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Inner West
The Inner West suburbs are amongst the oldest
parts of Sydney. They developed along Parramatta Road, the road that
links the City of Sydney with the City of Parramatta, at the source
of the Parramatta River. The architecture of the Inner West ranges
from terraced houses to small mansions and reflects its development
in the Victorian (1840-1900) and Federation (1901-1914) periods. The
area is quite culturally diverse. Its proximity to the Sydney
central business district makes it ideal for city commuters and an
alternative base for business. The University of Sydney and the
University of Technology give a lively student feel to the Inner
West. |
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Glebe
Glebe's name derives from the fact that the
land on which it was developed was a glebe, originally owned by the
Anglican Church. 'The Glebe' was a land grant of 400 acres given by
Governor Arthur Phillip to Reverend Richard Johnson, Chaplain of the
First Fleet, in 1790. |
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Sydney
University
During 1848, William Wentworth proposed a plan
to expand the existing Sydney College into a university in the
Legislative Council. Wentworth argued that a state university was
imperative for the growth of a society aspiring towards
self-government, and that it would provide the opportunity for 'the
child of every class, to become great and useful in the destinies of
his country'. It would take two attempts on Wentworth's behalf
however, before the plan was finally adopted. |
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Eastern
Suburbs
The Eastern Suburbs of Sydney are located, as
the name suggests to the east of Sydney City, the CBD its
surrounding areas. It is one of the most popular areas for visitors
to Sydney to visit and stay - anywhere in the Eastern Suburbs is
within 12 kilometres of the city centre, well-served by public
transport and located on the same side of Sydney Harbour as most of
the main attractions. The Eastern Suburbs enjoys extensive frontages
on the Harbour and convenient access to the City Beaches. |
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