Sydney - City Centre the CBD Travel Guides | Sydney | Sub Regions | Sydney - City Centre the CBD

A fine place to begin your exploration of Sydney’s bustling CBD is on foot via the Museum of Sydney built over two centuries ago. Of equal appeal, however, are the diverse historical buildings along Macquarie Street including Government House, the State Library of New South Wales, the former Sydney Hospital, Mint, and the functioning NSW Parliament House. Right in the heart of the CBD the State Theatre and Town Hall reveal architecturally splendid interiors, while nearby, the Queen Victoria Building is a place where history meets retail therapy with almost equal appeal. For a bird’s-eye view the Sydney Tower, another of the city’s familiar icons, rarely disappoints, providing the weather is fine (which it usually is), while, for a rapid escape from the chaos, Hyde Park or the Royal Botanical Gardens can offer far more than welcome serenity and a convenient place to tuck in to that corporate-sized sandwich. For some detailed insight in to the vast lands beyond the city the cool and grandiose interior of the Australian Museum on the fringe of Hyde Park is well worth a visit, while the ecclesiastical architecture of St Mary’s Cathedral nearby is also worth a look. Nestled neatly between the Hyde Park and the botanical gardens, The Domain offers its own high profile attraction and colour in the form of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Sights

37 Philip St, T 9251 5988, http://www.hht.nsw.gov.au">http://www.hht.nsw.gov.au 0930-1700, $7, children $3, family $17.

The Museum of Sydney (MOS) was opened in 1995 and is a clever and imaginative mix of old and new. It is built on the original site of ‘First Fleet’ captain Governor Phillip’s 1788 residence and incorporates some of the original archaeological remains. It contains uncluttered and well-presented displays exploring the history and stories that surround the creation and development of the city, from the first indigenous settlers, through the European invasion and up to the modern day. Art is an important aspect of this museum and as well as dynamic and temporary exhibitions incorporating a city theme there are some permanent pieces, the most prominent being the Edge of the Trees, a sculptural install- ation that sits at the museum entrance. It is an intriguing concept and a clever mix of media and cultures, reflecting on the nature and substance of the city itself. There is a shop and café on site.

Macquarie St, T 9931 5222. Fri-Sun 1000-1500 (grounds daily 1000-1600). Guided tours only within the house, departing every half hour from 1030. Free.

Facing the Botanical gardens on Macquarie Street is the State Library of New South Wales. Its architecture speaks for itself, but housed within its walls are some very significant historical documents, including eight out of the ten known First Fleeter diaries. Also worth a look is one of the three intricate Melocco Brothers mosaic floor decorations that exist in the city. In this instance the foyer floor of the Mitchell Library entrance depicts the journey of Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1642-43. The library also hosts temporary exhibitions that are almost always worth visiting and offers an on-going programme of films, workshops and seminars. There is a shop and café on site.

Free tours are offered when Parliament is not in session, and when it is you can visit the public gallery.

Next door to the State Library, the original north wing of the 1816 Sydney Hospital (formerly known as the Rum Hospital) is now the NSW Parliament House. Quite often the house becomes the focus for lively demonstrations that often terminate here after a procession through the city streets. The south wing of the hospital gave way to the Royal Mint in 1854 during the gold rush. No wonder it was called the Rum Hospital: with a plague of politicians on one side, locked up gold on the other and a large crowd outside, screaming like banshees, it would turn any sick teetotaller into a raging alcoholic.

Queens Sq, Macquarie St, T 92238922, http://www.hht.nsw.gov.au">http://www.hht.nsw.gov.au 0930-1700 daily. $7, children $3, Family $17. Sydney Explorer Bus route, stop 4.

The barracks, which lie on the northern fringe of Hyde Park, were commissioned in 1816 by Governor Macquarie to house male convicts before being utilized later as an orphanage and an asylum. The renovated buildings now house a modern museum that displays the history of the Barracks, the grisly aspects of exiled convict life, and the work of the architect Francis Greenway. Guided tours are available, with the unusual added option of staying overnight in convict hammocks. Café on site.

100 Market St, T 9231 9300 (restaurant bookings T 8223 3800), http://www.centreponit.com.au Observation Deck Sun-Fri 0900-2230, Sat 0900-2330, $19.80, children $13.20, family $55, virtual tour extra.

Rising from a manic buzz of retail therapy, the Sydney (Centrepoint) Tower, has, since 1981, been an instantly recognisable landmark across the city. After the Opera House and Harbour Bridge the Sydney Tower is considered the city's third great icon, forming a diverse trio. The tower's 2,239-tonne golden turret is also known as Ned’s Helmet due to its resemblance to the famous Aussie bushranger (highwayman) Ned Kelly’s protective headgear.

Although aged in comparison to the futuristic Sky Tower, in Auckland, New Zealand (which on completion in 1995 pipped the Sydney Tower at 305 m by just a few metres) the view from Australia’s highest building is no less impressive. As well as enjoying the stunning vistas from the tower’s Observation Deck, you can also experience a virtual ‘Great Australian Expedition’ tour, or dine in one of two revolving restaurants (sadly, they only revolve sedately every 70 minutes). Given the elevated price of entry to the Observation Deck, you should keep an eye on the weather forecast and pick a clear day.

49 Market St, T 9373 6861. $12, concessions $8. Self-guided tours available Mon-Fri, 1130-1500

Between the Sydney Tower and the Queen Victoria Building it is worth taking a peek at the impressive interior of the 1929 State Theatre. Much of its charm is instantly on view in the entrance foyer, but it is perhaps the 20,000 piece glass chandelier and Wurlitzer organ housed in the auditorium that steals the show.

455 George St, T 9267 4761, http://www.qvb.com.au Mon-Wed, Fri and Sat 0900-1800, Thu 0900-2100, Sun 1100-1700 (some restaurants and cafés remain open after hours). Information desks on the ground floor and level 2 dome area. Guided tours available twice daily, T 9264 9209. Explorer bus stop 14.

Just around the corner from the State Theatre on George Street boldly taking up an entire city block is the grand Queen Victoria Building. Built in 1898 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee and to replace the original Sydney Markets, the QVB (as it is known) is most often touted as a prime shopping venue, containing three floors of boutique outlets, and selling everything from designer knickers to Aboriginal art. But shopping aside, the spectacular interior is well worth a look, with ornate architecture, stained-glass windows, mosaics and two charming and intricate automata turret clocks. At the northern end, the four-tonne Great Australian Clock is the world’s largest hanging animated turret clock. A stunning creation, it took four years to build at a cost of $1.5 million. Once activated with a $4 donation the clock comes alive with moving picture scenes and figurines that would put any flock of operatic canaries to shame. At the southern end is the equally impressive Royal Clock, with its English historical theme. Among the many animated depictions is the execution of King Charles I, whose head goes up and down like a yoyo 12 times a day. There are also a number of good galleries.

Corner of George and Druitt sts. T 9265 9007. 0900-1700 daily. Free. Explorer bus stop 14. Self-guided tour brochure available in the foyer.

Across the street from the QVB is the Town Hall, built in 1888. It also has an impressive interior, the highlight of which is the 8,000-pipe organ, reputed to be the largest in the world. Next door to the Town Hall is the renovated St Andrew’s Cathedral, built between 1819 and 1868. There are regular choir performances for which entry is free.

Explorer Bus route, stop 7.

Hyde Park itself is very impressive and a fine mix of aesthetics from the historic grandeur of the 1932 Archibald Fountain and 1934 Anzac War Memorial, to the gracious sanctity of its spacious lawns and mighty corridor of trees. It provides a great place to escape the mania of the city and to people-watch. Here perhaps more than anywhere else in the city you will see a diverse mix of humanity, from camera-touting tourists to amorous lovers, from suits on a lunch-break to the homeless on a no-break.

College St, T 9220 0400. Free. Crypt 1000-1600 daily. Free tours Sun afternoons after mass at 1200. Explorer Bus route, stop 7.

At the northeastern edge of Hyde Park on College Road is St Mary’s Cathedral, which is well worth a look inside. It has an impressive and wonderfully peaceful interior, with the highlight being the Melocco Brothers mosaic floor in the crypt that depicts The Creation and took 16 years to complete.

6 College St, T 9320 6000, http://www.austmus.gov.au 930-1700, $8, children $3, family $19, (special exhibitions extra). Explorer Bus route, stop 7.

A little further south along College Street is the Australian Museum established in 1827. Considering the huge demands placed upon museums these days to keep the computer-age public satisfied by being at the cutting edge of technology, presentation and entertainment, the Australian Museum gets a credit, if not the gold star. The Modern Biodiversity and Indigenous Australians displays are well up with the play, but sadly the Birds and Insects section lets the side down. There, the numerous stuffed specimens still support those traditional taxidermy facial expressions of the persecuted being electrocuted, with several of the largest looking like they have a direct link to the mains. Also housed in the museum is the magnificent Chapman Mineral Collection that has just about every ‘ite’ and ‘zite’ that syllables could possibly bond with. The colours and diversity are mind blowing and you’ll never view a rock in the same way again. Coincide your visit to the Indigenous Australian section with the live didgeridoo playing and informative lectures given by Aboriginal staff.

Children and anyone with a healthy sense of inquisition will also love the impressive Search and Discover section.

Mrs Macquarie’s Rd via Art Gallery Rd, T 9231 8111, http://www.rbgsyd.gov.au 0700-sunset. Free. Tropical Centre daily 1000-1600, $5. Explorer Bus route, stop 3.

The 30-hectare Royal Botanical Gardens offers a wonderful sanctuary of peace and greenery only a short stroll east of the city centre and has done so for almost 200 years. It boasts a fine array of mainly native plants and trees, an intriguing pyramid-shaped Tropical House, rose and succulent gardens, rare and threatened species and decorative ponds. However, it is, without doubt, its large colony of wild flying foxes (bats) that is most absorbing. During the day they roost in their hundreds in the heart of the gardens, hanging on almost available crowning tree branch, like black and gold Christmas decorations, moving only now and again to groom, stretch a wing or argue with their neighbour. So close to a bustling city centre, replete with so many human urban icons, it really is an incredible sight that will have you either running a mile or staring heavenward in awe. There is a Visitors Centre and shop located near Art Gallery Road in the southeastern corner of the park. There you can pick up a self-guided walks tour leaflet or join a free organized tour at 1300 daily. A specialist Aboriginal Tour, that explores the significance of the site to the Cadigal (the original Aboriginal inhabitants) and the first European settler’s desperate attempts to cultivate the site is available on request, $16.50, T 9231 8050. The Gardens Café and Restaurant, right in the heart of the gardens, is one of the best places to observe the bats – just follow the faint, musty smell. Bats are fastidiously clean animals but are not designed to smell like us, or alas, roses.

Mrs Macquarie’s Rd. Sydney Explorer Bus route, stop 5.

From the Botanical Gardens it is a short stroll to Macquarie Point and Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and one of the best vistas of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the city. It is an especially good place to be at dawn or for sunset. As the name suggests, Mrs Macquarie’s chair is the spot where the first Governor's wife came to reflect upon the new settlement, or perhaps yearn for her native Scotland. One can only imagine what her reaction would be now.

Art Gallery Rd, The Domain, T 9225 1744, http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au 1000-1700. Free (small charge for some visiting exhibitions). Explorer Bus route stop 6.

At the southeastern edge of the Botanical Gardens, and fronting The Domain, is the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia’s largest. Housed behind its grand facade are the permanent works of many of the country's most revered contemporary artists, as well as a collection of more familiar international names like Monet and Picasso. In stark contrast the Yiribana Gallery is a major highlight, showcasing a fine collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander works that are well worth a look. There are half-hour dance and music performances in the gallery Tuesday to Saturday at 1200. The main gallery also features a dynamic programme of major visiting exhibitions. An extensive and no doubt aesthetically dramatic expansion was being planned at the time of writing.

Be sure not to miss the quirky and monumental matchsticks installation by Brett Whitely located outside, behind the main building. Brett is one of the city's most celebrated artists whom, until his recent death, produced a broad range of work, in mixed media, that are like this piece, typically eccentric, unpretentious and often humorous. More of Whitley’s work can be seen at the H Brett Whitely Museum, 2 Raper Street, Surry Hills,

Art Gallery Rd. Explorer Bus route stop 6.

The pleasant green expanse of tree and open park sitting between the Art Gallery and Macquarie Place was declared a public domain in 1810. It is often used as a free concert venue especially over Christmas and during the Sydney Festival held every January.

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