Centennial Parklands

Centennial Parklands is the name for a group of three big parks in the eastern part of Sydney, Australia. These parks cover about 360 hectares, which is like almost 900 acres. The three parks are Centennial Park, Moore Park, and Queens Park. They are special because they have been listed on the New South Wales Heritage Register, meaning they have important history or beauty.

These parklands are looked after by the Centennial Park & Moore Park Trust, which works with the Office of Environment & Heritage. The parks became part of the New South Wales State Heritage Register on March 27, 2000.

Centennial Park has many wild animals, such as birds, rabbits, and foxes. It is also a place where people can learn about horses and even take care of pets like rabbits at the Centennial Park Rabbit Retreat.

History

Pre-colonial history

The Parklands are built on lands that were traditionally cared for by the Gadigal people, located a short distance from the Sydney central business district.

Centennial Parklands marks 190 years of history since European settlers arrived. These changes greatly affected the Gadi people, whose lands stretched from Darling Harbour to South Head, including the areas now known as Centennial Park, Moore Park, and Queens Park.

An area called the Kangaroo Ground near Centennial Park and Moore Park was noted on early maps. The landscape here, rich in soils and open spaces, was shaped by the Gadi people through careful land management, creating a habitat that attracted wildlife and provided resources for hunting.

From 1882, parts of the Parklands were used for the Sydney Showground, hosting the Royal Agricultural Society’s popular Easter Show, which drew up to a million visitors each year. In the 1970s, plans to build a sports stadium were stopped, and in 1988, the showground moved to a new location at Homebush Bay. The final Easter Show at Moore Park happened in 1997.

During the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the parks were used for road cycling, football, and marathon routes.

The Parklands are home to many trees, over 100 kinds of native and introduced birds, and include wetlands, lakes, forests, grass areas, sports fields, a golf course, tennis and netball courts, and the Entertainment Quarter near Moore Park.

Sydney Common

Centennial Parklands, including Centennial Park, Moore Park, and Queens Park, are part of what was once called the Second Sydney Common.

As Sydney grew, it needed public land on its outskirts. On October 5, 1811, Governor Macquarie set aside 200 hectares of land south of South Head Road as the Sydney Common for public use. This land had a valuable resource: natural aquifers in the Botany Sands system that provided clean water. In 1820, Macquarie reserved part of this land as a water reserve. Between 1827 and 1838, a tunnel called Lachlan Water Tunnel was built to bring freshwater to Hyde Park, serving as Sydney’s main water supply until 1858.

This second common covered 400 hectares.

Lachlan Swamps and water supply

The Lachlan Swamps within the Sydney Common were a natural source of water. In 1820, the Lachlan Water Reserve was created here. The Tank Stream, Sydney’s original water supply, was polluted, so in 1825, the government asked John Busby to design a new water system using the swamps.

Busby's Bore

The Lachlan Water Tunnel, known as Busby’s Bore, was Sydney’s first piped water supply. This tunnel, about 3.7 kilometres long, carried water from the Lachlan Swamps to Hyde Park. It could hold nearly 7,000,000 litres and provided 15 days of water for the city.

Sydney Council took control of the water supply in 1842. In 1861, the entire Sydney Common was given to the people of Sydney and placed under the Municipal Council. Moore Park was then laid out. To meet growing water needs, parts of the swamp were dammed in 1872, creating an embankment near Kensington ponds and several dams across the swamp.

The first major development on the Sydney Common was Victoria Barracks, built between Port Jackson and Botany Bay to defend against invaders. Soldiers created a Military Garden, a cricket ground, and a rifle range. In 1866, the Sydney Common was transferred to the Municipal Council for development under the Sydney Common Improvement Bill.

A public park

In the late 1800s, parts of Sydney Common were turned into parkland. Governor Lord Carrington suggested Sydney needed a large recreational space like a grand park. Premier Sir Henry Parkes supported this idea.

Charles Moore, Mayor of Sydney from 1867 to 1869, worked to develop a public park for the people of Sydney. Land sales funded the development, and Moore oversaw the construction of roads and the creation of the park. Charles Moore, Director of the Sydney Botanic Gardens, brought distinctive tree plantings to the park.

Botanist Charles Moore visited the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris and later hired French-trained gardener James Jones. Along with engineer Frederick Franklin, they designed Sydney’s Centennial Park between 1886 and 1887, inspired by grand parks in Britain and America.

Moore Park

In 1866, Sydney City Council set aside 153 hectares of the northwest part of Sydney Common as a public recreation area to meet the growing demand for outdoor activities, especially sports. The area was named Moore Park in 1867 after Charles Moore, who was the Mayor of Sydney City Council from 1867 to 1869. Moore Park became a center for major sporting events and entertainment, including the Zoological Gardens, the Royal Agricultural Society Showground, and the first course of the Australian Golf Club in 1882.

At the time, Moore Park was bordered by Lachlan Estate and Randwick Racecourse to the south, Dowling Street to the west, Old South Head Road to the north, and the Lachlan Water Reserve to the east. A road lined with stone pines marked the eastern edge of the park and the western edge of the water reserve. Two other roads crossed Moore Park before 1866; one was Old Botany Road, used by hunters, fishermen, and later by people traveling to Coogee and Botany. The second road led to a cemetery off South Dowling Street. The dedicated land included the Tunnel Reserve, the Military Barracks, and the Military Cricket Ground.

Moore Park had gently rolling hills, three water bodies, and diverse scrub vegetation, known as the Sand Hills. By the mid-1800s, the land was degraded and barren due to timber cutting, looting, and dumping. Charles Moore and botanist Charles Moore worked to stabilize the soil by planting indigenous shrubs and couch grass. While the shrubs didn’t survive, the couch grass did well and sparked discussions about the loss of native vegetation.

Four notable sand hills were named Mount Steele, Mount Rennie, Constitution Hill, and Mount Lang. These hills were significantly changed during the transformation of the common into parkland. Today, Mount Steele is the least altered. Mount Rennie was reconfigured for a Golf Clubhouse in 1926. Mount Lang was terraced and ramped for unknown reasons and disappeared after the 1940s. The fate of Constitution Hill remains unclear. The Moore Park Golf Course, established in 1926, has modified the gently rolling landscape for its fairways.

It’s important to note that different areas of what is now Centennial Parklands were managed by different authorities, which has contributed to the unique character of each area today.

More developments were built in Moore Park. The Sydney Zoological Gardens opened in 1879 on the current site of Sydney Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools. This was Sydney’s second zoo, following one from the early 1860s in the Botanic Gardens. The zoo closed in 1916, and the animals were moved by ferry to the new zoo site at Taronga Park.

The Sydney Cricket Ground, the new Royal Agricultural Society Showground, and the first course of the Australian Golf Club were all established in 1882. The Royal Agricultural Society created the Sydney Showground, home of the Royal Easter Show from 1882 to 1997, when it moved to Olympic Park at Homebush Bay.

The population boom and increased leisure time in the late 1800s led to more public use of the park. This interest resulted in the dedication of the Sydney Sports Ground in 1899 and the E. S. Marks Athletics Field in 1906. These developments, along with land sales in the 1860s, reduced Moore Park’s size from 153 hectares to 120 hectares today.

In 1886, 65% of Sydney’s population lived within an eight-kilometre radius of the Lachlan Swamps, which was chosen for a grand vision of public recreation. This vision aimed to create a suburban drive and landscaped park for Sydney’s people. In 1914, Maurice Guillaux made the first airmail delivery in Australia, flying from the Melbourne Showground to Moore Park. A re-enactment flight was planned for July 2014. In 2016, Moore Park celebrated 150 years since its creation, when Sydney City Council set aside part of the Lachlan Swamps for a public park and named it Moore Park in 1867 after the then Mayor.

Queens Park

Queens Park, a smaller park at the eastern edge of Centennial Park, was also created by the Centennial Celebrations Act of 1887 but wasn’t fully developed due to drainage issues. By 1895, it had an eleven-hole golf course, which moved to Botany in 1899. Since the 1930s, Queens Park has been used as a sports field by Christian Brothers College, Waverley, and various local groups. Today, the 26-hectare urban park still serves as a sports area with playing fields built in the 1930s.

Queens Park was reclaimed from the extensive swamp in Lachlan Reserve. A dam occupied the low-lying areas for most of the 1800s. The first tree planting in Queens Park happened in the late 1880s and early 1890s, with Moreton Bay Fig, Port Jackson figs, Monterey pine, Araucarias, and Holm oak on higher ground. The sandstone outcrops may have already been covered with native Port Jackson figs, ferns, and acacias, now a striking feature in the northeastern corner. Coral trees and paperbarks along the southern and western edges were planted in 1923, replacing earlier brush box and maple plantings. The dates of other plantings in Queens Park are unclear.

Queens Park has always been popular with locals. Over the years, it has adapted to community needs but remains an important part of the parklands with open spaces and city skyline views.

Centennial Park

The Centenary Bill was presented to Parliament on June 27, 1887, proposing a park accessible to all people, including the poorest. It aimed to transform an unattractive area into a beautiful region. Centennial Park was created by the Centennial Celebrations Act 1887 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the colony. The Act didn’t specify the park’s uses.

The park was established for Australia’s centenary in 1888 and opened on January 26, 1888, by Sir Henry Parkes, who called it “the people’s park.” It was a key part of the Centenary celebrations.

Frederick Franklin, an English civil engineer, is believed to have designed the park, though credit for its preservation and development goes to Lord Carrington, Sir Henry Parkes, and Charles Moore.

The park’s layout and design are credited to Charles Moore, Director of the Botanic Gardens from 1848 to 1896. He used unemployed labor to turn native scrubland into open public land. James Jones, Head Gardener of the Botanic Gardens, also played a major role in construction, though his goal to preserve native flora wasn’t fully achieved.

Charles Moore was tasked with converting 640 acres of sandy native scrub into a grand Victorian park in just seven months. The design followed a plan by J.W. Deering, District Surveyor, though it’s uncertain whose plan was used. The design elements resemble those of Frederick Augustus Franklin, influenced by Sir Joseph Paxton’s Birkenhead Park and the Crystal Palace grounds at Sydenham.

By the 1880s, Moore’s influence on park plantings in Sydney was strong, especially his use of Moreton Bay Fig trees. Some people criticized his reliance on these trees in Centennial Park.

James Jones, Head Gardener and Overseer of Centennial Park from 1887 to 1892, assisted Moore. His diary shows the huge effort to clear vegetation, alter landforms, groom slopes, create open spaces, and build the Grand Drive and roads under pressure to meet the opening date. Work included blasting trenches in sandstone for tree growth. The extensive clearing revealed how unsuitable much of the park was for such activities.

The park’s opening on January 26, 1888, was a central event in the Centenary celebrations. Sir Henry Parkes declared it the “People’s Park.” After opening, work continued on ornamental ponds and islands. Monuments were added, with eleven statues and two vases by 1889. The Superintendent’s Residence was completed in 1888, and the perimeter fence in 1892. The Ranger’s Residence and Shelter Pavilion were built in the 1890s.

A tree planting ceremony on Australia Day 1889, attended by around 40,000 people, was led by Charles Moore. Guests included Lord and Lady Carrington, who planted the first tree, a Cook’s pine, along with other notable figures. Before the ceremony, the park was transformed by hundreds of unemployed men who turned swamps, scrub, and rock into the grand park it became.

One of the earliest features was the Grand Drive, the main road around the park, planted in 1889 with figs, elms, poplars, and pines, including Norfolk Island and Monterey pines.

William Forsyth was overseer from 1892 to 1911 and is credited with much of the park’s successful horticultural development in the early 1900s. Joseph Maiden took over after Moore retired in 1896 and introduced Australian native plants, adding a more tropical feel and colorful species. Forsyth and Maiden introduced palms, Port Jackson fig, paperbark, acacia, and coral trees. They faced challenges from drought and storms but advocated for protecting native vegetation. In 1901, they planted 263 eucalypts of 18 species, and by year-end, the park had about seventy tree species and 4,411 plants, with many along the Grand Drive and in Queens Park.

Forsyth’s significant contribution was planting paperbarks for aesthetics, shade, and windbreaks. He planted 88 trees in August 1896, possibly at Busby Pond Embankment and near the Lily Pond. This success led to continued use, with an avenue planted along the watercourse below Paddington Gates in 1899 and a clump of Eucalyptus robusta west of these in the same year.

Forsyth modified trees along Grand Drive, removing elms, poplars, and pines, replacing them from 1897 with Port Jackson figs, holm/holly oak, and Norfolk Island pine, creating a strong Victorian Gardenesque landscape.

This pattern influenced later plantings, especially along roads. In the 1890s, Carrington Drive was lined with Port Jackson figs, and Loch Avenue with these figs and Norfolk Island pines to hide tram sheds. Additional tree rows were added along park roads. In 1900, figs were planted along Jervois Avenue, and around the same time, Parkes Drive North was planted with Port Jackson figs.

On January 1, 1901, Centennial Park hosted the official ceremony for the federation of Australian colonies and the start of the Commonwealth of Australia. Lord Hopetoun and Edmund Barton were sworn in as the first Governor-General and Prime Minister, with the first federal cabinet also sworn in. The ceremony took place at a pavilion on a granite platform representing the six original states. The pavilion was later moved to Cabarita Park in 1903 but without its original decorations. A new Federation Pavilion was built over the granite in 1988 to mark the Bicentennial.

Palms were introduced in 1901 in Frog Hollow, and Forsyth reported on their success. The southern part of Frog Hollow became a focus for floral displays under Maiden’s direction, reflecting the rise of flower gardens in the Federation period. In addition to Forsyth’s palms, the promontories in Busby’s Pond feature rosariums, native plant and flower gardens, column monuments, and circular floral beds. While changes have occurred since Maiden’s time, the overall character reflects his influence.

From 1902, Maiden and Forsyth used palms and coral trees in linear plantings, contrasting with the fig-dominated avenues. An avenue of Queen palm and Cocos Island palm was established along Busby’s Pond embankment, and coral trees were planted in Loch Avenue, mixed with remnants of earlier Port Jackson figs and holm oaks.

Between 1908 and 1910, Parkes Drive between Grand Drive was planted with rows of Canary Island palms, the earliest known formal avenue of these palms in Sydney, leading to their widespread use in New South Wales. In the following years, palms were used extensively in Centennial Park and Moore Park. In 1912, a diagonal avenue of Senegal date palm was planted along the western embankment of Randwick Pond. In 1913, over a hundred palms were planted, including coral trees, Indian wild date, African wild date, dwarf Mediterranean fan palm, Chamaerops excelsa, Canary Island palm, jelly palm, Lord Howe Island palms, and Areca sapida. Their locations are unclear but may have included palms along the northern side of Dickens Drive, planted in 1915, and a regular row of palms reinforcing the 1908 palm avenue along Parkes Drive. Palms also replaced earlier avenues of poplars, which didn’t perform well.

Woodland plantings on Lang Road and York Road slopes provided transparent enclosure for the park, with York Road’s planting slightly denser to screen tram works.

The Department of Agriculture took over park administration in 1908. After James Dawes died in 1923 and Maiden retired in 1924, development slowed due to administrative changes and reduced budgets, leading to inactivity and lack of documentation.

Interest in tree planting revived in the 1960s-70s, with large stands of pines, including a plantation on Mission Fields around 1960 as a boundary and windbreak for equestrian grounds. A grove of paperbarks planted around 1970 on a filled drainage line in Mission Fields shows continued influence of Maiden’s principles. A grove of maritime pine planted on Arbor Day 1967 on Parade Ground continues Arbor Day traditions.

A grove of spotted gum near Woollahra Gates, mostly planted since the late 1960s, represents renewed experimentation with native species under Ron Selkeld, Park Superintendent in 1965. This area, exposed to southerly winds, saw vigorous growth of spotted gum compared to mugga ironbark. Clumps of scribbly gum were planted on sandstone outcrops from the 1960s, providing a wild, picturesque effect contrasting formal plantings. Around the same time, about three hundred flooded gum trees were planted south of Broom Avenue. A 1968 article in The Land highlighted the need for suitable species for Centennial Park’s “light fine soil,” emphasizing its value as a testing ground for native coastal species.

In 1984, the Centennial Park & Moore Park Trust was appointed to manage Centennial Park and Queens Park. In 1990, the Trust also managed Moore Park, including its golf course, and in 1992, E.S. Marks Field. The Trust manages Centennial Parklands under the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust Act 1983.

Renewal in the 1990s included John Lennis, an Aboriginal “bush tutor” with the Guriwal Aboriginal Corporation, advising on native plantings and walks at Ash Paddock and Lachlan Swamps and the Cadi Jam Ora — First Encounters Garden in the Royal Botanic Garden.

Special events

The open spaces of the Parklands have historically attracted military parades and reviews. Initially held at the parade ground in Hyde Park barracks, these events moved to the Domain, then Moore Park, and finally Centennial Park. Large public displays were held on Queens Birthday and other holidays, as well as significant anniversaries like Jubilees and Centenaries. In 1888, the Long Meadow in Centennial Park hosted the annual Military Review. In 1908, Australian troops reviewed for the “Great White Fleet” visit. A celebration occurred in 1954 when Queen Elizabeth visited Centennial Park.

The Royal Agricultural Society used the park for shows in 1865. These exhibitions were very popular, and in December 1887, a Sydney resident wrote to the Sydney Morning Herald saying the only celebration he looked forward to was the Agriculture Society’s exhibition on January 26, 1888. The Showground was a major attraction for generations.

The Parklands have always been a venue for special events, including conventions, exhibitions, film productions, sporting events, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and the Royal Easter Show. Recently, Centennial Park has expanded its capacity for special events. It has hosted events like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Big Bold and Brassy, Hermes International Show jumping, and Concert for Life. The Parklands were an open-air venue for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games road cycling and marathon events.

In 2007, the Rugby Centre for Excellence was built in Moore Park, and in 2008, the Sports Medicine Clinic was constructed.

In 2013, the park celebrated its 125th anniversary with various activities. A ten-day light garden in January from Paddington Gates to Centennial Parklands Dining highlighted the area, tree planting on Australia Day, development of the Park’s inaugural master plan, and construction of the first children’s garden occurred throughout the year. Executive officer Peter Hadfield urged state and federal governments to commit $20 million for a future fund for the park.

Rebecca Giles, governor of the Centennial Parklands Foundation, noted increasing private philanthropy filling budget gaps left by the NSW Government. She cited examples like New York’s Central Park Conservancy. Since January, Ms. Giles mentioned a record $1.5 million grant from the Ian Potter Foundation for a children’s play garden, $500,000 for a labyrinth project, $100,000 from Tiffany & Co. for Woollahra gates improvements, and $45,000 for disabled access improvements at Moore Park Golf Course.

Centennial Park

Main article: Centennial Park (Sydney)

Centennial Park is the largest of the three parks in Centennial Parklands, covering 189 hectares. It has open spaces and lightly wooded areas within the City of Randwick. Originally swamp land called Lachlan Swamps, it is now one of Australia's most famous parks. The park features formal gardens, ponds, grand paths, statues, historic buildings, and sports fields.

Sydney’s first public stone labyrinth opened here in 2014. Designed like a medieval labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral, France, it took five months to build. The park was set aside in 1811 and later became a celebration site for the 100th anniversary of European settlement in Australia in 1888. It also served as a water reserve and grazing area long ago. Today, it includes special areas like the Federation Pavilion, which marks the ceremony for the Federation of Australia in 1901, and Grand Drive, a circular road used in the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The park is home to many animals, such as ducks, geese, turtles, and flying foxes.

Moore Park

Moore Park is a large park with open spaces and playing fields. It includes the ES Marks Athletics Field, an 18-hole public golf course, a golf driving range, tennis courts, and netball courts. The park is also used for circuses and other outdoor events. Nearby are the Sydney Football and Sydney Cricket stadia, managed by the Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust.

The Albert Cotter Bridge connects Moore Park to Kippax Lakes. Part of an old water course called Busby's Bore runs nearby. The area was named after Charles Moore, who was Mayor of Sydney and helped protect the land for public use. Long ago, Sydney's first zoo was here, but it moved to what is now Taronga Zoo. Schools like Sydney Girls High School and Sydney Boys High School were later built on this land. The park also has a historic rotunda and a old sandstone building that was once used to collect travel fees.

Queen's Park

Queen's Park is a 26-hectare park set in a natural amphitheatre at the foot of dramatic sandstone cliffs. It was dedicated in 1888 along with Centennial Park to celebrate 100 years since European settlers came to Australia. The park has many sports fields and is used by schools for lessons. In 2009, renovations improved the sports fields and playground, and a new cycleway was built to connect to Centennial Park.

Heritage listing

Centennial Parklands is a special place with big importance for the country, the state of New South Wales, and the local area. It is a large open space made mostly in the 1800s for people to enjoy and stay active.

The Parklands grew in an area that was once home to the Gadi people. It still shows some of the natural land shapes and helps keep plants and animals safe in a place where there are many buildings.

The Parklands is important for many reasons. It was where leaders started the country, has parks for everyone, and remembers big events and important people. It also has links to old ways of using the land, like getting water, growing plants, and protecting nature. People have used it for fun, sports, and cultural activities for a long time.

Centennial Parklands gets millions of visitors each year. It offers a rare big open space in the middle of the city where people can do many different activities. The parks that make up the Parklands were made to give everyone a place to relax and have fun for over 100 years.