Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Moore Steps

Stairs constructed at East Circular Quay to service the adjacent wool stores. The bas reliefs of two faces in the pedestals at the foot of the stairs were carved at some time between 1973 and 1978 by sculptor Saul Munro. His son Thorin has said that his father told him he had carved the faces at night, and when approached by police or security, he would (untruthfully) tell them he had received a commission to do them but had a day job as well. 

-33.860595655524, 151.21296519815

Milestone
Constructed
1868
Name
Commemorates
Position
Type

Moore Steps

CC BY 2.5 AU
,
2018

The design of Moore Steps that we see today follows a drawing signed by the City Engineer, Edward Bell, in 1868 but it was not the first design undertaken for this stairway.