The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.
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Hotel Australia
Combining an ornate nineteenth-century facade in Castlereagh Street, with an Art Deco fantasy of black marble and silver in Martin Place, the Hotel Australia was one of Sydney's most elegant until its demolition in 1972, when the MLC Centre was built.
Olympia Speedway
Australia's first major motor racing venue financed by a syndicate of Sydney businessmen on 33 hectares of Crown Land at Maroubra. It operated for about 10 years but poor design, five fatalaties and reduced attendance lead to its closure and redevelopment as a…
Rookwood Cemetery
Large cemetery established in 1868 on the railway line between Sydney and Parramatta at Haslem's Creek. It became known as the Rookwood Necropolis after the suburb in which it was located. The suburb's name was eventually changed to Lidcombe, but the cemetery retained the…
St Leonards
Lower north shore suburb, named either after British statesman Lord Sydney of St Leonards, or by surveyor general Thomas Mitchell after the town in England. In recent years it has grown into a major business district, as well as being the location of the Royal North Shore…
Manly local government area
Area of 15 square kilometres on Sydney's northern beaches formerly governed by Manly Council until being merged with Warringah and Pittwater to form Northern Beaches local government area in 2016. No part of Manly was more than one kilometre from either the harbour or the…
El Alamein Memorial Fountain
Fountain to commemorate the Australian soldiers of the 9th Division who fought near the Egyptian town of El Alamein in two battles which helped change the course of World War II. As a work of modernist design it was a Sydney icon in the 1960s and 1970s.
Tank Stream Way
Lane which once formed part of Hamilton Street and was renamed in 1981 after much disappeared under the Australia Square complex. Following the same path as the original water source for Sydney it is a reminder of the mangroves and mudflats which previously existed in the…
Argyle Stores
Sandstone warehouse in The Rocks on land once owned by Mary Reibey, incorporating parts of very early commercial buildings in Sydney and built in stages, the east wing being completed in 1826, the west between 1840 and 1845. In the 1970s it was repurposed as a retail centre…
Du Faur, Frederick Eccleston
Founder and supporter of scientific and artistic organisations in Sydney, who helped establish Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and was a landowner at Mount Wilson. He worked as a chief draftsman at the Department of Lands, and often explored the Bliue Mountains, camping near…
Richard Dawson's Australian Foundry
Dawson's Foundry (the Australian Foundry) at George Street and Sydney Cove was the colony's first important iron foundry and a machining and engineering works that operated for four decades. This leading colonial manufactory played an important role in transferring iron trade…
Artefact Heritage Services
Based in Pyrmont, Artefact Heritage Services is a leading provider of heritage management and archaeological services, including all aspects of Aboriginal and historical cultural heritage management and archaeology. Artefact’s projects span the breadth of New South Wales but…
East Circular Quay
The area that is now East Circular Quay was quickly seen as the governor's side of Sydney Cove after colonisation in 1788. The first house built on the point belonged to Bennelong. When the semi-circular quay was constructed from 1837, the eastern side of the bay was used as…
Colonial Mutual Life building
Commercial building in Martin Place, built at the time of the widening and improvement of the street, which housed tenants including the Sydney Stock Exchange and the United States consulate. In 1976 it became one of the earliest examples of a modern redevelopment retaining…
Royal National Park railway station
Terminal station in the Royal National Park that opened on 9 March 1886 to provide access to a miltary training camp. The line and station was subsequently used by tourists and visitors to the park The platform is currently used as a tramway stop for the Sydney Tramway Museum…
Potts Hill Reservoir No.2
Reservoir constructed in 1923 as part of the Upper Nepean Scheme to increase the ability of the Scheme to respond to the daily demand fluctuations of the city. It has twice the capacity of the No.1 reservoir and remains an integral part of Sydney's water supply system.
Eastern Channel Pile Light
An active pile lighthouse off South Head in Sydney Harbour. A white timber and concrete octagonal structure, with an iron and glass light and copper dome, it was constructed in 1908 to replace an earlier buoy and beacon. It was originally powered by an acetylene gas…
Tankstream - into the head of the Cove...
Public artwork by Lynne Roberts-Goodwin that traces the path of the Tank Stream through the city in five separate sites between Pitt Street Mall and Alfred Street through the installation of blue glass rods into the paving. Commissioned by the City of Sydney and installed in…
Litson, Jo
Jo Litson is a Sydney-based freelance arts writer and the arts writer and theatre reviewer for Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph. She has a BA Hons in English and Drama from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. In 2004, she conducted historical research for the…
Qantas Heritage Collection
The Qantas Heritage Collection is a permanent exhibition of the rich and colourful history of Qantas. Located on the mezzanine level of Sydney Domestic Terminal (T3) near Gate 13, it is open to the public, free of charge Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 4.30pm.