Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Centennial Park

The largest urban park in the southern hemisphere, developed as a parkland since the early days of European settlement. It also gives its name to the small residential suburb on its western fringe, whose most famous resident was Nobel Prize winning novelist Patrick White.

-33.889836947509, 151.23413812339

Milestone
Separated from
1886
Name
Alternate
Lachlan Swamps
- 1888
Commemorated by
Position
1911 - 1923
Property
Part of
Part of
Administered by
Comprises
Comprises
Type

Centennial Park

CC BY-SA 2.0
,
2008

A sandy swampy tract of land, skirted by roads based on Aboriginal tracks, the land that became Centennial Park was set aside as a common by Macquarie in 1811. Later the swamps in the park supplied Sydney's water, first by card and later via Busby's Bore. In 1888 the area was designated a public park commemorating 100 years since the founding of the colony. The park was designed, planted, neglected and refurbished over the next century and more, and remains one of Sydney's great spaces.

The road east

CC BY-SA 2.0
,
2011

The first track east to South Head followed the path Aboriginal people had travelled for thousands of years, but soon became a cleared road and later a paved street.