Description of the attraction
Australia Centenary Park is a huge public park that sprawls over 220 hectares in eastern Sydney, 4 km from the CBD. By the way, a small suburb of Sydney, bordering the park, has the same name.
The planning of the park began in 1886, but not all plans were implemented - for example, the museum and the building of party conventions were never built. However, in January 1888, the park was inaugurated to commemorate the centenary of the founding of the first European settlement in Australia. The then Governor General Lord Hopetown dedicated the park "to all New South Wales."
Livestock was once grazed on the grounds of the park, and the reservoirs located to the south were the main source of fresh water for Sydney from 1830 to 1880. Today it is one of the largest recreational areas in the city, adjacent to other parks - Moore Park and Kings Park.
An important attraction of the park is the Federation Monument, which consists of the Commonwealth Plate (1901) and the Federation Pavilion (1988) - it was here that on January 1, 1901, the creation of the Australian Commonwealth was officially announced. The Federation Pavilion was erected next to the Commonwealth Plate in Australia's Bicentennial Year. And the Commonwealth Slab itself, made of sandstone, is practically the only thing left of the original plaster pavilion, which was destroyed by time.
Through Centenary Park passes the Grand Drive Road, which in 2000 was part of the marathon distance at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Today they ride bicycles and rollerblades here, and sometimes you can see riders on horses.
In the residential area adjacent to the park, which bears the same name, houses built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries have survived and have retained their original appearance. Some of them are listed as National Treasures for Australia.
