Macquarie Place, Urban park in Sydney Central Business District, Australia
Macquarie Place is a small triangular park in the heart of Sydney's central business district, shaded by old trees and crossed by paved pathways. It contains several outdoor monuments placed directly on the grass and stone surfaces, making it an open-air collection of colonial-era structures.
Governor Lachlan Macquarie had this site laid out around 1810 as the first formally planned public space in Australia, on ground that was previously swampy. The obelisk was added in 1818 to serve as the official zero point for distance measurements across the colony.
The obelisk in the park was once the starting point for measuring distances across New South Wales, and its inscriptions are still readable today. Near it stands an anchor from the First Fleet, which visitors can see up close without any barrier.
The park sits in the middle of Sydney's city center and is easy to reach on foot from many public transport stops. It is open throughout the day and works well as a short break during a walk through the surrounding streets.
Two plane trees in the park were planted in 1954 by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during their first visit to Australia, and they are still standing today. What is easy to miss is that this small space, surrounded by office towers, holds not one but several layers of colonial history in a single glance.
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