Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Paddington
Town Hall
6
Cnr Oxford St & Oatley Rd.
Map
5 C3.
@
333, 378, 380.
#
10am-4pm
Mon-Fri.
¢
public hols.
6
The Paddington Town Hall
was completed in 1891. An
international competition
which, in a spirit of Victorian
self-confidence, was intended
to produce the state's finest
town hall, was won by local
architect JE Kemp. His
Classical Revival building, to
which a clock tower was later
added, still dominates the
surrounding area, although it
is no longer a centre of local
government.
The building now houses
Chauvel Cinema, managed
by the Australian Film
Institute, Paddington Library,
and a large ballroom that is
available for hire.
The lush green expanse of Centennial Park
Victoria
Barracks
8
Oxford St.
Map
5 B3.
Tel
9339 3000.
@
repel surprise attacks, have
foundations 10 m (40 ft) deep
in places. In a former jail
block, a museum traces New
South Wales' military heritage.
10am-
12:30pm Thu, 10am- 3:45pm Sun.
333, 378, 380.
Museum
#
¢
Centennial Park
9
Map
6 E5.
Tel
9339 6699.
25-26 Dec, 1 Jan.
6
7
8
Parade
& tour:
10am Thu.
Clovelly,
Coogee, Maroubra, Randwick, Bronte,
City, Bondi Beach & Bondi Junction
routes, Bondi Explorer Bus.
@
Victoria Barracks is the largest
and best-preserved group of
late Georgian architecture in
Australia, covering almost
12 ha (29 acres). It is widely
considered to be one of the
best examples of a military
barracks in the world.
Designed by the Colonial
Engineer, Lieutenant Colonel
George Barney, the barracks
were built between 1841 and
1848 using local sandstone
quarried by mainly convict
labour. Originally intended to
house 800 men, it has been in
continuous military use ever
since, and still operates as a
centre of military planning,
administration and command.
The main block is 225 m
(740 ft) long and has symmet-
rical two-storey wings with
cast-iron verandas flanking a
central archway. The perimeter
walls, which are designed to
The
park is open permanently. Cars are
permitted from sunrise to sunset.
-
#
on request.
www
.centennialparklands.com.au
0
7
8
Entering this 220-ha (544-acre)
park through one of its sand-
stone and wrought-iron gates,
the visitor may wonder how
such an extensive and idyllic
place has survived so close to
the centre of the city.
Formerly a common, it was
dedicated “to the enjoyment
of the people of New South
Wales forever” on 26 January
1888, the centenary of the
foundation of the colony. On
1 January 1901, more than
100,000 people gathered here
to witness the birth of the
Commonwealth of Australia
with the proclamation of the
Federation of Australia. The
striking Federation Pavilion
marks the site of this event.
Today picnickers, painters,
runners, horse riders, cyclists
and in-line skaters enjoy this
vast recreation area.
Once the source of Sydney's
water supply, the swamps are
now home to many waterbirds.
Within the park are ornamen-
tal ponds, cultivated gardens,
an Avenue of Palms, a sports
ground and a café
(see p194).
Paddington Town Hall
Paddington
Village
7
Cnr Gipps & Shadforth Sts.
Map
5
C3.
@
333, 378, 380.
Paddington began its life as
a working-class suburb. The
community comprised the
carpenters, quarrymen and
stonemasons who supervised
the convict gangs that built
Victoria Barracks in the 1840s.
The artisans and their fami-
lies occupied a tight huddle of
spartan houses, a few of which
still remain, crowded into the
narrow streets nearby. Like
the barracks, these dwellings
and surrounding shops and
hotels were built mainly of
locally quarried stone.
The archway at the Oxford Street
entrance to Victoria Barracks
