Elizabeth Street is a major street in the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The street continues south of the central business district (CBD), through the inner city suburbs of

Surry Hills Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney. Surry Hills is surroun ...

, Redfern and Waterloo, before terminating in Zetland. Elizabeth Street lies within the

City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

Description and history

Elizabeth Street runs south from Hunter Street, past

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

and David Jones, and reaches the CBD boundary at

Central station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

. The street continues further south and is approximately long and passes through a mixture of residential and commercial areas. Between Eddy Avenue and Redfern Street, the street carries southbound traffic only; with Chalmers Street carrying northbound traffic. The speed limit on Elizabeth Street varies between to . Elizabeth Street was originally known as Mulgrave Street, but was renamed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie se ...

in 1810 for his second wife, Elizabeth Henrietta Campbell (1778-1835). On VP Day (15 August 1945), the

Dancing Man ''Dancing Man'' is the name given to a photograph of a man who was filmed dancing on the street in Sydney, Australia, after the end of World War II. On 15 August 1945, a cameraman, Jim Pearson, took note of a man's joyful expression and dance ...

photograph and film were taken of celebrations in Elizabeth Street. In 2016, it became the route for Sydney's

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...

parade with the traditional route via George Street unavailable due to

CBD and South East Light Rail The CBD and South East Light Rail is a light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Construction commenced in October 2015, with services between Circular Quay and Randwick commencing on 14 December 2019 as the L2 Randwick Line, and ...

construction work.

Points of interest

Within the central business district

Martin Place Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney.

Special Area: this street is historically significant as a site of various monuments, including the

Sydney Cenotaph The Sydney Cenotaph is a heritage-listed monument located in Martin Place, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Bertram Mackennal and built from 1927 to 1929 by Dorman Long & Co. It is also known as Martin Place Memorial ...

. It was established as a meeting place in front of the

GPO GPO may refer to: Government and politics * General Post Office, Dublin * General Post Office, in Britain * Social Security Government Pension Offset, a provision reducing benefits * Government Pharmaceutical Organization, a Thai state enterpris ...

in 1863. Further development and evolution took place through the 1880s and 1930s, until the site was completely pedestrianised in 1970. * St James station: started by the Chief Engineer of Metropolitan Railway Construction, St James was a vital link in the City Circle. It was built on two levels. Work commenced in 1916 but was held up by lack of funds. Work resumed in 1922. The station has a state heritage listing. *

: this is the oldest park in Australia, having been named by Governor Macquarie in 1810. The designer, Norman Weekes, won a 1926 design competition. The park includes the Oddfellows War Memorial (1921), the Archibald Fountain (1932) and Sandringham Gardens (1954), and has a state heritage listing. * Museum station: this station was designed by John Bradfield as part of the

City Circle The City Circle is a mostly-underground railway line located in the Sydney central business district and Haymarket, in New South Wales, Australia, that forms the core of Sydney's passenger rail network. The lines are owned by the Transport A ...

rail system. It was built between 1922 and 1926 and has a state heritage listing. * David Jones Market Street Store: designed by Mackellar and Partridge in 1938, plus Crawford H.Mackellar 1941, built 1938. The lower six floors were built between the wars, the upper floors were built after World War II. It represents one of the first examples of aluminium-framed windows in Sydney. The building has a state heritage listing. *Former Registrar's Office: built late 1850, designed by Alexander Dawson, Colonial Architect, with a Tudor Gothic stone exterior, as part of the Supreme Court. Additions were by

James Barnet James Johnstone Barnet, (1827 in Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland – 16 December 1904 in Forest Lodge, Sydney, New South Wales) was the Colonial Architect for Colonial New South Wales, serving from 1862 to 1890. Early life Born the son of a ...

in 1877 and 1886. The building is heritage-listed. *Obelisk (facing Bathurst Street): this obelisk was based on

Cleopatra's Needle Cleopatra's Needles are a separated pair of ancient Egyptian obelisks now in London and New York City. The obelisks were originally made in Heliopolis (modern Cairo) during the New Kingdom period, inscribed by the 18th dynasty pharaoh Thutmose I ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, circa 1857. It is actually a sewerage vent in the Victorian Egyptian style. It is heritage-listed. * Great Synagogue: located on the west side of Elizabeth Street, this synagogue was designed by

Thomas Rowe Thomas Rowe (20 July 1829 – 14 January 1899) was a British-born architect, builder and goldminer who became one of Australia's leading architects of the Victorian era. He was also a politician, who was the first Mayor of Manly. Early life ...

, circa 1878. It seats 1,600 people on the ground floor and is heritage-listed. *

Downing Centre The Downing Centre is a major heritage-listed former department store and now courthouse complex in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It features state government courts, including the Local Court, the District Court, and a law library know ...

: formerly

Mark Foy's Mark Foy's Limited or Mark Foy's was a department store in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, founded by Francis Foy and his brother Mark Foy. The department store was named after their father, Mark Foy (senior) and traded between 1885 and ...

department store, this building was designed by McCreedy and Anderson in 1908. The upper four storeys were added in 1928, having been designed by H.Ross and Rowe. *

: designed by

Walter Liberty Vernon Colonel Walter Liberty Vernon (11 August 184617 January 1914) was an English architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney, New South Wales. In his role as the New South Wales Government Architect he is ...

, Central station has been described as the grandest railway station in Australia. It was built of sandstone from 1901-1906 and is one of the first examples of reinforced concrete in Australia. It is listed on the

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

. * Sydney Dental Hospital: the dental hospital was established in 1908 when the Dentists Act of 1901 put dentistry on an organised footing. It is run by the Faculty of Dentistry at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

South of the central business district

Redfern Oval Redfern Oval is an Australian football ground, in the Sydney suburb of , New South Wales, Australia. The South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League Football Club played at Redfern Oval between 1948 and 1987. Rabbitoh supporters often refer to Redfern ...

: this park is located between Elizabeth, Chalmers and Redfern Streets and includes an oval, sandstone perimeter walls, entrance gates, fountain and war memorials. Was the scene of the launch of the Australian Celebration of the 1992 International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Has a state heritage listing. *Waterloo Park: this park is located between Elizabeth, Kellick, Pitt and Allen Streets. The north-west corner contains the Mt Carmel Church, which was established in 1858. *Mt Carmel Church and School: the school was first established in 1858 under the Benedictine Order. A new school was built in 1876. The church was begun in 1859 and was designed by William Monroe. The presbytery was opened in 1890. The complex has a state heritage listing. * Waterloo Town Hall: this town hall is listed as a substantial representative of the Victorian Italianate style. It was designed by Edward Hughes and built 1880-81. It is historically significant as an example of the small, inner-city councils in Sydney and is heritage-listed.State Heritage website
/ref>

Transport

Elizabeth Street was a busy

electric tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

corridor for most services to and from the eastern suburbs until the closure of the lines in 1961. The street is used by

Transdev John Holland Transdev John Holland Buses is a bus operator in Sydney, Australia. A joint venture between Transdev and John Holland, it operates services in Sydney Bus Region 9 in the Eastern Suburbs under contract to Transport for NSW. It is a separate comp ...

bus services to and from the

Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

and

Transit Systems Transit Systems Group is an Australian-based public transport company, which also operates overseas through its subsidiary Tower Transit Group. Transit Systems Group is a subsidiary of the Kelsian Group, formerly SeaLink Travel Group. History ...

services to and from the

Inner West The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River) ...

Gallery

Image:1_Zetland_Hotel.JPG, Zetland Hotel Image:1_Old_Registry_Office.JPG, Old Registry Office Image:1_Museum_Station.JPG, Museum station Image:1_Strawberry_Hills_Hotel.JPG, Strawberry Hills Hotel Image:1_Former_Waterloo_Town_Hall.JPG, Former Waterloo Town Hall (1881) Image:1_Mount_Carmel_Church_and_School.JPG, Mount Carmel Church and School Image:1_Mount_Carmel_Church_Presbytery.JPG, Mount Carmel Church Presbytery Image:1_Surrey_Hotel.JPG, Surrey Hotel File:Sky News Australia Sydney City Studio.jpg,

Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...

CBD Studio

References

External links

{{Streets of Sydney Australia, state=collapsed Streets in Sydney Surry Hills, New South Wales Redfern, New South Wales