Elizabeth Street is a major street in the
central business district of
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
in
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. The street continues south of the central business district (CBD), through the inner city suburbs of
Surry Hills
Surry Hills is an Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), inner-east 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 in Australia, local gover ...
,
Redfern and
Waterloo, before terminating in
Zetland. Elizabeth Street lies within the
City of Sydney 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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
.
Description and history
Elizabeth Street runs south from
Hunter Street, past
Hyde Park and
David Jones, and reaches the CBD boundary at
Central station. 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 politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Lachlan Macquarie
Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...
in 1810 for his second wife, Elizabeth Henrietta Campbell (1778-1835).
On
Victory over Japan Day (15 August 1945), the
Dancing Man photograph and film were taken of celebrations in Elizabeth Street.
In 2016, it became the route for Sydney's
Anzac Day parade when the traditional route via
George Street became unavailable due to
CBD and South East Light Rail construction work.
Points of interest
Within the central business district
*
Martin Place Special Area: this street is historically significant as a site of various monuments, including the
Sydney Cenotaph. It was established as a meeting place in front of the
GPO 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.
*
Hyde Park: 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 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 in 1877 and 1886. The building is heritage-listed.
*Obelisk (facing
Bathurst Street): this obelisk was based on
Cleopatra's Needle in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, 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, circa 1878. It seats 1,600 people on the ground floor and is heritage-listed.
*
Downing Centre: formerly
Mark Foy's 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.
*
Central station: designed by
Walter Liberty Vernon
Colonel (Australia), Colonel Walter Liberty Vernon (11 August 184617 January 1914) was an English people, English architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney, New South Wales. In his role as the New Sou ...
, 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.
*
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) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
.
South of the central business district
*
Redfern Oval: 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 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 Australasia, Transdev and John Holland Group, John Holland, it operates services in Sydney Metropolitan Bus Service Contracts, Sydney Bus Regio ...
bus services to and from the Eastern Suburbs and Transit Systems services to and from the Inner West.
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 CBD Studio
See also
References
External links
{{Streets of Sydney Australia, state=collapsed
Streets in Sydney
Surry Hills, New South Wales
Redfern, New South Wales