Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...
,
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 ...
. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney.
[A city's heart builds on a sense of place](_blank)
''Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...
'' 1 October 2007 As home to the
Reserve Bank of Australia
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority. It has had this role since 14 January 1960, when the ''Reserve Bank Act 1959'' removed the central banking functions from the Commonwealth Bank.
Th ...
, the
Commonwealth Bank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), also known as Commonwealth Bank or simply CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of fi ...
,
Macquarie Bank,
Westpac
Westpac Banking Corporation, also known as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney.
Established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, it acquired the Commerc ...
and other corporations, it is also a centre of business and finance. In this way, Martin Place is comparable to other major business districts such as
Wall Street
Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...
and the
Square Mile
The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is equa ...
. The
Sydney GPO is also located on Martin Place.
Martin Place has become a national Australian icon in popular culture for attracting high-end film and television productions and actors to the area. Martin Place runs between
George Street and
Macquarie Street, and provides entrances to the
Martin Place railway station
Martin Place railway station is a heritage-listed underground suburban rail and rapid transit station located on the Eastern Suburbs line, serving the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. Named after Martin Place, it ...
below street level. Other cross streets include
Pitt Street,
Castlereagh Street
Castlereagh Street is a major street located in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs north-to-south, in a One-way traffic, one way direction only.
Description
Castlereagh Street's northern terminu ...
,
Elizabeth Street and
Phillip Street.
The initial "Martin Place" was the section between George Street and Pitt Street, officially opened 1892, and was named in honour of
Sir James Martin, the three time
Premier of New South Wales
The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales actin ...
and
Chief Justice of
Supreme Court of New South Wales
The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian States and territories of Australia, State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil law (common law), civil matters, and hears ...
. Closed to traffic in stages from 1971, Martin Place is surrounded by many heritage buildings and features the 1927 World War I
Sydney Cenotaph, water fountain, entertainment area, railway access and pedestrian seating.
History

Today's Martin Place was built in several phases. Until the late 19th century, only the section between Pitt Street and Castlereagh Street existed in anything resembling the present form, as a short street named Moore Street.
Between Pitt Street and
George Street there was only a small
laneway (similar to nearby surviving laneways such as Angel Place or Hosking Place). In 1863, construction began on the present
General Post Office Building on the south side of the laneway. The building was constructed in stages, and when the design changed to provide for a main façade on the longer north side (instead of facing George Street to the west), there were concomitant proposals to widen the existing laneway into a street connected to Moore Street. A fire which destroyed properties to the north of the laneway provided the impetus for the construction, and in 1892 (a year after the Venetian-Italianate-style General Post Office was completed) the widened street was officially opened and named "Martin Place", in honour of New South Wales premier and Chief Justice James Martin.
The General Post Office occupied the entire southern frontage of the street.
Both Moore Street and Martin Place became prominent centres of business and finance in Sydney. In 1913, the headquarters of the
Commonwealth Bank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), also known as Commonwealth Bank or simply CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of fi ...
was constructed on the corner of Moore Street and Pitt Street. In later years, other banks followed with a range of impressive buildings (see "
Architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
" below). In 1921, Moore Street was renamed as part of Martin Place.
Conscription rallies for
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
took place here.
In 1927, a Cenotaph commemorating the WWI dead was erected.
Soon after, the Sydney Municipal Council proposed to extend the street further east towards
Macquarie Street. However, the plan was delayed by concerted opposition from landowners of the buildings that would have to be demolished to make way for the extension. One of the buildings demolished to make way for the extended Martin Place was St Stephen's Presbyterian Church, on the east side of Phillip Street, which was replaced by the present church on Macquarie Street in 1935. The extension was finally completed in 1935, resulting in the Martin Place stretching from George Street to Macquarie Street seen today.
The increasingly important role of Martin Place as the "heart" or "town square" of Sydney (see "
Events" below) led to calls for the street to be pedestrianised. This was done progressively from 1971 until 1979, when the whole street became a
pedestrian mall
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...
. During this period three properties, the ANZ bank, the National Mutual building, and the CML building, were saved from destruction after the NSW Builders Labourers Federation placed green bans to enforce National Trust preservation orders.
The closure of the street to traffic was partly timed to coincide with the construction of
Martin Place railway station
Martin Place railway station is a heritage-listed underground suburban rail and rapid transit station located on the Eastern Suburbs line, serving the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. Named after Martin Place, it ...
under the eastern section of the street. Martin Place was closed between Macquarie and Phillip Streets from January 1972 to facilitate the station's construction. The station opened in 1979.
Leo Port, the Lord Mayor of Sydney was an advocate of civic design, and was partly responsible for the pedestrianisation of Martin Place and Sydney Square.
In May 1980,
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
and her husband
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
made a royal tour through Martin Place.
Seven Network
Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
operated from its headquarters at Martin Place in Sydney from 1956 until 2016. The building, known as the "Seven Network Building," became a significant part of the network's operations for several decades until the company moved to its new headquarters in
Eveleigh.
A number of the street's older buildings were demolished in this period to make way for modernist buildings. The most prominent of these is
25 Martin Place, designed by
Harry Seidler.
Architecture
Martin Place has a large collection of buildings of various styles, from
neo-classical to contemporary.
Notable buildings
Demolished buildings
Several buildings located at Martin Place have been demolished:
*
Rural Bank Building (1936–1983)
*
The Australia Hotel
* St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church.
*
Commercial Travellers' Association of New South Wales building
Adjacent buildings
* At the Macquarie Street end, the
Sydney Hospital.
* At the George Street end, the heritage-listed
Westpac building, and the heritage-listed
The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited building, which currently houses a
Burberry
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry and headquartered in London, England. It designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats, leather accessories, and footwear. It is l ...
store.
* On Elizabeth Street, the Sun Building was formerly the headquarters of ''
The Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'', an afternoon paper that ceased publication in the 1980s. This skyscraper
Gothic building is one of only three buildings in Sydney in this style.
* On George Street,
Société Générale
Société Générale S.A. (), colloquially known in English-speaking countries as SocGen (), is a French multinational universal bank and financial services company founded in 1864. It is registered in downtown Paris and headquartered nearby i ...
House is
American Romanesque in style, and originally housed the Equitable Life Assurance Society of America.
Other features
Other features of Martin Place include:
*
Sydney Cenotaph, located between the GPO Building and Challis House, commemorates
Anzac
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was originally a First World War army corps of the British Empire under the command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the ...
forces who served in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, as well as Australians who gave their lives in subsequent conflicts. This was originally built from
Moruya
Moruya ( ) is a town located on the South Coast (New South Wales), far south coast of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Moruya River. The Princes Highway runs through the town that is about south of Sydney and from Canberra. At the , ...
granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
by stonemasons working on the
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...
, and dedicated on 8 August 1927.
* A water fountain is located on the east side of Pitt Street, near the
Commonwealth Bank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), also known as Commonwealth Bank or simply CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of fi ...
building. Behind this fountain is an
amphitheatre
An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...
, which features a stage that can be mechanically raised when required for performances.
* Entrances to the underground
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
and attached plaza.
* A Commando Memorial is located in the centre of Martin Place near the eastern end. It commemorates Australian
commando
A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines.
Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...
s who were killed during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Heritage listings
There are a number of heritage-listed buildings in Martin Place, including:
* 1 Martin Place:
General Post Office, Sydney
The General Post Office (abbreviation GPO, commonly known as the Sydney GPO) is a heritage- listed landmark building located in Martin Place, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The original building was constructed in two stages beginning in ...
* 4–10 Martin Place:
Challis House
* 38–46 Martin Place:
MLC Building
* 53–63 Martin Place:
Australian Provincial Assurance Building
* 65 Martin Place:
Reserve Bank of Australia Building
Transport
George Street, Elizabeth Street, and Castlereagh Street, which cross Martin Place, are all major bus routes in Sydney's
CBD. In addition,
Martin Place railway station
Martin Place railway station is a heritage-listed underground suburban rail and rapid transit station located on the Eastern Suburbs line, serving the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. Named after Martin Place, it ...
is located underground. Also nearby are
St James railway station (near Macquarie Street end) and
Wynyard railway station (near George Street end).
The new
Sydney Metro City & Southwest line includes a Metro station located underneath the existing train station and opened in August 2024.
Events

From its origins as a narrow laneway, Martin Place has over time become the "civic heart" of Sydney.
Apart from its central location, the presence of the General Post Office and its attached telegraph office meant that this was the location where important news first arrived in the city. As a result, in earlier decades this was a focal point for gatherings to await or celebrate significant events. The cenotaph was sited on Martin Place outside the General Post Office because this was where crowds gathered in the city at the end of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
Martin Place is now the centre of the city's official war commemoration ceremonies. The extensions of the street gave it new significance in the civic scheme of the city, forming a broad and open connection between George Street, the original "High Street" and commercial axis, and Macquarie Street, the ceremonial avenue and governmental axis. People still gather on the plaza today to participate in significant events, for example to watch live broadcasts on a large television screen during the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
, or the
apology to the Stolen Generation in 2008. An amphitheatre built into the plaza near Pitt Street has hosted music and cultural events, as well as political protests.
Some regular civic events now held on Martin Place include:
* Martin Place was a major opening night site during the annual
Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney, that runs for three weeks every January since it was established in 1977. The festival program features over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...
in early January.
* An
Anzac Day
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...
dawn service has been held on 25 April at the Cenotaph every year since 1927.
* Visual art displays during
Vivid Sydney in late May to early June each year,
* Outdoor concerts are held in the
amphitheatre
An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...
throughout the year.
* Sydney's largest Christmas tree stands in Martin Place every year in front of the GPO in November and December. A Christmas concert is held in late November, when the tree is first lit by the Lord Mayor.

Some events that have occurred in Martin Place include:
* In 1901, a large temporary colonnade and Federation Arch was constructed between George Street and Pitt Street to celebrate the
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Wester ...
and the visit of the first Governor General,
Lord Hopetoun.
* In 1954, a motorcade, with
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
and the
Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...
, drove along Martin Place during their first visit to Australia.
* The official opening of Stage I of the pedestrianisation of Martin Place between George Street and Pitt Street took place at 1.00pm on Friday 10 September 1971, by Lord Mayor L. Emmet McDermott.
* The official opening of Stage II took place in July 1976 and Stage V in September 1977.
* The official opening of Stages III and IV of Martin Place took place at 1.00pm on Monday 7 May 1979, by Lord Mayor Nelson Meers, coinciding with the opening of the
Eastern Suburbs Railway.
* Martin Place was a live outdoor venue for the Sydney
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
featuring 4.8 by 6.4 metre television screens broadcasting live coverage.
* The
Occupy Sydney protest movement occupied a section of Martin Place close to the Macquarie Street end from 15 October 2011. Some protesters were removed on 23 October 2011. A series of evictions by authorities and re-establishment by protestors occurred in July 2013, ending with the final eviction of the camp on 9 July 2013.
*
2012 Sydney anti-Islam film protests – On 15 September 2012, around 300 Muslims protested in response to the anti-Islam film ''
Innocence of Muslims'' in Sydney CBD, including Martin Place. The event escalated into scenes of violent confrontation between police and various protesters, particularly around the areas of Martin Place and Hyde Park.
*
2014 Sydney hostage crisis
The Lindt Café siege was a terrorist attack that occurred on 15–16 December 2014 when a lone gunman, Man Haron Monis, held ten customers and eight employees of a Lindt#Lindt chocolate cafés and stores, Lindt Chocolate Café hostage in the ...
– On 15–16 December 2014, Martin Place was placed into lock-down after an incident involving an Islamic gunman at the Lindt Café, with 18 people taken hostage. The armed siege had killed three people—two victims and the perpetrator himself.
After the crisis it was reported that bogus
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
monks appeared targeting mourners over donations.
* A group of homeless people known as Tent City camping in the upper section of the mall from December 2016, leaving in August 2017.
Appearances in popular culture
Film
*
''The Matrix'' trilogy: The
Lloyd Rees fountain near the intersection of Martin Place and
Pitt Street was featured in the film ''
The Matrix
''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...
'' (1999), where
Neo is distracted by the Woman in the Red Dress. The fountain has been rebuilt since the film was made. Martin Place was also the location of the final fight between Neo and
Agent Smith in ''
The Matrix Revolutions
''The Matrix Revolutions'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. The direct sequel to ''The Matrix Reloaded,'' it is the third installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, released six months foll ...
''.
* ''
Superman Returns
''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer, and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris, based on the DC Comics character Superman. It serves as a homage ...
'' (2006), in the scenes where
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
saves Kitty Kowalski from a car accident.
* Scenes from the 2024 film ''
The Fall Guy'' were shot here.
Television
* The studios of
Seven's flagship programs ''
Seven News
Seven News (stylised 7NEWS) is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia.
National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in South Eveleigh, Sydney, while its flags ...
'', ''
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon.
Terminology
Although the S ...
'' and ''
Weekend Sunrise''. Non-flagship programmes filmed in that studio included
Seven Early News,
Seven Morning News and
Seven News at 4 along with entertainment show ''
The Morning Show'' were all broadcast from the
Seven Network
Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
's Martin Place studios. These programs were all moved to
South Eveleigh in 2023.
* ''
Rake
Rake may refer to:
Common meanings
* Rake (tool), a horticultural implement, a long-handled tool with tines
* Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct
* Rake (poker), the commission taken by the house when hosting a poker game
...
'', an ABC television series based on a self-destructive barrister is based in Martin Place.
* Martin Place and the bar Hotel Chambers (located on the Elizabeth Street corner) were prominently featured in the Australian
telemovie ''Go Big''.
* ''
The Mole's'' 2005 series of reality television series featured a live elimination round filmed in the Seven Network studios in Martin Place. The final round in which the Mole and the winner were revealed was also filmed here; one notable past contestant outside the studio that night was Bob Young, winner of the
''Weakest Link'' special in season 3.
* ''
The Amazing Race
''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality competition franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. ''The Amazing Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselv ...
'': Martin Place was featured during a
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:
* Roadworks
*Temporary road closure during special events
* Police chase
*Robbery
* Sobriety checkpoint
* Protests
In peaceful ...
task in
second season of the reality television series ''The Amazing Race''.
See also
*
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...
*
George Street, Sydney
George Street is a street in the Sydney central business district, central business district of Sydney.
It was Sydney's original high street, and remains one of the busiest streets in the city centre. It connects a number of the city's most im ...
*
Macquarie Street, Sydney
Macquarie Street is a street in the Sydney central business district, central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Macquarie Street extends from Hyde Park, Sydney, Hyde Park at its southern end to the Sydney Opera House a ...
References
External links
GPO SydneyMartin Place Cenotaphat the ''Register of War Memorials in New South Wales'' website.
*
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1892 establishments in Australia
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1892 establishments in Australia
Streets in Sydney
Pedestrian malls in Sydney
Squares in Sydney