Circular Quay

Circular Quay is a

The Circular Quay area is a popular neighbourhood for tourism and consists of walkways, pedestrian malls, parks and restaurants. It hosts a number of ferry wharves, bus stops, and a railway station.^[2] Often referred to as the "gateway to Sydney", the precinct has views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House and is a common location for viewing Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks.

The Aboriginal name for Circular Quay is Warrung, meaning "Little Child".^[3]

The first people to occupy the area now known as Sydney were

Sydney Cove, on which Circular Quay is located, was the site of the initial landing of the First Fleet in Port Jackson on 26 January 1788.

The governor's temporary canvas house was erected on the east side of the cove,^[9] while the western shore became the centre of the early settlement. It was the focal point from which the city of Sydney grew. The first wharf on the shore of Sydney Cove probably dated from around 1792. In 1802 it was replaced with a timber-framed wharf called "Hospital Wharf", the first public wharf of the colony (later renamed King's Wharf and Queen's Wharf).

Late 18th-century Scottish constitutional reformer

Panorama of Circular Quay from a ship's mast, 1903, by Melvin Vaniman

Circular Quay was constructed in 1837–1844 by reconstructing the southern section of Sydney Cove with an artificial shoreline. The mouth of the Tank Stream, which flowed into Sydney Cove at the western end of Circular Quay, was in-filled. The harbour was originally known as "Semi-Circular Quay", this being the actual shape of the quay. The name was shortened for convenience.^[10] Wharves were built on the southern shore. Reflecting Circular Quay's status as the central harbour for Sydney, the Customs House was built on the southern shore in 1844–1845. During the construction of Circular Quay, the eastern side of the cove was used as a quarry and housed construction works. After the governor's residence was moved up the hill to the present Government House in the 1840s and 1850s, Macquarie Street was extended north through the Governor's Domain to Fort Macquarie. This led to the development of the area between the street and the shore into a commercial working wharf dominated by the wool trade, while the eastern side of the street remained part of the Domain. This part of Macquarie Street became known as the "wool store" end.^[9] Wool and bond stores and warehouses appeared on the site. The historic "Moore Steps" was built in 1868 as a passage between two wool stores, leading from the shore to Macquarie Street. By the 1860s, all three sides of Circular Quay were dominated by wharves and warehouses.

However, by the 1870s, much of the commercial shipping activities was moving away from Circular Quay. The harbour was becoming too small to accommodate the increasing number of large ships accessing Sydney. Instead, shipping activities moved further westwards to Darling Harbour, which also had the advantage of a railway line.

With the absence of commercial shipping, the harbour became increasingly used for passenger transport. The first ferry wharf was built on the southern shore in 1879. From the 1890s, ferry terminals came to dominate the harbour, and Circular Quay became the hub of the Sydney ferry network. The Sydney Harbour Trust was formed in 1900.

Circular Quay was also a tram hub. It was the focal terminal point of most electric tram services to the Eastern Suburbs. The first tram to operate through Circular Quay was horse-drawn, running from the old Sydney Railway station to Circular Quay along Pitt Street in 1861^[11] allowing easy transfer to ferries. Trams operated from Central station down Castlereagh Street to Circular Quay and back up Pitt Street in a large anti-clockwise loop. For many years, 27 regular services operated from Circular Quay.^[12][13]

From 1936, the appearance of Circular Quay was dramatically changed with the construction of a railway viaduct, and later the elevated Cahill Expressway above the viaduct, across the southern shore of the cove. Circular Quay railway station was opened on 20 January 1956^[14] and the elevated Cahill Expressway was officially opened on 24 March 1958.^[15]

The construction of the viaduct led to the demolition of the old Maritime Services Board building on the south-western shore. A replacement was constructed further north in 1940, and is today the Museum of Contemporary Art. Further north, the Sydney Cove Passenger Terminal was built in 1958–1960 to accommodate the increasing number of passengers arriving by ship. The building was renovated in 1988, 2000 and 2014. Large liners and cruise ships often dock here, their size dominating the cove. East Circular Quay was redeveloped from the 1950s with the replacement of wool stores with modernist commercial buildings. The Sydney height limit was increased from 46 to 279 metres (150 to 915 ft) in 1959, and a number of Sydney's first skyscrapers were built around Circular Quay. The AMP Building on the southern shore was Sydney's tallest building when completed in 1962. In 1973, the Sydney Opera House was completed at the northeastern end of Sydney Cove.

Between 1971 and 1989, Colonial Mutual Life acquired land along Circular Quay for a large scale development. The initial design caused significant controversy around the country, including intervention by the Prime Minister, Paul Keating, and internationally.^[16] A revised 1992 design had the developer reducing building height and providing a colonnade for public access, in exchange for the development extending further towards the foreshore. The resulting development of Bennelong Apartments (nicknamed by critics as The Toaster), and is criticised for it positioning and for obscuring views of the Sydney Opera House, from the main pedestrian approach.^{[citation needed]}

In 2019, several property developments underway by the private sector in the area, including: Quay Quarter Sydney by AMP Capital, Opera Residences, One Circular Quay by Yuhu Group, Circular Quay Tower by Lendlease, and the Sandstone Hotels precinct by Pontiac Group. In addition, the Sydney Opera House is undergoing its largest renewal project since its opening.

The transport facilities in the precinct

Circular Quay is a major Sydney transport hub, with a large ferry, rail and bus interchange. The Cahill Expressway is a prominent feature of the quay, running from the east, over the elevated railway station to join the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the west. International ships have docked and moored at Circular Quay since the earliest years of the colony. The Overseas Passenger Terminal is a major piece of Sydney transport infrastructure serving cruise ships and ocean liners and their passengers.

Circular Quay railway station is the only station on the City Circle that is above ground. The platform looks out over the ferry terminus, providing views of Sydney Harbour, including the bridge and Opera House.

The wharf complex hosts five commuter ferry wharves and is the terminus for all public ferry routes in Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River other than the Mortlake Ferry between Mortlake and Putney. Circular Quay was formerly a large tram terminus and interchange. As many Sydney bus routes follow the previous tram lines, the tram terminus in Alfred Street became a major bus terminus for many bus routes.^[17] In March 1995, the road on the eastern side of Circular Quay which served as a bus layover was closed and converted into a pedestrian zone.^[18] A redesign of CBD bus services in October 2015 reduced the number of bus routes serving Circular Quay. In 2019, the CBD and South East Light Rail to Kingsford and Randwick opened with a terminus in Alfred Street.^[19]

Circular Quay is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central Sydney location between the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is one of the main congregation points for Sydney New Year's Eve.

Circular Quay is also the home of Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art and the City of Sydney Library in the heritage-listed Customs House. Sydney Writers Walk – a series of plaques commemorating writers with some connection to Sydney – was installed in the footpath along Circular Quay in 1991. In autumn 2006, the largest open-air art exhibition ever in Australia took place on Circular Quay: Over 7 weeks the Berlin Buddy Bears visited Sydney.^[20] Each bear represented a member-country of the United Nations, symbolizing the universal principles of peace, freedom and friendship.^[21]

The Quay is mentioned in the classic song "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" (1971) by Eric Bogle. "Circular Quay" is the title of a song from Dr. Robert of The Blow Monkeys which appeared on his 1994 debut solo album, Realms of Gold. The song was also issued as a single in the same year.^{[citation needed]}

• Gold Fields House
• Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
• Overseas Passenger Terminal
• Sydney Cove railings

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Circular Quay.

• ABC's Sydney Sidetracks explores the history of Circular Quay
• Paul Ashton (2008). "East Circular Quay". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 27 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]
• Peter Bolt (2008). "King's Dockyard". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 8 October 2015. [CC-By-SA]
• "Commissariat Stores". Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust. 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2015. [CC-By-SA].