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The park is very
popular with the lunch time city crowds, and is especially beautiful
at night with the huge old fig trees covered in fairy lights.
At night, you also get the opportunity to see possums, but care
should be taken, as they are still wild animals, and because of
their poor eyesight, your outstretched fingers may be mistaken for
food.
History of the Park:
Governor Macquarie formally named Hyde Park
and declared it to be used as a common for the people of Sydney, in
1810. It was to be the first space to be set aside for public
recreation within an urban context. The historic park was to have
various incarnations, including Sydney’s first racecourse and later
Sydney’s first cricket ground. Then during the early 1920s, the park
was to undergo major upheaval from the excavation work to build the
City Underground Railway. This work covered the length and breadth
of the park and required an army of men to move the huge amounts of
earth. The work was to continue throughout the decade. In 1924 the
City Council held a design competition to modify the park from its
Victorian origins. This was probably to bring pressure to bear on
the City Underground Project and to allay fears that the park would
not be lost to the public for many more years. The competition was
won by Norman B Weekes who proposed a highly formal plan featuring a
central avenue of fig trees and gardens on either side. Like many
other projects, a modified version of his original vision was to be
implemented, designed by three assessors. The park was mainly built
and planted between 1924 and 1936.
Source:
City
of Sydney. Today, Hyde Park is frequented by office
workers during the week and plays host to a variety of festivals
throughout the year, including the Festival of Sydney in January. Wildlife
Wildlife seen in the park include a population of Australian White Ibis, sea
gulls, pigeons, rosellas, sulphur crested cockatoos, passing fruit bats and
possums. The location of the park is:
Sydney Central Business District
Surrounded by College Street on the east side.
Liverpool Street on the south side.
Elizabeth Street on the west side. |
