Sydney Town Hall
You are standing on top of Sydney's first permanent cemetery — at least 2,000 colonial-era burials lie beneath the floor.
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Built from 1869 to 1889, this civic hall still houses the Lord Mayor's chambers and hosts public events. The 2008–2009 renovation required hauling out 6,000 cubic metres of sandstone from underneath the building without fully clearing what remains below — the Old Sydney Burial Ground, active from 1792 to 1820, was never fully relocated.
What to look for
- The broad George Street steps — a traditional city meeting point, directly opposite the Queen Victoria Building
- St Andrew's Cathedral immediately alongside, both part of the same heritage-listed precinct that also includes the Gresham Hotel and the former Bank of New South Wales
483 George Street, Sydney CBD; Town Hall train station is directly below the building — you exit the platform and emerge at the front steps.
Sydney Town Hall is one of 23 sights worth the detour in Sydney, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Sydney pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Sydney
- Sydney Opera HouseJørn Utzon won the design competition in 1957, directed construction, then resigned before it ever opened — Queen Elizabeth II cut the ribbon on 20 October 1973.
- Sydney Harbour BridgeWalk the arch of the world's tallest steel bridge — nicknamed "the Coathanger" — with Sydney Harbour spread out below you and the arch top rising 134 m above the water.
- Accor StadiumBuilt in 1999 for A$690 million, this was the largest Olympic stadium ever constructed — originally squeezing in 115,000 people.
- Sydney Tower EyeAt 309 m above the CBD, this is the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere by deck elevation — clearing Auckland's Sky Tower by nearly 30 m.
- Australian MuseumThe world's fifth oldest natural history museum has been in Sydney since 1827 — older than the colony could really afford it.
- Taronga ZooFive thousand animals on the Mosman shore — and the Sydney skyline watches from across the water.