About Sydney Olympic Park
The Sydney Olympic Park was the site of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It is a 640-hectare site located next to the suburb of Homebush Bay in Sydney, Australia. Built for the 2000 Olympics, today it continues to be used for sporting and cultural events, including the Sydney Royal Easter Show, Sydney Festival, Big Day Out and a number of world class sporting fixtures. The park is served by the Olympic Park railway line and station. There are also regular services to the nearby wharf which run to and from from various points around Sydney Harbour. Before the Olympic bid, the site of the Sydney Olympic Park was intended for a massive urban renewal project. The renewal masterplan had to be altered to accommodate venues for the 2000 Olympics.
The site of the Sydney Olympic Park was already inhabited by indigenous Australians before British settlement. It was called "The Flats" by the scouting party that arrived shortly after the First Fleet of 1788. It became part of Newington Estate in 1807. In the late 19th century, the Government acquired some of the land to build a home of elderly women. Most of the land is reclaimed from the river and swamp. In the mid-1980's, the area bounded by Australia Avenue, and what are now Herb Elliott and Sarah Durack Avenues was promoted as a technology park called Australia Centre. The idea did not catch on, for only a few high tech businesses moved in.
Before it became the Olympic Park, the area was an industrial wasteland. It was home to brickworks, abattoir and an armaments depot as well as being the site for eight of Sydney's rubbish dumps.
Now that the 2000 Olympics has been successfully staged, the Sydney Olympic Park is being developed into a multipurpose facility with a number of businesses. There are now 16,500 residents staying there with another 24,500 workers and students commuting to the Park daily. The Olympic Park is home to a significant arts and cultural program including regular events, the largest single precinct public art collection in Australia, the Armory Gallery which is the largest single room permanent art exhibition space in the Southern Hemisphere, a new theatre and an artist studio facility.
Getting there
Location: Homebush Bay
Contact: 9714 7958
Nearest CityRail Stations: Olympic Park, Visitors Centre
Opening Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, closed on Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year Day
Nearby Sights
Hambledon Cottage
Experiment Farm Cottage
Elizabeth Farm
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Sydney Olympic Park Location Map
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Sydney Olympic Park
Author: J Bar (GFDL)
Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre
Author: J Bar (GFDL)
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