Sydney Tower

About Sydney Tower

Sydney Tower is the tallest free-standing tower in Sydney and the second tallest building in Australia, after the Q1 building on the Gold Coast. It is also called the AMP Tower, AMP Centrepoint Tower, Centrepoint Tower or just Centrepoint. Sydney Tower is also the second tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere, after the Sky Tower of Auckland, New Zealand. However, the main observation deck of Sydney Tower is actually 50 metres higher than that of Auckland's Sky Tower.

Sydney Tower stands 305 metres above the Sydney Central Business District. It is located at 100 Market Street, between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets. It is accessible from the Pitt Street Mall, and sits upon Centrepoint an office building and shopping centre. Construction of Centrepoint began in 1970 while the Sydney Tower itself was constructed in 1975. When it opened in 1981, it was the fourth tallest building in the world. The total construction cost of the tower was A$36 million.

Before the construction of Sydney Tower, there was a height limit for buildings in Sydney at 279 metres. This is to allow safe overflights by flying boats. However, this type of aircraft has already been obsolete for two decades.

The three main sections of Sydney Tower open to the publilc are the Observation Deck, the Sydney Tower Skywalk and the restaurants. One is the Observation Deck, at 250 metres above ground level. This is where you find a small gift shop, and information about the tower. Above it is the Sydney Tower Skywalk. At 268 metres above ground level, it is only accessible through guided tours. There are two revolving restaurants, one serving à la carte and another buffet. The restaurants seat 220 people while the tower itself can accommodate up to 960 people at one time. Three high speed double-decker elevators whiz passengers to the Observation Deck within 40 seconds.

Getting there

Location: 100 Market Street
Contact: 9333 9222
Buses to take: Sydney Explorer, all city routes
Nearest CityRail Station: St James, Town Hall
Opening Hours: 9:00 am to 10:30 pm Sun-Fri; 9:00 am to 11:30 pm Sat (last admittance 45 mins before closing); closed on Christmas Day

Nearby Sights

Queen Victoria Building

St Andrew's Cathedral

St Mary's Cathedral

Sydney Mint

Sydney Town Hall

Great Synagogue

Lands Department Building

Marble Bar

Martin Place

Museum of Sydney

State Theatre

Strand Arcade

Sydney Tower Location Map

View Sydney Tower in a larger map

Sydney Tower
Author: Ingolfson (public domain)

Source Attribution: Wikitravel and Wikipedia

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Sydney Travel Tips is researched and written by Timothy Tye, universally known as Tim. The information provided is in goodwill and is believed to be correct and up-to-date at time of writing. We disclaim responsible for its usage, and encourage users to recheck the information before their trip. Some photos are provided by Panoramio. Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners. They may only be used under the terms & conditions specified by Panoramio. Photographs that belong to Tim are copyrighted and may not be reused unless you first obtain permission. All of Tim's photographs are available for commercial use under the following licensing terms. Tim is a Christian. Click here to know more about his beliefs.