Like other famous parks across the world, Hyde Park in Sydney Australia features natural and constructed monuments that have been able to attract audiences from across the city and world. It has done so by embracing the history of the park itself while still being committed to the contemporary community. In doing so, it has been able to establish itself as a place that both residents and tourists can enjoy which has had a tremendous impact on the culture and economy of Sydney.
The Oldest Public Parkland in Australia
Hyde Park is Australia’s oldest park, being formally reserved as an open space in 1810. However, it influenced the development of Sydney’s layout from as early as 1789, occupying approximately the same site since that time. It has been continuously used since 1788 for public open space, recreation, remembrance, celebration and leisure.
Named after the great Hyde Park in London, the space has provided visitors with a serene setting that provides a break from the city for many decades, illustrating the natural wonders of the space. However, the area has also gone through several transitions over the decades which have included everything from redefinitions based on street widenings to the construction of outdoor cafes. That said, the most notable changes to the space have been associated with the many notable monuments that are located throughout Hyde Park.
The most significant of these is arguably the Archibald Fountain, a gift from JF Archibald. It was bequeathed in 1919 to Sydney by Archibald, to commemorate the association of Australia and France during World War 1. It features a bronze Apollo surrounded by horses’ heads, dolphins and tortoises.
The Hyde Park Obelisk is a heritage-listed obelisk that originally served as a sewer vent, while a statue of Captain James Cook holding out a telescope in his left hand with his right hand extended upward is the highest point in the park. Elsewhere, the “Emden” Gun is a four-inch naval gun that now serves as a commemorative monument to the victory of HMAS Sydney I over the German ship the SMS Emden during the First World War.
The largest and most engaging monument in Hyde Park is the Anzac Memorial, built to honor those who served in World War I and be a place of comfort for those who had lost loved ones. Today, it has come to serve as a place to honor the service and sacrifice by all servicemen, servicewomen and their families. In front of the memorial along the line of the park’s central avenue is the Pool of Reflection.
While the history of the nation and region is honored with this monuments, it’s the effort to celebrate and engage with the community of the current city that has allowed Hyde Park to have such a truly monumentous impact on Sydney.
A Prime Open Space in Sydney
Hyde Park remains the prime open space in Sydney for special events, protests and festivals as it has been since 1810. That level of engagement has allowed the park to have a significant impact on the community of Sydney to drive a major cultural and economic impact. Businesses have used the name and icons of the park to form an identity for themselves, while the cafés, shops and stores that are in and surround the park have been able to benefit from the activity that takes place at it.
Parties and special events take place at Hyde Park throughout the year. It has hosted the Sydney Food and Wine Fair, Australia Day, the launch of NAIDOC, the week-long Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander celebration, and quite a few pop-up events for the renowned Sydney Festival.
It has social significance to the people of Sydney and New South Wales as the site for such events, but the impact of the space goes beyond these happenings. The layout and design of Hyde Park has been copied in other urban spaces in Australian cities and towns. That social significance can also be seen in terms of how the space is embracing the original culture of the area.
Yininmadyemi – Thou didst let fall is a sculptural artwork by Indigenous Australian artist Tony Albert. The artwork acknowledges the service of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women in the Australian Defense Force. The site of the artwork has further historical significance as the area was once a ‘ritual contest ground, a crossroads for traditional walking trails and an important site for Aboriginal ceremonies, gathering and camping.” The arrangement of the bullets represents those who survived and those who were sacrificed, but also references the discrimination faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women when they returned to Australia.
This level of engagement with the community showcases how places like Hyde Park can serve as spaces for both residents and tourists. Doing so has created a powerful legacy for the city as a whole.
Something for Everyone
Home to hundreds of big, leafy trees that offer cool shade for a break from the sun as well as some of the most significant monuments in Sydney, Hyde Park has something for everyone. Like other famous parks that provide residents and tourists with a variety of activities and experiences, Hyde Park has been able to create a legacy for Sydney that embraces the past to impact the present and future of the city.
