View source for History of Sydney

{{short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}}
[[File:George Street Sydney 1883.jpg|thumb|right|[[George Street, Sydney]] by [[Alfred Tischbauer]], 1883]]
[[File:York Street by Victoria Markets from The Powerhouse Museum Collection.jpg|thumb|The [[Queen Victoria Building]] on [[York Street, Sydney|York Street]], looking toward the [[Sydney Town Hall]], {{Circa|1900}}]]
{{History of Australia}}
The '''history of Sydney''' is the story of the peoples of the land that has become modern Sydney.

[[Indigenous Australians|Aboriginal Australians]] have inhabited the Sydney region for at least 30,000 years, and [[Australian archaeology|Aboriginal]] [[Sydney rock engravings|engravings]] and cultural sites are common in the Sydney area. The [[traditional owners]] of the land on which modern Sydney stands are the [[Dharug|Darug]], [[Dharawal]] and [[Eora]] people. The history of the city began with the arrival of a [[First Fleet]] of British ships in 1788 and the foundation of a penal colony by Great Britain.

From 1788 to 1900 Sydney was the capital of the British colony of [[New South Wales]]. The town of Sydney was declared a city in 1842, and a local government was established. In 1901, the Australian colonies [[Federation of Australia|federated]] to become the [[Australia|Commonwealth of Australia]], and Sydney became the capital of the [[States and territories of Australia|state]] of New South Wales. Sydney today is Australia's largest city and a major international centre of culture and finance. The city has played host to numerous international events, including the [[2000 Summer Olympics]].

== Prehistory ==
[[File:Ku-ring-gai Chase - petroglyph.jpg|thumb|130px|[[Petroglyph]] in Sydney's [[Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park]]]]
{{see also|Prehistory of Australia|Sydney rock engravings}}
The first people to inhabit the area now known as Sydney were Aboriginal Australians who had migrated from northern Australia and before that from southeast Asia.<ref>Attenbrow (2010). p. 152</ref> Flaked pebbles found in Western Sydney's gravel sediments might indicate human occupation from 45,000 to 50,000 years BP,<ref name="Attenbrow-20102">{{Cite book |last1=Attenbrow |first1=Val |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TDxldj_SLcYC&q=inauthor%3A%22Val%20Attenbrow%22&pg=PA152 |title=Sydney's Aboriginal Past: Investigating the Archaeological and Historical Records |publisher=UNSW Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-74223-116-7 |location=Sydney |pages=152–153 |access-date=11 November 2013}}</ref> while [[radiocarbon dating]] has shown evidence of human activity in the Sydney region from around 15,000 years ago.<ref name="Settlers' history rewritten2">{{cite news |last=Macey |first=Richard |date=2007 |title=Settlers' history rewritten: go back 770,000 years |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/settlers-history-rewritten/2007/09/14/1189276983698.html |access-date=5 July 2014}}</ref> Prior to the arrival of the British, there were 4,000 to 8,000 Aboriginal people in the greater Sydney region.<ref>Attenbrow (2010). p.17</ref><ref name="Aboriginal people and place2">{{cite web |date=2013 |title=Aboriginal people and place |url=http://www.sydneybarani.com.au/sites/aboriginal-people-and-place/ |access-date=5 July 2014 |publisher=Sydney Barani}}</ref>
fishing, hunting, gathering plant foods and shellfish. The diet of the coastal clans was more reliant on seafoods whereas the food of hinterland clans was more focused on forest animals and plants. The clans had distinctive sets of equipment and weapons mostly made of stone, wood, plant materials, bone and shell. They also differed in their body decorations, hairstyles, songs and dances. Aboriginal clans had a rich ceremonial life which was part of a belief system centring on ancestral, totemic and supernatural beings. People from different clans and language groups came together to participate in initiation and other ceremonies. These occasions fostered trade, marriages and clan alliances.<ref name=":5">Attenbrow (2010). pp. 28,158</ref>

The earliest British settlers recorded the word '[[Eora]]' as an Aboriginal term meaning either 'people' or 'from this place'.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Keith Vincent |title=Eora People |url=https://www.eorapeople.com.au/uncategorized/eora-people/ |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=Eora People|date=June 2020 }}</ref><ref name="Aboriginal people and place2" /> The clans of the Sydney area occupied land with traditional boundaries. There is debate, however, about which group or nation these clans belonged to, and the extent of differences in language, dialect and initiation rites. The major groups were the coastal Eora people, the Dharug (Darug) occupying the inland area from Parramatta to the Blue Mountains, and the Dharawal people south of Botany Bay.<ref name="Aboriginal people and place2" /> The Darginung and Gundungurra languages were spoken on the fringes of the Sydney area.<ref name=":722">Attenbrow (2010). pp. 22–29</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Aboriginal clans of Sydney area, as recorded by early British settlers<ref name=":722"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Troy |first=Jakelin |title=The Sydney Language |publisher=Aboriginal Studies Press |year=2019 |isbn=9781925302868 |edition=2nd |location=Canberra |pages=19–25}}</ref>{{Refn|British settlers each used different spellings for Indigenous words. The clan names in this list use Troy's (2019) orthography. The names and territory boundaries do not always correspond with those used by contemporary Aboriginal groups of the greater Sydney area.}}
!Clan
!Territory name
!Location
|-
|[[Bediagal]]
|Not recorded
|Probably north-west of [[Parramatta]]
|-
|[[Birrabirragal]]
|Birrabirra
|Lower Sydney Harbour around Sow and Pigs reef
|-
|Boolbainora
|Boolbainmatta
|Parramatta area
|-
|Borogegal
|Booragy
|Probably [[Bradleys Head]] and surrounding area
|-
|Boromedegal
|Not recorded
|Parramatta
|-
|Buruberongal
|Not recorded
|North-west of Parramatta
|-
|Darramurragal
|Not recorded
|[[Turramurra|Turramarra]] area
|-
|[[Gadigal]]
|Cadi (Gadi)
|South side of Port Jackson, from [[Sydney Heads|South Head]] to [[Darling Harbour]]
|-
|Gahbrogal
|Not recorded
|[[Liverpool, New South Wales|Liverpool]] and [[Cabramatta, New South Wales|Cabramatta]] area
|-
|Gamaragal
|Cammeray
|North shore of Port Jackson
|-
|Gameygal
|Kamay
|[[Botany Bay]]
|-
|Gannemegal
|Warmul
|Parramatta area
|-
|Garigal
|Not recorded
|[[Broken Bay]] area
|-
|Gayamaygal
|Kayeemy
|[[Manly, New South Wales|Manly]] Cove
|-
|[[Gweagal]]
|Gwea
|Southern shore of Botany Bay
|-
|[[Wallumedegal]]
|Wallumede
|North shore of Port Jackson, opposite Sydney Cove
|-
|[[Wangal]]
|Wann
|South side of Port Jackson, from Darling Harbour to Rose Hill
|}
Clans known to be of the Sydney region but whose territory wasn't reliably recorded are the Domaragal, Doogagal, Gannalgal, Gomerigal, Gooneeowlgal, Goorunggurregal, Gorualgal, Murrooredial, Noronggerragal, Oryangsoora and Wandeandegal.<ref name=":722"/>

== Settlement ==
[[File:Emanuel Phillips Fox painting – Landing of Lieutenant James Cook at Botany Bay, 1770.jpg|thumb|left|Landing of [[Captain Cook]] at [[Botany Bay]], 1770, by [[E. Phillips Fox]]]]
The [[First contact (anthropology)|first meeting]] between Aboriginal people and British explorers occurred on 29 April 1770 when Lieutenant James Cook landed at [[Botany Bay]] (Kamay<ref>Attenbrow (2010). p. 13</ref>) and encountered the [[Gweagal]] clan.<ref>{{cite news |date=2002 |title=Once were warriors |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/10/1036308574533.html |access-date=5 July 2014}}</ref> Two Gweagal men opposed the landing party and in the confrontation one of them was shot and wounded.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blainey |first=Geoffrey |title=Captain Cook's epic voyage |publisher=Viking |year=2020 |isbn=9781760895099 |location=Australia |pages=141–43}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2020-04-22 |title=Eight days in Kamay |url=https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories/eight-days-in-kamay |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=[[State Library of New South Wales]]}}</ref> Cook and his crew stayed at Botany Bay for a week, collecting water, timber, fodder and botanical specimens and exploring the surrounding area. Cook sought to establish relations with the Aboriginal population without success.<ref>Blainey (2020). pp. 146–57</ref>

[[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]] had been sending convicts to its American colonies for most of the eighteenth century, and the loss of these colonies in 1783 was the impetus for the decision to establish a penal colony at Botany Bay. Proponents of colonisation also pointed to the strategic importance of a new base in the Asia-Pacific region and its potential to provide much-needed timber and flax for the navy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Macintyre |first=Stuart |title=A concise history of Australia |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2020 |isbn=9781108728485 |edition=5th |location=Port Melbourne |pages=34–35}}</ref>
[[File:Very early map of sydney from 1789.jpg|thumb|270px|Map of [[Sydney Cove]] published 24 July 1789]]
The [[First Fleet]] of 11 ships under the command of Captain [[Arthur Phillip]] arrived in Botany Bay in January 1788. It consisted of more than a thousand settlers, including 736 convicts.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Karskens |first=Grace |title=The Cambridge History of Australia, Volume 1, Indigenous and Colonial Australia |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2013 |isbn=9781107011533 |editor-last=Bashford |editor-first=Alison |location=Cambridge |pages=91 |chapter=The early colonial presence, 1788-1822 |editor-last2=MacIntyre |editor-first2=Stuart}}</ref> The fleet soon moved to the more suitable [[Port Jackson]] where a settlement was established at [[Sydney Cove]] on 26 January 1788.<ref>Peter Hill (2008) pp.141–50</ref> The colony of New South Wales was formally proclaimed by Governor Phillip on 7 February 1788. Sydney Cove offered a fresh water supply and a safe harbour, which Philip described as being, 'with out exception the finest Harbour in the World [...] Here a Thousand Sail of the Line may ride in the most perfect Security'.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 October 2009 |title=SL/nsw.gov.au |url=http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/terra_australis/letters/phillip/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203035645/http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/terra_australis/letters/phillip/index.html |archive-date=3 February 2013 |access-date=14 July 2011 |publisher=SL/nsw.gov.au}}</ref>

The settlement was planned to be a self-sufficient penal colony based on subsistence agriculture. Trade and ship building were banned in order to keep the convicts isolated. However, the soil around the settlement proved poor and the first crops failed, leading to several years of hunger and strict food rationing. The food crisis was relieved with the arrival of the Second Fleet in mid-1790 and the Third Fleet in 1791.<ref>Macintyre (2020). pp.34–37</ref> Former convicts received small grants of land, and government and private farms spread to the more fertile lands around [[Parramatta]], [[Windsor, New South Wales|Windsor]] and [[Camden, New South Wales|Camden]] on the [[Cumberland Plain]]. By 1804, the colony was self-sufficient in food.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Karskens |first=Grace |title=The Cambridge History of Australia, Volume I, Indigenous and colonial Australia |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2013 |isbn=9781107011533 |editor-last=Bashford |editor-first=Alison |location=Cambridge |pages=90–114 |chapter=The early colonial presence, 1788-1822 |editor-last2=MacIntyre |editor-first2=Stuart}}</ref>

Phillip had been given no instructions for urban development, but in July 1788 submitted a plan for the new town at Sydney Cove. It included a wide central avenue, a permanent Government House, law courts, hospital and other public buildings, but no provision for warehouses, shops, or other commercial buildings. Phillip promptly ignored his own plan, and unplanned development became a feature of Sydney's topography.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Karskens |first=Grace |title=The Colony, a history of early Sydney |publisher=Allen and Unwin |year=2009 |isbn=9781741756371 |location=Crows Nest, NSW |pages=71–75}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=McGillick |first1=Paul |title=Sydney architecture |last2=Bingham-Hall |first2=Patrick |year=2005 |page=14 to 15}}</ref>[[File:Captains Hunter, Collins and Johnston with Governor Phillip, Surgeon White visiting a distressed female native of New South Wales at a hut near Port Jackson 1793.jpg|thumb|''Captains Hunter, Collins and Johnston with Governor Phillip, Surgeon White visiting a distressed female native of New South Wales at a hut near Port Jackson 1793 -'' Alexander Hogg]]

=== Disease and dispossession ===
{{Further|Smallpox in Australia}}
The relative isolation of the Aboriginal population for some 60,000 years meant that they had little resistance to many introduced diseases. An outbreak of smallpox in April 1789 killed about half the Aboriginal population of the Sydney region while only one death was recorded among the settlers. The source of the outbreak is [[Australian history wars|controversial]]; some researchers contend that it originated from contact with Indonesian fisherman in the far north and spread along Aboriginal trade routes while others argue that it is more likely to have been deliberately spread by settlers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=MacKnight |first=Campbell |date=2011 |title=The view from Marege': Australian knowledge of Makassar and the impact of the trepang industry across two centuries |journal=Aboriginal History |volume=35 |pages=121–43 |doi=10.22459/AH.35.2011.06 |jstor=24046930 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":53">{{cite journal |author=Warren Christopher |year=2013 |title=Smallpox at Sydney Cove – Who, When, Why |journal=Journal of Australian Studies |volume=38 |pages=68–86 |doi=10.1080/14443058.2013.849750 |s2cid=143644513}}</ref>

In November 1790, [[Bennelong]] led a group of survivors of the Sydney clans into the settlement, establishing a continuous presence of Aboriginal Australians in settled Sydney.<ref>Karskens, Grace (2013). "The early colonial presence, 1788–1822". In  ''The Cambridge History of Australia, Volume 1.'' pp. 106, 117–19</ref>

=== Conflict on the Cumberland Plain ===
[[File:Pemulwuy aka Pimbloy.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Aboriginal fighter Pemulwuy]]
{{Main|Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars}}
As the colony spread to the more fertile lands of the [[Cumberland Plain]] around the [[Hawkesbury River|Hawkesbury river]], north-west of Sydney, conflict between the settlers and the [[Darug]] people intensified, reaching a peak from 1794 to 1810. Bands of Darug people, led by [[Pemulwuy]] and later by his son [[Tedbury]], burned crops, killed livestock and raided settler huts and stores in a pattern of resistance that was to be repeated as the [[Australian frontier wars|colonial frontier expanded]]. A military garrison was established on the Hawkesbury in 1795. The death toll from 1794 to 1800 was 26 settlers and up to 200 Darug.<ref>Flood, Josephine (2019). p. 66</ref><ref>Broome, Richard (2019). pp. 25–26</ref>

Conflict again erupted from 1814 to 1816 with the expansion of the colony into Dharawal country in the Nepean region south-west of Sydney. Following the deaths of several settlers, Governor Macquarie despatched three military detachments into Dharawal lands, culminating in the [[Appin Massacre|Appin massacre]] (April 1816) in which at least 14 Aboriginal people were killed.<ref>Flood, Josephine (2019). p. 70</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Banivanua Mar |first1=Tracey |title=The Cambridge History of Australia, Volume I |last2=Edmonds |first2=Penelope |year=2013 |pages=344 |chapter=Indigenous and settler relations}}</ref>

== Sydney Town ==
[[File:View of Sydney Cove - Thomas Watling.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|''View of Sydney Cove'' (circa 1794 – 1796) – Thomas Watling]]

After the departure of Phillip in December 1792, the colony's military officers began acquiring land and importing consumer goods obtained from visiting ships. Former convicts also engaged in trade and opened small businesses. Soldiers and former convicts built houses on Crown land, with or without official permission, in what was now commonly called Sydney town.<ref name=":0">Karskens (2009). pp. 185–88</ref>

In 1804, Irish convicts led around 300 rebels in the [[Castle Hill convict rebellion|Castle Hill Rebellion]], an attempt to march on Sydney, commandeer a ship, and sail to freedom.<ref>Karskens (2009). pp. 292–97</ref> Poorly armed, and with their leader Philip Cunningham captured, the main body of insurgents were routed by about 100 troops and volunteers at [[Rouse Hill, New South Wales|Rouse Hill]]. At least 39 convicts were killed in the uprising and subsequent executions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 June 2021 |title=Castle Hill Rebellion |url=https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/castle-hill-rebellion |access-date=31 August 2021 |website=nma.gov.au |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="whitaker222">{{cite web |author=Whitaker, Anne-Maree |year=2009 |title=Castle Hill convict rebellion 1804 |url=http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/castle_hill_convict_rebellion_1804 |access-date=3 January 2017 |work=[[Dictionary of Sydney]]}}</ref>

Governor [[William Bligh]] (1806{{En dash}}08) imposed restrictions on trade and commerce in the town and ordered the demolition of buildings erected on Crown land, including some owned by past and serving military officers. The resulting conflict culminated in the [[Rum Rebellion]] of 1808, in which Bligh was deposed by the [[New South Wales Corps]].<ref name=":0" />[[File:Rum Rebellion.jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Rum Rebellion]] of 1808]]Following a brief period of military rule, Bligh was succeeded by Governor [[Lachlan Macquarie]] in 1810.<ref>{{Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |author=Shaw, A. G. L. |title=William Bligh (1754–1817) |access-date=5 September 2025 |id2=bligh-william-1797 |year=1966 |volume=1}}</ref>[[File:A map of the County of Cumberland in the Colony of New South Wales 1840-1860.jpg|left|thumb|''A map of the County of Cumberland in the Colony of New South Wales 1840–1860'' by William Henry Wells]]
[[File:Thomas Watling View of Sydney.jpg|thumb|The colony in 1799]]
Macquarie served as the last autocratic [[Governor of New South Wales]] from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social and economic development of Sydney which saw it transition from a [[penal colony]] to a budding free society. He establishing a bank, a currency and a hospital. He employed a planner to design the street layout of Sydney and commissioned the construction of roads, wharves, churches, and public buildings. [[Parramatta Road]], linking Sydney and Parramatta, was opened in 1811<ref name="broomham3">{{Citation |author1=Broomham, Rosemary |title=Vital connections: a history of NSW roads from 1788 |date=2001 |page=25 |publisher=Hale & Iremonger in association with the [[Roads & Traffic Authority]] |isbn=978-0-86806-703-2}}</ref> and a road across the [[Blue Mountains (New South Wales)|Blue Mountains]] was completed in 1815, opening the way for large scale farming and grazing in the lightly wooded pastures west of the [[Great Dividing Range]].<ref name=":6322">{{Cite book |last=Kingston |first=Beverley |title=A History of New South Wales |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2006 |isbn=9780521833844 |location=Cambridge |pages=118–19}}</ref><ref>Karskens, Grace (2013). pp. 115–17</ref>

Central to Macquarie's policy was his treatment of the [[emancipist]]s, whom he decreed should be treated as social equals to free settlers in the colony. Against opposition, he appointed emancipists to key government positions including [[Francis Greenway]] as colonial architect and [[William Redfern]] as a magistrate. London judged his public works to be too expensive and society was scandalised by his treatment of emancipists.<ref>{{Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id2=macquarie-lachlan-2419 |title=Lachlan Macquarie (1762–1824) |year=1967 |volume=2 |access-date=5 September 2025 |author= McLachlan, N. D.}}</ref>

Following the departure of Macquarie in 1821, official policy encouraged the emigration of free British settlers to New South Wales. Immigration to the colony increased from 900 free settlers in 1826–30 to 29,000 in 1836–40, many of whom settled in Sydney.<ref>Haines, Robin, and Ralph Shlomowitz. "Nineteenth century government-assisted and total immigration from the United Kingdom to Australia: quinquennial estimates by colony." ''Journal of the Australian Population Association'', vol. 8, no. 1, 1991, pp. 50–61. ''JSTOR'', www.jstor.org/stable/41110599. Accessed 20 July 2021.</ref><ref name=":932">{{Cite web |last=Fitzgerald |first=Shirley |date=2011 |title=Sydney |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/sydney#ref-uuid=77be765d-0fa6-addb-7d2d-99c79ef76ff3 |access-date=30 July 2022 |website=Dictionary of Sydney, State Library of New South Wales}}</ref> By the 1840s Sydney exhibited a geographic divide between poor and working class residents living west of the [[Tank Stream]] in areas such as [[The Rocks, New South Wales|The Rocks]], and the more affluent residents living to its east.<ref name=":932"/> Free settlers, free-born residents and former convicts now represented the vast majority of the population of Sydney, leading to increasing public agitation for responsible government and an end to transportation. Transportation to New South Wales ceased in 1840.<ref name=":103">{{Cite web |date=September 2020 |title=History of City of Sydney council |url=https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/history/history-city-sydney-council |access-date=30 July 2020 |website=City of Sydney}}</ref>

== Colonial city (1841–1900) ==
[[File:George Street, Sydney 1855.jpg|thumb|[[George Street, Sydney|George Street]] in 1855]]The New South Wales Legislative Council was transformed into a semi-elected body in 1842. The town of Sydney was declared a city the same year, and a governing council established, elected on a restrictive property franchise.<ref name=":103"/>

The discovery of gold in New South Wales and Victoria in 1851 initially caused some economic disruption as male workers moved to the goldfields. Melbourne soon overtook Sydney as Australia's largest city, leading to an enduring rivalry between the two cities. However, increased immigration from overseas and wealth from gold exports increased demand for housing, consumer goods, services and urban amenities.<ref name=":14">Goodman, David (2013). "The gold rushes of the 1850s". ''The Cambridge History of Australia, Volume I''. pp.&nbsp;180–81.</ref> The New South Wales government also stimulated growth by investing heavily in railways, trams, roads, ports, telegraph, schools and urban services.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kingston |first=Beverley |title=A History of New South Wales |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2006 |isbn=9780521833844 |pages=74–80}}</ref> The population of Sydney and its suburbs grew from 95,600 in 1861 to 386,900 in 1891.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Coghlan |first=T. A |url=https://archive.org/details/wealth-and-progress-1893/page/310/mode/2up |title=The Wealth and progress of New South Wales |publisher=E. A. Petherick & Co., Sydney |year=1893 |edition=7th |location=Sydney |pages=311–15}}</ref> The city developed many of its characteristic features. The growing population packed into rows of terrace houses in narrow streets. New public buildings of sandstone abounded, including at the [[University of Sydney]] (1854–61),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Radford |first=Neil |date=2016 |title=The University of Sydney |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/university_of_sydney#ref-uuid=6e6dfb0b-dbd1-a0d2-591c-32e5959e0578 |access-date=2 August 2022 |website=Dictionary of Sydney, State Library of New South Wales}}</ref> the [[Australian Museum]] (1858–66),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ellmoos |first=Leila |date= |title=Australian Museum |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/australian_museum |access-date=2 August 2022 |website=The Dictionary of Sydney, State Library of New South Wales}}</ref> the Town Hall (1868–88),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Town Hall |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/sydney_town_hall |access-date=2 August 2022 |website=Dictionary of Sydney, State Library of New South Wales}}</ref> and the [[General Post Office, Sydney|General Post Office]] (1866–92).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ellmoos |first=Laila |date=2008 |title=General Post Office |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/general_post_office#ref-uuid=3941c435-8616-274a-c243-6eacf67fae05 |access-date=2 August 2022 |website=Dictionary of Sydney, State Library of New South Wales}}</ref> Elaborate [[coffee palace]]s and hotels were erected.<ref name=":15">{{cite journal |last1=Noyce |first1=Diana Christine |date=2012 |title=Coffee Palaces in Australia: A Pub with No Beer |journal=M/C Journal |volume=15 |issue=2 |doi=10.5204/mcj.464 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Exotic plants such as jacarandas and frangipani were introduced in parks and gardens.<ref>Kingston (2006). pp. 80-82</ref> Daylight bathing at Sydney's beaches was banned, but segregated bathing at designated ocean baths was popular.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McDermott, Marie-Louise |first=Marie-Louise |date=2011 |title=Ocean baths |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/ocean_baths#ref-uuid=a5211cd8-d260-5ed4-3c70-fa82884cc849 |access-date=2 August 2022 |website=Dictionary of Sydney, State Library of New South Wales}}</ref>

{{wide image | File:Panorama of Sydney from Lavender Bay (1875).jpg | 2500px | Panorama of [[Sydney]] from [[Lavender Bay]], 1875, by [[Holtermann collection|Bernard Otto Holtermann]] and [[Charles Bayliss]]}}

Drought, the winding down of public works and a financial crisis led to economic depression in Sydney throughout most of the 1890s. Meanwhile, the Sydney-based premier of New South Wales, [[George Reid]], became a key figure in the process of federation.<ref>KIngston (2006). pp. 88–89, 95–97</ref>

== Political development ==
[[File:Opening of the partially elected Parliament in 1843 - Sydney.gif|left|thumb|The opening of Australia's first elected Parliament at Sydney's [[Parliament House, Sydney|Parliament House]], 1843]]
[[File:Bird's Eye View of Sydney, 1888.jpg|alt=|thumb|''Bird's Eye View of Sydney, 1888 -'' A. H. Fullwood, with the [[Sydney Town Hall]] pictured in the bottom left]]The first government established in Sydney after 1788 was an [[autocratic]] system run by an appointed [[Governors of New South Wales|governor]] – although English law was transplanted into the Australian colonies by virtue of the [[doctrine of reception]], thus notions of the rights and processes established by the ''[[Magna Carta]]'' of 1215 and the ''[[Bill of Rights 1689|Bill of Rights]]'' of 1689 were brought from Britain by the colonists. Agitation for representative government began soon after the settlement of the colonies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://moadoph.gov.au/our-democracy/democracy-timeline/ |title=Our Democracy: Democracy timeline — Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House |access-date=14 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929140952/http://moadoph.gov.au/our-democracy/democracy-timeline/ |archive-date=29 September 2009  }}</ref>

The oldest legislative body in Australia, the [[New South Wales Legislative Council]], was created in Sydney in 1825 as an appointed body to advise the [[Governor of New South Wales]]. The northern wing of [[Macquarie Street, Sydney|Macquarie Street's]]'s [[Sydney Hospital|Rum Hospital]] was requisitioned and converted to accommodate the first Parliament House in 1829, as it was the largest building available in Sydney at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/aboutsydney/historyandarchives/SydneyHistory/HistoricBuildings/ParliamentHouse.asp |title=Parliament House – City of Sydney |access-date=17 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306053607/http://cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/AboutSydney/HistoryAndArchives/SydneyHistory/HistoricBuildings/ParliamentHouse.asp |archive-date=6 March 2011  }}</ref>

[[William Wentworth]] established the [[Australian Patriotic Association]] (Australia's first political party) in 1835 to demand [[Parliamentary democracy|democratic government]] for New South Wales. The reformist [[New South Wales Justice and Attorney General's Department|attorney general]], [[John Plunkett]], sought to apply [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] principles to governance in the colony, pursuing the establishment of equality before the law, by extending jury rights to [[emancipist]]s, then legal protections to convicts, assigned servants and [[Indigenous Australians|Aborigines]] and legal equality between [[Anglican Church of Australia|Anglicans]], [[Catholicism in Australia|Catholics]], Presbyterians and later Methodists.<ref name=adb>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography | first=T. L.
  | last=Suttor
  | title =John Hubert Plunkett (1802–1869)
  |id2=plunkett-john-hubert-2556
  | access-date = 6 September 2025 |volume=2 |year=1967}}</ref>
[[File:Supreme Court and St James Church 1842.jpg|thumb|The [[Supreme Court of New South Wales]]; one of the earliest established courts in Australia, pictured alongside [[St James' Church, Sydney|St James' Church]] in 1842]]
In 1838, the celebrated humanitarian [[Caroline Chisholm]] arrived at Sydney and soon after began her work to alleviate the conditions for the poor women migrants.  She met every immigrant ship at the docks, found positions for immigrant girls and established a Female Immigrants' Home. Later she began campaigning for legal reform to alleviate poverty and assist female immigration and family support in the colonies.<ref>{{Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id2=chisholm-caroline-1894 |title=Caroline Chisholm (1808–1877) |first=Judith |last=Iltis |year=1966 |volume=1 |access-date=6 September 2025}}</ref>

The passing of the ''Sydney Incorporation Act'' in 1842 officially recognised the town of Sydney as a city, enabled the taxation of property owners and occupiers, and imposed a managerial structure to its administration. Men who possessed property valued at £1000 (or £50 per year) were able to stand for election. Every adult male over 21 years who occupied a "house warehouse counting-house or shop" valued at £25 per year was permitted to vote in one of four wards – this amounted to only around 15% of the adult population. Plural voting was prohibited by the enabling legislation.<ref name="scc">{{cite web|title=History of Sydney City Council |publisher=City of Sydney |url=https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/-/media/corporate/files/publications/history/history-of-sydney-city-council/hs_chos_history_of_council_1001.pdf?download=true |format=PDF |access-date=2021-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617055655/https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/-/media/corporate/files/publications/history/history-of-sydney-city-council/hs_chos_history_of_council_1001.pdf?download=true |archive-date=2021-06-17  |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A Short Electoral History of the Sydney City Council 1842–1992 | author=Hilary Golder | year=1995 | publisher=City of Sydney | isbn=0-909368-93-7 | url=https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/-/media/corporate/files/publications/history/history-of-sydney-city-council/hs_chos_electoral_history.pdf?download=true |format=PDF |access-date=2021-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617055958/https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/-/media/corporate/files/publications/history/history-of-sydney-city-council/hs_chos_electoral_history.pdf?download=true |archive-date=2021-06-17  |df=dmy }}</ref> Australia's first parliamentary elections were conducted for the [[New South Wales Legislative Council]] in 1843, again with voting rights (for males only) tied to property ownership or financial capacity.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web | url=https://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/Australian_Electoral_History/reform.htm |title = Events in Australian electoral history | date=2016-03-23|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190603050611/https://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/Australian_Electoral_History/reform.htm |archive-date = 3 June 2019 }}</ref>

The first elected aldermen met in public houses, among their constituents, but began campaigning for a civic hall. They chose the run down site of Sydney's first official European cemetery: on George Street, in the commercial heart of the city and organised for Sydney's first royal visitor, HRH&nbsp;Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, to lay a foundation stone on 4 April 1868, even before colonial authorities on [[Macquarie Street, Sydney|Macquarie Street]] had approved the plan. That same year, a design for the [[Sydney Town Hall]] by architect J.&nbsp;H.&nbsp;Willson was chosen which took its inspiration from the French style of the [[Hotel de Ville de Paris]]. To this day, the Hall remains the civic office of the [[Lord Mayor of Sydney]] and aldermen of the City Council.

The end of convict transportation and the rapid growth of population following the [[Australian gold rushes]] led to further demands for "British institutions" in New South Wales, which meant an elected parliament and [[responsible government]]. In 1851 the franchise for the Legislative Council was expanded and 1857 saw the granting of the right to vote to all male British subjects 21&nbsp;years or over in New South Wales<ref name="autogenerated1" /> and from the 1860s onwards government in New South Wales became increasingly stable and assured.

== Cultural development ==
{{Further|Culture of Sydney}}
[[File:Grand central coffee palace sydney.jpg|alt=|thumb|Grand Central Coffee Palace in the 1890s. At the height of the Victorian era in Australia, ornate [[Temperance movement|temperance]] coffee palaces were constructed as a reflection of the wealth of the country.]]
[[File:The Australian International Exhibition Building at Sydney. Engraving c1879.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|The [[Garden Palace]] in 1879]]
Over the course of the 19th-century Sydney established many of its major cultural institutions. Governor [[Lachlan Macquarie]]'s vision for Sydney included the construction of grand public buildings and institutions fit for a colonial capital. [[Macquarie Street, Sydney|Macquarie Street]] began to take shape as a ceremonial thoroughfare of grand buildings. He founded the [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney|Royal Botanic Gardens]] and dedicated [[Hyde Park, Sydney|Hyde Park]] to the "recreation and amusement of the inhabitants of the town and a field of exercises for the troops".[[File:Sydney in 1888 (2697148251).jpg|alt=|thumb|[[King Street, Sydney|King Street]] in 1888]]Macquarie set aside a large portion of land for an Anglican Cathedral and laid the foundation stone for the first [[St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney|St Mary's Catholic Cathedral]] in 1821. [[St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney|St Andrew's Anglican Cathedral]], though more modest in size than Macquarie's original vision, later began construction and, after fire and setbacks, the present St Mary's Catholic Cathedral foundation stone was laid in 1868, from which rose a towering gothic-revival landmark.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.qvb.com.au/About-QVB|title = QVB}}</ref> Religious groups were also responsible for many of the philanthropic activities in Sydney. One of these was the [[Sydney Female Refuge Society]] set up to care for prostitutes in 1848.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60579365 SYDNEY FEMALE REFUGE SOCIETY]. (8 March 1864). Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 – 1875), p. 5. Retrieved 5 February 2019</ref>

The first [[Sydney Royal Easter Show]], an agricultural exhibition, began in 1823.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rasnsw.com.au/history.htm |title=History |access-date=1 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006072445/http://www.rasnsw.com.au/history.htm |archive-date=6 October 2014  }}</ref> [[Alexander Macleay]] started collecting the exhibits of Australia's oldest museum–Sydney's [[Australian Museum]]–in 1826 and the current building opened to the public in 1857.<ref>australianmuseum.net.au</ref> The [[University of Sydney]] was established in 1850. The [[Royal National Park]], south of the city opened in 1879 (second only to [[Yellowstone National Park]] in the USA).

An academy of art formed in 1870 and the present [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]] building began construction in 1896.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/history |title=AGNSW – History of the Art Gallery of New South Wales |website=www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020911211906/http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/history |archive-date=2002-09-11}}</ref> Inspired by the works of French [[impressionism]], [[Sydney artists' camps|artists camps]] formed around the foreshores of Sydney Harbour in the 1880s and 1890s at idyllique locations such as [[Balmoral Beach]] and [[Curlew Camp]] in Sirius Cove. Artists such as [[Arthur Streeton]] and [[Tom Roberts]] of the [[Heidelberg School]] worked here at this time and created some of the masterpieces of newly developing and distinctively Australian styles of painting.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/artists_camps|title = Artists' camps &#124; the Dictionary of Sydney}}</ref>

Australia's first [[rugby union]] club, the [[Sydney University Football Club]], was founded in Sydney in the year 1863.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/football/ |title=Football in Australia – Australia's Culture Portal |access-date=17 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515034759/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/football/ |archive-date=15 May 2009  }}</ref> The [[New South Wales Rugby Union]] (or then, The Southern RU – SRU) was established in 1874, and the tradition of an annual [[Shute Shield|club competition]] began in Sydney that year. Initially widely popular, the code would later assume secondary popularity in Sydney, when in 1907, the [[New South Wales Rugby League]] was established and would grow to be the favourite football code of the city. In 1878 the inaugural first class cricket match at the [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] was played between New South Wales and Victoria.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sydneycricketground.com.au/SCG-Trust-Timeline.html |title=SCGT – SCG Trust Timeline |website=www.sydneycricketground.com.au |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914021441/http://www.sydneycricketground.com.au/SCG-Trust-Timeline.html |archive-date=14 September 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales]] (A.A.G.P.S) was established in Sydney 1892 and interschool rugby and athletics competitions began that year, followed by cricket and rowing the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aagps.nsw.edu.au/ |title=Home |website=aagps.nsw.edu.au}}</ref>

[[Sydney International Exhibition (1879)|The Sydney International Exhibition]] of 1879 showcased the colonial capital to the world. Some exhibits from this event were kept to constitute the original collection of the new ''Technological, Industrial and Sanitary Museum of New South Wales'' (today's [[Powerhouse Museum]]).

Many grand public buildings were built during the 19th century. The [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] landmark [[Queen Victoria Building]]&nbsp;(QVB), designed by [[George McRae]], was completed in 1898 on the site of the old Sydney markets. Built as a monument to the popular and long reigning monarch, [[Queen Victoria]], construction took place while the city was in severe recession and construction of the ornate structure helped employ out of work stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window artists. Restored in the late 20th century, the building remains a boutique shopping and dining hall. Sydney's preservation of heritage buildings, particularly Victorian [[terrace houses]], has drawn comparisons to "parts of London, particularly given the predominance of the London terrace".<ref>{{cite web|first=Eric|last=Weinberger|title=Where Sydney Turns Victorian|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/14/travel/where-sydney-turns-victorian.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=14 January 1996|access-date=6 August 2016}}</ref>[[File:Sydney Harbour from Milson's Point Tom Roberts 1897.jpg|thumb|Sydney Harbour from [[Milsons Point]] by [[Tom Roberts]], 1897. [[Sydney artists' camps|Artists' camps flourished]] around Sydney Harbour in the 1880s and 1890s.]]

Sydney's first newspaper was the ''[[Sydney Gazette]]'' established, edited and distributed by [[George Howe (printer)|George Howe]]. It appeared irregularly between 1803 and 1842, but nonetheless provides a valuable source on the early development of the colony based at Sydney. ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' joined the ''Sydney Gazette'' as a daily publication in 1831; it continues to be published to this day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/newspapers/ |title=The birth of the newspaper in Australia – Australia's Culture Portal |access-date=18 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217013805/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/newspapers/ |archive-date=17 February 2011  }}</ref> Two Sydney journalists, [[J. F. Archibald]] and [[John Haynes (Australian journalist)|John Haynes]], founded ''[[The Bulletin (Australian periodical)|The Bulletin]]'' magazine; the first edition appeared on 31 January 1880. It was intended to be a journal of political and business commentary, with some literary content. Initially radical, nationalist, democratic, and racist, it gained wide influence and became a celebrated entry-point to publication for Australian writers and cartoonists such as [[Henry Lawson]], [[Banjo Paterson]], [[Miles Franklin]], and the illustrator and novelist [[Norman Lindsay]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/lawson/ |title=Henry Lawson: Australian writer – Australia's Culture Portal |access-date=8 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408180527/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/lawson/ |archive-date=8 April 2011  }}</ref>

{{wide image|Sydney 1888.jpg|600px|Sydney in the 1880s|80%|center}}

== Transport ==
{{see also|Public transport in Sydney}}
[[File:Sydney Harbour ferry collage.jpg|thumb|Top to bottom and left to right, ''[[Kuramia]]'' (1914–1934), ''[[PS Brighton]]'' (1883–1916), ''[[PS Herald|Herald]]'' (1855–1884), [[Sydney K-class ferries|K-class ferries]] in [[Sydney Cove]], [[Sydney hydrofoils|hydrofoil]] ''Curl Curl'' (1973–1992), ''[[South Steyne]]'' (1938–1974), ''[[Freshwater-class ferry|Collaroy]]'' (1988–)]]

===Ferries===
{{see also|Timeline of Sydney Harbour ferries|List of Sydney Harbour ferries}}

Ferries have played a key role in the transport and economic development of the city. Leading up to the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour bridge, Sydney had the world's largest ferry fleet.

From the time of the first European settlement in [[Sydney Cove]], slow and sporadic boats ran along the [[Parramatta River]] serving [[Parramatta]] and the agricultural settlements in between. By the mid-1830s, speculative ventures established regular services. From the late-nineteenth century the [[North Shore (Sydney)|North Shore]] developed rapidly. A rail connection to [[Milsons Point]] took alighting ferry passengers up the North Shore line to [[Hornsby, New South Wales|Hornsby]] via [[North Sydney, New South Wales|North Sydney]]. Without a bridge connection, increasingly large fleets of steamers serviced the cross harbour routes and in the early twentieth century, [[Sydney Ferries Limited]] was the largest ferry operator in the world.

Arguably the most well-known is the [[Manly ferry]] service, and its large ship-like ferries that negotiate the beam swells of the [[Sydney Heads]]. From the mid-nineteenth century, the [[Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company]] and its forerunners ran commuter and weekend exclusioner services to [[Manly, New South Wales|the beach-side suburb]].

The 1932 opening of the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] dramatically and permanently changed Sydney Harbour. Sydney Ferries Limited annual patronage fell from 40 million to 15 million almost immediately. The hardships of the [[Great Depression]] and [[Second World War]] slowed the ferries' decline, but by 1951 the NSW State Government was forced to take over the ailing Sydney Ferries Limited. The Port Jackson company had fared better and their peak year was 1946, after which a slow decline saw it too taken over by the NSW State Government in the 1970s. Ferry operations were privatised in 2015 with vessels and facilities remaining in public ownership.

===Trams===
[[File:Trams and traffic at Railway Square.jpg|thumb|Early tram routes through [[Railway Square]]]]
{{see also|Trams in Sydney}}
Sydney once had the largest tram system in Australia, the second largest in the [[British Commonwealth]] (after [[London]]), and one of the largest in the world. It was extremely intensively worked, with about 1,600&nbsp;cars in service at any one time at its peak during the 1930s (cf. about 500 [[trams in Melbourne]] today).

Sydney's first tram was horse-drawn, running from the old Sydney Railway station to [[Circular Quay]] along [[Pitt Street]].<ref name=tram>The 1861 Pitt Street Tramway and the Contemporary Horse Drawn Railway Proposals Wylie, R.F. [[Australian Railway History|Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin]], February 1965 pp21-32</ref> Built in 1861, the design was compromised by the desire to haul railway freight wagons along the line to supply city businesses, in addition to passenger traffic. This resulted in a track that protruded from the road surface and damaged the wheels of wagons trying to cross it. Hard campaigning by competing [[bus|omnibus]] owners – as well as the fatal accident involving the leading Australian musician [[Isaac Nathan]] in 1864 – led to closure in 1866.

In 1879 a steam tramway was established.<ref>The Inauguration of Sydney's Steam Tramways Wylie, R.F. [[Australian Railway History|Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin]], March 1969 pp49-59</ref> The System was a great success and the network expanded rapidly through the city and inner suburbs. There were also two cable tram routes, to Ocean Street ([[Edgecliff, New South Wales|Edgecliff]]) and in [[North Sydney, New South Wales|North Sydney]], later extended to [[Crows Nest, New South Wales|Crows Nest]], because of the steep terrain involved.<ref>The Cable Trams of Sydney and the Experiments Leading to Final Electrification of the Tramways Wylie, R.F. [[Australian Railway History|Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin]], July/August 1974 pp145-168/190-192</ref>

Electrification started in 1898, and most of the system was converted by 1910. The privately owned [[Parramatta railway station|Parramatta]] to Redbank Wharf (Duck River) steam tram remained until 1943.<ref>The Parramatta Wharf Tramway Matthews, H.H. [[Australian Railway History|Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin]], December 1958 pp181-199</ref>

By the 1920s, the system had reached its maximum extent. The overcrowded and heaving trams running at a high frequency, in competition with growing private motor car and bus use, created congestion. Competition from the private car, private bus operators and the perception of traffic congestion led to the gradual closure of lines from the 1940s. Overseas transport experts were called upon to advise the city on its post-war transport issues and recommended closure of the system, but generally went against public opinion. Nevertheless, closure became Labor government policy and the system was wound down in stages, with withdrawal of the last service, to [[La Perouse, New South Wales|La Perouse]], in 1961.

== 20th century ==
=== Federation, Great War and Great Depression ===
[[File:Town Hall, Sydney, Inauguration of Australian Commonwealth.jpg|thumb|The [[Sydney Town Hall]] illuminated at night for the Inauguration of the [[Commonwealth of Australia]], 1901]]When the six colonies federated on 1 January 1901, Sydney became the capital of the State of New South Wales. The spread of [[bubonic plague]] in 1900 prompted the new state government to modernise the wharves and demolish inner-city slums. The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 saw more Sydney males volunteer for the armed forces than the Commonwealth authorities could process, and helped reduce unemployment in the city. Those returning from the war in 1918 were promised "homes fit for heroes" in new suburbs such as Daceyville and Matraville. "Garden suburbs" and mixed industrial and residential developments also grew along the rail and tram corridors.<ref name=":932"/>

After the war, [[Martin Place]] was selected as the site for the [[Sydney Cenotaph]] which honours the dead and remains a focus for [[Anzac Day]] commemorations in the city to this day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Cenotaph – Martin Place, Sydney |url=http://www.rslnsw.org.au/commemoration/memorials/the-cenotaph}}</ref> The city's main war memorial, the [[Anzac War Memorial]], opened in Hyde Park in 1934.<ref>{{cite web |title=~ Anzac War Memorial ~ |url=http://www.artdecosydney.com/Warmemorial.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215020554/http://www.artdecosydney.com/Warmemorial.html |archive-date=15 February 2008 |access-date=3 February 2008}}</ref>[[File:De Groot cutting the ribbon.jpg|thumb|[[Francis de Groot]] lunges forward to beat Premier Jack Lang to the cutting of the ribbon to declare the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] open.|left]]

The population reached one million in 1926, after Sydney had regained its position as the most populous city in Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2019 |title=Australian Historical Population Statistics, 3105.0.65.001, Population distribution |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/historical-population/latest-release |access-date=2 August 2022 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> The government created jobs with massive public projects such as the electrification of the [[Railways in Sydney|Sydney rail network]] and building the Sydney Harbour Bridge.<ref>Kingston (2006). p. 132</ref>

Sydney was more severely affected by the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s than regional NSW or Melbourne.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spearritt |first=Peter |title=Sydney's century, a history |publisher=UNSW Press |year=2000 |isbn=0868405213 |location=Sydney |pages=57–58}}</ref> New building almost came to a standstill, and by 1933 the unemployment rate for male workers was 28 per cent, but over 40 per cent in working class areas such as Alexandria and Redfern. Many families were evicted from their homes and shanty towns grew along coastal Sydney and Botany Bay, the largest being "Happy Valley" at [[La Perouse, New South Wales|La Perouse]].<ref>Spearritt (2000). pp. 58–59</ref> The Depression also exacerbated political divisions. In March 1932, when populist Labor premier [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]] attempted to open the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] he was upstaged by [[Francis de Groot]] of the far-right [[New Guard]], who slashed the ribbon with a sabre.<ref>Spearritt (2000). p. 62</ref>

The Sydney Harbour Bridge, which links Sydney's northern and southern shores began construction in 1924 and took 1,400 men eight years to build at a cost of £4.2 million. Sixteen workers were killed during construction. In its first year, the average annual daily traffic was around 11,000 vehicles (by the beginning of the 21st century, the figure stood at around 160,000 vehicles per day).<ref name="cultureandrecreation.gov.au">{{cite web |title=Sydney Harbour Bridge – Australia's Culture Portal |url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/harbourbridge/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515020410/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/harbourbridge/ |archive-date=15 May 2009 |access-date=27 February 2009}}</ref>

In January 1938, Sydney celebrated the [[Commonwealth Games|Empire Games]] and the sesquicentenary of European settlement in Australia. One journalist wrote, "Golden beaches. Sun tanned men and maidens...Red-roofed villas terraced above the blue waters of the harbour...Even Melbourne seems like some grey and stately city of Northern Europe compared with Sydney's sub-tropical splendours." Meanwhile, a congress of the "Aborigines of Australia", declared 26 January "A [[Day of Mourning (Australia)|Day of Mourning]]" for "the whiteman's seizure of our country."<ref>Spearritt (2000). p. 72</ref>

==== Culture and recreation ====
[[File:Bondi Bay, Sydney from The Powerhouse Museum.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Bondi Beach]] – a photo from {{Circa|1900}} from The [[Powerhouse Museum]]. The world's first [[Surf lifesaving|Surf Life Saving]] club opened here in 1906.]]The first [[Archibald Prize]] was awarded in 1921. Now regarded as the most important [[portrait]]ure prize in Australia, it originated from a bequest from [[J. F. Archibald]], the editor of ''[[The Bulletin (Australian periodical)|The Bulletin]]'', who died in 1919. Administered by the Trustees of the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]], it is awarded for "the best portrait, preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics."<ref>{{Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |title=Jules François Archibald (1856–1919) |id2=archibald-jules-francois-2896 |year=1969 |volume=3 |first=Sylvia |last=Lawson |access-date=6 September 2025}}</ref> Sydney's opulent [[Capitol Theatre, Sydney|Capitol Theatre]] opened in 1928 and after restoration in the 1990s remains one of the nation's finest auditoriums.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Capitol Theatre – Sydney |url=http://www.capitoltheatre.com.au/explore.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210113100/http://www.capitoltheatre.com.au/explore.htm |archive-date=10 February 2010 |access-date=26 September 2010}}</ref>

During the 19th century, Sydney's beaches had become popular seaside holiday resorts, but daylight [[sea bathing]] was considered indecent until the early 20th century. In defiance of these restrictions, in October 1902, [[William Gocher]], wearing a neck to knee costume, entered the water at [[Manly Beach]] only to be escorted from the water by the police – but the following year, [[Manly Council]] removed restrictions on all-day bathing – provided neck to knee swimming costumes were worn.<ref name="manly.nsw.gov.au">{{Cite web |title=Manly Council – Manly Heritage & History |url=http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au/council/about-manly/manly-heritage--history/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512034452/http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au/council/about-manly/manly-heritage--history/ |archive-date=12 May 2016 |access-date=14 September 2012}}</ref> Arguably the world's first surf lifesaving club was founded at [[Bondi Beach]], Sydney, in 1906. In the summer of 1915, [[Duke Kahanamoku]] of [[Hawaii]] introduced [[surf board]] riding to Sydney's [[Freshwater Beach]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture.gov.au/ |title=Australia's Culture Portal |access-date=17 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219043633/http://culture.gov.au/ |archive-date=19 February 2011  }}</ref>

In a [[Sheffield Shield]] cricket match at the [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] in 1930, [[Don Bradman]], a young New South Welshman of just 21 years of age, achieved the highest batting score in first-class cricket with 452 runs not out in just 415 minutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/donbradman/ |title=Don Bradman |access-date=1 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040101185143/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/donbradman/ |archive-date=1 January 2004  }}</ref>

=== World War II ===
[[File:Kuttabul (AWM 042975).jpg|thumb|left|The ''Kuttabul'', sunk by a [[Attack on Sydney Harbour|Japanese midget submarine attack]] on Sydney Harbour, 1942]]

{{Main article|Australian home front during World War II|Attack on Sydney Harbour}}

With the outbreak of war in September 1939, Sydney experienced a surge in industrial development to meet the needs of a wartime economy. Unemployment virtually disappeared and women moved into jobs previously male preserves.<ref>Kingston (2006). pp. 157–59</ref> Air raid shelters were built in Hyde Park, the Sydney Domain and the railway tunnels at Circular Quay.<ref>Spearritt (2000). pp. 78–79</ref> [[Military engineering|Military establishments]] included the [[Garden Island Tunnel System]], the only [[tunnel warfare]] complex in Sydney, and as well as the heritage-listed [[fortification]] systems [[Bradleys Head Fortification Complex]] and [[Middle Head Fortifications]], which were part of a total [[Sydney Harbour defences|defence system for Sydney Harbour]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aussieheritage.com.au/listings/nsw/Mosman/BradleysHeadFortificationComplex/3069 |title=Bradleys Head Fortification Complex, Mosman, NSW Profile |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070518073741/http://www.aussieheritage.com.au/listings/nsw/Mosman/BradleysHeadFortificationComplex/3069 |archive-date=18 May 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:Formidable Sydney Boom (AWM P00444-047).jpg|thumb|The British aircraft carrier {{HMS|Formidable|R67|6}} passing through the [[Sydney Harbour anti-submarine boom net|anti-submarine boom]] in [[Port Jackson]] (Sydney Harbour) in 1945]]

After launching their [[Pacific War]] in December 1941, the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] infiltrated New South Wales waters and on the night of 31 May–1 June 1942, three [[midget submarines]] entered Sydney Harbour to attack shipping located there. One torpedo struck the sea wall against which the converted harbour ferry [[HMAS Kuttabul (ship)|HMAS ''Kuttabul'']] was moored. The blast sank the Kuttabul, killing 19 Australian and two British naval personnel who were asleep on board.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/remembering1942/midget_submarine/transcript.asp |title=Remembering 1942: Sydney Under Attack: Japanese Midget Submarine [Australian War Memorial] |website=www.awm.gov.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521025641/http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/remembering1942/midget_submarine/transcript.asp |archive-date=2008-05-21}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the attack, the Harbour's defences were increased and the Australian population feared Japanese invasion. Amid great controversy, the bodies of the four Japanese submariners responsible for the raid were cremated with full military honors and returned to Japan.<ref name="awm.gov.au">{{cite web |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/remembering1942/midget_submarine/submarine_article1.asp |title=Remembering 1942: Sydney Under Attack: Japanese Midget Submarine [Australian War Memorial] |website=www.awm.gov.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613015952/http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/remembering1942/midget_submarine/submarine_article1.asp |archive-date=2008-06-13}}</ref> Eight days after the first attack, two submarines lying off shore fired shells on Sydney and Newcastle.<ref name="awm.gov.au" />

Building restrictions meant that most construction in Sydney was confined to public works deemed essential to the war effort such as the Captain Cook Graving Dock at Garden Island and the Concord Repatriation Hospital. Rationing and price controls were extended to items such as rents, food, clothing, petrol, tobacco and liquor.<ref>Spearritt (2000). pp. 78–81</ref>

The war in the Pacific made Sydney the port of choice for American servicemen on rest and recuperation leave, and about a million servicemen and women arrived in Sydney harbour. The city, Kings Cross and Lunar Park proved popular with the Americans and many intimate relationships developed with the women of Sydney. Thousands of Australian war brides moved to the United States with their American husbands after the war.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Park |first=Margaret |date=2011 |title=Americans |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/americans |access-date=20 August 2022 |website=The Dictionary of Sydney, State Library of New South Wales}}</ref>

The new Garden Island shipping dock was opened in March 1945, in time for the British Pacific Fleet to use it in its final push towards Japan.<ref>Spearritt (2000). p. 80</ref>

=== Post war ===
[[File:Mærsk Sembawang in Sydney (1984) (7312761564).jpg|thumb|250px|Sydney Harbour, 1984]]

A post-war immigration and baby boom saw a rapid increase in Sydney's population and the spread of low-density housing in suburbs throughout the Cumberland Plain. Immigrants{{Em dash}}mostly from Britain and continental Europe{{Em dash}}and their children accounted for over three-quarters of Sydney's population growth between 1947 and 1971.<ref>Spearritt (2000). p. 91</ref> The newly created Cumberland County Council oversaw low-density residential developments, the largest at [[Green Valley, New South Wales|Green Valley]] and [[Mount Druitt]]. Older residential centres such as Parramatta, [[Bankstown]] and [[Liverpool, New South Wales|Liverpool]] became suburbs of the metropolis.<ref>Spearritt (2000). pp. 93–94, 115–16</ref> Manufacturing, protected by high tariffs, employed over a third of the workforce from 1945 to the 1960s. However, as the long post-war economic boom progressed, retail and other service industries became the main source of new jobs.<ref>Spearritt (2000). pp. 109–11</ref>

Increasing high rise development in Sydney and the expansion of suburbs beyond the "green belt" envisaged by the planners of the 1950s resulted in community protests. In the early 1970s, trade unions and resident action groups imposed [[green ban]]s on development projects in historic areas such as The Rocks. Federal, State and local governments subsequently introduced a range of heritage and environmental legislation.<ref name=":932"/> The Sydney Opera House was also controversial for its cost and disputes between architect [[Jørn Utzon|Jorn Utzon]] and government officials. However, soon after it opened in 1973 it became a major tourist attraction and symbol of the city.<ref>Kingston (2006). pp. 184–86</ref>

The progressive reduction in tariff protection from 1974 began the transformation of Sydney from a manufacturing centre focused on the domestic market to a "world city" providing financial, commercial, cultural and educational services to local residents and Australian and overseas markets.<ref>Spearritt (2000). pp. 109–12, 259–62</ref> From the 1980s, overseas immigration to Sydney grew rapidly, with Asia, the Middle East and Africa becoming major sources of immigrants. By 2021, the population of Sydney was over 5.2 million, with 40% of the population born overseas. China and India overtook England as the largest source countries for overseas-born residents.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2021 |title=2021 Census of Population and Housing, General community profile, Greater Sydney, Table GO9(c) |url=https://abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/1GSYD |access-date=4 August 2020 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref>[[File:(1)Darling Harbour Sydney.jpg|thumb|left|Darling Harbour and the city skyline, 1985]]

==== Culture and entertainment ====
Intellectuals such as those of the [[Sydney Push]] (including feminist [[Germaine Greer]], author and broadcaster [[Clive James]] and art critic [[Robert Hughes (critic)|Robert Hughes]]) rose out of Sydney during the period, as did influential artists like painter [[Brett Whiteley]]. [[Paul Hogan]] went from painter on the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] to local TV star, then global film star with his hugely successful ''[[Crocodile Dundee]]'' in 1986 (a film which begins with scenes of Sydney) while theatre institutions like the [[Sydney Theatre Company]] and [[National Institute of Dramatic Art]] nurtured the budding careers of actors innumerable, some of whom forged their early careers in the city. In 1998, [[Fox Studios Australia]] opened as a major movie studio, occupying the site of the [[Sydney Showground (Moore Park)|former Sydney Showground]] at [[Moore Park, New South Wales|Moore Park]] – going on to produce such commercially viable films as ''[[The Matrix]]'' films, ''[[Moulin Rouge!]]'', ''[[Mission: Impossible 2]]'' (set partly in Sydney), and the revived ''Star Wars'' and ''Superman'' film franchises. The traditional [[Sydney Royal Easter Show]] was relocated to the [[Sydney Showground (Homebush Bay)|New Sydney Showground at Homebush]].

=== Olympic City and the new millennium ===
[[File:Fireworks, Sydney Harbour Bridge, 2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Olympic colours on the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] in the year 2000]]
[[File:Australia Day.jpg|thumb|[[Australia Day]], Sydney Harbour, 2004]]
[[File:Sydney Harbour welcomes Jessica Watson.jpg|thumb|[[Sydney harbour|Sydney Harbour]] and the [[Sydney central business district]] in 2010]]
[[File:Barangaroo railway station construction site April 2022.jpg|thumb|right|Construction of the [[Barangaroo railway station]], which serves part of the [[rapid transit]] system [[Sydney Metro]] and opened in August 2024.]]
[[Stadium Australia]] (currently also known as ANZ Stadium due to [[naming rights]]), a [[multi-purpose stadium]] located in the [[Sydney Olympic Park]] precinct of the redeveloped [[Homebush Bay, New South Wales|Homebush Bay]] was completed in March 1999 at a cost of [[Australian dollar|A$]]690 million to serve as a venue for the [[2000 Summer Olympics]]. Sydney captured global attention in the Year 2000 by hosting the [[2000 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympic Games]]. The [[2000 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics]] featured a theatrical rendering of Australian history through dance and a torch lighting by Aboriginal athlete [[Cathy Freeman]]. At the Closing Ceremony, [[Presidents of the International Olympic Committee|President of the International Olympic Committee]], [[Juan Antonio Samaranch]], declared:<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/02/sports/sydney-2000-closing-ceremony-a-fond-farewell-from-australia.html|title=SYDNEY 2000: CLOSING CEREMONY; A FOND FAREWELL FROM AUSTRALIA|date=2 October 2000|first=Jere|last=Longman|newspaper=New York Times}}</ref>

<blockquote>
{{cquote|"I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever."
}}
</blockquote>

The Olympic mayor, [[Frank Sartor]], was the [[Lord Mayor of Sydney]], serving from 1991 to 2003 and his successor, [[Lucy Turnbull]], became the first woman to hold that office in 2003. She was in turn succeeded by independent [[Clover Moore]], Sydney's longest-serving mayor from 2004 – present. From 1991 to 2007, Sydneysiders governed as [[Prime Minister of Australia]] – first [[Paul Keating]] (1991–1996) and later [[John Howard]] (1996–2007), [[Tony Abbott]] (2013–2015), [[Malcolm Turnbull]] (2015–2018), [[Scott Morrison]] (2018–2022), and [[Anthony Albanese]] (2022–present). Sydney has maintained extensive political, economic and cultural influence over Australia as well as international renown in recent decades. Following the Olympics, the city hosted the [[2003 Rugby World Cup]], the [[APEC Australia 2007|APEC Leaders conference of 2007]] and Catholic [[World Youth Day 2008]], led by [[Pope Benedict XVI]].

Sydney's population officially hit 5 million people at the 2016 census.<ref name="2016 Census">{{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/mediareleasesbyCatalogue/28F51C010D29BFC9CA2575A0002126CC?OpenDocument|title=Sydney population hits 5 million|work=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|date=30 March 2017|access-date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728200642/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/mediareleasesbyCatalogue/28F51C010D29BFC9CA2575A0002126CC?OpenDocument|archive-date=28 July 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The city has gained a reputation for diversity and is Australia's most multicultural city.<ref name=ABSMRSYD>{{cite web|publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|title=3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2015–16: Media Release Sydney population hits 5 million|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/mediareleasesbyCatalogue/28F51C010D29BFC9CA2575A0002126CC?OpenDocument|date=30 March 2017|access-date=30 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728200642/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/mediareleasesbyCatalogue/28F51C010D29BFC9CA2575A0002126CC?OpenDocument|archive-date=28 July 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the {{CensusAU|2011}}, 34 percent of the population reported having been born overseas.<ref name=ABSGCCSAXLS>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/CensusOutput/copsub.NSF/All%20docs%20by%20catNo/2011~Community%20Profile~1GSYD/$File/BCP_1GSYD.zip?OpenElement|title=Greater Sydney: Basic Community Profile|publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|work=2011 Census Community Profiles|date=28 March 2013|format=xls|access-date=9 April 2014|archive-date=7 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107230439/https://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/CensusOutput/copsub.NSF/All%20docs%20by%20catNo/2011~Community%20Profile~1GSYD/%24File/BCP_1GSYD.zip?OpenElement|url-status=dead}}</ref> The city's first dedicated [[rapid transit]] system is currently under construction, with two lines open and two other lines announced. The project has been hailed as "transformative" by journalists.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mike Baird's achievements will outlive his failures|url=http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/mike-bairds-achievements-will-outlive-his-failures-20170119-gtuew5.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=17 January 2017|access-date=5 April 2017}}</ref> Australia's first [[rapid transit]] metro line, part of the [[Sydney Metro]], linking the suburb of Epping to the north-west of Sydney, opened on 26 May 2019. It is a first in Australian transportation, as no other Australian city currently has an automated underground metro.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hassell unveils Sydney Metro Northwest designs|work=The Urban Developer|url=https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/hassell-unveils-sydney-metro-northwest-designs/|date=10 August 2016|access-date=5 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Premier Mike Baird reveals North West Rail Link trains will run every four minutes in peak periods|work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]|date=15 September 2014}}</ref> The first line serves the [[Sydney Metro Northwest|north-western]] suburbs of the city, while the second line opened on 19 August 2024 and runs under Sydney Harbour from [[Sydney Metro City & Southwest|the southwest into the central business district]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Rapid Metro build for Sydney's second subway system|work=governmentnews.com.au|date=16 November 2015|access-date=5 April 2017|url=http://www.governmentnews.com.au/2015/11/rapid-metro-build-for-sydneys-second-subway-system/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome Aboard! Sydney Metro City now open|url=https://www.sydneymetro.info/article/welcome-aboard-sydney-metro-city-now-open|date=19 August 2024|accessdate=19 October 2024}}</ref> A [[Sydney Metro#Proposed extensions|third line]], serving the western suburbs including [[Rozelle]] and [[Westmead, New South Wales|Westmead]], has been approved for construction.

== See also ==
* [[Aboriginal sites of New South Wales]]
* [[Culture of Sydney]]
* [[History of Australia]]
* [[History of New South Wales]]
* [[Royal Australian Historical Society]]
* [[Rocks Push]]
* [[Sydney punchbowls]]
* [[Sydney Push]]
* [[Timeline of Sydney]]

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* ''The Dictionary of Sydney'' (2021) [https://dictionaryofsydney.org/  all articles are online here].

* Bain, Jim. ''A Financial Tale of Two Cities: Sydney and Melbourne's Remarkable Contest for Commercial Supremacy'' (UNSW Press, 2007). 

* {{cite book | author=Birmingham, John  | title=Leviathan: The Unauthorised Biography of Sydney | publisher=[[Random House]] | year=1999 | isbn=978-0-09-184203-1| author-link=John Birmingham }} [https://archive.org/details/leviathanunautho0000birm online]

* Charnley, W. "The Founding Of Sydney." ''History Today'' (Feb 1962), Vol. 12 Issue 2, p105-115.
* Connell, John. ''Sydney: the Emergence of a World City'' (Oxford University Press, 2000).
* Falconer, Delia. "A City of One's Own: Women's Sydney" in ''Dictionary of Sydney'' (2014), [https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/a_city_of_ones_own_womens_sydney, online]
* Kildea, Jeff, "Celebrating St Patrick's Day in nineteenth-century Sydney" in ''Dictionary of Sydney'' (2012)  [https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/celebrating_st_patricks_day_in_nineteenth_century_sydney#ref-uuid=2ba62ffc-7a72-977b-99ae-865301641c20  online]]

* {{cite book | author=Park, Ruth | title=Ruth Park's Sydney | publisher=Duffy & Snellgrove | year=1999 | isbn=978-1-875989-45-4| author-link=Ruth Park }}
* Reid, Richard. "Irish in Sydney from First Fleet to Federation" ''The Dictionary of Sydney'' (2012)  [https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/irish_in_sydney_from_first_fleet_to_federation online]

* Sandercock, Leonie.  "Property, Politics and Power : A History of City Planning in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney Since 1900" (PhD dissertation,  The Australian National University; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses,  1974. 28820333).
* Spearritt, P. ''Sydney's Century: a History'' (University of New South Wales Press,  2000).

==Bibliography==
{{see also|Timeline of Sydney#Bibliography}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.rahs.org.au/ Royal Australian Historical Society]
* [http://home.dictionaryofsydney.org/ Dictionary of Sydney – history of Sydney]
* {{anchor|barani}}<!---Barani (website) redirect targets this anchor for now--->The [https://www.sydneybarani.com.au/ Barani website] focuses on the histories of Sydney's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, in the City of Sydney from 1788 onwards.
{{Wikivoyage|Sydney}}

{{Sydney}}

[[Category:History of Sydney| ]]