The Curious Case of Centennial Park

Imagine a beautiful weekend morning, you wake up early and decide to go to Centennial Park. Well, this is indeed a wild imagination. Why would you or anyone be interested in going to a park when you can go to the beach? But what if I told you that Centennial Park has many mysteries surrounding it? Sir Henry Parks would be delighted to see young explorers setting foot on the place he envisioned to be ‘People’s Park’ [7, p. 172]. Is the park all about walking or trees? Not really; it holds stories in multiple statues scattered around, as well as in the water bodies present throughout. If you're looking for a shortcut and are hesitant to explore the 220 hectares [2], you can test your knowledge with this quiz, and maybe be intrigued to verify all the answers yourself: https://youtube.com/shorts/H-CJIgteMiQ?si=l4f0ngDe7GZemaft

So, if you have got on your comfortable footwear and are ready for a hike, let's dive in to solve the case.

Map on the iZi Travel app [3]

Centennial Park is the largest park in southern Australia, spanning an area equivalent to 315 football fields. It was one of the first places for Sydney’s general public to come and connect with nature. You can have a 9.3 km run on the Strava App if you actually manage to cover all the paths in the park [2]. The Grand Drive in itself is a long loop of around 3.6 km, and the rest of the rails branch out from it [4]. All these inner trails will guide you to various sections of the park, unlocking beautiful ponds along the way.

The park features eleven interconnected ponds. All these ponds are fed by rainwater except the Lily Pond. A secret underground water reserve from Lachlan Swamp fills this beautiful pond. Lachlan Swamp is a remnant of a freshwater wetland in Sydney. It is 1.5 hectares long and is hidden in the Botany Sand Aquifer’s northern margin. Historically, this swamp became the reason the colonists didn’t die of thirst, as it was their second most used water supply between 1820 and 1852 [5].

 

Ash Paddock became a dumping ground for the Ash generated from the coal-fueled pumping station. This pumping station was responsible for supplying all the water in the 1800s [7, p. 22].

Lachlan Swamp [6]

 

Throughout the park, you are likely to notice many trees. Centennial Parklands have approximately 15,000 to 16,000 trees. They cover more than 230 species, including various figs, oaks, pines, and eucalyptus trees [9]. Moore Park has 4,000 trees, and Queens Park holds 490 trees [10].

Confused on why you see the Centennial Parklands sign even if you are not visiting the Centennial Park, that’s because the Moore Park and Queens Park also fall under the jurisdiction of Centennial Parklands [11].

 

Many Trails of the Park

All the park’s tracks were historically paths made by Aboriginal people. It was once a grazing land of the Gadigal people. Members of the first fleet, on arrival, walked down Oxford Street to observe approaching vessels. Frenchman’s Road became the colonists' route to bring things up to their base camp at Sydney Cove and La Perouse’s camp at Botany [2].  

However, both the camp settlers were excited to explore the upper northern reaches of Botany Basin, which later became Centennial Park. Governor Macquarie was the first person to set about defining the park’s boundary in 1811. Centennial Park was not a natural park; it was a carefully planned-out ‘natural’ space created by man. Thousands of unemployed men around Sydney were appointed to construct this park [12, p. 1-2].

The colonists realised that the park could be an integral part of a water reservoir. They began using the Lachlan swamp, and soon it was being exhausted.

Busby's Pond

That’s when John Busby was hired to construct an underground tunnel to transport water from Centennial Park Reserve to Hyde Park, thereby allocating resources efficiently. However, Busby was a lazy guy and earned the title of “Great Bore” for taking so much time to complete the task. The green bans in the 1970s were established to save parts of this Building from demolition [7, pp. 16-18]. 

 

There was even a plan to set up a cemetery at Moore Park in the 1840s. However, religious claims stated that the water here was contaminated, and hence it was rejected as a burial site [12, pp. 43-44]. Fortunately, otherwise our mystery story would have turned into a horror story with a cemetery involved.

 

Centennial Park was opened to the General Public in 1888. It was a tribute to the 100 years of the colony. Sir Henry Parks was the man with this vision of People’s Park. He wanted to make it a ‘lung place’, a site for inhaling clean air in the bustling city [7, p. 40].

 

The park has even become home to many sculptures over the course of its history. The statue of Sir Henry Parks was the last statue to be placed in 1897. By the 1920s, vandalism attacks on the statues began.  By 1974, all 31 statues had been destroyed. The restoration process of the statues began in 1988 [8].

Charles Dickens Statue

There is, however, an interesting case of a particular statue that has given rise to an entire drive named after it in the park, the Dickens Drive. It is named after the beloved children's author Charles Dickens. He made a curse before his death that no statue of him should ever be made to commemorate him. Centennial Park was lucky to secure one of the world’s only three Charles Dickens Statues. But the Dickens curse held firm, and the statue broke immediately upon installation. It was then stolen, but was finally restored in the late twentieth century at the head of Dickens Drive [3]. If you are lucky, the statue might still be there; otherwise, you'll have to look for it again.

In the early 1900s, the park was considered the haunt of the elite class, and people from the eastern suburbs were more frequently seen there. It had all the things rich people engaged in, such as golf and cricket. Fly casting contests also took place in the Park in the 1900s. An entire lake was named the Fly-Casting Lake after these lively contests [13].

Now, some of you may be a bit wary of all these ponds and lakes and thinking about the deadly mosquitoes. Surprisingly, the mosquito bite rates in the park are low. They are primarily active during dusk and dawn in the summer months. The park is very well maintained in terms of health standards and cleanliness levels [14].

The Park witnessed the effects of both World Wars. The First World War led to a decline in park maintenance. It lost its appeal and public attention during the tense times and fell into disarray. The Second World War converted the park into an Army base camp [2].

By the 1950s, people were back to protesting for the freedom of their park. A controversial matter arose in the 1960s that involved sports. Imagine a fight between the nerds and jocks at school. Well, the scenario was similar when sports enthusiasts started demanding more areas of the park for their activities. A Works Committee, formed in response to all that political pressure, decided to designate specific areas for sports [2].

However, matters really heated up when the Australian Olympic Committee came in 1974 to request a considerable piece of land to host the Olympics. However, this decision was later overturned following numerous protests. The 2000 Summer Olympics successfully hosted marathons and cycling races that were accepted by everyone in a peaceful manner [15].

The park is famous for its Sydney Cricket Ground, which opened in 1848, and the football stadium, which opened in 1988. These two sporting complexes attract several sports fans for various events. Maybe you have hopped onto the L2 Light Rail to see a match here yourself.

Sydney Cricket Ground [16]

Currently, you can find a variety of wonderful activities and opportunities on the park's website [17]. May it be the multiple playgrounds in the park where you can skate or hang out with your friends, or horse-riding lessons you may be interested in taking part in. Centennial Park is also home to a lot of birds and bats, and you can join the volunteering groups to gain some astonishing facts.

Scarily cute Flying Fox [18]

There is even a special challenge for boys. According to a bat specialist I met on one of the bat surveys here, men are often unable to bear the smell of bats. Are you brave enough to face some of the famous flying foxes of the park, or does their cuteness scare you? 

 

In 2023, the State government decided to reduce the park golf course from 18 holes to 9 holes. To make more free space for a growing population. The golfing advocacy group started a petition to save the golf course. This demonstrates that even now, Sir Henry Park's vision remains true. It is still very much a people’s park. A green space that everyone feels connected to and has a say in shaping and developing [19].

Over the years, research on the park has undergone significant evolution. Earlier secondary sources mainly focused on the park's history. Many of them provided detailed descriptions of the inauguration ceremony. The Federation Pavilion, built in 1901 [2], was used to inaugurate the Commonwealth of Australia. Then, later articles focused on the park's great waterways.

Federation Pavilion Inauguration [20]

I was sad to note that the flora and Fauna of the park have just been captured in plain annual NSW reports [10]. Also, there is less mention of the park’s statues and their unique stories. In fact, many park workers have reported forgetting the names of the statues over the years [8, p.136].

However, there is one person who might have covered many aspects of the park. Professor Paul Ashton might have just cracked the case of the Centennial Park's secrets by writing multiple blogs and even a book on the park [2, 7].

Recent research has focused on the carbon emissions project and other scientific initiatives that can contribute to the park's efforts. The Centennial Parklands website is a modern initiative to map all the activities taking place in the park. This is a great site to explore when planning a trip to the park. They currently have an excellent Labyrinth to explore on the first Sunday of each month [17].

The park is a popular destination for families to enjoy picnics and gatherings. Corporations organise marathons and social events for their employees here. Sporting clubs and groups are scattered around the perimeter of the park.

Recently, the park has become a bridge between different sectors of society. Its current redevelopment plan is taking suggestions from the public [21]. Like the Golfing group, you also had the chance to put your ideas into place until November 24, 2025. The redevelopment by 2026 will reflect the people’s ideas and aspirations.

The park has become a major recreational and fitness destination. Runners love to take laps around the grand drive. One of the recent park social events is the Moonlight Cinema, an incredible experience that allows you to watch movies in an open space under the stars. It features multiple cafes and picnic spots, making it the perfect destination for a family getaway over the weekend.

 

As you walk along the path, I want you to think of the Aboriginal community that paved the way when it was swampy land. Then, the necessity of the colonists to come together and clear out this space to create lakes that would collect rainwater. As the technology of borewell tunnels advanced, the reservoirs became a bigger project. This led to multiple paths growing around these lakes. Over the years, people have come together to plant a tree in memory of their loved ones. It evolved to be a park for everyone.

The old trees of the park, which stand tall even after all these years, are a testament to its enduring legacy, one that will continue to shape the future of Sydney by being an integral part of Sydney’s heart forever. I hope that you, too, go to find all this history in the park and see all these pictures in real life.

History is best learned out of the textbook after all. 

Reading the book in the Park

Bibliography

1.       Centennial Park & Moore Park Trust. 1998. Into the Twenty-First Century : Centennial Parklands : Plan of Management. Paddington, N.S.W: Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, p. 10.

2.       Ashton, Paul. "Centennial Park." Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust, 2008. https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/centennial_park.

3.       Centennial Park. “Centennial Park – History Walking Tour”. iZi TRAVEL app.

4.       Randwick City Council. “Centennial Park Ponds and Perimeter Loop.” Last modified June 2025. https://www.randwick.nsw.gov.au/about-us/news/news-items/2025/june/centennial-park-ponds-and-perimeter-loop.

5.       Hamilton, Rebecca, Josephine Gillespie, Dan Penny, Shane Ingrey, and Scott Mooney. “Re-imagining Sydney’s Freshwater Wetlands through Historical Ecology.” Landscape Research 49, no. 2 (2024): 268–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2023.2271421. p. 268- 271.

6.       New South Wales Government. "Lachlan Swamp." https://www.nsw.gov.au/visiting-and-exploring-nsw/locations-and-attractions/lachlan-swamp.

7.     Ashton, Paul, Kate Blackmore, Armanda Scorrano, Rosalia Catalano, and Christine Shergold. 2013. Centennial Park : The ’people’s Park’ : A History. Ultimo, New South Wales: Halstead Press.

8.     Wilson, Edwin, and Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens. 1992. The Wishing Tree : A Guide to Memorial Trees, Statues, Fountains, Etc. in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Domain, and Centennial Park, Sydney. Kenthurst, N.S.W: Kangaroo Press in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney pp. 135- 136.

9.       Centennial Parklands. “Pete’s Top 10 Tree Trail.” Last modified 2019. https://www.centennialparklands.com.au/stories/2019/pete-s-top-10-tree-trail.

10.   NSW Government, Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, Annual Report 2021–22 (Sydney: Greater Sydney Parklands, 2022), p. 11

11.   Hoskins, Ian. “The Core of the City: Public Parks, Respectability and Civic Regulation in Sydney.” National Identities 5, no. 1 (2003): 7–24, p. 8

12.   Ross, John W. The History of Moore Park, Sydney. Surry Hills, Sydney, March 2018.

13.   Centennial Parklands. “Visit - Centennial Parklands - Origins of names.” https://www.centennialparklands.com.au/visit/history-and-heritage/origins-of-names

14.   Webb, C E, and R C Russell. “Mosquitoes of Centennial Park, Sydney.” General and Applied Entomology: The Journal of the Entomological Society of New South Wales 37 (2008): 31–33. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.235152227694215 pp. 15- 16.

15.   Sahni, Neera. “Sydney Olympics 2000 - Venues.” City of Parramatta, 2020. https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/research-topics/events/sydney-olympics-2000-venues

16.   Sydney Cricket Ground. “Cricket Season: Private Suites.” https://www.sydneycricketground.com.au/sydney_cricket_ground_cricket_official_hospitality

17.   Centennial Parklands. “Official site of Centennial Parklands.” Accessed November 23, 2025. https://www.centennialparklands.com.au/

18.   Centennial Parklands. “Seven Things to Love about Flying Foxes.” Accessed November 23, 2025. https://www.centennialparklands.com.au/stories/2019/seven-things-to-love-about-flying-foxes

19.   Coverage from Sky News, via the The Australian: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/golf-collective-pitches-plan-to-transform-sydneys-moore-park-south/news-story/6eb76422bb4d54ab1f8c5495480a3dd0

20.   Dictionary of Sydney. “Inauguration of the Commonwealth celebrations Centennial Park 1901.” Accessed November 23, 2025. https://dictionaryofsydney.org/event/inauguration_of_the_commonwealth_celebrations_centennial_park_1901

21.   Centennial Parklands. “The future of Moore Park South - Centennial Parklands.” Accessed November 23, 2025. https://www.centennialparklands.com.au/mooreparksouth