- Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales
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Sydney Olympic Park
Sydney, New South Wales
ANZ StadiumEstablished: 1996 Postcode: 2127 Location: 16 km (10 mi) west of Sydney CBD LGA: Auburn Council State District: Auburn Federal Division: Reid Suburbs around Sydney Olympic Park: Wentworth Point Wentworth Point Rhodes Newington Sydney Olympic Park Liberty Grove Lidcombe Lidcombe Homebush Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Olympic Park is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council.
Originally part of the suburb of Homebush Bay,[1] the area was redeveloped for the 2000 Olympics. The facilities built continue to be used for sporting and cultural events, including the Sydney Royal Easter Show, Sydney Festival, Big Day Out and a number of world-class sporting fixtures. The suburb also contains commercial development and extensive parklands.
Contents
History
Olympic Cauldron converted into a water fountain
The Wangal clan of Indigenous Australians lived in the area before British settlement. The area was called "The Flats" by a scouting party shortly after the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. It became part of the Newington Estate in 1807, which was acquired by John Blaxland. The Government acquired some of the land for an aged women's home in the late 19th century. Much of the land was reclaimed from the river and wetlands by landfill.[2]
In the mid-1980s, an area bounded by Australia Avenue and what are now Herb Elliott Avenue and Sarah Durack Avenue was promoted as a 'technology park' called the Australia Centre. However, apart from a few relatively high tech businesses like AWA Microelectronics, BASF, Philips and Sanyo, the idea did not catch on and the Australian Technology Park is now in Eveleigh. In any event, a decade later the entire area became the site for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Before its transformation, a large part of Olympic Park was an industrial wasteland after more than a century of industrial and military activities on the site. The site was once home to a brickworks,[3] abattoir and an armaments depot as well as being the site for eight of Sydney's rubbish dumps.
Climate
Climate data for Sydney Olympic Park Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 44.7
(112.5)40.9
(105.6)39.8
(103.6)33.2
(91.8)28.4
(83.1)25.6
(78.1)25.1
(77.2)27.9
(82.2)35.7
(96.3)38.4
(101.1)40.4
(104.7)41.7
(107.1)44.7
(112.5)Average high °C (°F) 28.3
(82.9)27.9
(82.2)26.5
(79.7)24.0
(75.2)20.9
(69.6)18.4
(65.1)17.7
(63.9)19.5
(67.1)22.5
(72.5)24.5
(76.1)25.0
(77.0)27.4
(81.3)23.5 Average low °C (°F) 19.1
(66.4)19.3
(66.7)17.6
(63.7)14.3
(57.7)11.3
(52.3)8.9
(48.0)7.8
(46.0)8.7
(47.7)11.6
(52.9)13.7
(56.7)15.6
(60.1)17.9
(64.2)13.8 Record low °C (°F) 12.8
(55.0)12.0
(53.6)11.2
(52.2)6.8
(44.2)5.4
(41.7)3.5
(38.3)1.7
(35.1)3.0
(37.4)5.6
(42.1)6.8
(44.2)7.9
(46.2)11.7
(53.1)1.7
(35.1)Precipitation mm (inches) 91.2
(3.591)111.4
(4.386)64.4
(2.535)88.9
(3.5)84.2
(3.315)73.9
(2.909)56.4
(2.22)60.8
(2.394)51.5
(2.028)63.5
(2.5)77.5
(3.051)55.7
(2.193)876.3
(34.5)Source: [4] After 2000 Olympics
With the successful completion of the 2000 Olympics, Sydney Olympic Park has undergone a significant amount of development work to support its conversion to a multipurpose facility with a number of businesses re-locating to the area. Commercial developments now sit alongside sporting facilities with tenants in office buildings such as Commonwealth Bank from September 2007. A five-star Pullman hotel and a two-star Formule 1 hotel were completed in mid-2008.
The parklands have undergone redevelopment with Blaxland Riverside Park (formerly Blaxland Common) being transformed into an urban park along Parramatta River. The Park opened on 3 March 2007. In addition the Wentworth Common area was upgraded with significant adventure playground facilities for children aged 8–13 years.
Auburn Council sought public comment on a proposal to rename the Homebush Bay area, to remove confusion with its namesake suburb Homebush. The area encompassing Sydney Olympic Park was given autonomy as a suburb, the waterfront residential area was renamed Wentworth Point and the Carter Street industrial precinct was absorbed by the neighbouring suburb of Lidcombe.[5][6]
Events
ANZ Stadium and Forest of Poles at nightCurrently there are more than 5000 events held at the park each year, including the Sydney Royal Easter Show, Rugby Union, National Rugby League, Australian Football League and Australian Rugby League games at ANZ Stadium, and athletics and swimming events. It hosts the Big Day Out music festival and has been the venue for free, open air performances as part of the Sydney Festival such as Movies in the Overflow and Music by Moonlight.
The Newington Armory has in the past been the venue for the now-defunct "Great Escape" and "Acoustica at the Armory" music festivals, both of which were held over the Easter long weekend. Some venues function have changed from the original uses in the 2000 Olympics, such as the Baseball stadium shown on this map which has become the Sydney Showground, the former Sydney Superdome is now known as Allphones Arena and the Olympic Stadium has been renamed ANZ Stadium, following on from its prior sponsor Telstra. The latter two venues are now very successful in their own right, with the stadium serving as the venue for 49 major sporting events in 2007 and the Arena being the world's second-highest grossing venue of its type in the world in 2005 - behind only New York City's Madison Square Garden.
In August 2009, the funerals for the murdered Lin family was held here.
In December 2009 and 2010, the V8 Supercar event the Sydney 500, was held through the streets of the Olympic precinct.
Culture
The suburb is home to a significant arts and cultural program including regular events, the largest single precinct public art collection in Australia, the Armoury Gallery which is the largest single room permanent art exhibition space in the Southern Hemisphere, a new theatre and an artist studio facility at Newington Armoury. The suburb is fully dedicated to environmentally and socially sustainable practices and has committed to 'Master Plan 2030': an opportunity to establish a best practice example of sustainable urban development for the next 20 years of the Park's growth.
The Master Plan 2030 vision is that the Park will, by 2030, be home to a daily population of 50,000 residents, students and workers, in addition to 10 million visitors per year.
Management
Sydney Olympic Park is managed by the Sydney Olympic Park Authority. The site was previously intended for a massive urban renewal project of the Homebush Bay area, prior to the Olympic bid, so the renewal masterplan was altered to accommodate venues for the 2000 Olympics.
- Prior to 1995 (Pre Olympic Site) - Homebush Bay Development Corporation
- 1995 to 2001 - Olympic Co-Ordination Authority
- 2001 to present - Sydney Olympic Park Authority
Facilities
Sydney 2000 Olympics venues
Aerial image of Sydney Olympic Park, looking north- ANZ Stadium - Formerly Stadium Australia & Telstra Stadium (capacity: 110,000 at time of Olympics, now 83,500)[7]
- Allphones Arena - formerly Sydney Superdome & Acer Arena (capacity: Concert 21,000; Basketball 18,000; Gymnastics 15,000)
- Sydney Showground - Home of Sydney's Royal Easter Show. Includes Skoda Stadium (capacity: 13,000 between 1998-2011, 25,000 from 2012).
- Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre (capacity: Grandstand 5,000; Grass 10,000)
- Sydney International Aquatic Centre (capacity: 17,500)
- Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre (capacity: 16,200)
- Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre (capacity: 15,000)
- Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre (capacity: 5,000)
- Sydney Olympic Park Archery Centre (capacity: 4,500)
- Sydney Olympic Park Sports Halls
Map of the Olympic siteNon-Olympic facilities
- Sydney Olympic Park Golf Centre
- Monster Mountain X - Mountain Biking
- Monster BMX
- Monster Skate Park
- Armory Gallery
- Armory Theatre
Accommodation
- Novotel and Hotel Ibis, Sydney Olympic Park
- Pullman Hotel, Sydney Olympic Park
- Formule 1, Sydney Olympic Park
- Sydney Olympic Park Lodge - Newington Armory
- Former Olympic Village - now suburb of Newington, Sydney
Transport
Olympic Park train station
Landscapes around Sydney Olympic ParkSydney Olympic Park is served by the Olympic Park railway line and Olympic Park railway station. There are also regular ferry services to the nearby Sydney Olympic Park Ferry Wharf, at the end of Hill Road, serviced by Sydney Ferries to and from various points around Sydney Harbour.
Parklands
- Bicentennial Park - 40 Hectares of Parkland, opened in 1988 to celebrate Australia's Bicentenary
- Wentworth Common
- Archery Park
- Blaxland Riverside Park along Parramatta River
- The Brickpit
- 425 Hectares of parkland throughout the Sydney Olympic Park site
Restricted areas
- Newington Armory - Former Armory Store for the Royal Australian Navy- limited public access related to events and Sunday open days
- Newington Nature Reserve
References
- ^ http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/name_search/extract?id=MnIOlMUlJP
- ^ Sydney Olympic Park Official Site: Education & Learning
- ^ The State Brickworks' Tramway, Homebush Bay Eardley, Giff Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, May 1972, pp.109-114
- ^ "Weatherzone". http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_066195_All.shtml.
- ^ http://www.auburn.nsw.gov.au/page.aspx?id=3946
- ^ http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/name_search/extract?id=MnIOlMUlMa
- ^ http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=121
External links
- Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales is at coordinates 33°50′53″S 151°03′54″E / 33.84801°S 151.06488°ECoordinates: 33°50′53″S 151°03′54″E / 33.84801°S 151.06488°E
- Official website
Suburbs and localities within Auburn Council · Western Sydney · Sydney Auburn · Berala · Homebush Bay · Lidcombe · Newington · Regents Park · Rookwood · Silverwater · Sydney Olympic Park · Wentworth Point
List of Sydney suburbs Venues of the 2000 Summer Olympics Sydney Olympic Park NSW Tennis Centre · Olympic Stadium · State Hockey Centre · State Sports Centre · Sydney Showground (Sydney Baseball Stadium) · Sydney International Archery Park · Sydney International Aquatic Centre · Sydney Super DomeSydney Blacktown Olympic Park · Bondi Beach · Centennial Parklands · Dunc Gray Velodrome · Fairfield City Farm · Marathon course · North Sydney · Olympic Sailing Shore Base · Penrith Whitewater Stadium · Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre · Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre · Sydney Entertainment Centre · Sydney Football Stadium · Sydney International Equestrian Centre · Sydney International Regatta Centre · Sydney International Shooting Centre · Sydney Opera HouseOutside Sydney Categories:- Suburbs of Sydney
- Sports venues in Sydney
- Olympic parks
- Swimming venues in Australia
- 2000 Summer Olympic venues
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