Circular Quay

Buildings and railway station at Circular Quay

Circular Quay is a locality in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the northern edge of the Sydney central business district on Sydney Cove, between Bennelong Point and The Rocks. It is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney.

Circular Quay is made up of walkways, pedestrian malls, parks and restaurants. It hosts a number of ferry quays and a train station.

Transport

Circular Quay wharf and railway station as seen from an approaching Rivercat ferry.

Circular Quay is a major Sydney transport hub, with a large ferry, rail and bus interchange. It was formerly a large tram terminus and interchange. The Cahill Expressway is a prominent feature of the quay, running from the east, over the elevated railway station to join the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the west.

Culture

Circular Quay is a focal point for many community celebrations, for both its historic significance as the birthplace of the Australian nation, and for its proximity to the Sydney icons of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is one of the main congregation points for the New Year's Eve and Australia Day fireworks displays.

Circular Quay is also the home of Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art and the flagship City of Sydney Library in the historic Customs House.

History

Circular Quay in about 1900

Sydney Cove was the site of the initial landing of the First Fleet in Port Jackson. Circular Quay was originally mainly used for shipping and slowly developed into a transport, leisure and recreational centre. The Circular Quay railway station was opened on the 20th January 1956 and the elevated Cahill Expressway was opened on the 14th March 1958.

Tram Terminal

Circular Quay was the focal terminal point of most electric tram services to the eastern suburbs, then as now allowing easy transfer to ferries. For many years, 27 regular services operated from Circular Quay.

External links

• Large image collection