Wynyard – From Gadigal Country and the Military Barracks to Wynyard Square, Wynyard Park and Wynyard Station – Sydney – NSW

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this page contains historical images that may show people who have died.

If you've ever cut through Wynyard Park on the way to a train, or waited for a bus on Carrington Street, you've been standing on what was once the parade ground of Sydney's first proper military barracks. Very little of the old place survives above ground, but the shape of the park, the name of Barrack Street and the name Wynyard itself all go back to the soldiers. This page brings together my two earlier Wynyard posts into one story, from Gadigal country through the barracks years, the square, the 1932 station and the trams, up to the Wynyard of today.

Sydney Cove in 1792, the year the barracks were begun on the western ridge, painted by the unnamed artist known as the Port Jackson Painter. Port Jackson Painter, fl. 1788-1792., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Gadigal Country

Long before there was a barracks or a railway, this ridge above the western side of Sydney Cove was Gadigal land. The Gadigal (also written Cadigal and Caddiegal) are the Aboriginal people whose traditional lands, Gadi, lie on Eora country where the city of Sydney now stands. Since colonisation most Gadigal people have been pushed off those lands (Wikipedia, Gadigal). The City of Sydney's archives also note that George Street, which runs along the eastern edge of the old barracks, was possibly the first street in Australia and may have followed Aboriginal tracks (City of Sydney Archives, George Street).

Sydney Cove in 1788, watercolour by William Bradley of the First Fleet. The western shore and ridge, where the barracks would go, is the side on the left of the cove as you look up the harbour. William Bradley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Military Barracks, 1792 to 1848

Building the barracks

When the First Fleet came in 1788 the marines camped in tents on the western side of the cove. They were relieved by the New South Wales Corps, a regiment raised in England in 1789 for the job (Wikipedia, New South Wales Corps). According to the Dictionary of Sydney, barracks were put up between 1792 and 1818 on the eastern, southern and western sides of what is now Wynyard Park, leaving a big open square in the middle (Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney). That square was known as Barracks Square or the Parade Ground.

It was a much bigger reserve than the park we know. Wikipedia's Wynyard Park article says the George Street barracks ran from Barrack Street in the south to almost Jamison Street in the north, and west to Clarence Street. A heritage study for the One Carrington Street development says the barracks took the prime ridge-top position above the settlement that had first been set aside for a permanent Government House, and that under Governor Macquarie a high stone wall was built along the western side of George Street, shutting the soldiers off from the town (GML Heritage, One Carrington Street Heritage Impact Statement, 2014). The same report says the main gate, with a guardhouse, was on George Street close to today's Wynyard station ramp. A wide gravel path ran from the gate up to the main buildings between green lawns, and Francis Greenway built a columned circular fountain in the middle of the parade ground. From then on the parade ground was called Barrack Square (GML Heritage, 2014).

The French plan of Sydney drawn from the 1802 Baudin expedition survey by Charles-Alexandre Lesueur. The military reserve west of the High Street (later George Street) shows up as a large block on the ridge. Péron, François, 1775-1810 Lesueur, Charles Alexandre, 1778-1846 Aubert, L. Milbert, Jacques Gérard,, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Rum Corps and the march on Bligh

The Corps became notorious for its trade in rum and for mutinous behaviour (Wikipedia, New South Wales Corps). On 26 January 1808, 400 soldiers marched on Government House and arrested Governor William Bligh, in what became known as the Rum Rebellion (Wikipedia, Rum Rebellion). Wikipedia's Wynyard Park article says it was from this parade ground that the Corps marched out to do it. I've written up the whole affair in my post on the arrest of Governor Bligh (link below).

The parade ground had a lighter side too. The same article records that in July 1829 soldiers from British regiments were noted playing football on the parade ground, though nobody knows under what rules (Wikipedia, Wynyard Park, Sydney).

Barracks Square and Barrack Street

The barracks shaped the streets around them. Barrack Street, the short street off George Street, marks the old southern edge of the reserve. The Macquarie-era wall ran from just north of Margaret Street down to Barrack Street. When the land was later subdivided, the plan laid out a framework of connecting streets, York, Carrington, Barrack, Wynyard and Margaret, with rear lanes behind them (GML Heritage, 2014). The Dictionary of Sydney gives York, Carrington, Margaret and Barrack streets as the bounds of Wynyard Park (Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney). By 1900 the corner of George and Barrack Streets was taken by one of the city's best-known shops, David Jones.

David Jones on the corner of George and Barrack Streets with a tram to Dulwich Hill, about 1900 to 1910 (State Library of NSW, PXE 711/369). author unknown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Barrack Street, Sydney, about 1900, from the Powerhouse Museum collection. Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Move to Victoria Barracks, 1848

By the 1840s a barracks in the middle of a growing commercial town made little sense. Victoria Barracks was built on Paddington Hill, on land inside the Sydney Common, to move the garrison out of Barracks Square. The Board of Ordnance took possession of the site in 1841, the Regency-style main building went up in Hawkesbury sandstone between 1841 and 1846, and the main barrack block, completed in 1846, was designed for 650 soldiers (Wikipedia, Victoria Barracks, Sydney). The Dictionary of Sydney says the old barracks and parade ground were used until the new Victoria Barracks were completed in 1848 (Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney).

British troops stayed at Paddington until 1870, when they left the colony, and the NSW Artillery took over (Wikipedia, Victoria Barracks, Sydney). So the later army history of Victoria Barracks, Federation, the World Wars and so on, belongs to Paddington and not to Wynyard.

The gate of Victoria Barracks on Oxford Street, Paddington, where the garrison went after leaving the George Street barracks. J Bar, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The 50th Regiment at Victoria Barracks, Paddington, before 1880 (State Records NSW). State Records NSW, no known copyright restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

The Subdivision, Wynyard Square and General Wynyard

Once the soldiers were gone, the barracks land was cut up for private houses and shops, but a square was kept on the higher part of the old Barrack Square (Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney). It was named Wynyard Square after Major-General Edward Buckley Wynyard. Grand four- and five-storey terraces went up around it, giving Wynyard the feel of an English residential square from the 1850s to the 1880s. Carrington Street was named on the 1850s plan, but people generally called it Wynyard Square or Wynyard Square East until the mid-1920s (GML Heritage, 2014).

Wynyard (1788–1864) was a career British Army officer, born at Kensington Palace. He served in Sicily and the Ionian Islands, spent 1816–20 on St Helena as military secretary to Sir Hudson Lowe, and in September 1847 was put in command of the troops in New South Wales, Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand. He sat on the Legislative Council from 1848 to 1851 and the Executive Council from 1848 to 1853, went home in 1853, and died in London in 1864. Wynyard in northern Tasmania is probably named after him too (Wikipedia, Edward Buckley Wynyard).

The square was dedicated as a recreation ground in 1875, fenced and landscaped, and at first only residents with keys to the gates could use it, as in the London squares. It was dedicated as a public park on 1 July 1887 and proclaimed Wynyard Park on 7 October that year, in the care of the City Council (GML Heritage, 2014). A bandstand went up in the middle in 1888, and Canary Island palms were planted in 1893 (Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney). From 1887 it was known as Wynyard Park (Wikipedia, Wynyard Park, Sydney). By 1907 the fences had come down, following the American fashion for open parks (Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney).

The Wallach Brothers store newly opened at Wynyard Square, from the Sydney Mail of 16 June 1888. Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Dr Lang and his statue

The Presbyterian minister John Dunmore Lang lived at Wynyard Square and was behind the building of Scots Church nearby. His statue by Giovanni Fontana stands at the northern end of the park (Wikipedia, Wynyard Park, Sydney; Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney). In 1912 the City built an ornate underground men's lavatory with a domed glass roof in the park, like the ones at Hyde Park, Taylor Square and Macquarie Place (Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney).

The statue of John Dunmore Lang by Giovanni Fontana in Wynyard Park. Sardaka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wynyard Park about 1920, before the railway works dug it up (State Records NSW). Photographic Collection from Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wynyard Station and the Harbour Bridge Railway, 1932

Wynyard's link with transport started with buses. In the 1880s a bus terminus was set up there for passengers from the southern suburbs, and a railway station was first suggested in 1881, but nothing came of it for half a century (Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney). Here's the photo from my original Wynyard post, showing the proposed railway station:

Proposed Railway Station For Wynyard 

The station was built as part of John Bradfield's city underground railway, planned together with the Harbour Bridge. The bridge carried four railway tracks, and both pairs ran down ramps and tunnels into the underground Wynyard station on the city side (Wikipedia, Sydney Harbour Bridge). To build it, the park was dug out and then put back over the top (Wikipedia, Wynyard Park, Sydney). Much later, in 1996, a new station entrance was built in the middle of the park, and a restoration programme began in 1998 (Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney).

Placing fill for York and Carrington Streets over the new Wynyard station, 4 November 1930 (State Records NSW). Photographic Collection from Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Erecting the escalators at Wynyard, 4 November 1930. The wooden escalators at the York Street entrance stayed in service until the 2015–18 refurbishment (State Records NSW). Photographic Collection from Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wynyard was built with six platforms. Platforms 3 and 4 took the North Shore trains across the bridge, and platforms 5 and 6 sat on a lower level. Platforms 1 and 2 were meant for a future railway to the Northern Beaches that never got built (Wikipedia, Wynyard railway station, Sydney).

The North Shore platform at Wynyard looking north, dated 27 February 1932, the eve of the opening (State Records NSW). Photographic Collection from Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Harbour Bridge was formally opened on Saturday 19 March 1932. On that day 632 people became the first fare-paying passengers to cross it by train, paying a premium of ten shillings, although two clergymen had already crossed by accident on the previous day's test train (Wikipedia, Sydney Harbour Bridge).

The first passenger train to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 19 March 1932. Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The departures indicator board above the entry barriers at Wynyard, 27 August 1948 (State Records NSW). Photographic Collection from Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Trams

While the Northern Beaches line waited for money, platforms 1 and 2 were handed over to the North Shore trams. Trams came in from Blue Street in North Sydney, over a steel arch bridge above the bridge roadway, across the eastern side of the Harbour Bridge and down into Wynyard. It was the only underground tram terminus in Australia (Wikipedia, Trams in Sydney). The trams ran from the bridge's opening in 1932 until the North Sydney system closed on 28 June 1958 (Wikipedia, Trams in Sydney; Wikipedia, Wynyard railway station, Sydney).

After the trams went, the tracks were lifted and the tram platforms walled off. Part of the space became a car park for the Menzies Hotel, reached by a ramp from Wynyard Lane, and that car park closed in October 2016 for the Wynyard Place development. On the bridge, the old tram tracks became two extra road lanes, now part of the Cahill Expressway, and you can still see the old tunnel mouths from the eastern footpath (Wikipedia, Wynyard railway station, Sydney; Wikipedia, Sydney Harbour Bridge). That's also why Wynyard's platforms are still numbered 3 to 6. Platforms 1 and 2 were the tram platforms, and nobody ever renumbered the rest (Wikipedia, Trams in Sydney).

A Wynyard-bound tram on the Harbour Bridge in the 1930s, on the tracks that are now the Cahill Expressway lanes. Photograph by Ted Hood (State Library of NSW). Ted Hood, no known copyright restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

A coupled set of trams at the Argyle Street stop on the bridge approach in January 1957, the year before the North Shore trams finished. lindsaybridge from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Park Through the Twentieth Century

With the station underneath it, the park became the place where city workers ate lunch and waited for buses to the northern suburbs, and also a spot for public meetings and protests. Wikipedia describes it as one of Australia's oldest parks to be continuously set aside as open space in a city (Wikipedia, Wynyard Park, Sydney). Since the station opened, bus parking has dominated the streets around the park (Whitaker, Dictionary of Sydney).

Carrington Street and Wynyard Park in the 1930s, photographed by Hall & Co. Hall & Co., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Wynyard Square from the air, July 1937, Adastra Aerial Survey (Royal Australian Historical Society). Royal Australian Historical Society, no known copyright restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

Frank Sinatra fans listen to his records in Wynyard Park, January 1945. Photograph by Ivan Ives. Ivan Ives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Protesters for Indonesian independence at Wynyard Square in 1947 (State Library of NSW). Pix photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Wynyard Today

Wynyard is now an urban locality in its own right, in the City of Sydney, postcode 2000, with Wynyard Park as its landmark (Wikipedia, Wynyard, New South Wales). The station got lifts in 1999, and between 2015 and 2018 it was thoroughly refurbished. Parts of the old wooden escalators were turned into a hanging artwork called Interloop at the York Street entrance (Wikipedia, Wynyard railway station, Sydney).

Wynyard Walk is a 180-metre pedestrian link from Wynyard station to Barangaroo. It's a mix of a new entrance, a tunnel, a footbridge and a plaza, designed by Woods Bagot. It opened in September 2016, with the Clarence Street entrance following in December 2016 (Wikipedia, Wynyard railway station, Sydney). Above the station, Brookfield Place now joins the old Menzies Hotel site, Thakral House, Shell House and Beneficial House into one block, with a street-level walk from George Street through to Carrington Street and the park. The George Street light rail stop outside is served by the L2 and L3 lines (Wikipedia, Wynyard railway station, Sydney).

Wynyard Park from above in 2007, the same rectangle as the old Barracks Square. Elekhh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wynyard Park in 2023. -wuppertaler, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Wynyard station entrance in the middle of Wynyard Park, built in the 1990s. J Bar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Interloop, the 2017 artwork at Wynyard made from the station's old wooden escalator treads. Wikiain, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wynyard Walk, opened in 2016, linking the station with Barangaroo. Invenio, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

My Original Notes

These are the notes from my two earlier posts, tidied up and corrected against the sources above.

Wynyard is a locality in the central business district of Sydney. The area was part of the traditional lands of the Gadigal people, who lived here for thousands of years before European settlement. After the First Fleet arrived in 1788, Sydney grew quickly, and the early town centred on the area that now includes Wynyard.

The name Wynyard comes from Major-General Edward Buckley Wynyard, who commanded the British troops in New South Wales from 1847. Wynyard Square was named after him once the barracks moved to Paddington in 1848.

Wynyard has long been a transport hub. A bus terminus started here in the 1880s, and Wynyard Station opened in 1932 with the Harbour Bridge, with the North Shore trams running into the station until 1958. Through the 20th century the area was rebuilt with new office buildings, public spaces and transport links. Wynyard Park, next to the station, has the statue of Dr John Dunmore Lang and is a popular spot for city workers. Wynyard Walk, opened in 2016, is a pedestrian link of tunnel, bridge and plaza connecting Wynyard Station with Barangaroo.

Today Wynyard remains an important transport hub, with the station a key interchange in the CBD, surrounded by office buildings, shops and restaurants.

On the barracks: the land was Gadigal country before 1788. After the colony was founded, a military garrison was set up in Sydney, and from 1792 the barracks and their parade ground took up the ridge west of George Street. The site stayed military until 1848, when the garrison moved to the new Victoria Barracks at Paddington. The barracks land was then subdivided, with part of the parade ground kept as Wynyard Square, now Wynyard Park. While the soldiers are long gone, the site's history is remembered in the park, in the name of Barrack Street and in the plaques around the area.

Timeline

• Before 1788: Gadigal country, on Eora land
• 1788: First Fleet marines camp on the western side of Sydney Cove
• 1789: New South Wales Corps raised in England to relieve the marines
• 1792 to 1818: Barracks built around Barracks Square, the parade ground
• 26 January 1808: The Corps marches on Government House and arrests Governor Bligh
• July 1829: Soldiers recorded playing football on the parade ground
• 1841: Board of Ordnance takes the Paddington site for Victoria Barracks
• 1846: Main barrack block at Victoria Barracks completed
• September 1847: Major-General Edward Buckley Wynyard takes command of the troops in NSW
• 1848: Garrison leaves for Victoria Barracks, and the old barracks land is subdivided
• 1810 to 1821: Under Macquarie, a stone wall built along George Street, and Greenway's fountain on Barrack Square
• 1875: Wynyard Square dedicated as a recreation ground, fenced and locked
• 1880s: Bus terminus set up for the southern suburbs
• 1881: A railway station at Wynyard first suggested
• 1 July and 7 October 1887: Dedicated as a public park, then proclaimed Wynyard Park
• 1888: Bandstand built
• 1890 or 1891: Statue of Dr John Dunmore Lang (sources differ)
• 1893: Canary Island palms planted
• 1912: Underground men's lavatory built
• 1925 or 1927: Park dug up for the underground railway (sources differ)
• 28 February 1932: Wynyard station opens (Wikipedia)
• 19 March 1932: Harbour Bridge opens, and the first fare-paying trains cross
• 1932 to 1958: North Shore trams run into Wynyard
• 22 January 1956: Lower platforms extended to Circular Quay on the City Circle
• 28 June 1958: North Sydney trams close
• 1996: New station entrance built in the middle of the park
• 1999: Lifts added to the station
• 2016: Wynyard Walk opens, and the Wynyard Lane car park closes
• 2015 to 2018: Station refurbished, and Interloop installed

Where the Sources Disagree

• How long the barracks lasted. The Dictionary of Sydney says the barracks were built between 1792 and 1818 and used until Victoria Barracks was completed in 1848. Wikipedia's Wynyard locality article reads as if the barracks only stood from 1792 to 1818. I've gone with 1848 for the move, which Wikipedia's Wynyard Park article also gives.
• When Victoria Barracks was finished. Wikipedia's Victoria Barracks article has the main block completed in 1846. The Dictionary of Sydney gives 1848 as the year the new barracks were completed and the old ones given up.
• Wynyard's command. Wikipedia puts General Wynyard in command from September 1847. The Dictionary of Sydney says he commanded the British forces in Australia from 1848 to 1853.
• Lang's statue. Wikipedia dates Fontana's statue to 1890. The Dictionary of Sydney says it was erected in 1891 and has a picture of the unveiling on 26 January 1891.
• Digging up the park. The Dictionary of Sydney says the park was almost completely dug up in 1925, with reconstruction starting in 1933. Wikipedia says the underground railways were built in 1927, and the Dictionary's own station entry gives construction as 1927 to 1932.
• Opening day. Wikipedia says Wynyard station opened on 28 February 1932, to coincide with the bridge. The bridge itself opened on 19 March 1932, which was also the first day fare-paying passengers crossed by train.
• When the barracks were removed. GML Heritage's report says the barracks and parade ground stayed until 1848, but one of its figure captions says Carrington and Margaret streets were not surveyed until after the removal of the Barracks in 1842.
• Wynyard Walk. Wikipedia's station article says Wynyard Walk opened in September 2016, with the Clarence Street entrance in December 2016, but the same article also says it was officially opened on 20 November 2016.

My Earlier Posts

• Pfahlert's Hotel, Corner Wynyard Square and Margaret Street
• Wynyard Lane, Laneways, Sydney
• Arrest of Governor Bligh, The Rum Rebellion, 26 January 1808
• George Street, Sydney, 1848, Joseph Fowles
• Sydney Trams, From Horse Trams to Light Rail
• The Sydney Suburban and City Underground Railway
• Bradfield, The Harbour Bridge, The Trains
• Hyde Park Barracks, Macquarie Street
• The Historical Sydney Green Plaques

Sources

• Whitaker, Anne-Maree, 'Wynyard Park', Dictionary of Sydney, 2008, https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/wynyard_park
• Dictionary of Sydney, 'Wynyard Railway Station', https://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/wynyard_railway_station
• Wikipedia, 'Wynyard Park, Sydney', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wynyard_Park,_Sydney
• Wikipedia, 'Wynyard, New South Wales', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wynyard,_New_South_Wales
• Wikipedia, 'Wynyard railway station, Sydney', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wynyard_railway_station,_Sydney
• Wikipedia, 'Edward Buckley Wynyard', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Buckley_Wynyard
• Wikipedia, 'Victoria Barracks, Sydney', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Barracks,_Sydney
• Wikipedia, 'Trams in Sydney', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Sydney
• Wikipedia, 'Sydney Harbour Bridge', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge
• Wikipedia, 'Gadigal', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadigal
• Wikipedia, 'New South Wales Corps', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales_Corps
• Wikipedia, 'Rum Rebellion', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_Rebellion
• City of Sydney Archives, 'George Street', https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1938846
• GML Heritage, One Carrington Street, Sydney: Heritage Impact Statement, May 2014, NSW Major Projects Planning Portal (SSD-5824), https://majorprojects.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/prweb/PRRestService/mp/01/getContent?AttachRef=SSD-5824%2120190227T045427.539+GMT
• Wikimedia Commons, for all historical and modern images credited above, https://commons.wikimedia.org/