Sydney Macquarie Street Audio Walking Tour (Self-Guided)

Sydney has a grand ceremonial spine, and most visitors only ever see its two ends. This walk follows it the whole way, from the Art Deco war memorial at the southern end of Hyde Park, past the sandstone cathedral and up Macquarie Street, the street Governor Lachlan Macquarie lined with public buildings two centuries ago, then down through the Royal Botanic Garden to the shores of Farm Cove and the Sydney Opera House. All of it stands on Gadigal Country, the harbor lands of one of the clans of the Eora. It is about three kilometers, mostly level or gently downhill, and among the most rewarding self-guided walking tours in the city because it moves from war and faith to government, science and art in a single easy line.

Before you set off

Allow two hours at a stroll, and half a day if you want to go inside the memorial, the cathedral and the Opera House. The ground is easy: paved paths through Hyde Park, broad footpaths along Macquarie Street, and smooth garden paths, with a gentle slope down to the harbor at the end. Hyde Park's avenues of fig trees give good shade, and so do parts of the Botanic Garden, but Macquarie Street and the Opera House forecourt are open to the sun. Even on a mild day the Australian sun burns quickly, so bring a hat, sunscreen and water. The Anzac Memorial, the cathedral and Government House keep their own hours, Government House opens for guided visits only on certain days, and the Botanic Garden closes its gates in the evening, so check before you go. Mornings are lovely here, with joggers in the park and soft light on the sandstone. Late afternoon is good too, because you reach the Opera House as the sails start to glow.

ANZAC Memorial

Stand at the northern edge of the memorial, beside the long Pool of Reflection, and look up at the building. It is a tall, square block of granite with great buttresses at each corner, crowned by seated figures, the whole thing designed by the architect Bruce Dellit and opened in 1934 to honor the people of New South Wales who served in the First World War. Anzac stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the force that landed at Gallipoli in April 1915. Most of the sculpture is the work of Rayner Hoff, and the story of one piece he never got to make is worth knowing. He proposed a sculpture showing a naked woman on a cross, which he called the Crucifixion of Civilisation, and church leaders objected so strongly that it was dropped. Go inside if it is open. In the Hall of Memory, look down through the circular opening in the floor to Hoff's bronze Sacrifice in the Hall of Silence below: a dead young soldier carried on a shield by his mother, his sister and his wife holding a baby. Then look up into the dome, scattered with gold stars, about one for every man and woman from the state who enlisted. A newer Hall of Service, added for the centenary of the war, holds soil gathered from the many towns and suburbs where people signed up. Not far away in this southern half of the park, look out too for Yininmadyemi, a group of giant bullets and fallen shells by the artist Tony Albert that honors Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women, whose service went unrecognized for far too long. When you are ready, walk north through Hyde Park along the central avenue of fig trees, cross Park Street, and continue toward the bronze fountain. The cathedral rises to your right across College Street, about eight minutes from here.

St Mary's Cathedral

Stand on the open ground in front of St Mary's and let your eyes climb its golden sandstone to the twin spires. This is the cathedral of Sydney's Catholics, and its story begins with the convicts. A large share of the people sent to the colony were Irish Catholics, but for decades they had no church of their own and, for long stretches, no official priest. In 1821 Governor Macquarie laid the foundation stone of a first chapel on this site. That building burned down in 1865, and the cathedral you see was designed to replace it by William Wardell, the architect also behind St Patrick's in Melbourne. Building began in the late 1860s and went on in stages for more than a century, and its twin spires, part of Wardell's original plan, were finally completed only in 2000, just as Sydney was getting ready for the Olympic Games. Notice something unusual: most cathedrals run east to west, but this one runs roughly north to south, a choice made to suit the site. If you can, step inside to see the long, dim nave and the warm color of the stone, and ask whether the crypt is open, because its floor is a remarkable terrazzo mosaic that took years to lay. Now head north along College Street to Queens Square, where Queen Victoria stands on her pedestal. On your right is Hyde Park Barracks, built by convicts in 1819 to house convicts, and now part of a World Heritage listing of Australian convict sites. Opposite stands St James' Church. Both were designed by Francis Greenway, a convict architect. Keep going north along Macquarie Street, past Sydney Hospital with its bronze boar out front, then Parliament House, then the State Library. At the library, turn right and follow the signs into the Royal Botanic Garden and on to The Calyx. Allow about fifteen minutes.