Observatory Park, Sydney

Observatory Park is located in the heart of Sydney near the Harbour Bridge. It is bounded by Kent Street, Watson Road, Upper Fort Street and Bradfield Highway, Millers Point. Its history dates back to 1796 when it was used as the site of the first windmill in the colony. Today it is a popular place for locals and visitors to enjoy spectacular views of the harbour. It is also the site of many historical buildings including Sydney Observatory, the Signal Station, the remains of Fort Philip, the National Trust Centre (formerly Fort Street High School) and a Rotunda which is very popular place for weddings.

A windmill was constructed on the site in 1796 by John Davis, an Irish convict. It was a stone tower used to grind wheat. It subsided a few years later and was replaced by another windmill to the south. These structures gave rise to the name Windmill Hill for this area. In 1804 Fort Philip was built on the Hill. It was supplied with four 6-pounder cannons and a gunpowder magazine. The powder magazine was moved to Goat Island in 1833, and Fort Philip was partially demolished in the 1850s. A signal station was built on the eastern rampart of Fort Philip in 1847 which was for many years called the Fort Philip Signal Station. This is now open to the public.

In 1858 Sydney Observatory was built near the signal station. For over a Century it played an essential role in shipping, navigation, meteorology and timekeeping and astronomy. Today the building is used as museum and public observatory.

The National Trust Centre which is near the Park was once a military hospital. It was built as a hospital in 1825 but closed in 1848 and became the Fort Street Model School. Although Fort Street School still exists on Observatory Hill the historic military hospital is now the headquarters of the National Trust and several rooms are available to hire as a venue.

There is a Rotunda in the park which dates back to 1912. It has a magnificent view over Sydney Harbour and is a popular venue for weddings.

The remains of Fort Philip are still on Observatory Hill. They appear as the wall at the front and side of the signal station and are shown in the photo to the right. They are the eastern rampart of the Fort which was used as the foundations for the signal station when it was built in 1848. The chains on the wall which are still visible were used to limit the amount of recoil of the canons used in the Fort

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Wikipedia