The Domain, Sydney

The Domain is a heritage-listed area of open space on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, Australia. Separating the central business district from Woolloomooloo, The Domain adjoins the Royal Botanic Garden and is managed by The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, a division of the Office of Environment & Heritage. The Domain is used as a venue for outdoor concerts, open-air events, large political gatherings and rallies, as well as being used daily by the people of Sydney for exercise and relaxation. Along with the Royal Botanic Garden, The Domain was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

History

Establishment

thumb|right|200px|The Botanic Garden and the Domain.

By July 1788, six months after the First Fleet had landed in Sydney Cove, Governor Arthur Phillip had established "a farm of of corn" by a stream which still flows through the present palm grove into appropriately named Farm Cove. Phillip set the land aside for the Crown but did not determine what its purpose would be. He said it should be free of leaseholds but then allowed people to use it anyway, as did subsequent Acting Government and Governors. The site received the first plants and seeds brought by Phillip from Rio de Janeiro and the Cape of Good Hope. The return match was played in the Domain from 14 to 16 January 1857 and New South Wales won again, this time by 65 runs.

Although used for cricket for the next 14 years, the Domain was not a high quality ground even by the standards of the day. It was a rough, uneven, open paddock and cricketers clashed with the public who insisted it was public parkland. It was also still used to graze cattle and cow pats often had to be removed before a game could begin. Despite the fact that a game of cricket was a major occasion, often attended by the Governor, and the leading players promenaded with their ladies, the ground was not enclosed and spectators could not be charged an entrance fee.

These continuing problems were well known to those who attended a public meeting in the Domain on 13 December 1859 when the New South Wales Cricket Association was formed. The search began for a more suitable ground and was still going on when the first England side toured Australia in 1862. In the absence of another venue, they played a NSW XXII at the Domain.

A solution of sorts to the venue problem was found when the Albert Ground opened in Redfern on 29 October 1864. Although it featured good facilities for players and crowd alike, the cost to the NSWCA of staging matches there was so high that it continued to use the Domain until the early 1870s. In all, six first-class matches were played in the Domain between the 1856–57 and 1868–69 seasons.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"

! Season

! Teams

! Date

! Result

! Ref

| 1856–57

| New South Wales v Victoria

| 1857-01-14 14–16 January 1857

| New South Wales won by 65 runs

| 1860–61

| New South Wales v Victoria

| 1861-02-14 14–16 February 1861

| Victoria won by 21 runs

| 1862–63

| New South Wales v Victoria

| 1863-02-05 5–7 February 1863

| New South Wales won by 84 runs

| 1866–67

| New South Wales v Victoria

| 1866-12-26 26–27 December 1866

| New South Wales won by an innings and 13 runs

| 1868–69

| New South Wales v Victoria

| 1869-03-04 4–6 March 1869

| Victoria won by 78 runs

Developments in the twentieth century

thumb|300px|The International Exhibition of 1879 at the [[Garden Palace]]

thumb|Czech journalist Egon Kisch in the Domain warning of the dangers of fascism, 1935.

thumbnail|right|Crowd at [[Australian Labor Party|ALP policy launch in the Domain on 24 November 1975]]

The Domain was subsequently used for military and ceremonial events and evolved as a venue for soap box oratory and political meetings. From 1860 the Domain was opened up at night to pedestrians, allowing people to use this valuable recreational space on summer evenings. It became known as the Park where the Gates Never Close. Carriage traffic however remained restricted after dusk for many years. In The Domain gate lodge and gates were built at the junction of Hospital Road and Prince Albert Road, and the Victoria Lodge gate house and gates were built east of the Botanic Garden near Mrs Macquarie's Point.

Between 1908 and 1916 the Conservatorium of Music was created in adapted former Governor's Stables in the Western Domain. By 1916 there were of gardens/Domain. During the 1920s, cut and cover tunnelling impacted the Western Domain to create City Circle underground rail line. Between 1956 and 1959 Outer Domain land was taken by Sydney City Council to construct a car park (now the Domain Car Parking station), with the resultant loss of 47 relatively rare trees, and land. In 2000–01 a new police memorial wall was erected in outer Domain to the south of the Art Gallery of NSW. The Conservatorium of Music was redeveloped with new underground extensions, demolition of trial grass beds and incorporation of new roof garden areas to gardens over the new conservatorium. A new land bridge was built (completed in 2005) over the Cahill Expressway/Eastern Distributor redevelopment, linking the Art Gallery of NSW, Mrs Macquarie's Road, Domain and Gardens, small additional land area and new native plantings to the Domain. In 2002 the Andrew "Boy" Charlton Pool was redeveloped by the Sydney City Council in the outer Domain on Woolloomooloo Bay.

File:ArtGalleryOfNewSouthWales.jpg|The Art Gallery of New South Wales. 2008

Sydney - 2024 - B84919.jpg|View looking east towards the Art Gallery of New South Wales. 2024

AGNSW - 2024 -1b.jpg|View looking west towards the Art Gallery of New South Wales. 2024

File:SydDom4.JPG|The Robbie Burns statue

File:The Domain, Sydney (1870s).jpg|The Crescent precinct in the 1870s

File:The Domain - East - 2023.jpg|The slope at the eastern end of the Domain.

File:New South Wales Police Memorial 4.JPG|NSW Police Memorial, Art Gallery behind

File:The Domain - Sydney November 2023 b5.jpg|Crescent precinct

</gallery>

North-east: Yurong Precinct and Mrs Macquarie's Point

North of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Road passes over the Cahill Expressway, with a narrow section of parkland built over the expressway connecting the Crescent Precinct with the "Yurong Precinct" at Mrs Macquaries Point. In this section, the Domain is a narrow section of greenery bounded by the Royal Botanic Gardens to the west of the roadway and the waters of Woolloomooloo Bay to the east. To the north, the Domain occupies the entirety of the peninsula of Mrs Macquarie's Point, with Farm Cove to the west and Woolloomooloo Bay to the east. Offering the iconic view of the Sydney Opera House alongside the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Mrs Macquarie's Point is a popular destination for tourists and photographers.

Mrs Macquarie's Chair was carved out of the rock for Governor Lachlan Macquarie's wife, so she could sit and observe the passing ships. Above the chair is an inscription recording the completion of Mrs Macquaries Road on 13 June 1816.

The Fleet Steps link Farm Cove to Mrs Macquarie Road. It is named after the Great White Fleet of the US Navy, and was built for the visit of that fleet to Sydney in 1908. It is the point where Queen Elizabeth II first set foot on Australian soil, and a commemorative wall plaque marks the event. The site is often used for large marquee functions, with views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

The Andrew "Boy" Charlton Pool is an outdoor swimming facility beside Wolloomooloo Bay. Veil of Trees is a sculpture of illuminated glass panels installed between the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool and the "Lion Gate Lodge" of the Royal Botanic Gardens in 1999.

File:Sydney harbour bridge nye2004.jpg|The iconic view from Mrs Macquarie's Point taken before the fireworks on New Years Eve 2004.

File:Sydney Harbour 2024.jpg|A view of Sydney Harbour. 2024

File:Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool.jpg|Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool and Woolloomooloo Bay on the eastern side of the Yurong precinct. 2007

Yurong precinct the Domain Sydney - 2026 - 9.jpg|Trail running along the water at Woolloomooloo Bay. 2026

File:SLNSW 796873 Domain Sydney.jpg|The road to Mrs Macquarie's Point c. 1900-1927

File:Veil_of_Trees_3.JPG|Veil of Trees sculpture. 2015

File:The Domain - Sydney November 2023 b3.jpg|Yurong Precinct

</gallery>

North-west: Tarpeian Precinct

Cut off from the rest of the Domain by the Cahill Expressway, a narrow strip of open parkland runs alongside the eastern side of Macquarie Street and the western boundary of the Royal Botanic Gardens, rising towards the north to encompass the elevated area near Bennelong Point, which overlooks the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House via a rocky escarpment. This area is named the "Tarpeian Precinct", after the resemblance of the escarpment to the Tarpeian Rock. This relatively small elevated green space dotted with large trees has views from above to parts of Circular Quay, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Government House is immediately to the south-east of this area. The historical sightlines from the Tarpeian Precinct to Circular Quay and beyond were significantly disrupted by the construction of the Bennelong Apartments.

Photo - 1ab2ab.jpg|Steps leading up to the Domain.

The Domain - Sydney, September 2023.jpg|A view of Sydney Harbour from the Domain. September 2023

File:The Domain - Sydney November 2023 b2.jpg|Tarpeian precinct

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Events

thumb|right|The Domain's open grass area filled with spectators at night during the Tropfest short film festival

A number of major events are hosted every year in the Domain, mostly during the Summer holiday months of December and January and many as part of the Sydney Festival. These large events occur in the Phillip precinct where a temporary covered stage is erected every November for the summer festival season.

Some of the more popular and long-running annual events that have become Sydney 'traditions' include the nationally televised Carols in the Domain (held on the evening of the last Saturday before Christmas) and the Sydney Festival trio of Symphony in The Domain (featuring the Sydney Symphony Orchestra), Jazz in the Domain and Opera in The Domain (featuring Opera Australia), held on consecutive Saturday evenings in January. The Tropfest short film festival was held in the Domain each February from 1999 until 2013, when it outgrew the Domain and moved four kilometres south-east to the much larger Centennial Park.

An 'Open Air Cinema' operates in the summer months near the Fleet Steps. The movie screen sits on pylons in the water at Farm Cove with the audience seated along the foreshore, facing directly towards the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The screen lies horizontally above the water of Farm Cove to allow patrons to enjoy the views before the movie begins and then lifts to the vertical position for the movie screening.

The Fleet Steps are used since 2012 for annual outdoor opera stagings at the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, during the months of March and April.

Heritage listing

The Royal Botanic Gardens and The Domain were listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

As an important and integral part of the boundaries, from 1792, of the first permanent European settlement in Australia. It is also an integral part of a large group of early Australian colonial sites located along, and linked by, Macquarie Street including the largest surviving group of Governor Macquarie-era places in Australia. Individually and collectively these sites have considerable potential to reveal much about the formative town planning, settlement and development pattern of the City of Sydney (historic value);
For its close association with the development of the Royal Botanic Garden and of botanical study in Australia, as the location of early (1788) agricultural, botanical and horticultural enterprise and, since 1848, through the joint management of the Domain and Gardens under one directorship (historic value);
As a notable venue in the landscape of public protest, both collective and individual, as a place of assembly for the demonstration of concern, opposition and disquiet and in particular, to challenge Government policy and authority (historic and social value);
As the home, from the 1870s, of the Domain orators – synonymous with free speech, a platform for a vibrant tradition of public speaking of all creeds, beliefs, life styles and political persuasions in the tradition of London's Hyde Park corner (historic & social value);
As evidence of the erosion and alienation of public space under pressure of urban development and of dominance of transport issues in the history of planning in Sydney and a focus for debate concerning the value of public space and the rights of citizens; and
For its association with sporting history in Australia, as a venue for a wide range of sporting activities including the provision of sports facilities for city workers and firms' teams, the home of first class cricket in NSW from 1857 to 1871, the first public playground (gymnasium) and, in 1846, as the venue for the first swimming championship known to have been held in Australia. It is also the site of the first formalised swimming in Sydney – an activity that continues there (historic & social value).

Historical significance

The Royal Botanic Gardens and The Domain also have exceptional historical significance as:

Associations

The Gardens and The Domain demonstrate strong or special associations with the life and works of persons, groups of persons of importance in NSW's cultural and natural history, including:

Their association with the work and influence of key figures in the European scientific world such as Sir Joseph Banks, Sir William Hooker and Joseph Dalton Hooker at Kew Gardens, London;
Their association with the life and works of past Domain overseers, including David Wilson, August Kloster and James Jones, many of whom made significant contributions to the development of the Domain and other public areas in Sydney designed by the Directors of the Botanic Gardens and their staff;
For their rich heritage of memorials as elements of urban design, including The Domain's Henry Kendall memorial seat, the Palace Garden Gates and wall, the Cunningham memorial island and obelisk, the monument to the forces of the Desert Mounted Corps wall, the Captain Arthur Phillip fountain monument and the sunken garden memorial to the Pioneers.

Scientific significance

The Gardens and The Domain have scientific significance as:

Australia's oldest scientific institution (1816);
Continuing centre for scientific research, particularly in systematic taxonomic botany;
Historic centre for economic botany and experimental horticulture, being a key place for exportation of Australian native plants (most active period of exporting to Europe was up until 1820), and for the importation, acclimatisation, propagation and dispersal of plants establishing many of Australia's horticultural and agricultural industries, such as the wine and olive industries and experimenting with many others (opium poppies, eucalypt oil distillation);
Their demonstration of the extensive international colonial exchange network of botanic gardens in promoting plant exploration, discovery, taxonomy, propagation, dispersal and cultivation;
Their association with the work and influence of key figures in the European scientific world such as Sir Joseph Banks, Sir William Hooker and Joseph Dalton Hooker at Kew Gardens, London;
Their association with the work and influence of key figures in Australian botany such as Alan Cunningham, Charles Fraser, John Carne Bidwill, Charles Moore, Joseph Maiden;
Their rich (c110 species) and early (1860s) collection of temperate and subtropical climate palms, considered one of the finest in the world;
Their fine collection of trees from the South Pacific and other Pacific regions, including of the family Araucariaceae (e.g.: the genera Araucaria and Agathis) and figs (the genus Ficus).

;The Domain Oil Tanks

The Domain oil tanks are:

a relic of the various construction activities associated with the war effort and with the operation of Garden Island as the headquarters of the Australian Navy (criterion (a) historic);
associated with the Department of Defence and its operations during World War 2 (criterion (b) association);
demonstrative of mass and reinforced concrete construction methods developed by the Metropolitan Water & Sewerage & Drainage Board (MWS & DB) for water (and other liquid) storage purposes in the early 20th century (criterion (e) technical/research);
the only example in Sydney of underground wartime fuel storage tanks (criterion (f) rarity); and
representative of tanks constructed by the MWS & DB for the storage of fluids in the early 20th century and reflect the then latest development of a construction design dating from the mid 19th century (criterion (g) representative). A substantial rock cutting of the Bennelong Headland, undertaken in 1880 at a cost of , it enabled the extension of Macquarie Street. 'Its vertical quarried sandstone face, with its steps and fence, is an historic artefact in its own right and retains the only visible evidence of activities on the Sydney Opera House site predating the Opera House itself.'