Wynyard Park

Wynyard Park is a convenient green pause in Sydney CBD, located above Wynyard train station and described by the City of Sydney as a popular lunchtime spot. Its central location makes it well suited to city workers, commuters and visitors looking for somewhere to sit outdoors during the day, with public toilets included.

The park is bounded by York, Carrington, Margaret and Barrack streets and has a long connection with Sydney’s transport and civic history. It began as an open area known as Barracks Square or the Parade Ground, and was the site from which the New South Wales Corps marched to arrest Governor Bligh in 1808 during the Rum Rebellion. The area later became Wynyard Square, was dedicated as a recreation ground in 1875, and became a public park in 1887.

History is visible in the park’s surviving features, including the statue of Presbyterian pioneer John Dunmore Lang, sculpted by Giovanni Fontana and installed in 1893. The park has also been reshaped by the city’s changing infrastructure: much of it was excavated for the city circle rail line in 1925, while the present Wynyard Station entrance was built in the centre of the park in 1996. For a short break, a meeting point or a glimpse into Sydney’s past, Wynyard Park offers a compact piece of public space with more history beneath its surface than its busy CBD setting might suggest.