The Sydney Observatory is an iconic landmark in the Central Business District (CBD) of Australia’s oldest and most populous city. The museum and education center is set among landscaped gardens on Observatory Hill, offering some of the best views of Sydney Harbour.
Dating back to 1858, this heritage-listed sandstone building with its copper domes has been part of Sydney’s oldest neighborhood, The Rocks, for as long as anyone can remember. When the first Europeans arrived in “the colony of New South Wales,” they built the observatory on the highest point by the harbour for time keeping, naval navigation, astronomy and meteorology.
The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) was established in 1879 and took over the management of the observatory in 1982. Visit at 1p.m. to watch the time ball on the observatory’s tower be raised and dropped, just like they did back in the day when they didn’t have radio signals. When it was installed here in 1858, they still relied on the movement of the stars to calculate the passing time, so an observatory was added and an astronomer was hired.
Alternatively, sign up for a Twilight Tour with the kids and watch the sun set over the harbor before learning all about the night sky. Look up to the skies through a lens telescope from 1874 and compare it with the views through the observatory’s modern-day hydrogen-alpha solar telescope. Adults can join the regular astronomy courses that are held at night.
Before you leave the hill, stroll through the formal gardens, which are in keeping with the vegetation and style of the 1880s.
The Sydney Observatory is located on Observatory Hill at Millers Point, just south of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You can take public transportation to historic Argyle Place and walk from there. Those who drive can try to find metered parking spaces on Watson Road or Argyle Street below the hill, or drive to the parking garage under the headland in the Barangaroo Reserve.
The admission price and telescope tour tickets are cheaper for children and families get a discount. There is only a vending machine and water fountain on site, but the café of the National Trust just down the hill serves coffee, sweet treats and lunch.
