Before the Park
The traditional owners of the land on which Belmore Park is located are the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. Aboriginal people have a deep connection to the lands and waters of this area and these activities pay our respects to Gadigal Elders of the past, the present and the emerging leaders of tomorrow. Archaeological sites are able to date Aboriginal occupation of the Sydney region between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago, with Aboriginal sites on the NSW South Coast being dated as far back as 20,000 years ago. The Belmore Park area was part of a wider expanse of land traditionally occupied by the 29 clans that originally lived in the Sydney region. To hear more of the story of Sydney’s traditional owners, check out the Sydney Barani site.
Soon after British settlers arrived in 1788, the area around Belmore Park was dedicated to the manufacture of clay bricks. By the 1830s, these brickfields lay at the southern end of Sydney Town, between the cattle and corn markets and the burial ground. Nearby, The Carter’s Barracks housed convict gangs working on the brickfields and included a barracks for convict boys.
Belmore Park is Born
In 1842 the City of Sydney Council was established and took control of Belmore Park site. Belmore Park has been a place of leisure since 1868. Belmore Park was one of the earliest parks dedicated for public recreation in Sydney. The park is named after the then Governor of NSW, the Lt Hon Somerset Richard Lowry- Corry, Fourth Earl of Belmore in Ireland. This Governor arrived in Australia in 1868, which is the same year that 10 acres of land was dedicated for public recreation, this land was called ‘Belmore Park’.
Building on the site included the Pitt Street Presbyterian Church (and school) in 1901. Between 1900-1905 Belmore Park was buried by the construction works on Sydney’s Central Railway Station. The original layout and many of the plants were buried. During this time the park was mainly bare and was rented out for circus performances.
After the completion of the new Central Station building, Belmore Park became the forecourt to the sandstone railway station. There is a plaque near Eddy Avenue that commemorates Edward William O’Sullivan, the Member of Parliament who was responsible for the construction of Central Station. Work began to restore the park and replanting began in 1905.
The bandstand in Belmore Park was originally built in 1910 and has been updated throughout the years. Although not yet restored, the bandstand is a recognisable building of its era with key features of an octagonal form, brick buttresses, and sandstone top stones. During the Second World War slit air raid trenches were created in the park, however these were filled in by 1949.
Women and Belmore Park
From about 1848, the barracks site near Belmore Park hosted the Convent of the Good Samaritan (or Shepherd) and Sydney Female Refuge – both dedicated to “fallen women” from Catholic and Protestant backgrounds.
In the modern era, Belmore Park’s location across from Central Station has meant it has often been used as a rallying point for protest marches through Sydney. Click here to see a letter received in 1896 requesting to hold a demonstration for Women’s Suffrage in Belmore Park. During the 1990’s Belmore Park hosted “Reclaim the Night” rallies and this tradition continues today with Belmore Park being the rallying point for a large demonstrations, such as the one to demand government action on violence against women in 2024.
Belmore Park. After Dark. grew out of a larger project being funded by Transport for NSW through their Safer Cities: Her Way partnership program. This program aims to help women, girls, and gender diverse people feel comfortable when using public spaces and transport hub precincts. The larger project brought together public surveys, community representatives and design experts to identify a number of ways to improve the park, including increasing the number of people present in the park during evening hours. Belmore Park. After Dark. is trialling some of these strategies in order to inform park improvements in the future.
Flora and Fauna
Belmore Park allows people to experience a bit of nature, right in the middle of the city. For more information about Sydney’s animals, check out the Wildlife in Sydney website.
When enjoying the wonderful plant life in the park, you might see some evidence of the original layout, which included curved paths with sandstone kerbs which were set out in 1906. These paths have been updated throughout the years but some of the original sandstone kerbs are still in place today. The majority of the trees, such as the avenue of London Plane Trees (Platanus x Hispanica), date from between 1906-1939. The four large Moreton Bay Figs (Ficus Macrophylla) are a common feature found in Sydney parks from the nineteenth century. You might also spot some special tree specimens within the park, including two Meryta (Meryta Denhamii), native to the humid jungles of New Caledonia.