Australia's Centenary Park is a huge public park, spread over 220 hectares in the eastern part of Sydney, 4 kilometres from the central business district. Incidentally, the same name is given to a small Sydney suburb bordering the the park.
Planning for the park began in 1886, but not all of the plans were realised - for example, the museum and party conventions building were never built. Nevertheless, in January 1888 the park was inaugurated in honour of the centenary of the first European settlement in Australia. The then Governor-General, Lord Hopetoun, dedicated the park "to all the people of New New South Wales."
Cattle were once grazed on the park's lands, and the reservoirs to the south of the park were Sydney's main source of fresh water from 1830 to 1880. Today it is one of the city's largest recreational areas, with other parks adjoining it including - Moore Park and Queen's Park.
An important landmark of the park is the Federation Monument, consisting of the Commonwealth Plate (1901) and the Federation Pavilion (1988) - it was here that on 1 January 1901, the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia was formally announced. The Federation Pavilion was erected next to the Commonwealth Plate in the year of the Bicentenary of Australia's formation. And the Commonwealth Plate itself, made of sandstone, is virtually the only thing left of the original plaster pavilion, which has been destroyed by time.
Running through Centennial Park is Grand Drive, which was part of the marathon course of the 2000 part of the marathon course at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Today it is is used for cycling and rollerblading, and occasionally riders on horseback can be seen.
In the residential area adjacent to the park, bearing the same name, preserved houses, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which have retained their original appearance. Some of these are listed as Australian National Heritage.
