Directly adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens is Domain Park, a 34 hectare area at the eastern end of Sydney's central business district. Today, it is a popular venue for a variety of outdoor concerts and festivals, as well as simply for family holidays for city dwellers.
In July 1788, six months after Arthur Phillip led flotilla entered Sydney Harbour, a small farm was established on the eastern side of the Bay, a small farm was established. Subsequently, by order of Governor Phillip an open space was reserved near the farm for the Governor's exclusive use, which came to be known as Phillip's Estate. Despite the fact a ditch was dug around the property in 1792 to mark its boundaries, the park was repeatedly encroached upon in the following years. In 1810. the colony's new governor, Lachlan McWire, erected a stone wall around the Government Building and the park, separating the area from Hyde Park. After another 7 years, the Domain was already completely enclosed, and several gates were built to regulate carriage traffic. It wasn't until the 1830s that the park was opened to the public, and the area immediately adjacent to the Government Building the area adjacent to the Government Building was occupied by the Government Gardens. Almost immediately the park began to host to host public sporting events, such as cricket matches, while cattle continued to be grazed here!
From the 1860s, the Domain became open to the public at night - people spent warm summer evenings here and the park became known as "the park whose gates never closes". Later on, the park became the site of historic speeches, so in 1935 Czech journalist Egon Kiszcz addressed a crowd of 18,000 people about the dangers of Hitler's Nazi regime in Germany.
Today, Domain is still popular with Sydney residents. On weekends, its tracks are packed with joggers, and the lawns are used for soccer and football tournaments on the lawns. An interesting attraction in the park is the Armchair Mrs McWire, carved in stone for the wife of Governor Lachlan McWire. Sitting in it, she could look out over the surrounding countryside and the ships passing in Sydney Harbour Harbour. Also here, within the park, is the site where Queen Britain's Queen Elizabeth II first set foot on Australian soil, a historic event commemorated by a commemorative plaque.
On the eastern side of Domain Park sits the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and not far from it is an outdoor swimming pool.
