Sydney Arts Discovery Trail

Download PDF version of Itinerary

This self-guided Sydney Arts Discovery Trail is a must-do for culture lovers. The walk will help you discover some of the city’s leading and less well-known public art in the city centre. 1. Your walk starts at the Art Gallery of NSW, five floors of creative brilliance showcasing the blockbusters of the artistic world. The gallery holds Australian, European, Indigenous and Asian art collections with nearly 40 exhibitions annually. It is situated on Art Gallery Road, The Domain, just a short walk from Macquarie Street.             2. Nearby you can see Brett Whiteley's 'Almost Once' mammoth matchsticks - one pristine, one slightly second hand. Brett Whiteley is one of Australia's most revered artists whose work hangs in galleries around the world. This sculpture stands behind the Art Gallery of NSW, in the Domain.           3. Head along Art Gallery Road to Hyde Park, to admire the art deco Archibald Fountain. Erected in 1932, the fountain was commissioned for the City of Sydney by J. F. Archibald who also instituted the controversial Archibald Prize. Francois Sicard was the French sculptor who created this dramatic work that commemorates the Australian - French alliance during World War One.         4. Head back along Macquarie Street to the Hyde Park Barracks, built in the 1800s to house convicts. The building is one of the finest works by colonial architect Francis Greenway. Guided tours are available and a cafe in the courtyard gives you time to admire the building’s simple, classical lines, hallmarks of the Georgian era.         5. Macquarie Street travels from Hyde Park north to the Sydney Opera House and has many fine heritage buildings. As you wander along Macquarie Street towards the harbour, look for the bronze boar, 'Il Porcellino', a copy of a medieval statue in Florence. Toss a coin and rub his shiny nose and good luck will follow!         6 & 7. Cross Macquarie Street to Martin Place which has some of Sydney’s grandest buildings as well as the hottest fashion labels. Enjoy the sight of Anne Graham’s water sculpture, 'Passage', that is part of the Sydney Sculpture Walk. At the bottom of Martin Place is the ANZAC Cenotaph, commemorating Australians and New Zealanders who lost their lives during World War One.         8 & 9. From Martin Place, walk north along Pitt Street, to see your weirdly distorted mirror image in Bert Flugelman’s 'Pyramid Tower', known to Sydneysiders as the 'Silver Shish Kebab'. From Pitt Street head to Bridge Street and the Museum of Sydney, a contemporary museum that showcases the city’s early history, in a brilliant collection of artefacts and documents. Don’t miss the striking 'Edge of the Trees' sculpture at the front of the museum.         10. Continue walking towards the harbour to see one of Sydney’s finest heritage buildings, Customs House. You can see a complete scale model of the city centre beneath the glass floor, enjoy a casual meal at one of the cafes or explore the Customs House Library.         11 & 12. Stroll along Alfred Street towards George Street to see Stephen Walker’s fanciful 'Tank Stream Sculpture' with its soothing cascades. Cross Alfred Street and head to the Museum of Contemporary Art in The Rocks. Sydney’s bespoke venue for modern art has challenging, ever-changing displays and is Australia’s only museum dedicated to exhibiting and collecting contemporary art from across Australia and around the world.         Last stop: From The Rocks, head up along historic Argyle Street to Observatory Hill for a panorama of the harbour and Harbour Bridge. The S.H. Ervin Gallery at Observatory Hill is one of Sydney’s leading public art galleries housed in a National Trust building. It showcases the richness and diversity of Australian art with a special focus on the work of female artists.     more....