New South Wales - Olympic Park

Olympic Park, Sydney



The correct approach to the complex is Holker Street east from Silverwater Road (Highway A6).


The Forest of Poles, located by the archery ground on Bennelong Parkway, represents the crowds that attended the Olympics in 2000.


The Tennis Centre is at the southeastern end of Olympic Blvd. The Sports Centre, which hosted table tennis and taekwondo, is on the southwest corner of Olympic Boulevard at Sarah Durack Avenue, currently known as "Quaycentre".


Field hockey was played at this outdoor venue behind the Sports Centre. Ice hockey was played just behind that. Wait, that's not right. These were both fields.


There was a dedicated warm-up arena - in fact, multiple warm-up facilities at the southwest corner of Olympic Park. This photo is for the indoor warm-up area on the west side.


The Olympic Park Athletic Centre is on the southeast corner of Edwin Flack and Dawn Fraser Avenues, hosting the track and field events.


"The Sprinter," by Dominique Sutton, was one of three sculptures erected atop the Sydney Tower for the Olympics, but it's the only one that was taken back to Olympic Park thereafter for display. The others were a gymnast and Paralympic basketball player. In this author's opinion, the three should have been brought here together.


Let's take a break before we get into the main buildings. The Olympic Showgrounds at the east end of the park were built in 1997 and have hosted numerous non-Olympic events before and since 2000. The Howie Complex, seen in front of the tall lighting towers of the Sydney Showground, is for dog shows, while the domed Wynne Pavilion is for cat shows.


The jacaranda-fronted Olympic Park Railway Station is not a venue, but instrumental in getting people to and from them.


Two more non-Olympic venues. For horticultural exhibitions there's the Southee Complex, which has since been renovated as Southee Pavilion, on the corner of Showground Rd. and Grand Parade. Charles Moses Stadium to its east is for wood chopping competitions, which is apparently a big thing in Australia. Behind them, you can see The Dome and a few of its exhibition halls, respectively.


Since we're on the subject of The Dome, let's show The Dome and its exhibition halls. The Dome itself housed handball and preliminary basketball competitions, while the various halls were pavilions for badminton, rhythmic gymnastics, volleyball, and the shooting and fencing components of pentathlon. In other words, all the sports you'll watch on TV but not pay to see live.


Palm trees line Showground Road to the west of The Dome.


The Sydney Showground is across Grand Parade to the north of the Olympic Showgrounds. Confusing? "The Showground" was the baseball stadium for the Olympics and now hosts Australian football and cricket. "Showgrounds" are for farm exhibits. Photos head east along Grand Parade.


While we're on the subject of Australian football, it is also played here at Stadium Australia, which hosted the marquee track and field events as well as football (the soccer variety) during the Olympics. It now triples as a rugby and concert venue.


The previous 5 photos were along Edwin Frack Avenue west of the stadium. These views are looking south along Olympic Boulevard from its north end, looking west from the end of Murray Rose Avenue (south side of stadium), and looking west along Grand Parade (north side).


What else can you see looking south along Olympic Boulevard? Before you get to Stadium Australia, the Sydney Super Dome is on the corner with Edwin Frack and Kevin Coombs Avenues. The collection of overly tall lights is known as Olympic Plaza. All solar powered, each light features the name and year of a different Olympics at its base.


Two more views of the Super Dome from that area.


Various views of the Super Dome from Edwin Frack Avenue around the west and north sides.


I saved the most iconic photo for the end: the Olympic Cauldron.

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