Sydney Observatory and Observatory Park
Sydney Observatory is a historic site, a museum and a park all in one
The Sydney Observatory is our only attraction to be listed under three different categories. In addition to being a historical site it's also a museum and the surrounding gardens form a lovely park with superb views.
Day or night it is free to enjoy a stroll around Observatory Hill Park where you will be treated to panoramic vistas of Sydney Harbour including the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. Consider visiting during the early morning or at night to avoid the busiest times. You can also see the exterior of the heritage-listed Observatory through the gate.
Sydney Observatory Tour
If you would like to explore inside of the Observatory compound and enter the Observatory itself you can book a Sydney Observatory Tour. The one hour tour, available Wednesday to Saturday leads guests through the Observatory's grounds, revealing the stories behind Fort Phillip, the bombproof shelter, the flagstaff, and the numerous buildings on site. Visitors are invited to step inside the Observatory building to explore objects from the Powerhouse collection and investigate the site's role in surveying, timekeeping, and astronomy.
Ascending the Observatory's narrow staircases, guests will be able to venture into the astronomy domes, where they can witness historic and modern telescopes in action. From this stunning vantage point, visitors can take in the breathtaking view of Sydney Harbour and, when conditions are suitable, observe terrestrial objects through a telescope.
It is important to note that the tour includes approximately 125 stairs, some of which have no wheelchair access due to the steep and narrow staircases of the heritage-listed site.
Sydney Observatory Family Tour
A Family Tour that is more suited to families with younger children between age 6 and 12 operates on Friday and Saturday evening.
In the event of rain, tours will be cancelled and payments refunded. Cancellation notices will be sent to participants by email four hours prior to the start of the tour.
Sydney Observatory Late
Sydney Observatory Late is a free program occuring once each month and offers an evening of stargazing, lectures from distinguished astronomers, and live music and performances.
The program is tailored to events taking place in the night sky and includes informative astronomy talks, as well as telescopes for observing the stars. Guests can enjoy live music, and food and drinks are available for purchase.
Sydney Observatory History
Construction of the Observatory took place from 1857 to 1859. It is strategically located on the highest ground overlooking Sydney Harbour. The first purpose of the Observatory was to keep accurate track of the time based on the positions of the stars. A time ball located on a pole on top of a tower is dropped each day at exactly 1pm as a time signal to ships in the harbour.
Beginning in 1887 the Observatory participated in a world-wide project to map and photograph the entire sky. It was nearly 80 years later when the Sydney Observatory had finally completed the large portion of sky that was allocated to them.
The observatory was also responsible for keeping records of meteorological observations and, for over a century, it served as a signal station using various flags to relay information about arriving ships or to communicate weather conditions to the port authorities and to other points around the harbour.
Recent archaeological excavations have clearly revealed the foundation walls of Fort Philips which was built between 1804 and 1806. The Fort even had a bomb shelter, but its primary purpose soon changed to that of the shipping signal station described above.
Without a doubt, a visit to the Sydney Observatory and Observatory Park should be high on your list of things to see and do in Sydney.
Nearby attractions include: Garrison Church, The Rocks and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Facts For Your Visit
Fee: Park access is free. Guided walking tours with access to the inside of the Observatory are subject to a fee and must be booked in advance. See the official website for details.Sydney Observatory Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday: Closed
- Thursday: 12:00 – 6:00 PM
- Friday: 12:00 – 6:00 PM
- Saturday: 12:00 – 6:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
Address: 1003 Upper Fort St, Millers Point NSW 2000, Australia
Phone: (02) 9217 0222
Official Website: Sydney Observatory
Sydney Observatory Reviews
Rated out of 5
My friend and I booked in for the guided tour and had the best time! The guides are knowledgeable and they make it fun! If you get a good group, and if you are into stars and planets, trust me and book the tour :) seeing Jupiter through the telescope was a core memory! I wish they offered more views with the telescopes, it’s only a small part of the tour. Overall though, it was a beautiful memory. Would recommend.
Upamali Dharmasena - 5 months ago
Excellent tour of the observatory and its many scientific roles, not just as a place to view the heavens but its role in signaling, timekeeping and meteorology. Take a nighttime tour so you can look through the scopes at whatever's cool on a given night. Aliyah was an excellent, engaging guide.
Steven Devol - 3 months ago
My visit to Sydney Observatory was ok but a bit disappointing. From Thursday to Saturday, the centre is open and has free entry to limited areas. There really was not much to see in the places we had access to. There were a few historical astonomic tools spread across a few rooms of the main house. The grounds/ garden and view from the property were nice. Our while visit did not take long to do.
Map Roy - a month ago
Had the pleasure of enjoying a beautifully guided night tour here, lead by Nada. Her knowledge and expertise about astronomy was clearly used to support with what we were learning about the colonial history of the site. She made sure everyone in the tour was involved in the history and had equal opportunities to see stars and planets through the observatories telescopes. I went to the tour with two other friends, and we all thought Nada's acknowledgement of the traditional custodians of the land we were on was intertwined within the tour material in a respectful way. Truly the best tour guide I have ever had, and an overall great experience. Have already recommended it to many other people in my life!
Zara Duursma - a month ago
This was an immensely educational experience enriched by the knowledge of our guide and the beauty of the surrounding city.
The observatory is great fun for kids too, so I recommend the family tour - and it's quieter during the weekday day-time. There is still plenty to see (we looked at the moon!)
We learned lots of new facts about telescopes, Flag Masters, the history of the observatory and the moon itself.
I want to give a particular shout out to the team, Stef, Amelia (our guide) and Jack who were so friendly and welcoming and who entertained our daughter while waiting for the tour to start. An amazing team that made the whole experience absolutely fantastic. This was a highlight of the whole holiday.
Alex Martin - a month ago
Directions
| Line | Nearest Station | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|
| L2, T2, T3, T8 or Ferry | Circular Quay | 12 minutes |
How to get to Sydney Observatory by
By Train or Ferry: Make your way to Circular Quay Station; exit and proceed west and north through the park to Argyle Street. Go west on Argyle continuing through the pedestrian plaza and the bridge approach underpass. Take the steps to your left across from Garrison Church to Watson Road and follow it uphill to the park entrance.
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Photo Gallery
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Sydney Observatory from another angle cc licensed photo by MD111 -
Photo Credit: Bob Linsdell - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Bob Linsdell - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: sv1ambo - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: sv1ambo - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Bob Linsdell - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Bob Linsdell - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Bob Linsdell - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: sv1ambo - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Bob Linsdell - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Sydney Heritage - cc license via Flickr
