New exhibition shares Sydney’s secrets

A handmade cedar coffin from underneath Town Hall – the site of Sydney’s first official cemetery – is one of dozens of obscure objects, hidden secrets and fascinating stories shared in a new exhibition hosted by the Museum of Sydney.

Presented in conjunction with the Historic Houses Trust of NSW, the Public Sydney: stop, look, live! exhibition features objects, drawings, photos, videos and stories relating to five of the Harbour City’s most important public sites.

Bennelong Point (the home of the Sydney Opera House), Central Railway Station, Hyde Park, Town Hall and the Museum of Sydney itself (the site of our first Government House) are the focus of the exhibition, which opened to the public on Easter Saturday.

Highlights of the exhibition include the original hands from Central Station’s clock tower, phtographs of corporate ping-pong players at Darling Quarter, and images of flair bartenders who practice their skills in Hyde Park.

Historic Houses Trust Director Kate Clark said the plan was to get Sydneysiders thinking about what goes on in our civic spaces.

“All too often, when we are passing through the city, we forget to look up, look around and take in what’s happening in our public spaces,” said Ms Clark.

“Public Sydney: stop, look, live! celebrates life in Sydney today, its historic landmarks and residents,” she said.

“We welcome you to a never seen before expose on Sydney’s hidden treasures and surprises, and there is no better location to share Sydney’s living history than the Museum of Sydney, in the heart of the City.”

Ms Clark said inspiration for the exhibition came from the Historic Houses Trust’s involvement in a new book, Public Sydney: Drawing the City, by local architects Peter John Cantrill and Philip Thalis, which is published this month.

The exhibition will continue until September. Visit www.hht.net.au for more information.