NSW Parliament House
Photograph: Supplied

NSW Parliament House

NSW Parliament is the oldest legislative body in Australia
  • Things to do
  • Sydney
Maya Skidmore
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Time Out says

Known to locals as the Bear Pit, the New South Wales Parliament is said to be the roughest, toughest parliament in the country. 

Australia’s first parliament, and the oldest occupied law-making place in the country, this impressive sandstone building was built between 1811 and 1814 as the northern wing of the Rum Hospital, but was commandeered in 1829 to house the new colony’s decision makers.

The Legislative Council is Australia’s oldest legislative body. Also known as the ‘Upper House’, this was Australia’s first house before parliament became bicameral in the 1850s. Today, they meet in a building that was originally intended for use as a church. The cast-iron prefab was being shipped from Glasgow to Victoria when it was diverted mid-voyage to Sydney.

The Legislative Assembly was (very cooly) the first totally elected legislature to arrive in Australia, with all of its members being elected to sit there and represent their people since 1856. It is the ‘Lower’ of the two houses of parliament, and is still used by sitting NSW politicians today. 

The parliament is largely modelled on its mother in London: there’s a Speaker and Black Rod, and even the colour scheme follows the British tradition of green for the lower chamber and red for the upper chamber.

In the 21st century, folks who are keen at getting a look in on the people running the show can do so with a number of guided tour offerings that are all (believe it or not) totally free. Whether you’re just really into history, architecture or political transparency, you can book in for a chance to wander through the historic legislative chambers, all while learning all the facts you need to know about the NSW parliament. 

Keen? You can book in right here.

Want more cool city history? Here are the most unbelievable archeological discoveries ever found beneath Sydney

Details

Address
Opposite Hunter Street
6 Macquarie St
Sydney
2000
Price:
Free
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; closed public holidays

What’s on

NSW at Night

Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum (soon to be plural) might technically have its doors closed right now, but the programming team isn't letting up. From Sydney Observatory’s Sunset Variations lighting up Friday nights to a lunar celebration timed to a rare blood moon, they’ve brought a solid selection of gems to the city’s cultural calendar this summer – and now they’re adding a delightfully left-of-field photography exhibition to the mix. From March 3-26, Powerhouse and the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner will present NSW at Night, a punchy new photography exhibition lighting up Parliament House’s Fountain Court. The collection is formed of freshly commissioned works by four standout NSW photographers capturing the people, places and pulse that define life after dark – from inner-city Sydney to Western Sydney, Wollongong and the Northern Rivers. Six-time Walkley winner Andrew Quilty has turned his lens to Sydney’s train network, finding poetry in commuters suspended between where they’ve been and where they’re headed. Northern Rivers-based photographer Tajette O’Halloran has documented youth culture and rites of passage in the region, while Illawarra-based Anthony Rigby-Smith has deep dived into the sweat, camaraderie and endorphin highs of Wollongong’s evening run clubs. Meanwhile, Jade D’Amico has embedded themself in Sydney’s music and club scene, bottling the movement, colour and gorgeous chaos of a night out in the city. The result is an intimate, unfiltered...
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