page_title: Centennial Parklands
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Centennial Parklands / Centennial Park / History
caption_attribution_description: You need to view on a black background View On Black
context_page_description: Centennial Parklands is the name given to a group of three urban parklands located in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Comprising approximately 360 hectares, the lands encompass Centennial Park, Moore Park and Queen's Park. The Parklands are listed on the New South Wales Heritage Register, with various components of national, state or local heritage significance. The parks are contained within the local government areas of City of Randwick, Waverley Municipal Council, and City of Sydney.
  The parklands are managed by the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, trading as the Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands. The Trust is administered by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The Parklands were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 27 March 2000.
  Centennial park is home to a number of wild animals including a bird life, rabbits, and foxes. It is also home to a number of equestrian schools and other domestic animal endeavours such as the Centennial Park Rabbit Retreat, a boarding facility for rabbits in the centennial park and Paddington area
context_section_description: Centennial Park was set aside by Governor Macquarie in 1811 and was developed as water reserve and common grazing land.
  The government began plans for a celebratory park in 1887 and passed an Act of Parliament in the following year. Some of the grandiose plans for the area, such as a museum and a national convention building, never eventuated. Centennial Park was dedicated by Governor Lord Carrington, on Australia Day on 26 January 1888 to celebrate the first 100 years of European settlement in Australia and described by him as 'emphatically the people's park'. The Governor-General, Lord Hopetoun dedicated the park 'to the people of New South Wales forever'.
  The land was originally set aside by Governor Lachlan Macquarie for grazing and watering stock. The ponds to the south, known as Lachlan Swamps, were named in his honour and were the chief water supply for Sydney from 1830 to 1880. Water was carried to Hyde Park along a tunnel called Busby's Bore, after its designer John Busby (1765–1857). The tunnel served the needs of Sydney until the Nepean scheme made it redundant in the 1880s.
  In 1851, it was a scene of a duel between the first Premier of New South Wales, Stuart Donaldson, and the Surveyor-General, Thomas Mitchell. Both men survived to fulfil their duties.
  In more recent times, the park has had its share of bad news and publicity. On 7 February 1986, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp was found drowned in the Busby Pond. It was thought that she had been murdered by a well-known Sydney criminal, Neddy Smith, but he was not convicted. The Sydney Morning Herald described her as a "32-year-old gangster's moll, heroin addict and prostitute who mingled with Sydney's most notorious criminals and blew the whistle on crooked cops."
  Near Oxford Street is a space known as Cannon Triangle, which includes a statue called "We Won" and two cannon. The cannon were manufactured in Russia and used in the Crimean War. They were captured by British Forces after the fall of Sevastopol. A number of them were given to various cities that had made a contribution to the war effort, with the result that two of them found their way to Centennial Park. They have been in the park since 1920.
caption: Autumn leaves observed in Centennial Park, Sydney.
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