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The Domain is a large open space in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Sydney central business district, near Woolloomooloo. The Domain adjoins the Royal Botanic Gardens and is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust, a division of the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change. It is a popular venue for outdoor concerts, open air events and for large gatherings and rallies.

Contents 1 History 2 Features 3 Events 4 See also 5 External links

The Sydney Domain was set aside in 1788 by Governor Phillip as his private reserve. It covered the area east of the Tank Stream to the head of Woolloomooloo (Walla Mulla) Bay and contains the site of the first farm in Australia. The farm had been established for growing grain, but was soon moved to Parramatta, because of the poor sandy soil. The Farm Cove (Woccanmagully) area was then leased out for private farming for the next twenty years.

Governor Bligh attempted to reclaim the Domain c. 1808, leading up to the Rum Rebellion. Governor Macquarie completed this task, extending the roads and gardens started by Bligh, and enclosing the Government Domain with stone walls and paling fences. The traditional foundation date of the Botanic Gardens is taken as the date of completion of Mrs Macquaries Road, on 13 June 1816. An enlarged and reorganised Gardens were opened to the general public in 1831.

Over the years the Gardens grew as the Domain was slowly whittled away, but remained an important buffer to the Gardens. The native vegetation was cleared and the gullies of Phillip Precinct filled. During the 1830s the expansive green space of the Domain was now opened to the public, who strolled and picnicked there. The Domain west of Macquarie Street was then sold to pay for the construction of new Government House and Circular Quay.

In the 1850s the Domain was used for military, sporting, and ceremonial events, and was subsequently used for soap box oratory and political meetings. From 1860 the Domain was opened up at night to pedestrians, allowing people to use this valuable recreational space on summer evenings. It became known as the Park where the Gates Never Close. Carriage traffic however remained restricted after dusk for many years.

The growing city of Sydney put great pressure on the Domain. A major encroachment was the construction of the Garden Palace for the Sydney International Exhibition (1879); only its gates remain after a fire in 1882. In more recent years the problems have come from the motor car, with the building of the Cahill Expressway and the Domain Parking Station. The Cahill Expressway destroyed the close spatial relationship between the Gardens and Domain.

Mrs Macquaries Point is one of the most sought-after photographic spots in Sydney with views across the Harbour to the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Mrs Macquaries Chair was carved out of the rock for Governor Lachlan Macquarie's wife, so she could sit and observe the passing ships. Above the chair is an inscription recording the completion of Mrs Macquaries Road on 13 June 1816.

The Fleet Steps link Farm Cove to Mrs Macquarie Road. It is the point where Queen Elizabeth II first set foot on Australian soil, and a commemorative wall plaque marks the event. The site is often used for large marquee functions with stunning views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is located on the eastern side, close to Wolloomooloo. The Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool is an outdoor swimming facility beside Wolloomooloo Bay.

Speakers Corner, similar to Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, London, is an important gathering place where any person may turn up unannounced and talk on any subject they wish, although they are likely to be heckled by people holding opposing views. This has historically been the focal point of free speech in Sydney.

Major events are now hosted annually in the Domain, usually during the Summer period in December and January and as part of the Sydney Festival. Some of the more popular include the annual Carols in the Domain at Christmas, the Homebake music festival, Tropfest short film festival, Symphony in The Domain, Jazz in the Domain and Opera in The Domain. The Open Air Cinema operates in the summer months neer the Fleet Steps. The movie screen sits in the water at Farm Cove, with the audience seated along the foreshore.

The Domain has also been a popular site for political protests, including Palm Sunday rallies, May Day demonstrations, and anti-war and anti-conscription protests. During the Australian constitutional crisis of 1975, the Australian Labor Party held their policy launch in 'the Domain' on 24 November 1975 before a huge crowd.

The Domain was on the short-list of venues to hold the Sydney stop-off of the Spice Girls' The Return of the Spice Girls world tour in early 2008. It was planned that the show would be performed to 100,000+ fans with the surrounding areas gated off and secured for the day. This plan was however cast aside as government approval could not be processed quick enough.

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

• Royal Botanical Gardens website - manager of The Domain

Coordinates: 33°52′6″S, 151°12′53″E

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