George Street in the Sydney CBD was Sydney’s original High street, and remains today as one of the busiest streets in Sydney. Although it is only 3km long, it connects many of the city’s most important buildings and precincts. This street is home to more high-rise buildings than any other street in Australia. George Street begins in the north end of the city, near The Rocks, and extends south through the city, down to Central station. At central station, the street not only changes directions, but also names. As the street turns westwards, it becomes Parramatta Road. Up until 1810, the street now known as George Street was known as High Street by English custom. In 1810, the street was formally renamed George Street, after King George III. It is thought that George Street was one of the first streets in Australia. It was on this famous street that Australia’s first football league was formed in 1907. Some of the major precincts that can be found along George Street are; Railway square, Chinatown, Town Hall, Wynyard, and The Rocks. Town hall is located along the central section of George street, and is known to be home of three important historic buildings; saint Andrews Cathedral, the Sydney Town Hall, and the Queen Victoria Building. All of these locations are served by a constant flow of viewers coming from Town Hall station. Recently, the New South Wales government announced that work will soon begin for a 1.6 billion dollar lite rail which will connect Randwick with Circular Quay, via George Street. Once the lite rail is complete, the city has committed to a 220 million dollar project. The main strip in George Street will be pedestrianized from Hunter to Bathurst Street and from there, footpaths will be widened. Along with this redesigning of such a key part of Sydney, the council are unveiling 3 major public artworks for George Street. These 3 artworks are the first 3 projects to be contributed to Sydney’s 9.3 million dollar City Centre Public Art Plan. The works are expected to be installed by 2017, when the lite rail and reconstruction of George Street are complete.
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