Broadway, Sydney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Broadway New South Wales
Northbound from City Road intersection
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ()
General information
Type	Street
Length	700 m (0.4 mi)
Route number(s)	A22 (2013–present)
Former route number	State Route 31 (2001–2013) Metroad 5 (1993–2001) National Route 1 (1955–1992)
Major junctions
West end	Parramatta Road Chippendale, Sydney
	City Road
East end	George Street Ultimo, Sydney
Location(s)
LGA(s)	City of Sydney
Major suburbs	Chippendale, Ultimo
Highway system
Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in New South Wales

Broadway is a busy road in the inner city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is about 700 meters long. This road forms the boundary between two suburbs: Ultimo to the north and Chippendale to the south. Broadway is also considered a small urban area itself.

It connects the southern end of George Street with Parramatta Road and City Road. These roads meet near Victoria Park. Broadway and Parramatta Road are both part of the important Great Western Highway.

A Journey Through Broadway's History

George Street West (Broadway), c. 1930 from the Grace Bros building

Broadway has a very interesting past. It was one of the first roads ever built in the colony of New South Wales. This happened way back in 1794.

How Broadway Got Its Name

First, it was called "George Street South." Then, its name changed to "George Street West." In 1906, the road was made wider. This happened when the Central railway station was built nearby. After this, the part of George Street west of Railway Square became known as "The Broadway." Later, people shortened the name to just "Broadway."

Old Toll Gates and Churches

In the early 1800s, if you wanted to travel to Parramatta on Parramatta Road, you had to pay a toll. This toll was first collected near what is now Railway Square. Later, the toll gate moved to where Broadway and Parramatta Road meet today.

You can find St Benedict's Church on Parramatta Road. It is now part of the University of Notre Dame campus. This church is the oldest Catholic Church in Australia that has been officially blessed. A famous Australian, Norman Gilroy, who became a cardinal, used to be the priest there.

Broadway's Shopping Past

Broadway was once a major shopping area. For 90 years, it was home to the main store of the department store chain Grace Bros. This large store had two parts, one on each side of Bay Street. Even Queen Elizabeth II visited it during her trip to Australia in 1954!

However, shopping on Broadway changed over time. The Grace Bros store eventually closed in 1995. Today, the western side of that site is the Broadway Shopping Centre. On the eastern side, you'll find UniLodge on Broadway, which is student accommodation.

From Brewery to Modern Living

The southern side of Broadway used to have a huge brewery. This was the Carlton & United brewery. It closed in December 2006. The land was sold in 2007.

Now, this area has been turned into a modern space called Central Park. It includes a new public park, which is about 6,500 square meters in size. There's also a new building called One Central Park. It was designed by Jean Nouvel and has special "vertical gardens" by Patrick Blanc. One Central Park is an apartment complex. It also has a shopping center called Central on its lower levels. It is located across from the University of Technology Sydney.

Getting Around Broadway

Broadway was a very busy place for trams in the first half of the 20th century. The tram line closed in 1958. Since then, Broadway has been the main way for buses to enter the city center. These buses come from the Inner West and are currently run by Transit Systems.

Learning on Broadway

Many schools and universities are located on or near Broadway. These include the International Grammar School (IGS) and the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). You can also find the University of Notre Dame, the University of Sydney, and the Sydney Institute of TAFE.

The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) has a very strong presence here. The UTS Tower is the tallest building on Broadway. It is a well-known landmark in Sydney. The tower was built in a style called brutalist. Some people have described it as one of Sydney's less attractive buildings. A newer building next to it, designed by Denton Corker Marshall, was finished in 2014. There are also plans to update the base of the tower.

Other Interesting Buildings

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  The Embassy Conference Centre is a historic building, built in the 1890s as the first branch of the Bank of New South Wales.

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  Bar Broadway

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  The Clare Hotel

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  Agincourt Hotel

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  Abercrombie Hotel

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  St Benedicts church with the University of Notre Dame behind.

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  Central Park apartments

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  UTS Central as viewed at night

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  UTS Tower building, University of Technology Sydney

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  One Central Park apartments

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  Federation-era warehouse

Broadway in Pop Culture

A part of the music video for David Bowie's 1983 song "Let's Dance" was filmed on Broadway. It took place in front of the University of Notre Dame Australia.