More than 55 exclusive sites opening their doors to the public for Sydney Open

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Situated next to Sydney's main railway hub, the decommissioned mortuary station was once a terminus for a funeral train service to Rookwood cemetery. The only surviving example of purpose-built Victorian railway funerary architecture in Australia is no longer accessible to the public, except for today. It's one of more than 55 iconic sites across the city people can access as part of Sydney Open.

Transcript

00:00Can you tell me a bit about what is Sydney Open and what can people expect today?

00:06So Sydney Open is the one day in the year where the general public gets to go into buildings

00:13all over the city that you don't normally get a chance to go into, like this incredible

00:18building that we're in here today, this would not normally be open.

00:23And so 60 buildings across Greater Sydney are open to the public and they're new buildings,

00:32they're heritage buildings, there's a real mix of different types of spaces.

00:36So like the building we're in here today, you get the opportunity to go to buildings that

00:42as a general public member, you would not normally get to go.

00:45And that includes heritage buildings, incredible heritage spaces like this, as well as modern

00:51buildings that have only just been built.

00:53So over 60 buildings and, you know, new spaces and old spaces, heritage spaces like this and

01:01brand new spaces as well.

01:02And so what's different this year?

01:04How do you even choose what to put in a program?

01:07Because a space like this is just absolutely incredible and to be able to see it one time

01:12a year is such an amazing opportunity.

01:15It's such an incredible day and it's so hard, right, because you've got 60 buildings and you've

01:19got to choose which ones you're going to go in.

01:23So we really try to curate new and interesting and different experiences.

01:28We try and balance between heritage and new.

01:31And this year I'm really, really excited on the train theme.

01:35I'm really excited about the new overstation developments in the new metro stations.

01:40And so there's three buildings that, you know, normally as a punter when you go in the train

01:46in the metro, you go up to the concourse and you're not allowed above it.

01:50But there's a whole giant building above that, you know, that you just wonder what's inside

01:54there.

01:55Well, in Sydney Open, you will get the opportunity to go inside those spaces and to see those

02:01offices, see the spaces, see the incredible artwork in Macquarie Group's offices.

02:07So it's going to be a real amazing experience.

02:10And so that means there's not just the opportunity to see beautiful historic buildings like this,

02:15but also modern architecture.

02:16That's exactly right.

02:17So these are some of the most, you know, cutting edge architects that, you know, in the market,

02:24but some of the best buildings in Sydney, brand new buildings that you'll get the opportunity

02:30to done, to experience.

02:34And you know, they're modern, they're fresh, they're exciting, they're, you know, they're

02:41very carefully done from an architectural perspective.

02:45They've got a wonderful environment inside.

02:47So it'll be really incredible to see those spaces.

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