Our Park

Sydney Olympic Park is 640 hectares in size of which over 500 hectares are public spaces, places and parklands.  Officially designated as a suburb in 2009, Sydney Olympic Park is one of the fastest growing localities in Sydney. 

The Authority as the 'place manager' is responsible for day-to-day management of the public places - including the delivery of public events, excursions and programs; the protection of ecosystems, heritage and environment; the conservation of energy, resources, species and habitat; the maintenance and replacement of buildings, facilities and landscape assets; the provision of a safe and secure public domain; organisation of traffic, transport, construction activity and people movement; monitoring of visitation and enhancement of the visitor experience; and generally coordinating the use and operation of the site.

The concept of ‘place management’ was introduced to Sydney Olympic Park in September 2003 to facilitate a seamless organisational approach to the care, control and management of the public areas at the Park - to enhance operational focus and accountability; minimise duplication or wastage; achieve economies of scale; and enhance the quality of visitor experience.

All of the event venues at the Park are either managed by private operators in their own right, on behalf of the Authority, or managed directly by the Authority’s venues division. The Authority's place management function does not generally undertake works or services or deliver programs or services within event venues, however the strong physical connection between the venues and the public domain is reflected in the working relationships between venue management and activities and those of the place management division.

Strategic Management of the Township

The 'township' refers to the urban parts of Sydney Olympic Park that extend for 191 hectares and include all of the major sporting and entertainment venues used for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the various commercial premises and the railway station. Just over 100 hectares is occupied by the various venues, while the balance is public places and spaces comprised of roads, plaza, gardens, water features, artworks, transport nodes, car parks and treescapes.

There are three key documents that guide the place management of the ‘township’ at this time. They are the Sydney Olympic Park Authority Act (2001) which sets out the broad framework in terms of objectives and principles for Sydney Olympic Park; the Sydney Olympic Park Authority Regulations (2004) which defines the regulatory framework within which various uses and activities are authorised or constrained; and the State Environmental Planning Policy (Major Development) 2005 [Schedule 3 State Significant Sites] and the associated Sydney Olympic Park Master Plan 2030 that set out the scheme of policy and guidelines to guide use and change of the place at a development level - with the objective of protecting its major event capability while it emerges as an integrated commercial and residential township within a regional parklands setting.

Strategic Management of the Parklands

The 'parklands' refers to the non-urban parts of Sydney Olympic Park that extend for 430 hectares and comprise a range of different places and spaces including saltwater and freshwater wetlands; saltmarsh; mangrove forests; sportsfields; urban parks; an abandoned brick-pit; the former Royal Australian Naval Armament depot; naturalistic woodlands and grasslands; remnant Ironbark - Turpentine Woodland; and tidal creeks.
Within this array of different settings there are many educational, sporting, leisure and health opportunities supported by pathways, playgrounds, bike tracks, picnic facilities, viewing areas and several natural attractions.

There are three key documents that guide the place management of the parklands at this time. They are the Sydney Olympic Park Authority Act (2001); the Sydney Olympic Park Authority Regulations (2004); and the statutory Parklands Plan of Management (2010) that sets out the scheme of operations with policy and procedures to direct the proper care, use and change of the place at an operational and development level - with the objective of protecting the sustainability of the parklands in perpetuity for future generations to experience.