The Sydney Mint, in Sydney, Australia, is the oldest public building in Australia. It no longer functions as a Mint as it closed down in 1926. Sydney Harbour looking south from the vicinity of the Sydney Harbour Bridge towards the CBD skyline; the Opera House is visible in the background on the left. ... A mint is a facility which manufactures coins for currency. ...

The Mint is located in Sydney’s C.B.District at 10 Macquarie Street. It is near many other famous Australian historical buildings including Hyde Park Barracks, the Queen Victoria Building and State Parliament House. The QVB, or Queen Victoria Building, is a shopping centre located in the heart of the Sydney, Australia, CBD. The elaborate Romanesque architecture echoes the Victorian age perfectly, and presents a glittering contrast to the more severe modern buildings around it. ... The Parliament of New South Wales consists of the Governor of New South Wales, the New South Wales Legislative Council and the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. ...

The designer of the building was Governor Macquarie. His aim was to make it suited to withstand a hot climate. The design is similar to ancient Greek architecture with its two tiers of columns made of cedar timber in the style of Doric mouldings. The columns are angled inwards creating an optical illusion imitating the Parthenon in Athens. Colonel Lachlan Macquarie (31 January 1762–1 July 1824), colonial governor regarded by many as the real founder of Australia, was born in the Isle of Mull in the Hebrides islands of Scotland. ... Doric, a synonym of Dorian, may refer to any of the following: The Dorians, one of the ancient Hellenic races, Doric Greek, the dialect of the former, the Doric order and its distinctive Doric column, in ancient Greek architecture, the Dorian mode in music, also called the Doric mode, or... The Parthenon seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west The Parthenon (Greek: Παρθενών) is the most famous surviving building of Ancient Greece and one of the most famous buildings in the world. ... The Acropolis in central Athens, one of the most important landmarks in world history. ...

There are two parts to the Mint: The famous Mint offices and the less well-known Coining Factory, which is hidden from view. Both of these buildings have exceptional heritage significance and have been associated with major events in New South Welsh history. Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ...

History of the Site for almost the past 200 years

Early History- The General Hospital and The Dispensary (1811-1854)

Model of the South Wing of the General Hospital

In 1811, Governor Lachlan Macquarie had planned to build a new General Hospital in Sydney. This was Macquarie’s first major public building. The contractors of the General Hospital were paid with 45,000 gallons of rum hence the “rum” Hospital was completed in 1816. The hospital’s state was in decline for the next thirty or so years. A dispensary opened in 1842 replacing the south wing while the rest of the site was now used as a military hospital until 1854. A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ...

Later History- The Royal Mint and The Coining Factory (1855-1926)

Drawing of the Sydney Mint and the Coining Factory

The British Secretary of state gave acceptance to the colonial government to establish a mint in Sydney It was to be the first branch of the Royal Mint outside England. The mint played an important role of science when Captain E.W. Ward was Deputy Master. The rear side of the mint became the coining factory. There were frequently major upgrades on the mint during the late 1800s and the early 1900s. However, by 1926, with the Melbourne and Perth Mints having much better technology and making more profits, the mint closed down. The Royal Mint is the name of the body permitted to make (mint) coins in the United Kingdom. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Perth Mint The Perth Mint is Australias oldest operating Mint. ...

Post-Mint History- Government Offices, Law Courts and the Museum (1927-Present)

The Government Insurance Office moved into the building as soon as the Mint closed. Soon other government offices followed, including the Local Government Superannuation Board, the Electrical Contractors and Licensing Board and the Family Endowment Department. Government offices kept arriving and going for another fifty years. Gradually these buildings were being demolished.

It was expected that law courts will be established after the demolitions, however activists successfully led a campaign in 1979 to preserve the Mint buildings as well as Hyde Park Barracks. The premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, announced that the Mint would come under control of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. The museum closed down in 1997 and the building’s ownership was transferred to the Historic Houses Trust (HHT). The Honourable Neville Kenneth Wran AC, QC, (born October 11, 1926) was the Premier of New South Wales in 1976 until 1986. ... A museum is typically a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment. ...

External Links

Information on Sydney Mint on Historic Houses Trust Website