You are here: Civil Engineering / About us / History

History

Celebrating 125 Years of Engineering Education in 2008

In 2008 the Faculty of Engineering will celebrate one hundred and twenty five years of engineering education, our quasquicentenary.

What has happened in Engineering in Sydney since then?
Civil Engineering has made Sydney what it is today. The main symbols of Sydney, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, are representative of the achievements of both engineers and all Sydneysiders. For 125 years, The University of Sydney has been producing civil engineers who continue to provide the essential infrastructure and environmental solutions for Sydney today and tomorrow.

In those 125 years, Civil Engineers have made our city what it is today. Join us in a journey through each decade since 1882 and try to imagine Sydney without these essential projects.
Thanks to Ian Bowie for providing some of this information

1887: Upper Nepean water supply scheme, including Prospect Reservoir, relieves Sydney's severe water problems.

 Prospect Reservoir Prospect Reservoir 

1892: Northbridge Suspension Bridge, designed by Professor W.H.Warren and J.E.F. Coyle, was Australia's longest span for forty years.

 Northbridge Suspension Bridge  Northbridge Suspension Bridge

1902: The new Pyrmont Bridge was one of the first in the world to be driven by electricity and one of the fastest in operation.

 Pyrmont Bridge  Pyrmont Bridge

 


1913: Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf was the largest timber wharf in the world and it completed a programme of expansion and reconstruction of Sydney's port facilities.

 Woolloomoolo Finger Wharf  Woolloomoolo Finger Wharf

 


1926: The City Railway to St James Station: the first extension of a suburban line from Central Station into the CBD.

 St James Railway Station  St James Railway Station

 


1932: Sydney Harbour Bridge opened. JJC Bradfield, inspirational engineer and designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is a Sydney Civil Engineering graduate.

 Sydney Harbour Bridge  Sydney Harbour Bridge

1945/6: Peat's Ferry road bridge and replacement railway bridge over the Hawkesbury River opened.

 Peats Ferry Bridge across the Hawkesbury River  Peats Ferry Bridge across the Hawkesbury River

1958: The Cahill Expressway. In addition to providing a northern bypass to Sydney's CBD, the Cahill Expressway structure carries a rail line to complete to complete the City Circle loop.

 Cahill Expressway and Circular Quay  Cahill Expressway and Circular Quay

Warragamba Dam: Opened 1960

 Warrangamba Dam  Warrangamba Dam

1964: Gladesville Bridge was the longest concrete arch span in the world for sixteen years.

 Gladesville Bridge  Gladesville Bridge

Sydney Opera House: Opened 1973

 Construction of the Sydney Opera House  Construction of the Sydney Opera House

1981: Sydney Tower and Centrepoint project completed.

 Centrepoint Tower  Centrepoint Tower

1995: Anzac Bridge: Thiry-four University of Sydney graduates participated in the various stages of design and construction of the Anzac Bridge, Australia's largest cable-stayed bridge.

 Anzac Bridge  Anzac Bridge

 


1999: Stadium Australia: Sydney academic Dr Graeme Wood and Wind Engineering Services were the official "wind engineers" of the 200 Olympic Games. Their innovative approach to calculating wind loads on the Stadium Australia roof, saved millions of dollars in steel costs in the roof design.

 Stadium Australia  Stadium Australia

2006: M7 Western Sydney orbital motorway opened.

 M7 Motorway  M7 Motorway

Photo credits:
These images have been sourced from various locations on the internet such as the National Library of Australia, State Library of NSW, University of Sydney archives, and other places found using google image search. The School of Civil Engineering does not claim copyright of the images and acknowledges the various owners. These images have been displayed for non-profit historical and educational purposes.