Currently Australia’s largest city, Sydney is a metropolis with a fascinatingly rich heritage. Its history harkens back millennia to the Aboriginal Australians, who had lived around modern-day Sydney for some 30,000 years. Making significant use of the region’s deep natural harbor, the Aboriginal Australians developed a network of small coastal communities that thrived on fishing. The villages themselves were arranged via a clan system, which observed uniquely different sets of cultural practices, beliefs, and languages. Among the most prominent clans to exist around the Sydney area were the Dhaurg and Dharawal people, who dominated the local political landscape for generations. It was a branch of the greater Dharawal clan that met British explorer James Cook when he “discovered” the site in the late 18th century. Although they were unsuccessful in establishing peaceful relations with the local Aboriginal Australians, Cook and his men nonetheless recorded their interactions. They also collected a variety of plant life and charted the undulating geography, making some of the first maps of the region. Calling the location “Botany Bay,” Cook and his crew left to report their findings to British Parliament after spending several days in the area.   

The research inspired a second expedition led by Arthur Phillip in 1788. Finding Cook’s original landing spot unsuitable for a prospective settlement, Phillip sailed his fleet of 11 ships further into the harbor to a place he called “Port Jackson.” He founded a small community along the shoreline that he named “Sydney” after the sponsor of the trip, Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney. The little community then emerged as the nucleus of a colony referred to as “New South Wales.” However, the city’s population was convicts since New South Wales was meant to function as a penal colony. Sydney’s colonial administrators directed Sydney to be small in stature as such, surviving just on subsistence agriculture. British authorities forbade the presence of large industry especially shipbuilding. The imposed economic conditions and harsh environment made life in early Sydney difficult, resulting in periodic famines that could only be resolved through infrequent trade with Great Britain. Relations with the local Aboriginal Australians remained tense, leading to episodic bouts of conflict. Bands of convicts and free settlers harbored their own hostilities to the colonial government in Sydney, spawning a few short-lived rebellions that called for increased autonomy.   

The situation in Sydney turned for the better in the early 19th century, once adventurous pioneers managed to find a path to the fertile plateaus that laid west beyond the surrounding Blue Mountains. Having access to lucrative farms, Sydney finally enjoyed a stable food supply that encouraged more settlement. International trade soon flourished, incentivizing even more British settlers to relocate to Sydney. Helping to spur this development was a new colonial governor named Lachlan Macquaire, who oversaw a series of public building projects that raised dozens of hospitals, churches, and schools. Macquaire received significant help from Francis Greenway, a convict-turned-architect who created the Georgian-style motifs that defined most of Sydney’s historic downtown for decades. Macquaire refined the local legislative codes that gave more civil rights to the residents living in Sydney, regardless of their criminal background. These legislative changes continued after Macquaire’s departure in 1821, culminating with the elimination of forced convict migrations during the 1840s. Sydney was then declared a city, thereafter, functioning as the home for the New South Wales Legislative Council.   

Sydney’s economy continued to expand throughout the rest of the century, leaving it in constant competition with Melbourne. Additional construction projects commenced that created iconic structures like the University of Australia, the Australian Museum, and the General Post Office. Sydney grew eclipsing over one million residents by the early 20th century. Despite its considerable influence, Sydney did not become the national capital when all the Australian colonies officially federated into the state of “Australia” in 1901. Nevertheless, the city maintained its prestigious reputation for years to come, eventually becoming one of the foremost communities in the British Empire and its successor, the Commonwealth of Nations. Its citizens even played an integral role fighting for the Allies during both World Wars, with many enlisting to serve in the legendary ANZAC Corps.

Sydney is still one of Australia’s most illustrious communities, continuing to act as the primary cultural center of the entire country. It is the destination for cultural heritage travelers when they go to Australia, finding its distinctive historical landmarks to be incredibly interesting. The most noteworthy sites include The Rocks, Darling Harbour, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, and the UNESCO-recognized Sydney Opera House.  

The Fullerton Hotel Sydney today stands as one of the finest historical examples of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture in all Sydney. Italian Renaissance Revival architecture is a subset of a much larger group of styles known simply as “Renaissance Revival.” Renaissance Revival architecture—sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance”—is a group of architectural revival styles that date back to the 19th century. Neither Grecian nor Gothic in their appearance, Renaissance Revival-style architecture drew inspiration from a wide range of structural motifs found throughout Early Modern Western Europe. Architects in France and Italy were the first to embrace the artistic movement, who saw the architectural forms of the European Renaissance as an opportunity to reinvigorate a sense of civic pride throughout their communities. Those intellectuals incorporated the colonnades and low-pitched roofs of Renaissance-era buildings, with the characteristics of Mannerist and Baroque-themed architecture. The greatest structural component to a Renaissance Revival-style building involved the installation of a grand staircase in a vein like those located at the Château de Blois and the Château de Chambord. This feature served as a central focal point for the design, often directing guests to a magnificent lobby or exterior courtyard. However, the vague nature of Renaissance Revival architecture meant that its appearance varied widely across the world. Historians often find it difficult to provide a specific definition for the architectural movement. Renaissance Revival architecture nonetheless remains among the most admired on the planet, with many government agencies taking great pains to ensure that they continue to be protected for future generations.   

In addition, elements of the building highlight aspects of Classical Revival-style design. Also known as “Neoclassical,” Classical Revival architecture is among the most common architectural forms seen throughout the world today. This wonderful architectural style first became popular in Paris, among French architectural students who had studied in Rome during the late 18th century. Upon their return home, the architects began emulating aspects of earlier Baroque aesthetics into their own designs before finally settling on Greco-Roman examples. Over time, the embrace of Greco-Roman architectural themes spread across the globe, reaching destinations like Germany, Spain, and Great Britain. As with the equally popular Revivalist styles of the same period, Classical Revival architecture found an audience for its more formal nature. It specifically relied on stylistic design elements that incorporated components like the symmetrical placement of doors and windows, as well as a front porch crowned with a classical pediment. Architects would install a rounded front portico that possessed a balustraded flat roof. Pilasters and other sculptured ornamentations proliferated across the façade of the building, too. The most striking feature of buildings designed with Classical Revival-style architecture were massive columns that displayed some combination of Corinthian, Doric, or Ionic capitals. With its Greco-Roman temple-like form, Classical Revival-style architecture was considered most appropriate for municipal buildings like courthouses, libraries, and schools. But the form found its way into more commercial uses, including banks, department stores, and hotels. Examples of the form can still be found throughout many major cities including London, Paris, and New York City.