Sidere Mens Eadem Mutato

University of Sydney

Edmund Blacket's sandstone Main Quadrangle was begun in 1854, and Anthony Trollope called its Great Hall 'the finest chamber in the colonies'. The quadrangle was only finished in 1966, with the West Tower.

4Buildings
4Traditions
1859Oldest · Great Hall of the University of Sydney
2020Newest · Chau Chak Wing Museum

University of Sydney Quadrangle
Great Hall of the University of Sydney
Chau Chak Wing Museum

Planning the visit

Fly intoSydney Airport (SYD)
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport is about 10 km south of the Camperdown campus. Trains from the airport reach Redfern Station, a short walk from the university.
Getting aroundWalking / Train to Redfern / Bus
Redfern Station is a short walk from the campus, and buses run along Parramatta Road and City Road from the city centre.
Colors and teams
The Latin motto, Sidere mens eadem mutato, is translated by the university as 'the stars change, the mind remains the same'. Alumnus Clive James joked that it implies Sydney is really Oxford or Cambridge displaced 12,000 miles.

4 buildings to stamp

Photo: No machine-readable author provided. KittySaturn~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

University of Sydney Quadrangle

Parramatta Road, Camperdown NSW

A Sydney sandstone quadrangle in Victorian Academic Gothic Revival, begun by Edmund Blacket in the 1850s and completed with the West Tower in 1966. It is the heritage-listed heart of the Camperdown campus.

Built
1966
Architect
Edmund Blacket, James Barnet, Walter Liberty Vernon and Leslie Wilkinson
Style
Victorian Academic Gothic Revival
Today
University Main Building
Photo: Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams, user earth (Talk), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Great Hall of the University of Sydney

Main Quadrangle, Camperdown NSW

Completed in 1859 by Edmund Blacket, this Gothic Revival hall of stained glass, gables and gargoyles hosts graduations and recitals. Anthony Trollope thought no Oxford or Cambridge college had a hall with proportions so good.

Built
1859
Architect
Edmund Blacket
Style
Victorian Academic Gothic Revival
Today
Ceremonial Hall
Photo: Nick-D, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chau Chak Wing Museum

University Place, Camperdown NSW

Johnson Pilton Walker's five-storey museum, completed in 2020, has four levels of exhibition space, including the Macleay and Nicholson galleries. A replica of an Aboriginal petroglyph of two wallabies greets visitors in the forecourt.

Built
2020
Architect
Johnson Pilton Walker
Style
Contemporary
Stories
5
Today
Museum
Photo: Jason Tong, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Charles Perkins Centre

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital precinct, Camperdown NSW

Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp's research hub, opened in 2014, is built around a full-height atrium with a sweeping spiral staircase. It is named for Charles Perkins, the first man of Aboriginal descent to graduate from an Australian university.

Built
2014
Architect
Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp with Building Studio
Style
Modernist
Stories
6
Today
Medical Research Centre

4 traditions to check off

Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.

The Quadrangle jacaranda
Campus folklore says any student who has not started studying before the Quadrangle's jacaranda flowers will fail their exams. Visitors can see the tree (a clone of the 1928 original) bloom purple in late spring, a favourite photo backdrop.
War Memorial Carillon recitals
The clock tower holds the War Memorial Carillon, dedicated in 1928 and one of only three carillons in Australia. Visitors can hear live recitals at lunchtime (outside exam periods and public holidays).
Spot the kangaroo gargoyle
Among the Quadrangle's many gargoyles are Australian animals, including a kangaroo on the clock tower and kookaburras above the northern foyer entrance. Visitors can look for them around the sandstone buildings.
Graffiti Tunnel
The Graffiti Tunnel began as a student protest against the Vietnam War and is now a constantly changing living artwork. Visitors can walk through and see the latest layers of student art.

Know University of Sydney well?

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University of Sydney

Campus map and Look Around

Planning the visit

4 buildings to stamp