State Library of New South Wales

State Library of New South Wales

Located at 1 Shakespeare Place in the centre of Sydney, the State Library of New South Wales is the oldest library in Australia. Established in 1826, it moved to the current building in 1910. Designed by Walter Liberty Vernon, the heritage listed building has been expanded over the years as its collection has grown.

Outside the Library

The magnificent library building has several interesting statues on its grounds, which are worth looking for. To the right of the main entrance is a statue of Lieutenant General Sir Richard Bourke. Erected by the people of New South Wales, the statue commemorates Sir Richard Bourke’s governorship and administration. This was the first monument erected in Australia.

Across the road from the entrance, is the Shakespeare Memorial, with figures representing Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Portia and Falstaff on the lower level, with Shakespeare standing above them. Located on a traffic island in the middle of a busy road, you need to be careful if getting close, because there is no pedestrian crossing to it.

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Matthew Flinders

A statue of Matthew Flinders, the first person to circumnavigate Australia sits outside the Mitchell Library on Macquarie Street.

Flinders’ Cat

Trim was a ship’s cat who accompanied Matthew Flinders on his voyages to circumnavigate and map the coastline of Australia in 1801–03. It sits on a window ledge of the Mitchell Library on Macquarie Street, directly behind a statue of his owner. The plaque near the statue reads:

TO THE MEMORY OF
TRIM
The best and most illustrious of his race.
The most affectionate of friends,
faithful of servants,
and best of creatures.
He made the tour of the globe, and a voyage to Australia,
which he circumnavigated, and was ever the
delight and pleasure of his fellow voyagers. 
Written by Matthew Flinders in memory of his cat.
Memorial donated by the North Shore Historical Society.

Vestibule

The library’s vestibule contains a huge copy of the map of Australia made by Abel Tasman in the 1640’s. The original of this historical document is held in the library’s collection.

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The Library

The main collection and reading room, the Mitchell Library Reading Room is adjacent to the vestibule. Being large and spacious with beautiful stain glass windows makes it an excellent place for quiet study.

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State Library of New South Wales Galleries

Located on the upper floors of the gallery are several galleries. These contain an excellent collection of paintings and we spent some time wandering around.

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To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.