Sydney Mint
Sydney Mint (GPS: -33.86893, 151.21261) is the oldest public building in
Australia. It is located at 10 Macquarie Street, near many other famous Australian historical institutions including
Hyde Park Barracks, the
Queen Victoria Building and
Parliament House.
Sydney Mint was built between 1811 and 1816 as the southern wing of the Sydney Hospital, when it was known as the Rum Hospital.In 1854 a mint was established on the site with the hospital building used to house mint staff as well as providing a residence for the Deputy Mint Master. A coining factory was built at the rear. It was the first branch of the Royal Mint outside England. From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, there were several upgrades done to the mint. However, eventually Sydney mint closed down in 1926, as the newer mints in
Melbourne and
Perth become more profitable.
The Sydney Mint came under the Historic Houses Trust in 1998 and is now open to the public. It contains a small display on the history of the site, a café, meeting rooms and facilities for the Members of the Historic Houses Trust.
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2003-2025 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.