DRAFT PLANS FOR MOORE PARK SOUTH REVEALED

The park will include a 9-hole public golf course alongside new features put forward in the draft plan such as a community sporting field, walking, running and cycling paths and trails, lighting on main paths, amenities, picnic areas and park furniture, tree planting and landscaping.

Moore Park is part of the broader Centennial Parklands which includes Centennial, Moore and Queens Parks, providing vital open space supporting Sydney’s recreational needs. This is valuable for people living in higher density housing such as apartments and terraces with limited access to open space. Combined, these parks are 370 hectares and are the largest area of open space in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Moore Park is 146 hectares in total, with Moore Park Golf Course being 45 of those hectares.

“Over the past century, Sydney has changed significantly. When the golf course was first established, the surrounding areas were largely industrial lands. As we work to tackle the housing crisis facing NSW by building up, we know that delivering public infrastructure including parks is more important than ever before. There is huge demand from residents in the city for a variety of community sporting facilities in the city’s inner south, and with further density planned this will only grow," Premier Christopher Minns explained.

The transformed Moore Park South will include:

GOLF

The minimum 9-hole golf course will be familiar to golfers at Moore Park with amendments to the current course and adjustments to provide adequate buffers to the parkland. Renewed golf facilities will allow the public to enjoy different forms of the game and activate the space with short form (mini) golf, hospitality and complementary entertainment.

PATHS AND TRAILS

The new park will be easy to move through with paths connecting to surrounding communities and improving access to other parts of Centennial Parklands and nearby public transport. Pathways will be designed to ensure clear sightlines, with lighting that provides high levels of illumination while minimising impacts on wildlife. Signage and wayfinding will help visitors navigate through the park.

ACTIVE RECREATION AND SPORTS

Moore Park South will be a place for active recreation and sports. Walking, running, cycling, golf and other active recreation and sports facilities will integrate into the natural parkland setting. The size and location of the proposed facilities will consider the landscape and tree loss will be minimal.

INFORMAL RECREATION

Away from the activity hubs and active recreation areas, the remainder of the park will be mostly natural landscape with places to socialise and gather, and quieter places to enjoy the natural surroundings.

PARK PLACES

Major precinct attractions will be grouped into three community hubs. This responds to community feedback for most of the park to be as open and natural as possible. The three areas are Dacey Corner which will include formal and informal recreation spaces with a playground, multi-purpose courts and a community sports field. Mount Rennie situated at the Golf House will be improved with enhanced park access connecting to the Toll House entry area. Mount Steel will remain natural, with trails and small nature play spaces.

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE

The priority will be to work with existing trees and plant native grasses, shrubs and trees to create new habitat for wildlife and improve biodiversity. Habitat creation will contribute to important regional biodiversity corridors.

CULTURE AND HERITAGE

Established as Sydney Common in 1886, Moore Park has a long history as a place for public recreation for a growing Sydney. During the planning phase, Aboriginal communities were consulted and the government has pledged to work with Traditional Custodians and Sydney’s Aboriginal community to make sure values of First Nations peoples are are incorporated into the park.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said, “The new park will be a place to meet friends, spend time in nature, play and enjoy community sports in the heart of inner Sydney ... It also recognises the regional significance of Moore Park, as part of Centennial Parklands, and its social, cultural, economic and ecological contribution to Sydney as a global city."

This announcement from the Minns Government aligns with a push to reinvigorate the adjoing Entertainment Quarter. The Moore Park Entertainment Quarter, 4km south of the CBD, is “falling short of meeting its full potential” as one of Sydney’s key hubs for entertainment, sport and creative industries, the NSW Government said.

The NSW Government is asking developers to put forward proposals to develop a hub celebrating heritage, improving public accessibility and creating spaces for “substantial audiences” of 15,000 to 20,000 people. 

Works on the park will begin mid 2026.