Sydney central business district

The Sydney Central Business District is, commercially, the most important in Australia. Geographically, it runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central Station in the south, from Hyde Park in the East to the Western Distributor in the west. However, the term is sometimes used loosely to encompass the surrounding suburbs of North Sydney, Pyrmont and Woollomoloo.

Governance Administratively, the Sydney CBD falls under the authority of the Local Government Area of the City of Sydney. The NSW State government also has authority over some aspects of the CBD, in particular through the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. This is a body charged with managing development of certain foreshore areas of Sydney, being modeled on the London Docklands Development Corporation.

Architecture The Sydney CBD contains many of Australia’s tallest skyscrapers, including the Governor Phillip Tower, MLC Centre and World Tower, the latter consisting predominantly of apartments. The tallest structure is the Sydney Tower at 309 metres, however planning restrictions limit future developments to a height of 235 metres. The spectacular backdrop of Sydney Harbour means its real estate is amongst the most expensive in the world.

Companies The Sydney CBD is home to some the largest Australian companies, as well as serving as an Asia-Pacific headquarters for many large international companies. The financial services industry in particular occupies much of the available office space, with companies such as the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Citibank, Macquarie Bank, AMP, Australian Insurance Group, AON, Marsh, Allianz, HSBC, AXA and ABN Amro all having offices. The Melbourne CBD, however, tends to be the base for the nation’s superannuation industry.