Centennial Park

The ornate gate leading to the Bird Sanctuary 

The Federation Pavilion in Centennial Park commemorates the inauguration of the Federation of Australia at this site on 1 January 1901, when it became the focus of the nation. The original Federation Pavilion was moved to a park in the inner west suburb of Cabarita. This Federation Pavilion is a rotunda designed by Alexander Tzannes, was erected in in 1988, the Bicentennial year of European Settlement. It was constructed around the 'Commonwealth Stone' as a permanent monument to Federation and features a glass domed ceiling with a colourful design. An inscription around the pavilion is from a poem by Bernard O'Dowd that reads: "Mammon or millenial Eden". The building and was renovated and plaques were added to celebrate the Centenary of the Federation of Australia on 1 January 2001.

The Column Garden in Centennial Park is named for these columns. The nine metre high Corinthian sandstone columns originally flanked the front entrance of the William Street wing of the Australian Museum, in the city. The columns were dismantled and moved to Centennial Park where they were then used as the base for these statues. The statues were manufactured in 1888 by Villeroy and Boch, the famous Luxembourg pottery company. "Sunrise" (right) is a standing female figure with a baby boy on a half orb, while "Sunset" (left) is a female figure draped in a cloak from head to feet