Jack Mundey Sculpture, Sydney, Besucherguide & was in der Nähe unternehmen

The Jack Mundey Sculpture stands on Globe Street in The Rocks, Sydney, and honours the union leader whose green bans helped save the area's old sandstone streets from demolition. Without Mundey and the builders who backed him, much of the historic neighbourhood around you might have been cleared for office towers.

The story behind it

By the early twentieth century many of the old buildings in The Rocks were badly decayed. When bubonic plague broke out in 1900, the government took over large parts of the area, and many buildings were demolished. Decades later, a government authority planned to clear most of what remained and replace it with high-rise development.

Jack Mundey, born in Queensland in 1929, led the New South Wales Builders Labourers Federation. Under his leadership the union introduced green bans: its members simply refused to work on projects that would destroy historic buildings or green space. Between 1971 and 1974 these bans were used in several parts of Sydney, and they helped protect the nineteenth-century buildings of The Rocks. The sculpture is a reminder that the quiet lanes you see today were a choice, not an accident.

What to look for

• The sculpture of Mundey himself, set on the street so you can stop and take in the figure the neighbourhood owes so much to.
• The old sandstone walls and narrow lanes around Globe Street, which are exactly the kind of buildings the green bans protected.
• The contrast between the low, weathered streets of The Rocks and the taller modern buildings of the city beyond.
• Small signs of age in the stonework, such as worn corners and mellowed colour, that show how long these buildings have stood.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about ten to fifteen minutes at the sculpture, longer if you wander the nearby lanes.
• It is an outdoor street sculpture, so you can see it from the pavement without going inside anywhere.
• Early morning is usually the calmest time in The Rocks. Weekends tend to be busier because of the markets.
• Susannah Place, a terrace of four houses built in 1844 for working families and now a museum, is close by on Gloucester Street. Check current opening hours before you plan a visit.

See it on a quest

In Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in The Rocks, Sydney you reach the area on foot as one stop of a longer route through the neighbourhood. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Ghost Hunt in Sydney suits anyone who likes their history with a spooky edge. You walk from place to place, hear about each one when you get there and work out a puzzle in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Dorothy’s Quest: The Trials of Oz in Sydney turns a stroll through the city into a playful challenge. You move on foot between stops, learn about each place as you reach it and solve a puzzle where you stand. One ticket covers the whole group.