The 125 year story of one of the worlds greatest urban parks. Centennial Park, in the heart of Sydney, opened in 1888 to mark the centenary of colonisation. It has been the stage for celebration of Federation and many other national milestones.This book begins in the earliest days of settlement, recounting the wild origins of the vast area that is now verdant parkland. It reviews the fanfare, the controversies and scandals, the design and landscaping, flora and fauna, and fun and games that have always been part of life in the Park. Rarely does a park so revealingly mirror the community it serves. Many quaint, surprising, hair raising and comic encounters related in the book shed light on Australian society and famous people. Engagingly written, richly illustrated with pictures old and new, indexed, as beautifully presented as the Park it surveys.