Prior to European Habitation

Wentworth Park would have been a picturesque harbour cove wetland into which the various creeks from Glebe, and the Pyrmont/Ultimo ridges would have drained. It would probably have had mangroves in the inter-tidal area and a thriving bird and fish life.

From Wetland to Noxious Swamp

After European settlement the cove area became known as Blackwattle Cove or Swamp and during the 1830s it became the location of abattoirs and boiling down works, supplying Sydney with much of its meat requirements.

The abattoirs were located about 20 metres from the stream inlet. There was also tannery and a distillery. All these industries discharged their wastes which included offal into the cove which increasingly began to stink. In those days it was thought that disease could be carried by 'noxious air' so in there was rising feeling that something had to be done about Blackwattle Cove. A causeway was built in 1859 to join Glebe to Pyrmont Bridge and it became the secondary route that joined the City to Parramatta Road. But still the accumulation of wastes continued and the stench became unbearable. The abattoirs etc were removed but the pollution was such that the stench continued from the swamp.
		Football final at Wentworth Park 1956, City of Sydney Archives.

Infilling of Blackwattle Cove 1876- 1880

The local government of the day lobbied to have the cove infilled and the Blackwattle Bay Land Reclamation Act was passed in 1873 and amended by the Blackwattle Bay Land Reclamation Act Amendment Act 1878 which stated that the land reclaimed was:

" …to be set apart and dedicated in perpetuity as a park or place of public recreation. And this enactment shall be construed to extend all the provisions (so far as they can be applied) of the Public Parks Act 1854 to the area reclaimed". Blackwattle Bay Land Reclamation Bay Land Reclamation Act 1878 s2.

"Silt dredged from the harbour was used to carry out the process and numerous sea walls and dykes were constructed as part of the program. When the area was filled Trustees were appointed to manage the new park and a competition was announced to design the new facility. After numerous complaints regarding the management of the competition the construction commenced and by 1882 opinion had turned favourably to the new ovals, greens, paths, lakes and other facilities offered in the Park, now named Wentworth after the politician of the same name." (Source: Wentworth Park Sporting Complex Website)

32 acres were created for this public recreation space.

A Wonderful Public Recreational Space and a Centre of Sport 1882 - 1900

A park was created in gardenesque style with curving paths, and gardens, enclosed cricket grounds, ornamental lake, bowling green, rotunda, caretaker's house, and in 1882 it was formally opened and named Wentworth Park after a politician of the day.

Wentworth Park became the centre for the district's cricket and Rugby League competitions. Both drew big crowds that became very involved in the games. In fact the referees often had to be escorted from the field by the police for safety. One famous match where the result was not to the liking of the crowd ended with the referee being chased through the streets of Glebe.

The Glebe District Rugby became a premier team whose home ground was Wentworth Park 1900 to 1914.

In 1911 there was an open air picture theatre in Wentworth Park and people sat on the raised mounds and the trees to see the movie.

In 1920 soccer took over.

Two up games were also a feature of the park which the police largely ignored.

In 1914 the port activities were reawakened in Blackwattle and Rozelle Bays and in 1912 the railway line was built across the park on the viaduct. During the war the park was used to store wool for the war effort in corrugated iron sheds that remained there for quite some time afterwards.

Neglect and deterioration of the park

Throughout its history Wentworth Park has suffered from a lack of preparedness by government or council to take on the responsibility of maintaining the park that had been created back in 1880.

After the war the Trustees began to experience serious financial difficulties, income was limited and expenses were considerable. Various avenues were explored to remedy the situation including speedway proposals, tin hare coursing, fun park proposals and the lease and sale of various sections of the park. Naive handling of these arrangements, as well as the onset of the Depression, led to the eventual failure of most of these avenues and one legal case. The speedway however did get off the ground and continued through to the 1930's. In 1932 greyhounds made their first appearance at the park and from then onwards the facilities supporting this activity assumed greater importance.

The commencement of the Second World War caused the alienation of the oval and most of the open space. It was used by the American Army as a camp for the duration of the war. The rest of the park was again taken over by wool stores. The only section remaining in direct control of the Trust was the playground associated with a kindergarten established in 1916.

After the war the Trust acted to remove the wool stores and re-landscape the area. This was not successfully completed until the 1950's. Meanwhile the park facilities continued to decline with rooms and amenities created in the in-filled aqueduct arches thus compromising the architectural integrity of the structure.
The caretaker's cottage (opposite the Sydney Fishmarket) was demolished. The park really began to deteriorate.

In 1939 the concrete fence was build around the central dog racing area.

Hope for the Future of the Park

Since 2007 the Sydney City Council has erected playground equipment, physical fitness stations, new lighting and pathways. The southern end of the park is now alive with energetic people exercising and having fun at all hours of the day and night.

The Wentworth Park Sporting Trust, which controls the central section of the park where greyhound races are held, has pulled down the western side of the concrete wall and the turnstiles, and opened up the Sporting Complex vista - a great start to establishing the grandeur of the site again.