The Commonwealth Bank has taken over the old State Savings Bank building: it’s a beautiful example of interwar beaux-arts architecture, featuring green-marble Ionic columns and an enclosed brass-and-marble teller area.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. 5 Martin Place

0.09 MILES

Built in 1916 to be the headquarters for the then-state-owned Commonwealth Bank, 12-storey 5 Martin Place was Australia’s first steel-framed ‘skyscraper’…

2. Reserve Bank of Australia Museum

0.1 MILES

Hidden inside the Reserve Bank is this surprisingly interesting museum detailing the history of Australia's banknotes, from pre-Federation to the polymer…

3. Macquarie Street

0.12 MILES

A swathe of splendid sandstone colonial buildings graces this street, defining the central city's eastern edge. Many of these buildings were commissioned…

4. Martin Place

0.12 MILES

Studded with imposing edifices, long lean Martin Place was closed to traffic in 1971, forming a terraced pedestrian mall complete with fountains and areas…

5. Sydney Hospital

0.13 MILES

Originally the Rum Hospital, built by two Sydney merchants in return for a monopoly on the rum trade, Australia’s oldest hospital has a grand Victorian…

6. St James’ Church

0.14 MILES

Built from convict-made bricks, Sydney’s oldest church (1819) is widely considered to be architect Francis Greenway's masterpiece. It was originally…

7. Parliament House

0.14 MILES

Twin of the nearby Mint, the venerable Parliament House (1816) has been home to the Parliament of New South Wales since 1829, making it the world’s oldest…

8. GPO Sydney

0.15 MILES

As iconic in its time as the Opera House, this beautiful colonnaded sandstone Victorian palazzo (built 1874) was once Sydney’s General Post Office. It has…