Sydney Central Station Clock Tower

The Sydney Central Station Clock Tower is one of the city’s most recognisable heritage landmarks. It forms the north-western corner of Central Railway Station, which itself was built on the site of the former Devonshire Street Cemetery. The main Central Station building officially opened on 4 August 1906, but at that time the clock tower and the top two floors were not yet built. In 1915 work began on finishing these parts, including the two extra floors of offices and the clock tower as part of the second phase of the station’s development. However, progress was delayed by World War I due to material and labour shortages. The clock tower was completed and formally brought into operation at 10:22 am on 12 March 1921. It stands about 85.6 metres above mean sea level, with its dome about 64.3 m above the station concourse.

The tower has four large clock faces (each about 4.8 m in diameter), and there are over 270 steps inside up to the clock faces. Its style is Free Classical, in keeping with the grand sandstone architecture of the station. It quickly came to be known as the “working man’s watch” because many in the surrounding industrial areas relied on it for timekeeping.

Over the decades, the tower has been maintained and restored. For example, stonework cleaning and conservation took place in recent years, and the clock mechanism has been overhauled to preserve accuracy.

Guided Tours

During the 2025 October long weekend, Transport Heritage NSW celebrated the transport heritage expo at Central Station. As part of this, the clock tower was open to visitors on guided tours. Four tours operated each day, but limited to ten people per tour. We were lucky, booking early enough to get on a tour.

Starting with a sign-on and safety briefing, our guide then took us through locked doors to the base of the tower. From here we climbed to the next level where we entered another locked door and the tower itself. from here, we could look up and see the wrap around staircase that leads to the next main level. This was the biggest climb of the tour, but the guide told us he has had an 85-year-old do it. There was also no pressure to climb fast, and we all got there with no problems.

This level was just below the clock faces and gave great views over the city and railway station. Once everyone had seen enough, we climbed a small spital staircase to the clock level.

The Clock

After a short climb we reached the clock itself. Although essentially the same mechanism as originally installed, it has been automated and updated to keep better time. With each clock face nearly 5m across, you appreciate their size, which isn’t obvious from ground level.

There was one more level after the clock, which provided amazing views over the city and Central Station. We stayed here admiring the views, before returning to the ground floor. This was a fantastic tour. Not only were the views wonderful, but the fun of climbing inside the tower and discovering its history.