Centennial Park, Federation Pavilion

The Federation Pavilion along the Grand Drive in Centennial Park commemorates the inauguration of the Federation of Australia at this site on 1 January 1901, when it became the focus of the nation. The original Federation Pavilion was an octagonal, domed structure made of plaster of Paris, richly decorated with bas-relief castings of native flora, which had degraded by 1903 and was removed. A replacement timber pavilion built here was later moved to a park in the inner west suburb of Cabarita. This Federation Pavilion is a rotunda designed by Alexander Tzannes, erected in 1988, the Bicentennial year of European Settlement. It was constructed around the 'Commonwealth Stone' as a permanent monument to Federation and features a glass domed ceiling with a colourful design. An inscription around the pavilion is from a poem by Bernard O'Dowd that reads: "Mammon or Millennial Eden". The building was renovated and plaques were added to celebrate the Centenary of the Federation of Australia on 1 January 2001.