The Wild Ones: Sydney Stadium Exhibition

Every day thousands of Sydney commuters unknowingly cross a site where some of Sydney’s greatest sporting and entertainment moments played out. A site that played host to boxing greats Les Darcy, Lionel Rose and Rocky Gattellari, and music legends The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly and The Who.

The old Sydney Stadium in Rushcutters Bay will once again be thrust into the limelight in the new exhibition The Wild Ones: Sydney Stadium 1908-1970, which opens at the Museum of Sydney on 22 September.

Known by many as ‘the Old Tin Shed’ because of its corrugated iron and timber foundations, the Stadium hosted numerous boxing championships including the world title bout between Canadian Tommy Burns and African American Jack Johnson, the first time in boxing history that an African American fought for the World Heavyweight Championship.

From the mid 1950s, the Sydney Stadium had a new lease of life as a music venue – the Beatles performed all their Sydney concerts there while Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, the Bee Gees, Johnny O’Keefe and The Who all performed on the Stadium’s revolving stage.

Highlights of the exhibition include a range of memorabilia and photos from across the Stadium’s sixty plus years.

Demolished in 1970 to make way for the Eastern Suburbs railway, the exhibition will trace the significance of the Sydney Stadium and celebrate the landmark bouts, unforgettable performances, and folklore that surrounds this unusual slice of Sydney’s history.

The Wild Ones: Sydney Stadium 1908-1970, runs from 22 September 2012 to 10 March 2013. It’s at the Museum of Sydney, corner Bridge and Phillip Streets Sydney. Open daily 9.30am to 5pm, General $10, Concession $5, Family $20.

More Info: T 02 9251 5988 or hht.net.au.


Sydney Stadium late 1950s. Photo by Vic Solomon, courtesy the photographer.


From left: Frank O'Connor, Fred Gilmore, Fritz Holland, Harold Harwick, Les Darcy and KO Brown. Photo courtesy Ray Swanwick.


Dave Smith vs Jerry Jerome, Sydney Stadium, 19 April 1913. National Library of Australia.


Les Darcy. Photographer unknown, c. 1914, National Library of Australia.