Construction commences on Catherine Hamlin Park, Macquarie Square’s green heart.

Macquarie Park’s largest urban green space, Catherine Hamlin Park has officially commenced construction. Surrounded by John Holland Macquarie Square mixed use development site this space creates a new community connection point for workers and families in the area. 

Led by the City of Ryde, the works will deliver a new c.$10 million public open space in the heart of the Macquarie Park. The official sod turning ceremony took place on 26^th November 2025 with completion expected in October 2026. 

At 7,000sqm, Catherine Hamlin Park will be a defining feature of Macquarie Square’s vision of a mixed-used precinct designed around amenity, wellness and connection. 

Macquarie Square has been shaped around Catherine Hamlin Park, designed as the heart of the precinct. The vision is a connected workplace destination where nature, amenity and connectivity are central to daily experience.

As Dan Szwaj, Director at architecture practice Turner explains, “Everything started with the public space and Catherine Hamlin Park,” he says, because even before Macquarie Square is a workplace, “it’s this sweeping public domain”. With that in mind, the team set out to make the street-level environment a genuinely people-friendly experience with seamless connections to the Macquarie Park Metro station. 

That philosophy shaped the masterplan itself. The ground plane has been carefully curated so that each building has a direct relationship to the public space, ensuring Catherine Hamlin Park remains a constant focal point for the entire precinct. 

Catherine Hamlin Park represents more than a landscaping construction milestone. It is the civic centrepiece that completes the precinct’s connected vision, linking people to nature, fresh air, wellbeing and each other. 

A new benchmark for public amenity in Macquarie Park

Delivered in parallel with the Macquarie Square development, Catherine Hamlin Park is being undertaken by the City of Ryde Council, with a focus on creating a healthier, more active and more social public environment.

The park will include a range of features to support daily use and community benefit, including:

• Outdoor exercise equipment
• Event spaces
• Seating and BBQ areas
• Public artwork
• A ‘kick-about’ lawn
• An amenities building

The park has been designed as an active part of everyday precinct life rather than just a passive green space. From early morning exercise to open-air meetings, the park will offer a rare and uplifting workplace adjacency to nature within Macquarie Park.

A legacy park with long-term community value

The City of Ryde announcement notes that this is a shared investment of c.$10 million by the NSW State Government and the City of Ryde. Located less than 300m from the Macquarie Park Metro Station, this funding reflects Macquarie Square’s role as a mixed-use precinct and meeting place at the heart of the Macquarie Park.

The park honours the legacy of Dr Catherine Hamlin AC (1924–2020), a remarkable humanitarian and Australian of global impact. 

Looking ahead

With works now underway, Catherine Hamlin Park will become the green heart of Macquarie Square. The commencement of construction is an important step toward delivering an activated precinct experience it was designed to enable, where public space and workday life come together in one connected setting.