2019 marked forty years since the doors opened at 66 Goulburn Street. Designed by Joseland & Gilling, the building opened in 1979 as Sydney's first purpose-built conference centre — its first function an International Masonic Festival attended by thousands from around the world.
For trivia lovers: 1979 was the year of the Sony Walkman, Pink Floyd's The Wall, Mad Max in cinemas and Voyager 1's images of Jupiter. A different world — and yet the building's brutalist bones have outlasted every trend since.
The 40th anniversary closed a decade that transformed the centre: full renovation, new levels, new technology, and a new generation of events. The next chapter is being written now.
