Better streets and spaces

Over the rainbow: Surry Hills path celebrates same-sex marriage

The 90m walkway is complete just in time for Sydney Mardi Gras.

Chris Southwood / City of Sydney

A footpath winding through Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park has been banded with the colours of the rainbow in the city’s latest move to support equality, diversity and inclusivity.

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The 90m path runs alongside Equality Green – the area of the park recently renamed to commemorate the moment tens of thousands of Australians gathered in 2017 to hear the outcome of the same-sex marriage vote.

“The path represents the progress we’ve made towards equality and the long way to go before our LGBTIQ communities are free of discrimination,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Scully, Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich. Credit: Jack Begbie/City of Sydney
Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Scully, Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich. Credit: Jack Begbie/City of Sydney

The Surry Hills Creative Precinct proposed the idea of a rainbow path in 2019 to reflect the area’s position at the vanguard of diversity and inclusivity.

“I thought it was a fabulous idea when the precinct suggested we paint a bright rainbow on Equality Green,” the Lord Mayor said.

“This is a permanent tribute to the moment when more than 30,000 Sydneysiders gathered together to hear the results of the marriage equality postal survey on 15 November 2017.”

Crowds gather at Prince Alfred Park for marriage equality vote in 2017. Credit: Damian Shaw/City of Sydney
Crowds gather at Prince Alfred Park for marriage equality vote in 2017. Credit: Damian Shaw/City of Sydney

The rainbow path’s installation follows the reinstatement of Darlinghurst’s rainbow crossing at the corner of Bourke and Campbell streets 2 years ago this month - a popular tribute to the area’s close links with LGBTIQ communities.

Published 16 February 2021, updated 17 October 2023