Building on the Future
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On 28 November 2002 the completed ABC Ultimo Centre in Sydney was officially opened by Prime Minister John Howard.
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Ultimo Centre Exterior
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Ultimo Centre Interior
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Around 1,000 staff and guests attended the historic event which included the screening of a brief video capturing the sounds and images of the 70-year history of the public broadcaster. The Sydney Symphony filled the expansive atrium and galleries with the sound of music as it played David Stanhope’s arrangement of the national anthem, (conducted by Stanhope), the ABC’s Majestic Fanfare and additional music selected for the occasion.
The Ultimo Centre brings together all aspects of the national broadcaster’s Sydney operations.
Its extensive facilities provide for production across all media as well as for live performance. It also includes the national transmission and distribution centres. For the first time the creative, technical and administrative services of the ABC in Sydney, together with corporate management are housed in one centrally situated building.
Over the years, the ABC in Sydney has occupied dozens of buildings, the majority of these being leased. For over 46 years, since the opening night of ABC Television, the main production base for ABC TV was at Gore Hill on Sydney’s north shore.
A move from there was necessary for many reasons including the cost of refurbishing and maintaining the increasingly dilapidated Gore Hill buildings, the desirability of bringing together the creative energy of production staff across the media and the need to equip the ABC to take the lead in digital production and broadcasting.
The move of television staff from Gore Hill to Ultimo is being made progressively and is expected to be completed during mid 2003.
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