1 Martin Pl

As iconic as the Opera House in its time (1874), 1 Martin Pl is a beautifully colonnaded Victorian palazzo that houses Sydney’s General Post Office. Beyond the stamps and envelopes, it’s been gutted, stabbed with office towers and transformed into the Westin Sydney hotel, swanky shops, restaurants and bars, including Crystal Bar and Senate Bar. Inspired by Italian Renaissance palaces, architect James Barnet caused a minor fracas by basing the faces carved on the sandstone facade on local identities. Under a staircase in the basement there is a small historical display and a pipe housing the dribbling remnants of the Tank Stream.