Animated map shows Sydney’s 250-year evolution in 30 seconds

It’s been less than 250 years since the First Fleet of 1,485 settlers first arrived in New South Wales on January 26, 1788 — a date we now celebrate annually as Australia Day.

In that relatively short time, Sydney has developed into one of the world’s largest, most cosmopolitan cities, with a population of over 5 million and a unique mix of Aboriginal, British, Asian, and European cultural influences.

To get a better understanding of how Sydney became the modern metropolis it is today, Budget Direct Travel Insurance analyzed dozens of maps of Sydney from the National Library of Australia and other sources from the years 1770–2020. Research in hand, the team created an animated map to show how the city has grown.

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