History
Sydney Cove, the current site of Circular Quay, was the site of the initial landing of the First Fleet in Port Jackson on 26 January 1788. In 1794 Thomas Muir, a Scottish constitutional reformer, was sentenced to transportation for sedition. Thomas Muir purchased Lightfoot's farm. Muir also had a cottage on what is now Circular Quay. It is likely that the farm was located at the Jeffrey Street end of Kirribilli (not near Admiralty house) and was named "Huntershill" by Thomas Muir, after his father’s home in Scotland. Thomas Muir escaped from the colony in 1796 aboard an American brig, the Otter.
Circular Quay was originally mainly used for shipping and slowly developed into a transport, leisure and recreational centre.
Circular Quay was originally known as "Semi-Circular Quay", this being the actual shape of the quay. The name was shortened for convenience. The Circular Quay railway station was opened on 20 January 1956 and the elevated Cahill Expressway was opened on 14 March 1958.
Circular Quay was the focal terminal point of most electric tram services to the eastern suburbs. The first tram to operate through Circular Quay was horse-drawn, running from the old Sydney Railway station to Circular Quay along Pitt Street in 1861 allowing easy transfer to ferries. Trams operated from Central station down Castlereagh Street to Circular Quay and back up Pitt Street in a large anti-clockwise loop. For many years, 27 regular services operated from Circular Quay.
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