The Beatles Sydney Stadium Plaque, Rushcutters Bay

The Beatles plaque in Sydney sits in the footpath of Neild Avenue, Rushcutters Bay, outside the gates of Weigall Playing Grounds. Woollahra Council unveiled it on 16 June 2021 to mark Sydney Stadium, the demolished hall where the Beatles played six concerts between 18 and 20 June 1964.

Six shows in the old tin shed

The Beatles landed at Mascot on 11 June 1964 and based themselves at the Sheraton Hotel on Macleay Street, Potts Point. Ringo Starr, ill in London, caught up with the tour later. Their Sydney concerts came on 18, 19 and 20 June: six shows at Sydney Stadium, each reported to hold about 12,000 people.

In 1964 the stadium was Sydney's only venue big enough to justify flying in overseas acts. Hugh D McIntosh had put it up in 1908 for the world heavyweight fight between Tommy Burns and Jack Johnson, and it was roofed and enlarged in 1912. People called it the old tin shed. Its stage revolved, pushed round by hand, so that a crowd seated around the near-circular hall could all see the performers. Memories collected by Sydney Grammar School describe screaming loud enough to bury the music, and a school match at Weigall was moved that week because of the expected chaos.

What replaced the stadium

The hall closed in 1970 and came down in 1973 to make way for the Eastern Suburbs Railway. The plaque arrived 48 years after the demolition.

The 2021 plaque

Woollahra Council added the concerts to its plaque scheme, which records notable people and events in the local government area. Mayor Susan Wynne unveiled the plaque on 16 June 2021 with councillor Anthony Marano, guest speaker Dr Janis Lander and broadcaster Bob Rogers OAM, who had travelled with the band on the 1964 tour.

The plaque lies flat in the footpath of Neild Avenue, near New South Head Road, outside the Weigall Playing Grounds gates, so look down rather than at the walls. The same council scheme separately marks the 1908 title fight at the stadium.

For other places the Beatles performed, see the Cavern Club and the Star-Club memorial in Hamburg.