AusLeisure

The historic Toll House situated within Sydney’s Moore Park Precinct has been transformed into an inclusive fitness and wellness facility aimed at boosting community use.

Located between the Moore Park golf course and the Centennial Parklands Sports Centre, on the corner of Anzac Parade and Cleveland Street, the original 1860s sandstone Toll House has been cleverly renovated and restored to become a state-of-the-art gym and group fitness space.

The historic building’s restoration and reuse has been overseen by Greater Sydney Parklands and the facility will be operated and managed by Clublinks, who also manages Moore Park Golf and Centennial Parklands Sports Centre.

Clublinks Chief Executive, Anthony Lawrence believes the unique offering of the Toll House will be a hit for those passionate about health and wellness, combining a unique history with modern facilities in a centrally located area.

“We are so proud to be operating such an exceptional and unique facility that holds such a strong history in the development of Sydney, recently transformed into a contemporary and fresh fitness facility.

“The Toll House can host both high energy interval training sessions in the fresh open-air courtyard through to tranquil reformer Pilates classes within the confines of the 150yr+ heritage walls. Not many facilities can boast a similar sensory offering.

“Our aim for the space was to combine sophisticated sleek with legacy charm, which paid homage to the contrast of heritage listed building, comprising high calibre modern equipment and classes.

“Clublinks have been the managing operators of Moore Park Golf since 2009 and we’re excited to be given the opportunity by our partners Greater Sydney Parklands to bring this previously unutilised special building, back to life.”

Greater Sydney Parklands Chief Executive Suellen Fitzgerald said adaptive reuse of The Toll House was first identified in the Moore Park Masterplan 2040.

“It’s great to see this building restored to its former glory, with a new offering that ensures Centennial Parklands remains Australia’s largest community sports precinct.

“The Toll House will be managed for us by Clublinks, with any surplus funds above the buildings’ operations and management costs going directly into protecting and improving Centennial Parklands.”

The Toll House’s boutique facility will offer both high-quality performance TechnoGym equipment and group fitness classes for beginners through to advanced. Additionally there will be an allied health service offering to whole of community.

Classes on offer include Reformer Pilates, yoga, spin, HIIT, boxing and mobility.

Situated in the heart of Sydney, the Toll House is easily accessible by public transport and light rail, appealing to city-goers, Moore Park precinct users and those residing in the Eastern suburbs.

For more information on the facility and membership go to thetollhouse.com.au

The Toll House history
The Toll House opened in 1860 and collected tolls until 1890.

The Moore Park Toll House is the only surviving metropolitan Toll House and the only two-storey Toll House in New South Wales. In its original sandstone form, it is representative of Victorian, gothic-style architecture, featuring a T-shaped configuration with a central bay to allow a line of sight for the oncoming traffic.

The introduction of the rail system in the 1870s led to the decline in relevance of the Toll House. Road use declined and traffic congestion made the collection of tolls inefficient and frustrating for road users.

Toll collections ceased in 1890, and from 1913 to 1926 the Toll House was transformed into a clubhouse for golfers at Moore Park Golf.

While it has had several periodic uses, the building has been modified and added to over the years, and most recently used as a support depot for staff from NSW Public Works until 1999, then a maintenance depot for Moore Park Golf. In 2000 the building was listed on the State Heritage Register.

In 2022, the Toll House was restored and transformed to become the Toll House Health and Wellness facility.

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