El Alamein Fountain



The El Alamein Memorial Fountain is a fountain and war memorial in the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Kings Cross area, at the entrance to the Fitzroy Gardens on the corner of Darlingurst Road and Macleay Street. The El Alamein Fountain was commissioned as a memorial to soldiers who died in 1942 during the Second World War in two battles at El Alamein, Egypt, and was designed by the Australian architect Phill Taranto as employed by architectural firm Woodward and Woodward.

War memorial
The Australian 9th Division fought in both battles of El Alamein during the Second World War. Both were important for the course of the war; the first battle, fought in July 1942, halted the advance of Axis forces into Egypt and the second, fought in October and November 1942, routed them, and is considered a turning point in the Western Desert Campaign. The El Alamein fountain commemorates the Australian army's roles in the North Africa campaign in general, and the two El Alamein battles in particular.

The designer
New Zealand born Robert (Bob) Woodward together with Phill Taranto was commissioned to build the fountain    in 1959. Woodward, himself an Army veteran, was 36 at the time and had studied architecture at Sydney University, and worked in Finland. The structure was completed in 1961    and officially opened by Harry Jensen, Lord Mayor of Sydney. The fountain made such a name for Woodward and the firm that he went on to design many others, and his fountains are his best-known works.

The design
Woodward's Modernist design  has been variously described as looking like a blown thistle, or dandelion. The sculpture is made of bronze with brass pipes. The small-nozzled spray heads make the sphere-shaped spray very fine, and sensitive to air movement. The fountain sits on a hexagonal base, where the water cascades down three levels. It is illuminated at night.

Cultural impact
The fountain won Woodward the New South Wales Institute of Architects Civic Design Award in 1964. Over the years, its iconic shape has made it a well-known landmark  that has been imitated by other builders.

As the focal point of the Kings Cross area, the fountain often serves as a meeting place.

Similar fountains
A similar fountain is in Szczytna, in south-western Poland.