Sydney Law SchoolBen Chifley statue in Chifley Place
Phillip Street initially ran from Hyde Park in the south and original Government House at Bent Street in the north. After the governor's residence moved to the present Government House and the old residence was demolished in 1846, the street was extended north to Circular Quay. Presumably, it was named after Captain Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales.
In the 1860s the section of Phillip Street between Bent and Hunter Streets was realigned, to connect the northern section of Phillip Street with Elizabeth Street, rather than the southern section of Phillip Street.[1] This junction is now Chifley Square.
Phillip Street was the residence of Henry Lawson when he first moved to Sydney in 1883. He joined his mother and sister at number 138, and was still living here when his first poem, A Song of the Republic, was published by The Bulletin on 1 October 1887.
A variety of cafés and restaurants located along the street service these institutions. Railway stations located on or near Phillip Street include St James, Martin Place, and Circular Quay.