The Australian House of Worship is a place of prayer and meditation that is open to people of all beliefs. Bahá’ís belief in the oneness of God, the oneness of His Messengers and the oneness of humanity. Located in the beautiful hills and bush land above the northern beaches of Sydney, it is one of seven Baha’i Temples throughout the world. Each House of Worship is designed to be distinctive, the unifying factor being that all are nine-sided – a symbol of the unity of the world religions. Like all Baha’i Houses of Worship, the Australian House of Worship is intended to become a future hub for social, scientific, educational and humanitarian services.
It is open to the public from 9 am to 5 pm every day of the year, and to 7 pm in summer months. A public service is held every Sunday at 11 am. It is located at 173 Mona Vale Road, Ingleside, near Sydney's northern beaches. The grounds cover approximately nine Acres. The site is the highest point in the area and the House of Worship is often used by aircraft and ships for navigational purposes.
Construction of the Baha'i House of Worship began in April 1957. It took more than four years to complete, at an approximate cost of 150,000 pounds. The money to build the Temple was donated by Baha’is. It was formally dedicated and opened to the public on 17 September 1961. The architect was John Brogan of Sydney. As with all Baha’i Temples, it has nine sides and nine entrances, symbolically representing the Baha’i belief in the unity of the human race under the one God, and the essential unity of the world religions. Construction techniques never before employed in Australia were used for this House of Worship. A helicopter was used to place the prefabricated lantern structure atop the completed dome, the first time such a technique was used in Australia. It attracted extensive media coverage.
On completion of the main structure and dome, a plate bearing an inscription in Arabic, meaning "O Glory of the All Glorious", was hoisted into position in the centre of the dome inside the auditorium. Today this magnificent edifice, standing some 38 metres in height, with a diameter of around 30 metres, has become a highly visible landmark on Sydney's northern beaches.
