The exact planting date for this palm is difficult to determine. However it is believed to date from the period between 1850 and 1900, with most of the oldest known plantings of this species in Sydney closer to 1900, associated with the influence of Sydney Botanic Gardens Director J. H. Maiden (1897-1924).
This exotic palm species with its bold accent, dramatic scale, uniform growth pattern and tolerance to drought was highly favoured in formal planting schemes, particularly during the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This specimen would have been an early introduction. In recent years, this species has been decimated in public parklands due to introduced fungal pathogens in the soil.
Make sure you go around the front to see The cottages at 203-205 Albion Street, Surry Hills demonstrate the development of Surry Hills following the break up of the Palmer Estate in 1814. They survive as examples of the first phase of residential development in the area and belong to an important group of surviving Georgian buildings in Surry Hills. They were a pair of simple cottages built separately in the 1840s and joined to appear as a single building in the 1850’s. (Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners 2004/ State Heritage Register).
http://trees.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/location/albion-street/