Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney about 2 kilometres east of the Sydney CBD bounded by the suburbs of Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay and Darlinghurst. It is colloquially known as 'The Cross', although historically the intersection of William Street, Darlinghurst Road and Victoria Street was originally named Queens Cross to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1897. Confusion with Queens Square in King Street in the city prompted its renaming as Kings Cross, after King Edward VII, in 1905.

The area is known as Sydney's red-light district. Once home to musical halls and grand theatres, it was rapidly transformed after World War II by the influx of troops returning and visiting from the nearby Garden Island naval base. Today, it is still dominated by bars, restaurants, nightclubs, strip clubs and adult bookstores.

During early settlement the area was one of Sydney's most prestigious suburbs, being far enough from the city to be semi-rural, yet close enough for easy access. In the early 1800s the Governor of NSW granted several large estates to favoured subordinates and leading businessmen. They built a series of grandiose mansions with sprawling gardens of up to ten acres (4 ha). The remnants of these gardens helped give the area its leafy character, and many of these are commemorated in street names, such as Macleay and Kellett Streets.

Most were ultimately subdivided and most of the houses demolished. A typical surviving estate is the Macleay family's Elizabeth Bay House.

'The Cross' was Sydney's bohemian heartland from the early decades of the 20th century. From the 1960s onwards Kings Cross also came to serve as both the city's main tourist accommodation and entertainment mecca, as well as its red-light district. Live shows like 'Hair' and 'Jesus Christ Superstar' were performed there adding to its reputation.

During the Vietnam war hundreds of American servicemen on R & R leave flocked to the area each week in search of entertainment. Organised crime and police corruption thrived and Sydney's most notorious illegal casinos operated with impunity for many years, although it was known to all and located only yards from Darlinghurst police station.
This inevitably led to a rise in prostitution, crime, vice and corruption, and a massive increase in the use of hard drugs which became the main social problem.
This led to the establishment of Australia's first Medically Supervised Injecting Centre at a shopfront site near Kings Cross railway station in May, 2001. the project remains controversial and its merits are a frequent source of parliamentary debate.

At the centre of 'The Cross', and its best known landmark is the El Alamein Fountain, commissioned as a memorial to soldiers of the 9th Division who died in 1942 during World War II in two battles at El Alamein, Egypt.
It was designed in 1961 by New Zealand-born architect Robert Woodward and is a spherical shape with water ejected from hundreds of nozzles forming the surface of the sphere. A design which has since been copied for fountains around the world.

At the head of William St a giant Coca Cola sign has become a beacon of the centre of Kings Cross and an international landmark.
The Fire Station at the intersection of Darlinghurst Road and Victoria Street was designed by the Government Architect, Walter Liberty Vernon, and built from 1910-12. It is an example of the Federation Free Style and is now listed on the Register of the National Estate.

SAFETY
Kings Cross has a higher degree of drug use, prostitution, and alcohol consumption than most areas of Sydney. It is lively and sometimes confronting, but safe enough if you don't provoke trouble.

The main streets are busy until late and there is a large residential area adjacent.
Avoid the quiet alleys and lanes late a night. Expect visible prostitution, groups of drunk young people and occasional fights. Avoid trouble and don't get into arguments.

Kings Cross Police Station is located close to the El Alamein Fountain in Fitzroy Gardens.