The last Sydney tram ran on 25 February 1961 from Hunter Street to La Perouse (along much of the same route now being rebuilt), packed to the rafters and greeted by crowds of people, before it joined the dismal procession to “burning hill” at Randwick.

Sydney officially closed its original, extensive tram network on February 25, 1961. At its peak in the 1920s and 30s, Sydney’s tram system was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and the second largest in the British Empire after London, with over 290 kilometers of track. The decision to dismantle the network in the late 1950s was driven by the post-war rise of the private automobile and a government policy that favored "flexible" diesel buses over fixed-rail infrastructure. The final tram ran on the La Perouse line, marking the end of an era that had begun in 1879. However, the 21st century saw a reversal of this philosophy: light rail returned to Sydney in 1997, and by 2026, the city boasts a modern, multi-line light rail system (L1, L2, and L3) that mirrors many of the original 19th-century routes, proving that the "tram" remains a vital part of Sydney's urban fabric despite its mid-century disappearance.