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Pyrmont

Posted: November 26, 2019 in history, Sydney, Sydney Harbour, Sydney Streets

This weekend we went for a walk around Pyrmont.
A fascinating dip back into old Sydney, following The City of Sydney guide found here.

This is the guide we followed

This stunning view from Ways Terrace Flats, built by the City Council in the 1920s as workers’ affordable housing.

You know when you put 2 and 2 together and it clicks? Now we know why there’s a Quarryman Hotel at Pyrmont… we found the old quarry!

The original bit of the Electric Light station that remains near the Star casino.

Someone owns these old sites… yet they sit decrepitly, unused, uninhabitable.

ye olde Sydney Electric Light Company, adjacent to the Star casino

ye olde Sydney Electric Light Company, adjacent to the Star casino

Love the clothesline rope pulleys that come off everyone’s balcony or window at the Ways Terrace Flats.

Commercial & Retail Sydney

Posted: March 31, 2019 in history, Sydney
Tags: Local, Sydney, Sydney History

Another City of Sydney walking tour through a history of Commercial & Retail Sydney

Down Martin Place where the Commonwealth Bank and original MLC building are, through the Grace Hotel which was requisitioned by General MacArthur in WWII, past the AWA Tower – “Sydney’s Eiffel Tower”, the beautiful Dymocks Building, State Theatre, Arthouse Hotel, Tattersall’s Building and more.

Glebe

Posted: March 31, 2019 in history, Sydney
Tags: glebe, Local, Sydney History

A beautiful autumnal day for a historical wander around Glebe.
We visited the house where Robert (born Robin) Askin grew up, saw the park where a wireless was installed for poor families to hear the current news, had breakfast in one of the old original pubs, learnt of the strong medical ties to the area and were staggered to learn that Glebe Public School once had 2,300 students!

The Rocks and Millers Point

Posted: March 31, 2019 in history, Sydney, Sydney Harbour
Tags: Local, Sydney, Sydney History

Another City of Sydney walk History Walk – Customs House to Millers Point

We went, for the first time, to Observatory Hill Park and went through the observatory. Was great. And free! Site of Sydney’s first windmill with beautiful views of Sydney to the east and west. We discovered Ferry Lane and The Paddock, had a drink at the Lord Nelson, found a still in use cast iron urinal and discovered the laneway below Lower Fort St.

Kings Cross and Darlinghurst

Posted: March 31, 2019 in history, Sydney
Tags: Kings Cross, Local, Sydney History

So much to see, and such beautiful parks and public spaces, so close to Australia’s busiest city.
The highlight for us this walk (from a walk from City of Sydney Council) was tripping over the gorgeous McElhone Reserve near Elizabeth Bay House. A new place to bring visitors from overseas for a picnic.

Sydney CBD small lanes walk

Posted: March 31, 2019 in history, Sydney
Tags: Local, Sydney, Sydney History

We did a walk that City of Sydney council put together, one that takes you down old hidden laneways.

While nothing like Melbourne’s fabulous laneways, there’s still plenty of interest in Sydney.

Bulletin Place, where the Basement venue is, Reiby Place (as in Mary), Palings (music) Place, Angel Place, the Tank Stream.

Lots to see and learn.

Naremburn

Posted: February 10, 2019 in history, Sydney
Tags: Local, Naremburn, Sydney, Sydney History

Neither of us had ever wandered around Naremburn before.

What a pretty suburb, and plenty of history to explore as well. I wonder if current residents know that it used to be known as both Dog Town and Pension Town!

We learnt that Henry Lawson lived here for a while as well as some other bits and pieces.

http://edocs.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/DocumentViewer.ashx?dsi=4787009

Looking across the gully to Walter Burley Griffin’s Incinerator
How many times have I driven across this 1886 bridge at the bottom of Willoughby Road without knowing the history behind it?

Tom Uren Walk, Balmain East

Posted: February 2, 2019 in history, Sydney
Tags: Balmain East, Local, Sydney, Sydney History

This weekend we walked the Tom Uren Walking Trail at Balmain.

I knew of Tom Uren’s green bans, activism, interest in heritage and the environment and the like but I wasn’t aware he was a sportsman (professional boxer, swimmer, rugby league player for Manly) or a soldier or prisoner-of-war.

He grew up in Balmain and so Leichhardt Council has designed a nice stroll around the area.

Norton St, Leichhardt

Posted: January 28, 2019 in history, Sydney
Tags: Leichhardt, Local, Sydney, Sydney History

We’ve wandered down Norton St many times as it was a popular go-to place for us when the kids were little and we were looking for a well-priced Italian restaurant.
But we’d never walked the area with a view to looking at anything else but menus!

We found this walk, produced by the Inner West Council and others, here.

What did we learn? Among other things, over the course of about an hour, we learnt that…

there used to be a rocking horse factory on Norton St – right up to 1972. It also made seats for Cyclops dinkies.
Pasticceria Mezzapica has been making cakes and cannoli since 1952.

The Pioneers Memorial Park was a cemetery that had over 10,500 graves, and that when it was transferred from being a cemetery to a park, some of the headstones were used to level the park and build walls.
Leichhardt Town Hall opened in 1888. When the tower was added in 1897 it was the highest point in the colony between Martin Place and the Blue Mountains.
The statue in the middle of the Italian Forum is of Dante Alighieri, regarded as the father of the Italian language. The Forum itself has fallen on hard times… lots of places for lease.
Bar Italia has been there since 1959, and St Gerasimo’s Greek Orthodox Church is about a one-scoop walk away.

Lots of other interesting stuff too. A good walk, really well done – youtube videos, audio etc. Sadly, the southern end of the street is hardly the bustling area it was 20 years ago.

Artarmon and St Leonards

Posted: January 28, 2019 in history, Sydney
Tags: Artarmon, Local, St Leaonards, Sydney, Sydney History

I know we are familiar with our local area, but there will always be historic surprises and areas we haven’t been to before.

Such was the case for this first week of learning a bit about Sydney’s history.

We know the Artarmon and St Leonards area, on Sydney’s lower north shore, really well… or did we?

We covered a walk found here. What did we learn? Among other things, over the course of about 2 hours we learnt that…

the Pacific Highway only got its name when the Harbour Bridge was opened in 1932.
the narrow strip of land at the front of Artarmon station was a vegetable garden for the community in the 1930s depression.

St Mary Mackillop was one of more than 14000 people buried at Gore Hill cemetery.
Tunks Park at Northbridge/Cammeray was named after William Tunks (if the Geographic Names Board still allowed the use of apostrophes in names of places I would have at least known his surname.)
Artarmon was the biggest brick making area in NSW in 1890s – 1900s. It’s where the shopping centre near Bunnings is… it later became the Willoughby Council depot. 360,000 bricks manufactured each month.
Gough Whitlam went to school at Mowbray House before going to Knox Grammar School. The original Mowbray House building is still there, opposite the water tanks near the Great Northern Hotel, where the dive site for the new Metro is.
Artarmon Railway Station used to be 1/2 km north of where it now is.

Lots of other interesting stuff too. A good walk.

So, this weekend, we…

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