Showing all posts about Sydney
Iconic Sydney Park chimneys to be further restored
20 July 2022
Anyone going anywhere near Sydney Park, in Sydney’s inner west, will have seen the iconic old chimney stacks rising skyward from the corner of Sydney Park road, and the Princes Highway. If you’ve not been to the area, you’ve possibly seen photos of the chimneys on Instagram, where who knows how many thousands of such images reside.
The chimneys are part of a long closed brick manufacturing facility, which began operating at the site in the 1870s. Having restored two of the heritage listed stacks several years ago, Sydney City Council is embarking on a project to further preserve the four chimneys, while making the area of the park they are located in more accessible to the community.
The Sydney Park brick kiln and chimney precinct contains substantial remains from the brick making industry that once dominated the area. Shale was extracted from deep pits, crushed and pressed into green bricks that were fired in the large kilns.
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Photos of the construction of Sydney Opera House
27 June 2022
A collection of incredible photos of the Sydney Opera House, taken during its construction. Today the Opera House is one of the most recognisable buildings in the world, but it seems Sydneysiders were not enamoured by the iconic structure while it was being built.
Today the building is loved, yet while it was under construction attitudes were very different. The local press continually attacked its cost, its delays, and its architect; headline writers gave the now familiar white shell roof nicknames such as ‘the concrete camel’, ‘copulating terrapins’ and ‘the hunchback of Bennelong Point’.
What’s also compelling about these photos is both how much has changed, and how much has remained the same, when looking at the areas surrounding the land the Opera House stands on.
Via Things Magazine.
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Australia, history, photos, Sydney
The Mysterious Disappearance of the Grosvenor, Paul Brennan
22 March 2022
The Summer Hill Grosvenor Theatre, was a grand old cinema that once stood in the inner west Sydney suburb of Summer Hill. The cinema opened in October 1930 and could seat over two-thousand people in its auditorium.
As a cinema though The Grosvenor had something of a chequered history, frequently changing ownership, and opening and closing on numerous occasions. For a short time between cinema operators, the building served as a warehouse. The Grosvenor finally closed as a film-house in 1969, and the building, after becoming dilapidated and vandalised, was demolished a few years later.
The Mysterious Disappearance of the Grosvenor is a documentary made by Australian cinema historian and film distributor Paul Brennan, and brings the The Grosvenor back to life though intricately rendered CGI recreations. It seems inconceivable today to sit in a room with two-thousand other people watching a film.
A short clip of Brennan’s work From Station to Door, offers a glimpse of a long vanished way of life, when a trip to the movies would have been an occasion, a night out on the town, even. This coming from someone who would rather stay at home and stream films.
The two closest classic art deco cinema experiences that come someway to replicating the scale of The Grosvenor that I can think of in Sydney would be the Ritz Cinema, in Randwick, and the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, in Cremorne.
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Australia, cinema, film, Sydney
Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, December 2010
2 December 2010
This article was originally posted in December 2010. As such the climb packages referred to may have changed, or be out of date.
I don’t know how many times I’ve been over Sydney Harbour Bridge, whether by foot, bus, train, or more often while driving to and from the NSW Central Coast. Too many to count. But there’s no escaping the kick that accompanies each crossing of one of the best known bridges in the world.
And in the next few days I’ll be experiencing the bridge in a completely different way when, thanks to the people at BridgeClimb, I go on my first BridgeClimb.
Sydneysiders, and those familiar with the bridge, have doubtless seen the small — almost ant-like — groups of climbers making their way up or down the bridge’s gently curving arches. Or watched climbers pausing to take in the vistas of the city, harbour, and surrounding Sydney Basin, once they reach the summit, one-hundred-and-thirty-four metres above the water.
But a trek to the top of the bridge isn’t the only aspect of the BridgeClimb experience.
Depending on how much time you have, and how bold you’re feeling, you can venture right into the heart of the bridge, traversing catwalks and steel stairways as road, rail, and pedestrian traffic streams below your feet.
Thinking you’d like to try it yourself? I don’t blame you. There are numerous climbs to choose from, which take place during the day and evening, seven days a week. It is also possible to arrange dawn and twilight climbs.
Of course you might like to treat someone else to the experience also, especially given it’s that time of year. And just as there are several climbs to choose from, there are also a number of BridgeClimb Gift Certificates available.
A Blue Gift Certificate for instance permits the holder to take one of the three climbs at night time. For a little more flexibility, a Gold Gift Certificate allows climbs during the day or after dark. If you really want to push the boat out, a Titanium Gift Certificate also includes the option of climbing at either dawn or twilight, in addition to the day and night slots.
Climbs — which take place in all but the most extreme of weather conditions — can range from 2¼ hours in length for The Express Climb, to 3½ hours for both The Bridge Climb and The Discovery Climb. Before setting off you will be outfitted with a BridgeSuit, and other clothing if needed, depending on weather conditions at the time of your climb.
While it’s a good idea to read-up about the climb beforehand, about the only thing you really need to know is that photography is a no-no during the climb. But that doesn’t mean you won’t come away without photographic evidence of your time on the bridge, as the guide, who has a secured camera, will take photos throughout.
Obviously cameras — and any other loose items, including phones — pose a risk to pedestrians and traffic on the bridge, and possibly even vessels on the harbour, should they be dropped or fall. This then is an experience that you will mostly have to file to memory.
That shouldn’t be too difficult though. After all, it’s not everyday you’ll have the opportunity to saunter around one of the world’s most iconic structures.
My thanks again to BridgeClimb for the opportunity to partake of the BridgeClimb experience.
Originally published Thursday 2 December 2010, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.
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Tastemakers to get a bite of Star Trek at Sydney Opera House
26 March 2009
The Sydney Opera House will host the world premiere of the new Star Trek movie, on Tuesday 7 April 2009, before an audience of 1600 tastemakers (Internet Archive link):
Director JJ Abrams’ new Star Trek movie will have its world premiere at the Sydney Opera House next month, presented by Aussie star Eric Bana. Abrams, Bana and co-stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban will present the blockbuster to 1,600 tastemakers in art, design, entertainment, fashion, media and politics on April 7. It is only the third time a film has debuted at the Sydney Opera House, and the first time a premiere has been held in the concert hall.
I wonder what it takes to become a Star Trek tastemaker then?
Originally published Thursday 26 March 2009, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.
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Australia, film, legacy, science fiction, Star Trek, Sydney
SPAMVENTDOCUMENT the blog, again, by Justin Fox
11 August 2008
I’ve mentioned Australian Infront founder, and web designer about Sydney, Justin Fox’s latest personal blog before, but in a blogosphere choke full of make-money-online and blogs-about-blogging… blogs, it is refreshing to read something again that is the no-strings-attached real deal.
I feel like I’ve been sitting here all these years watching the world go by, in my “only dead fish go with the flow” sort of way, while Justin is out there doing all sorts of different stuff with hotted-up bikes, hotted-up cars, hotted-up web design, and all sorts of other stuff.
Here’s an example of what I mean:
The Met helmet was awesome, so cool. Nice to see a couple of other riders out there with them on too. The TLD XC gloves, whilst suuper comfy for the first hour, are a bit thin. Might look into thicker gloves. The Joplin seatpost is a miracle which I called on a billion times today on the fly. It gives you power when you need it for the climbs and gives you bucket loads of confidence for the tech downhill stuff.
I don’t what half of that means, but it’s fun to read.
Update: Justin’s blog can now be found here.
Originally published Monday 11 August 2008, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.
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Australia, blogs, legacy, self publishing, Sydney
A late evening visit to the Sacred Heart Monastery, Kensington, Sydney
26 September 2007
Skulking around the darkened grounds of monasteries isn’t exactly my idea of living it up on a Saturday evening, but there I was last weekend, up at the Sacred Heart Monastery in the Sydney suburb of Kensington, armed with my camera, looking for photo opportunities.
I’ve been intrigued for some time by a floodlit building I can see across the racecourse from my living room window, so finally decided to trace the spectacle to its source.
The jaunt had the hallmarks of a c-grade horror movie though. The overly quiet tree lined street the monastery is located on. The ground’s wrought iron gate complete with squeaky hinges. The dark, foreboding, stairs leading up to the front of the building. Who knew what might be lurking there in the deep, gloomy, shadows.
It’s in the name of art, I kept telling myself as I apprehensively ascended the stairs. Yet, I lived to blog about the experience…
Originally published Wednesday 26 September 2007, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.
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