North Cronulla Beach

Cronulla is a southern suburb of Sydney which features a number of beaches. North Cronulla Beach is popular with surfers, sunbakers and families. This view of the beach with the apartments behind it, is from the north.

Cronulla Beach

A view of the beach in the southern suburb of Cronulla. The southernmost patrolled beach is simply known as Cronulla Beach but is sometimes also referred to as South Cronulla Beach. The Cronulla Lifesaving Club and Cronulla Pavilion are art-deco buildings that sit behind the beach. It's summer holiday time in Sydney and many Sydneysiders head for the beaches. 

Milsons Point, New Years Eve celebrations

An estimated 1.5 million people watched the fireworks from vantage points around Sydney Harbour last night. The early fireworks at 9pm on the harbour are for families to enjoy and then they can go home early. The fireworks at midnight are a lot more spectacular since they are also launched off the Sydney Harbour Bridge and city skyscrapers. Milson's Point, north of Sydney Harbour, was a lot less crowded than the city always was. Here are a couple of shots from both sides of the bridge, although my camera is not too good at night.

North Cronulla Beach, tower

This lifeguard tower sits behind North Cronulla Beach, on the edge of Dunningham Park, in the southern suburb of Cronulla. It is located near the North Cronulla Lifesavers Club.

Sydney Park, chimneys, Christmas

Sydney Park is a large recreation area at Alexandria, bordering St Peters. It includes part of the former brickworks on the corner of King Street and Sydney Park Road. Christmas decorations adorn the chimneys every year.

Gymea, Christmas

Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, adorns the shop awnings in the southern Sydney suburb of Gymea.

Pitt Street Mall, Christmas

Boxing Day, the day after Christmas Day, is a public holiday in Australia and is also traditionally the start of the Post Christmas Sales. Pitt Street Mall is a pedestrian mall which is arguably Sydney's premiere shopping district. This year, the shopping has been somewhat interrupted by construction work. Some arcades such as the Mid City Centre and Imperial Arcade are being demolished and redeveloped, while Centrepoint will soon be extensively refurbished and redeveloped. These Christmas shoppers are in hectic Pitt Street Mall, outside the heritage Soul Pattinson's Chemist building.

St Mary's Cathedral, Christmas Nativity Scene

This Christmas Nativity Scene is located in the forecourt of St Mary's Cathedral, beside Cook and Phillip Park, along College Street.

David Jones department store, Christmas

Each year the David Jones department store in Elizabeth Street features an elaborate window display for Christmas. This year the theme is Santa's Workshop, featuring animated marionettes. In the past, Sydney had many more department stores that also followed the Christmas tradition. The other department stores are gone now and when the Myer department store was redeveloped a few years ago, they abandoned this Christmas tradition, leaving David Jones as the only department store attracting Christmas shoppers to its window display.

Darling Harbour, sculpture

The Dancing Brolgas fountain, with sculptured water birds dancing around the fountain, is located at Cockle Bay Wharf at Darling Harbour. It was designed by Terrance Plowright and created in cast stainless steel in 1998. The Darling Harbour people mover train makes a stop here.

Darling Harbour, Christmas Tree

This large contemporary Christmas tree sits outside the Sydney Convention Centre at Darling Harbour. It provides a spectacular lighting display at night and during the day it has a metallic look, made up of green tinsel, a gold star at the top and metallic baubles and decoration. It also features white kangaroos as decorations which are a nod to the classic Australian Christmas song 'Six White Boomers' made famous by Rolf Harris back in 1960. A boomer is an adult male kangaroo.

Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun.
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
On his Australian run.

Darrel Lea Chocolates, Christmas

The Darrell Lea Chocolate shop is on the corner of George Street and King Street. Over the years, Sydney has lost a lot of heritage buildings as many were demolished to make way for skyscrapers and other modern buildings. Some heritage buildings have survived in the city, sometimes engulfed by contemporary buildings, such as this small shop on the corner surrounded by the Telstra office tower.

Sydney Square, Christmas

 
A Christmas tree surrounded by flower boxes is located in the middle of Sydney Square, beside the town hall.

Sydney Town Hall, Christmas

The Sydney Town Hall is one of the public buildings decorated every year for Christmas. The heritage listed building was designed by John H. Wilson and completed in 1889 in the Grand Victorian Second Empire architectural style. 

Sydney Town Hall, Christmas

 
The Sydney Town Hall is one of the public buildings decorated every year for Christmas. The heritage listed building was designed by John H. Wilson and completed in 1889 in the Grand Victorian Second Empire architectural style. 

Sydney Town Hall, Christmas

 
The Sydney Town Hall is one of the public buildings decorated every year for Christmas. The heritage listed building was designed by John H. Wilson and completed in 1889 in the Grand Victorian Second Empire architectural style. 

Hyde Park, Christmas

 

This Christmas tree surrounded by flower boxes is located in the middle of Hyde Park North.

Martin Place, Christmas decorations

Christmas banners and stars in red, green and yellow adorn light poles throughout the city. These banners and decorations are located outside the Reserve Bank building in Martin Place.

Martin Place, Christmas Tree

Sydney's largest Christmas tree is located in Martin Place, a pedestrian mall in the heart of the city. Every year, the festive season begins in the city with the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree in late November, which is followed by a concert in the mall. This year, the tree decorations are stars in the traditional Christmas colours of red, green and gold.

Pitt Street Mall, Christmas Tree

This Christmas Tree is located outside the heritage listed Soul Pattinson's Chemist building in Pitt Street Mall. This pedestrian mall has featured entrances to a number of arcades and shopping centres such as Centrepoint, the Strand Arcade, the Imperial Arcade, Skygarden, Sydney Central, Sydney Arcade and Mid City Centre.

Queen Victoria Building, Christmas Tree

A giant Christmas tree is erected in the central atrium of the Queen Victoria Building every year. It is three storeys high and the top almost reaches the stained-glass dome. The Queen Victoria Building is currently being renovated and this photo shows views of the tree with the new colour scheme on the top level. The new colour scheme can be seen on the top level.

Queen Victoria Building, Christmas Tree

 
A giant Christmas tree is erected in the central atrium of the Queen Victoria Building every year. It is three storeys high and the top almost reaches the stained-glass dome. The Queen Victoria Building is currently being renovated and this photo shows views of the tree with the new colour scheme on the top level. The heritage colours have not yet been altered on the lower level.

Queen Victoria Building

The Queen Victoria Building is a retail centre that fills an entire city block, bounded by George, Market, York and Druitt Streets. It was named after the ruling monarch Queen Victoria and features Romanesque Revival architecture. When the building was completed in 1898 it had showrooms, coffee shops and a concert hall. The concert hall later became the municipal library and the building was used for offices of the Sydney City Council. The building steadily deteriorated and by 1959 was threatened with demolition. It was meticulously restored between 1984 and 1986 using heritage fittings, tiles and colour schemes which helped the building become a prime retail centre in Sydney. A controversial refurbishment began in 2008 that saw changes including modern features and new colour schemes that critics believe have lowered the heritage significance of the building. The new colour scheme and glass signage, lights, handrails, carpets and shopfronts can be seen on the southern part of the building.

Queen Victoria Building

The Queen Victoria Building is a retail centre that fills an entire city block, bounded by George, Market, York and Druitt Streets. It was named after the ruling monarch Queen Victoria and features Romanesque Revival architecture. When the building was completed in 1898 it had showrooms, coffee shops and a concert hall. The concert hall later became the municipal library and the building was used for offices of the Sydney City Council. The building steadily deteriorated and by 1959 was threatened with demolition. It was meticulously restored between 1984 and 1986 using heritage fittings, tiles and colour schemes which helped the building become a prime retail centre in Sydney. A controversial refurbishment began in 2008 that saw changes including modern features and new colour schemes that critics believe have lowered the heritage significance of the building. The unaltered heritage colours and signs can be still seen on the northern part of the building. 

Maroubra Junction Hotel

The Maroubra Junction Hotel is located on Maroubra Road, Maroubra. Maroubra Junction is a locality in the suburb that derives its name from the location of the former electric tramways junction for services from the city to Maroubra Beach and La Perouse, which closed in 1961.

Carss Park Cottage

Carss Park Cottage is a sandstone cottage built in 1860 by William Carss that now sits in the middle of Carss Bush Park. The cottage and recreational area overlook Kogarah Bay and the Carss Park Tidal Baths.

Wolli Creek, flats

The apartment blocks being built in Wolli Creek are all starting to look the same.

Kogarah, library

The public library at Kogarah sits behind Kogarah Town Square.

Carlton, railway station

 
This view of Carlton railway station platforms is from the concourse, in the southern suburb of Carlton. It is serviced by the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line. This heritage listed station was built in 1889 as part of the Illawarra Line from Redfern to Hurstville. 

Canterbury, pub

Hotel Canterbury is located on the corner of Canterbury Road and Tincombe Street, in the inner west suburb of Canterbury. This heritage listed pub was designed by C. C. Ruwald and built in 1941. It was formerly known as the Inter War Hotel.

Earlwood, pub

Earlwood Hotel was built in 1931 in the Inter War style and is located on the corner of Homer Street and Clark Street, in the inner west suburb of Earlwood. 

Kogarah, Community Centre

Kogarah Community Aid and Information Centre is located on the corner of Railway Parade and Belgrade Street, in the southern suburb of Kogarah. The turreted building was designed by government architect Walter L Vernon in the Federation Queen Anne style and built in 1892. This heritage listed building was formerly the site of the Kogarah Post Office until 1974.

Brighton-Le-Sands, statue

This statue stands in Cook Park,on the shore of Botany Bay, in the southern suburb of Brighton-Le-Sands. This contemporary statue is of Spyros Louis, a Greek gold medallist and winner of the first marathon of the modern Olympic Games in 1896 . It was sculpted by Pavlos Kougioumtzis. Brighton-Le-Sands is one of the centres for the Greek community in Sydney and features many Greek businesses and restaurants.

Liverpool, hospital

Liverpool Health Service building is located along Goulburn Street, in the southwestern suburb of Liverpool.

Liverpool statue

This contemporary statue of Governor Lachlan Macquarie sits outside the old Westpac Bank in Macquarie Street.

Greenacre, bench

A bench in McGuigan Place, a small pedestrian mall between Waterloo Road and Wilbur Street, in the western suburb of Greenacre.

Rookwood, monument

This monument at Rookwood cemetery is known as the old Chinese shrine. Rookwood Necropolis is the largest multicultural cemetery in the southern hemisphere. Anglican, General, Independent, Jewish and Muslim Trusts are the custodians of this site to provide burial and commemoration services.

Alexandria, Parkview Hotel

The Parkview Hotel is located on the corner of Mitchell Road and Harley Street, in the inner city suburb of Alexandria. The Parkview Hotel was originally built in 1898, as a perfect example of an old English Tavern.