Drummoyne, Iron Cove

 A view across Iron Cove to the inner west suburb of Drummoyne from Chiswick.

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Kogarah, workshop

This mechanic's workshop at Kogarah suffered a collapse last Saturday. The excavation work at the front of the building by the power company, following three weeks of rain, resulted in the foundations giving way. It wasn't a particularly remarkable building but the old shopfront with its eyecatching colours made it a landmark on the Princess Highway. There was traffic chaos when the highway had to be shut down so workmen could demolish the shopfont and stabilise the rest of the building.

Rodd Point, Iron Cove

This view across Iron Cove towards the inner west suburb of Rodd Point from Lilyfield looked wonderful after a rainy day.

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The 3 Wise Monkeys Pub, George Street

The 3 Wise Monkeys Pub is located in on the corner of George Street and Liverpool Street in a heritage listed, former bank building. The three wise monkey statues (top) above the entrance have been dressed in supporters colours for the Soccer 2010 FIFA World Cup which starts tomorrow in South Africa. From left to right, Speak No Evil barracks for South Korea, See No Evil barracks for Australia and Hear No Evil barracks for England. The building was designed for a bank by Wardell and Vernon Architects in the Victorian Italianate style and built in 1886. It was originally the 'Southern Branch' of The Bank of Australia which then became The Bank of Australasia from 1879, the ANZ bank from 1970 to 1998 and was finally turned into a pub in 2000.

Brighton-Le-Sands, beach

The empty beach in the southern suburb of Brighton-Le-Sands, looking out across Botany Bay. The beach volleyball courts and the swimming enclosure lie abandoned under the grey skies of Winter, except for a visiting seagull.

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Dawes Point, stairs

This steel staircase links the rows of old and new terrace houses high on the hill at Dawes Point to the Walsh Bay wharves on the harbour. The exposed sandstone and sandstone retaining walls give this area some great character and you don't see many of these sorts of steel staircases around the city in public areas. It is located opposite Pottinger Park and the Three Sisters artwork that I featured yesterday.
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Dawes Point, Three Sisters

Three Sisters is a sculpture that sits in Pottinger Park in inner city suburb of Dawes Point. This sort of artwork in three pieces is known as a triptych. It was created in 1970 by Gordon Andrews, who also designed Australia's first decimal currency banknotes implemented in 1966. It is part of the Walsh Bay Sculpture Walk. This small park is on a hill behind the Walsh Bay wharves, with a backdrop of sandstone and terrace houses and in the other direction, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge viewed from Blues Point, in the northern suburb of McMahons Point.

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Millers Point, Towns Place North

Towns Place North is a building that was redeveloped as part of the Walsh Bay Urban Renewal Project in the inner city suburb of Millers Point. The two storey timber-framed weatherboard building was built in 1910 as a detached office building at the port facilities here. The exterior has been restored and a timber footbridge linking to Pier 8/9 Wharf been reinstated, although it now links to a new Walsh Bay apartment block beside it.

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Millers Point, Black Totem II

Black Totem II (left) is a sculpture created by Brett Whiteley and posthumously completed by his wife Wendy Whiteley, Matthew Dillon and Franco Belgiorno-Nettis in 1993. It was installed at the top of Windmill Steps in 2004, on Windmill Street in the inner city suburb of Millers Point. The forecourt also features a number of interesting benches (right) made of weathered timber and stainless steel, which overlook the Millers Point wharf and Sydney Harbour.

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Millers Point, Palisade Hotel

The Palisade Hotel is a historic hotel on the corner of Dalgety Road and Bettington Street, in the inner city suburb of Millers Point. The Palisade Hotel was designed by Henry Deane Walsh in the Federation Free Style and built in 1912, replacing an earlier hotel of the same name. The name came from the palisade fence built between Munn Street and Bettington Street. It overlooks the wharves in Walsh Bay and is close to many old warehouses in this area, so was popular with wharfies and labourers who worked in the area. The pub and hotel closed about a year ago for restoration work but the work has yet to be begin and the pub remains boarded up.

Millers Point, wharf

 A view of Pier 9 at Walsh Bay in the inner city suburb of Millers Point. The Walsh Bay wharves were originally part of Sydney's port facilities but have now been converted into theatres, offices, hotels, apartments, restaurants, cafes and shops. This building on Piers 8/9 is used for office space. There's a glimpse of Blues Point Tower in this shot, which is the notorious apartment block at McMahons Point, across Sydney Harbour.

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Leichhardt, advertising (Theme Day: Funny Signs)

 There's nothing like truth in advertising or in this case the motto of a furniture shop: Butt Ugly Blokes Building Handsome Furniture For Beautiful People. The furniture shop is called 'Three of a Kind Store' and is located on Parramatta Road, in the inner west suburb of Leichhardt. This is the back laneway delivery entrance to the shop and the sign is on the side street, which can be seen from the man road. I took this photo a while ago but didn't find a good reason to post it, until this theme day gave me a perfect excuse.

Linked to: Theme Day, My World Tuesday.

Darlinghurst, Underworld

 Underworld is an art installation at Taylor Square, in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst. The artwork is part of the Taylor Square Plinth Project, which is having three temporary art projects installed from 2009 to 2011 to enliven the square and make people think about art. Underworld, by Dale Miles, is a set of colourful arachnid legs emerging from the staircase of a disused underground gentlemen's convenience. This work of art gives voice to the lost habitat of the notorious and venemous Sydney Funnel Web Spider.

Alexandria, Sydney Park, wetlands

Sydney Park is a large inner city recreational area in the inner city suburb of Alexandria. It features a number of ponds and wetlands that attract many animals and birds. This is a view  of the pond in the south-east corner of the park with a Little Black Cormorant, also known as a Shag, is seen here sunning its wings, while its mate enjoys the view from the boardwalk.

 Linked to: Scenic Sunday

Alexandria, Sydney Park, pond

Sydney Park is a former brickworks that has been transformed into 44 hectares of parkland, in the inner city suburb of Alexandria. This storm water retention pond, with a weir, stores rainwater for the connected ponds and wetland areas in the park.

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Connells Point, tree

This tree on the nature strip beside the road, on Morshead Drive in the southern suburb of Connells Point. It seems that rather than move the power lines for the street lights or remove the tree altogether, the power company has decided to sculpt the tree into a ring to allow the power line to run through the middle unobstructed. I discovered this tree while out exploring the sights and thought it was a different way to view the sky.

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Watsons Bay, promenade

The promenade behind the harbourside beach in the eastern suburb of Watsons Bay, bathed in the golden glow of sunset. The are two famous landmarks here with brilliant views of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline. Doyle's On The Beach is a seafood restaurant on the left and Watsons Bay Hotel is a pub with a beer garden on the right. This was only a couple of weeks ago when we were having unseasonally warm weather and it felt like Summer was still hanging around. We've have a dose of reality since then with rain and a cold snap bringing us back into Autumn.

Watsons Bay, wharf

The view from the Watsons Bay wharf across the bay towards the eastern suburbs of Watsons Bay and Vaucluse at dusk.

 Linked to: Watery Wednesday

Darlinghurst, gaol

The site of the old Darlinghurst Gaol is now occupied by the The National Art School. The walls of the prison were built by convicts between 1822 and 1824. Work began on the prison buildings in 1835 in the Victorian Regency style and took 50 years to complete. By 1840 the Governor's residence, one men's cell block and the women's cell block were finished and prisoners were marched here from the old gaol at The Rocks in 1841. Darlinghurst Gaol was also the site for many executions at the gallows just inside the walls near the intersection of Darlinghurst Road and Burton Street or numerous public executions on a makeshift gallows outside the main gate in Forbes Street. The gaol was the main Sydney penitentiary up until 1914, when inmates were transferred to Long Bay, a new 'model prison' at Malabar. This site was transferred to the New South Wales Department of Education in 1921, who adapted the buildings for use as the East Sydney Technical College and by 2005 was solely occupied by the The National Art School. I've used the old British and Australian spelling for gaol in this post here since that's the way it was spelt back then, even though the American spelling for jail seems to be more commonly used in Australia these days.

Linked to: My World Tuesday.

Darlinghurst, National Art School

The Forbes Street entrance of the The National Art School in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst. This was originally the main entrance of Darlinghurst Gaol. The walls surrounding the prison were built by convicts between 1822 and 1824. The site was transferred to the New South Wales Department of Education in 1921, who adapted the buildings for use as the East Sydney Technical College and the National Art School. In 2005, the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) College moved off the site, leaving The National Art School as the sole occupant.

Darlinghurst, police station

 The former police station in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst is now used as a Community Health Centre. Located behind Taylor Square, it sits on the corner of Bourke Street and Forbes Street, opposite Darlinghurst Court House and the old Darlinghurst Gaol.

Linked to: Scenic Sunday.

Darlinghurst, court house

The Darlinghurst Court House is located on Oxford Street at Taylor Square, in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst. This sandstone court house is still used by the New South Wales Supreme Court. The central block, designed by Mortimer Lewis, was built in 1835 in the Greek revival architectural style, with the side wings added in the 1880s. The court house was connected to the old Darlinghurst Gaol, which was located directly behind it, via underground passages.

Darlinghurst, Horizon Apartments

The Horizon Apartments rise above the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst. This landmark building with the scalloped balconies was designed by Harry Seidler and Associates and completed in 1998. It was shaped to gain the greatest exposure to views centred on the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. The 43-storey tower contains 260 apartments and an excavated five-storey, 500 car garage.

Linked to: Skywatch Friday.

Croydon, The Strand

The Strand is a typical suburban street with a shopping strip in the inner west suburb of Croydon. It is part of the Malvern Hill Estate which was subdivided in 1909 and designed as a model suburb with Federation style houses and tree-lined streets. Lined with rows of shops in the Federation style and palm trees in the centre traffic island, this street is now heritage listed in its entirety.

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Point Piper, Seven Shillings Beach

Seven Shillings Beach sits along the shore of Blackburn Cove on Sydney Harbour, in the eastern suburb of Point Piper. Blackburn Gardens is a heritage garden that sits behind the wall of the sandy beach, adjoining Woollahra Library. Access to the beach is from the adjoining Redleaf Pool. This beach is named after the seven shillings paid to Gurrah, a local Aboriginal man who sold his fishing rights here to William Busby in the 1800s.

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Double Bay, Redleaf Pool

Redleaf Pool is an enclosed swimming area on Sydney Harbour, in the eastern suburb of Double Bay. There are two pontoons floating in the middle of the pool that are a perfect spot for swimmers to rest and enjoy the sun. Last weekend we had above average Autumn temperatures in Sydney, so the pool attracted quite a few swimmers but not quite the crowd it can usually attract in Summer. The kiosk and cafe behind the sandy beach provide glorious views over Blackburn Cove, Point Piper and Sydney Harbour. The pool is named after the Redleaf estate, which was owned by William Busby, a pastoralist and politician in the 1800s.

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Point Piper, Redleaf Pool

 A view of apartments in the eastern suburb of Point Piper from the boardwalk around Redleaf Pool at Double Bay.

Sydney Harbour, celebration

 A scenic view of Sydney Harbour from the rooftop of the Glenmore Hotel at The Rocks yesterday, where we had a Sydney Bloggers Meeting. The boats on the harbour, the people on the Sydney Opera House steps and the helicopters in the sky were there in the afternoon to celebrate the return of Jessica Watson, the youngest person ever to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.

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Arncliffe, house

 'Gables' is a recently restored house built in the Federation style on Forest Road, in the southern suburb of Arncliffe.

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Wolli Creek, sunset

The sun sets just beside the apartments in the southern suburb of Wolli Creek, viewed from the banks of the Cooks River at Tempe.

Linked to: Skywatch Friday

Barangaroo, art

This giant spider and web are located in an abandoned stairway in the sandstone wall at Barangaroo. This part of Hickson Road is now officially named The Hungry Mile, recognising its nickname during the Great Depression. It came from harbourside workers lined up along the road opposite the wharves as foremen chose the casual labourers for the day and those without work were often left hungry. I had trouble finding information about this artwork and then noticed a sign in the corner for Guerrilla Gardeners, which was a short-lived reality television, gardening makeover show. The gardeners would spruce up certain parts of the city that they feel had been neglected and created controversy with local councils because they did the work without permission and the show highlighted the council’s neglect. Strangely, this doesn't appear in the website's list of episodes but the show was axed, so maybe the work on this project never screened. Without regular maintenance, some of the plants on the stairway look rather neglected, just like another of their installations at Moore Park.

Darling Harbour, ferry

The S.S. South Steyne is a former Sydney Ferry that is now berthed next to Pyrmont Bridge at Darling Harbour. The 70 metres long steamship is the world's largest operational steam ferry. It was built in Leith, Scotland for the Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company in 1938 and was in service between Manly and Circular Quay for over 36 years. It was restored in 1987 and is now used as a floating restaurant.

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The Rocks, film shoot

I stumbled across this film shoot a couple of weeks ago, which I think might have been for a television commercial. It was shot behind the Australian Steamship Navigation Company building at The Rocks, that I featured yesterday. The usually quiet Circular Quay West was transformed into a busy city street involving a number of cars and people, with a fake street light, bench, payphone and zebra pedestrian crossing markings. The set up must have taken a really long time and I saw the performers waiting around for quite a while. The cameras only rolled for about two minutes and then everybody scattered. I took these photos from Elevated Road which connects to the Overseas Passenger Terminal.

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The Rocks, Australian Steamship Navigation Company building

The Australian Steamship Navigation Company building (ASNC) is located on the corner of Hickson Road and George Street at The Rocks. This warehouse and office building was designed by William Wardell in the Federation Anglo-Dutch style and completed in 1884. It was later used as Government Ordnance Stores and in 1906 the Department of Defence moved in. It was converted to office space and from 1950 was occupied by the Australian Commonwealth Offices for the Department of Works and Housing. It was acquired by the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority in 1989, who restored it in 1991-92 to its original appearance. It now has galleries, retail space and restaurants at street level on Hickson Road and Circular Quay West and commercial offices on the upper floors.

Woronora, bridge

Woronora River Bridge crosses the Woronora River, between the southern suburbs of Sutherland and Woronora. It was completed in 2001 to eliminate the steep descents and ascents for traffic using the Old Woronora Bridge, which also remains in use for local traffic, just south of this bridge. The new bridge is approximately 600 metres long and features a 3 metre public wide shared pedestrian walkway and cycleway suspended below the northern deck.

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Cronulla, ferry wharf

 Cronulla ferry wharf is located on Gunnamatta Bay, in the southern suburb of Cronulla. It is serviced by Cronulla and National Park Ferry Cruises which provides regular ferry services across Port Hacking estuary between Croulla and Bundeena, on the edge of the Royal National Park.

Cronulla, Wanda Beach, sunrise

The sunrise provided a bit of colour in the gap on the horizon for an otherwise overcast sky above Bate Bay last Saturday morning. I discovered this magnificent wooden bench in the shape of a surfboard installed at the lookout behind Wanda Beach, close to the Greenhills sand dunes. It's a perfect surf culture design for the great surf beaches here, in the southern suburb of Cronulla. Another view can be seen here.

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Kyeemagh, mural

These are two sections of a mural created by Roger Robinson Artwrx at Cook Park, in the southern suburb of Kyeemagh. 'Noise Wall Mural' was commissioned by Sydney Water to cover the concrete walls surrounding construction work for Sydney's desalination plant at Kurnell, currently in progress. These excerpts feature yachts on Botany Bay during the day and the moon and the Southern Cross constellation at night.

Holroyd, brickworks

The lake in the middle of Holroyd Gardens Park was created by filling an old clay brickpit in the western suburb of Holroyd. The old Goodlet and Smith Brickworks that were located here, were founded in 1884 and ceased operating in 1989. They were redeveloped as part of the Holroyd Gardens Estate in 2004. The remaining heritage brickwork kilns and associated buildings (left) sit alongside the new residential flats (right).

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Redfern, The Redfern Bower

This sculpture is located on the corner of Regent Street and Redfern Street, in the inner city suburb of Redfern. 'The Redfern Bower' was designed by Susan Mine and Greg Stonehouse in 2007-2008. The plaque reads: This artwork transforms the mysterious courtship ritual of the bower bird into a contemporary sculpture, using items from the Redfern community to reflect and celebrate the heritage of the area.

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Redfern, court house

The Redfern Court House is located in Redfern Street, in the inner city suburb of Redfern. This heritage listed sandstone building was constructed in 1898 and used as a local court until 2008. It was designed by Walter Liberty Vernon, the first New South Wales Government Architect, in the Federation Free Classical style.

Redfern, post office

The post office in the inner city suburb of Redfern is a wonderful heritage building with a magnificent clock tower and cupola. Completed in 1882, it was designed by James Barnet in the Victorian Free Classical style.

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The Rocks, Biggles (Theme Day: Statues)

I've featured many statues of prominent people around Sydney but for this theme day I thought I'd feature something a bit different. This bronze statue of a dog called 'Biggles', created in 1995, is located at the corner of Atherden Street and Playfair Street at The Rocks, outside his owner's home. The Miniature Schnauzer born in 1980, was a loved friend of the community here and his antics such as leaping off balconies to chase cats, made him a minor celebrity. He met with an unfortunate end, last seen leaping off a cliff near Mrs Macquarie's Chair in 1994, rumoured to be chasing a rat. The devastated local community rallied around to organise a statue in his honour.
 Linked to: Theme Day.