Macquarie Street, Vivid Sydney

These blue lighthouses were installed throughout the city as part of the Macquarie Visions displays during the Vivid Sydney festival. Governor Lachlan Macquarie commissioned Australia’s first lighthouse in 1816 at South Head to guide ships to the new colony and emerging trading town of Sydney. He was so impressed with the design of what is now known as the Macquarie Lighthouse that he granted convict architect Francis Greenway his freedom. He went on to build many impressive Sydney buildings as Government Architect. This replica lighthouse (left) was located in Macquarie Street, close to the Hyde Park Barracks museum. The red illuminated traffic cones (right) provided a balance further down Macquarie Street, outside Parliament House.

Circular Quay, Vivid Sydney

The buildings around Circular Quay were recently lit up with an array of colours and patterns for the Vivid Sydney Festival.

 Linked to: Weekend Reflections.

St Mary's Cathedral, Vivid Sydney, Macquarie Visions

St Mary's Cathedral featured light projections as part of Macquarie Visions at this year's Vivid Sydney festival. The theme of this light show was Designing A Nation, which explores Governor Lachlan Macquarie's role in the implementation of hundreds of major building projects in the colony including churches, schools, hospitals, roads, banks and agricultural developments. He also laid the foundation stone for St Mary's Cathedral. While this wasn't strictly a skywatch, this light show on the cathedral's steeples did look spectacular against a black sky.

Linked to: Skywatch Friday.

Macquarie Street, The Macquarie Arch

The Macquarie Arch (left) was installed at the end of Macquarie Street, as part of Macquarie Visions during the Vivid Sydney Festival. The illuminated arch symbolises the road over the Blue Mountains, which was one of Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s visions and a great achievement. St James Anglican Church, which is an example of the architectural work in the Macquarie period, can be seen here through the arch (right).

Hyde Park, Vivid Sydney

Vivid Sydney is a festival of light, music and ideas which ran from 27th May to 21st June. This is the second year that the city has held the festival that features large-scale light installations and projections, music performances and creative ideas summits. This year in Hyde Park, the Archibald Fountain and trees were bathed in a blue light. A daytime photo of the Archibald Fountain can be seen here.

Linked to: Watery Wednesday.

Darling Harbour, FIFA Fan Fest

The Sydney International FIFA Fan Fest has been set up at Darling Harbour for the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Soccer matches are broadcast live on giant screens in Tumbalong Park and Cockle Bay. Because of the time difference, most matches are played late at night or early in the morning, Australia time. Last Saturday night the fans gathered at Darling Harbour to watch Australia play Ghana at midnight. Every time a goal is scored by any team, flames shoot up in the air beside the screens, to add to the celebration and excitement.

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Watsons Bay, war memorial

 This war memorial is the Lieutenant Gideon James Grieve Memorial which sits in Gap Park, on a clifftop at Watsons Bay. This Boer War monument, made of sandstone and marble, once supported the figure of Lieutenant Grieve, who was originally from Scotland, in highland dress uniform. It was also originally designed as a drinking fountain with a tap and a cup. Australians served in contingents from the six colonies in 1900, as part of the British Empire, and then as the Commonwealth of Australia from 1901 for the Boer War in South Africa. The inscription reads: To the memory of the late Lieutenant G. J. Grieve who fell fighting at the Battle of Paardeberg, South Africa 18 February 1900, aged 36.

Watsons Bay

The view across the bay from the eastern suburb of Watsons Bay towards Sydney Harbour at twilight. In the distance is the city skyline from Sydney Tower to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

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Watsons Bay, baths

The golden sunset was reflected in the waters of the Watsons Bay Baths, in the eastern suburb of Watsons Bay. The sun then dropped behind the bushland in the northern suburb of Mosman, across Sydney Harbour, which can be seen here.

Linked to: Weekend Reflections

Arncliffe, sewer vent

This tall sewer vent dominates the skyline at West Botany Street in the southern suburb of Arncliffe. It was constructed at the turn of the 20th century as part of the Western Outfall Sewer. By the late 1800s, the five outfall sewers which drained into Sydney Harbour had grossly polluted it. As replacements, the Southern Outfall Sewer was constructed in 1886 including an experimental sewage farm, followed by the Bondi Ocean Outfall Sewer in 1889 and the Western Suburbs Outfall Sewer in 1898. These outfalls still serve the city today, south of the harbour. Sewer vents introduce a flow of fresh air through sewers to reduce the production of noxious and corrosive gases by enabling their release.

Linked to: Skywatch Friday.

Petersham, shops

These two heritage buildings in Victorian styles are located on Parramatta Road, in the inner west suburb of Petersham, bordering Leichhardt. Both Brighton Hall and the building with the iron lacework balcony and corrugated bullnose awning have been restored and are now used as commercial space. Anyone that is familiar with Parramatta Road would know how lucky I was to find a rare quiet moment to take this shot unobstructed by traffic and only one parked van out the front.

Haberfield, Iron Cove

The view across Iron Cove to Dobroyd Point in the inner west suburb of Haberfield. The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) Rowing Club can be seen on the shore here. This area is also known for great Federation style houses some of which can be seen here on the hill.

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Haberfield, bank

This former bank building on the corner of Dalhousie Street and Ramsay Street in the inner city suburb of Haberfield is now a pasticceria, an Italian pastry shop. Pasticceria Papa produces cakes, pastries, breads and pizzas. Many of the old banks and post offices in the suburbs have new uses these days. This building doubles as a cafe with seating inside and the courtyard behind the shop.

Drummoyne, Masonic Temple

The Masonic Hall is a heritage building on Victoria Road in the inner west suburb of Drummoyne. Built in 1905 in the Federation Free Style it now houses a couple of commercial premises at street level. The real estate agent beside the home loans broker seems a perfect fit.

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.