Trade Wall

Inside the Museum of Sydney is this wall displaying goods available in Sydney shops and streets of the 1830s, as advertised in daily newspapers.

Things Past Part 3: Edmondson tickets.

At Central Station there is a nice little display of railway heritage in the beatifully restored old ticket office.

The Edmondson railway ticket was a system for validating the payment of railway fares, and accounting for the revenue raised, introduced in the 1840s. It is named after its inventor, Thomas Edmondson, a trained cabinet maker, who became a station master on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway in England. He introduced his system on the Manchester and Leeds Railway.

The tickets were printed on cards about 1 inch by 2 inches (2.5 by 5 cm), and were numbered. When the ticket was issued, it was date-stamped by a custom-made machine. The tickets to different destinations and of different types were stored in a lockable cupboard where the highest number of each issue was visible. Different colours and patterns helped distinguish the different types of tickets.

Edmondson tickets were phased out in NSW from 1991.

Things Past Part 2: Platform Tickets

Platform ticket machines were introduced in the 19th century, to allow non-travellers access to country train platforms for farewelling and greeting people. In 1993, with the introduction of computerised ticketing they became redundant. This machine is in the rail heritage centre at Central Station.

I remember these ticket machines at Central Station. I am sure my family probably bought them when they farewelled me on the train to Perth when I went to a Girl Guide trip there in 1972. It was, and still is, a 3 day journey across the continent. I remember listening to the Olympic Games from Munich broadcast on the radio, and being very excited as Shane Gould, who is the same age as me, won swimming medals. While we were in Perth the tragedy of the massacre in the Olympic village occurred.

Tempe House - then and now (Tempe House Tour Part 8)

To finish this series about Tempe House I was keen to take some photos from similar vantage points from which 19th century artists depicted it. These were taken from Kendrick Park in Tempe, across the Cooks River.

Many people and heritage organisations argue that the Wolli Creek development has ruined the context and setting of Tempe House, and I agree. Others say that, sadly, it was the only way the house could be preserved at all. That is probably true too. In the 1990s the state government was lobbied to buy the site and restore the house, as the only one of its architect, Verge, still in its original setting, with no bulk behind. They declined.

I think it is such a shame that a development of this size and bulk was presented as the only option. Sadly, in Sydney, developers are allowed to extract every cent they can. Promises were also made that there would be public access, including the parkland sweeping down to the river, but it has never been open as far as I know, and the house, while beautifully restored by renowned heritage architectures is sitting unused and inaccessible (other than to curious bloggers who scramble up rock faces, scale walls and straddle fences...and to the owners of the apartments who have private access through electronic codes on gates.)

Postscript: This afternoon I went into the city to see an exhibition at the Museum of Sydney called Lost Gardens of Sydney. The garden of Tempe House is one of those featured.

Below: Taken 18 Sep 2008

Below: Cooks River Tempe House by Conrad Martens, 1838

Below: 18 September 2008

Below: Tempe House by Samuel Elyard, 1836
Below: Cooks River with Tempe House by James Clarke. I couldn't get a similar vantage point because the railway bridge now runs at the right, and the river is obscured by trees in the park

From Tempe House to Cook's River (Tempe House Tour Part 7)

One of the positives of the development at Wolli Creek is the rehabilitation of the parkland sweeping down to the Cook's River. Alexander Brodie Spark once had a bathing pavilion on the river.

Unfortunately we have heard nothing about this space being publicly available, as was promised to the communtiy.

The suburb across the river is Tempe, named after the house.

Tomorrow: looking across the river from the other side.

Wolli Creek development - the pool (Tempe House Tour Part 5)

The apartment pool is now obscured from view by opaque glass, but I took this pic in 2006 soon after completion.

Tempe House - the facade and Mount Olympus (Tempe House Tour Part 4)

Spark died in October 1856. There were no obituaries, and he is buried in an unmarked grave in St Peter’s Church cemetery, Tempe. he had already lost the house to trustees.

In December 1856 there was a partial subdivision of Tempe Estate into 123 suburban lots of between ½ and 2 acres. There was little interest and it was withdrawn in April 1859 and re-sub-divided.

The house and 11 surrounding acres were one lot, and the remainder were 1 to 20 acres.

Tempe was bought by two bachelor brothers, Patrick and Thomas Maguire of George St, Sydney. They paid £ 2000. Neither brother ever lived at Tempe, and it was occupied by a series of wealthy tenants. It was known as Greenbank at this time. The large block of flats immediately behind Tempe House is named Greenbank. The other is named Verge.

Probably the most notable tenant was Caroline Chisholm, dubbed “the immigrants’ friend”. She leased it to run “an educational establishment for young ladies”, until ill-health forced her to abandon it. Chisholm was once on the Australian $5 note, but lost that position when the $1 and $2 notes were replaced by coins. It is tradition to have the monarch's head on the lowest denomination note, so Queen Liz got the gig.

In 1885 the house passed into the hands of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of St Benedict who operated it as St Magdalen’s Retreat for destitute women from 1884 to 1983.

Gradually the function changed from accommodation for destitute women to one primarily for women unable to find employment and in danger of prostitution. Former prostitutes, ex-prisoners and alcoholics were accommodated for two years to work in the laundry, dairy or poultry yard. Younger women were taught cooking, sewing and other domestic duties.

Originally the women accommodated were all volunteers, free to leave at any time, and then the courts increasingly referred young women judged to be in “moral danger”.

I believe that the house was sold to Qantas which had some plans to use it as a training base, but that never came to fruition. The house and grounds quietly disintegrated until it was eventually sold to developers, the results of which we see today.

Mount Olympus (Tempe House Tour Part 3)

The original owner of Tempe House, Alexander Spark Brodie had travelled extensively in Europe, having undertaken the classical gentleman’s Grand Tour of classical sites. As well as naming the estate “Tempe” after the Vale of Tempe in Greece, he named the rocky hill behind Mount Olympus.

Mount Olympus has had a piece sliced off it to accommodate the development.

Tempe House (Tempe House Tour Part 2)

Yesterday we were at the back of Tempe House, looking between the church and house. Today we look back in the other direction.

The house was built for a wealthy and successful Scottish émigré, Alexander Brodie Spark. After achieving business success in London, Spark applied to emigrate to Australia, and arrived in Tasmania on 21 January 1823. Finding that not to his liking, he moved on to Sydney where he arrived on 17 February 1823. He opened a general store in George St, and eventually moved into wool exportation, and owned a ship. He was a major shareholder in the Bank of Australia.

On 10 August 1826, Spark purchased 110 acres of land on the south bank of the Cook’s River. The only way to cross the river was by boat. Spark had a private boatman, “Old Willy”.

Brodie was a great entertainer, and it soon became apparent that the cottage on the site was inadequate, so in 1834 he commissioned John Verge to design an arcadian villa with resemblance to a Greek temple. Verge was a major colonial architect, responsible also for Elizabeth Bay House and Camden Park at Menangle. Verge also designed Spark’s previous home, Tusculum, at Potts Point.

Tempe was completed in 1836, and Brodie made it his permanent home, leasing Tusculum, to the Anglican Bishop of Sydney.

Behind Tempe House (where we were yesterday)there was an orchard, greenhouse, shrubbery and gardener’s cottage. On the river he constructed a rococo bathing house. I'll feature the river in a later post, though, sadly, the bathing house is no more!

Wolli Creek - a new suburb (Tempe House Tour Part 1)

Come with me over the next few days as we have a look around a "brownfields" housing development: the re-use of inner-urban land for modern housing development.

The Wolli (pronounced Woll-eye) Creek apartment development is in an area previously called North Arncliffe. It will house 7000 people, and is an example of creating a new suburb in an inner urban area. It was the site of light industry and a magnificent historic house, Tempe House which had fallen in to disrepair. Come with me over the next week or so while we take a stroll through the Tempe House area of Wolli Creek.

From 1884 to 1983, the house was occupied by Catholic nuns, the Magdalen Sisters, and the church dates from that time. It is now de-commissioned as a church. It is meant to function as some kind of community facility, but as yet, nothing seems to have happened there - it is always locked and off-limits.

Below: The church and Tempe House. Over the next week I will tell you more about Tempe House.


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Sister Cities : The Bonds of Friendship

Above: Sculpture in Loftus St, Sydney called The Bonds of Friendship. It commemorates the sister city relationship between Sydney and Portsmouth, England (for more about the sculpture and its significance - see the text at then end of this post*). This relationship goes to the very origins of Australia as a nation; the First Fleet bringing the first convicts to what was then known as New South Wales, left Portsmouth on 13th May, 1787, arriving at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788. There is an identical sculpture at Sally Port (!!), Portsmouth, England:

Another link between Sydney and Portsmouth is that the first version of the naval cruiser, the Sydney, was commissioned in Portsmouth (not the more famous one sunk during World War 2). The first Sydney served during WW1 and was broken up on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour in 1928.

Sydney has six sister cities (or does it?), and a sister port (which I've blogged before - see here).

The cities are San Francisco, Wellington, Nagoya, Florence, Portsmouth and Guangzhou. The port is Yokkaichi Port Authority, Japan. But, is there controversy? Is Wellington a sister city or not? Sydney City Council claims it is, but Wellington City Council has other ideas, relegating Sydney to the status of "Friendly City", saying "A friendly city relationship is less formal than a sister city relationship and it generally has a lower profile. It is likely to be a long term relationship, but the level of community support and involvement is not as high as with a full sister city relationship." So there, Sydney!

I've posted additional pics relevant to these cities on Sydney Daily Photo Extras.

Ann at Sydney Meanderings and Julie at Sydney Eye are also posting today, so we've divided the spoils. Julie is concentrating on Nagoya, and Ann has gone for Florence and San Francisco. That's why I'm bringing you Portsmouth (and some old pics of mine of Wellington and Guangzhou).

Below: Admiral Nelson's ship The Victory at Portsmouth (taken May 2003). We don't have a replica of that.

To see Sister Cities from all around the world click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Below: Pearl River, Guangzhou, May 1978. The river is now lined with skyscrapers.

Below: View of Wellington, New Zealand October 1984

* Sculpture - The Bonds of Friendship by John Robinson - further details.
The sculpture used to be located outside Customs House, closer to Sydney Cove where the First Fleet arrived. It has been moved about 250 metres inland, after disappearing altogether for a time around 2001.

The plaque in front of it says:

" This memorial commemorates the voyage and arrival in Sydney of the First Fleet which brought to Australia its forst European settlers under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip R.N. The fleet sailed from Portsmouth on 13 May 1787 and anchored in Sydney Cove at a spot just north of this memorial on 26th January 1788.

The fleet comprised eleven ships: H.M.S. Sirius Flagship, H.M.S Supply and armed tender, six transports Alexander, Lady Penrhyn, Charlotte, Scarborough, Friendship and the Prince of Wales, together with three store ships Fishburn, Golden Grove and Borrowdale. At departure they carried a total complement of about 1487 who embarked at Plymouth, Portsmouth and The Thames.

The plinth of the memorial was donated by the Fellowship of First Fleeters, all of whom are direct descendants of those who arrived with the First Fleet. The granite block above the plinth was quarried at Dartmoor, England and donated to the City of Sydney by the City of Portsmouth as a return gift for a similar block of granite from NSW given to them by this city. It was set in place by the Lord Mayor of Sydney on the 2nd July, 1980.

The sculpture Bonds of Friendship was presented by the Bank of N.S.W. It is a companion piece to one erected by the Lord Mayor's Australian Settlers Commemoration Committee of Portsmouth and which is located near the Sally Port at Portsmouth Harbour through which Captain Phillip and many of his fellow voyagers passed on their way to embark.

The Bonds of Friendship symbolises the closeness of the ties that were forged between Portsmouth and Sydney as a result of the voyage of the First Fleet and represents links in a chain joining both cities. It was designed by John Robinson. The donor, the Bank of New South Wales wa sthe first bank and the first corporation established in Australia."

Unveiled 17 September 1980.

Victoria Barracks, Paddington

An Australian Army barracks, one of the best-known examples of colonial military architecture in Australia. The majority of the barracks was constructed by convicts, using locally quarried sandstone, between February 1841 and April 1848. The barracks were occupied by British troops up until 1870 and then taken over by the New South Wales colonial forces. Currently home to both Headquarters Land Command and Headquarters Training Command.

There are guided tours at 10am on Thursdays. I took these on a Saturday, and couldn't get in - took these photos through the fence.

Cafe Hyde Park Barracks, Macquarie St

On the opposite side of the Hyde Park Barracks compound to yesterday's memorial to the Great Irish Famine, is this delightful Cafe of Plenty.

Monument to the Great Irish Famine

Monument to the Great Irish Famine, at Hyde Park Barracks, Macquarie St

More here

Post famine Irish immigration to Australia was very significant with some writers claiming that over 30,000 single Irish women alone arrived over a fifteen-year period between 1848 and 1863. In a male dominated society, these numbers would have altered the demographics of Australia in a very significant way. It is also claimed in many quarters, that 30% of its present population have some Irish blood in their veins.

The Hyde park Barracks were constructed by convict labour (much of which was Irish). As the principal male convict barracks in New South Wales it provided lodgings for convicts (many of whom were Irish) working in government employment around Sydney until its closure in 1848. After then it was an Immigration Depot for single female immigrants (the previously mentioned Irish women) seeking work as domestic servants and awaiting family reunion from 1848 to 1886 and also a female asylum from 1862 to 1886. From 1887 to 1979 law courts and government offices were based at the Barracks.

Camperdown cemetery

A view of the cemetery talked about yesterday.

Camperdown Cemetery sandstone pediment

According to one source, this stone pediment came from the original Maritime Services Building built in the 1850s and commemorates the numerous naval personnel buried in the historic Camperdown Cemetery in inner Sydney. One mass grave holds the remains of the 1857 shipwrecks of the clipper ship the Dunbar (20 Aug 1857) and the barque Catherine Adamson (24 Oct 1857).

The Dunbar was a fully-rigged ship that was wrecked near the entrance to Sydney Harbour, with the loss of 121 lives. See here

The cemetery surrounds St Stephens Anglican Church in Church St, Newtown, just off the busy main road, King St. There are 18 000 people buried there, mainly between 1848 and when it closed (full) in 1867, Many of the graves were of paupers.

Brickpit chimneys, Sydney Park

Over the last two days I've showed a couple of different aspects of Sydney Park at St Peters, in the inner southern suburbs of Sydney.
This park is less than 20 years old. The site was used for clay extraction for making bricks, and then rubbish disposal. These are the brick pit chimneys (which are just visible on the skyline in yesterday's picture.)

Sorry

Photo above from the Sydney Morning Herald

Montage above (left to right, top to bottom):

Welcome ceremony, Parliament House Canberra Tue 12 Feb 2008 (Sydney Morning Herald); The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, delivers the apology and faces around the country (SMH); My artist trading card "Reconciliation"; detail from poster; detail from poster; woman wearing "Thanks T-shirt, Parliament House crowd (ABC TV); detail from poster; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags; Kevin Rudd with Matilda House, who delivered a Welcome to Country at Parliament House 12 Feb 2008; art work; 'Sorry' in skywriting, over Sydney Harbour; Midnight Oil perform at Sydney Olympics wearing "sorry" clothes; march; didgeridoos; Redfern Park - an important venue in the history of "Sorry"; cleansing ceremony, Australia Day 2008.

An amazingly emotional, and unprecedented day in Australian history. The new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, presented the first motion of the new Parliament. It was to say "Sorry" on behalf of Government and Parliament to the Stolen Generations, their families and communities. The Stolen Generations were those Indigenous people taken as children from their families because of government policy between 1910 and 1970. Their "sin" was to be born Aboriginal. Official policy of the time was to "breed out" Aboriginality. The forcible removal of children was meant to effect this over time.

You can hear the Prime Minister's speech, which includes much of the history of these institutionally racist policies, and see a lovely multimedia presentation here.

In 1997 a report titled "Bringing Them Home" documented the harrowing accounts of many who were stolen. Amongst other things, it recommended that as a first step towards Reconciliation an apology be made to the people for the wrongs and traumas that had been endured. The previous Prime Minister refused to utter that most simple and eloquent of words - "Sorry" .

On May 28 2000, 250,000 people walked over Sydney Harbour Bridge to express their support for Reconciliation between Australia's Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Read about that moment here.

On 10 Dec, 1992 then Prime Minister, Paul Keating, who commissioned the Bringing Them Home report, had gone to Redfern Park and made a speech which set the tone for Reconciliation. Read the speech here. Keating, along with other former Prime Ministers, Gough Whitlam (1972-75), Malcolm Fraser (1975-83), Bob Hawke (1983-1991), Paul Keating (Dec 1991-1996) were present to support the apology. The only living ex-PM who didn't attend was the immediate past one, John Howard. His party, however, supported it today.

Emma Chisett

Any non-Australians want to have a go at guessing what "Emma Chisett" means in Strine (Australian "language") ?

MacCallum Pool, Cremorne

A free pool on Sydney Harbour at Cremorne. It started out as a rock pool, built of local rocks, and started by an early Olympic swimmer, Fred Lane, who lived nearby. It then got taken on by Hugh MacCallum, a highly regarded local resident. In 1930 it was taken over by North Sydney Council, and renamed the Hugh J MacCallum Pool (later shortened to MacCallum Poool) . It is still maintained by North Sydney Council. It needs to be emptied, refilled and cleaned about once a week.

Not a bad view:

For more pictures visit my swimming pools blog.