This week I had the white shorts on. I was in Sydney. I had the chance to spend some time at the NSW State Library, Parliament House and checking out a few other locations. You’ll be able to read all about them in my next book. I’m close to finishing my second draft and had some research to do and some facts to check. So off to ‘Sydernney’ it was.
The State Library in Sydney is a fabulous place. Slightly larger than Melbourne’s but with a similar make up - it’s full of goodies for all comers. My interest was the Special Collections room in the Mitchell Wing. The library sits quite nicely on the corner of Macquarie Street and Macquarie Street East (Cahill Expressway.) A central and very convenient location for all. It’s open from 9am, unlike the clearly “bankers” hours SLV at 10am. Makes for a much better day and use of time.
The special collections room (see the photo) is where the rare, special and limited collections are accessed. Here you get access to manuscripts, maps, papers, rare books etc. – essentially what I consider all the “good” stuff. In here they also have the parliamentary records for Victoria (technically Port Phillip then) and part of the colony of NSW. This of course was prior to separation from the evil overlord, Sydney and NSW in 1851. It still amazes me every time I look at these things, exactly what was recorded, how it was recorded and then the fact that it survived and can still be accessed today. For really good reasons a lot of it is micro-fiched these days but sometimes you get lucky (or ask nicely) and you get to see the real things!
Having been successful at the library I went next door to NSW Parliament House. It’s on Macquarie Street immediately next to the library. The history of the immediate area is a little complicated but the current building is a nice example of Victorian Architecture, and there’s a fair bit of it in and around Sydney. Here I took a wander, having passed the security checks, and took a look at what they had on the walls inside the main building. Further enquiries there (amazing what you find when you ask) led me to their historian and archivist where we swapped notes on a number of things. Alas they had no photos for me (and their records are all in the library, which I knew) but a really worthwhile visit.
That immediate area around there is chock-a-block with the early history of Australia. A little further south on Macquarie street there’s the Sydney hospital (known as the Rum Hospital for how its construction was funded) and next to that the Mint, which was part of it. Over the road there’s one of the oldest churches (Anglican) in Sydney – St James’. Now heading north on the other side of Macquarie back towards the Harbour, is another church, this time Reverend John Dunmore Lang’s old church, St. Stephens. More on him and that another day, as he was an interesting fellow indeed!
Down from the church, on the opposite corner of Macquarie, over the road from the library, is the present day location of the Australian Club. It’s pretty discrete, a wooden door with a brass handle gives it away, in what is an otherwise relatively modern unspectacular office building. If you’re standing on the SW corner of the intersection (Macquarie and Bent) have a look at the footpath and you’ll see a large brass plaque dedicated to the “members” clubs of Sydney. This club wasn’t always here as it’s had a few homes – first at the Pulteney Hotel on Bent Street. Now long gone from there it was on the corner of O’Connell and Bent.
I then headed across to Bridge Street. There’re some wonderful buildings here. First on the corners of Macquarie, Phillip and Bridge is the Chief Secretary’s Building, originally the Colonial Secretary’s Building. If you look carefully above the door on the Macquarie Street side you’ll still see “Colonial Secretary” there. For the rest of us, the “public entrance” was clearly on Bridge Street. Behind you, over in the trees and “hidden” away is of course Government House. Doing it tough in those digs. I guess keeping an eye on the PM at Kiribilli.
As you travel down Bridge Street westwards you pass the Museum of Sydney on your left, the site of the original Government house, where there’s a plaque and Captain Arthur Phillip’s statue. Look through the glass tiles in the forecourt and you still see some remains of the past. Further down the street, and on the left, you come to what for me is the best building in Sydney. Designed by James Barnet, it housed the Lands Department – just look at all the statues up above street level – 23 in fact. The work and effort, a fantastic example of Victorian architecture and rated by many others as the best example in Sydney. As someone remarked to me the other day – “do you think people will be walking around in 100 years time looking at the stores and buildings that are constructed these days saying ‘wow, how good is that’…” A little further along is the Burns Philp Building. The entrance is quite grand with iron and brass.
Across George Street (don’t worry, not many cars, they’re still digging it up) and up the hill, as if you’re getting on the bridge and you’ll pass a little park on the left. Lang Park. Now I haven’t checked it out in full just yet but I’m prepared to bet that it was, and it is, named for the aforementioned Rev John Dunmore Lang. I really must write about him some day now. The street on the south is Lang as well. At the top of the hill, across the road, there’s a pretty average looking office building at No. 1 York – this used to be the site of Petty’s Hotel. One of the first in Sydney and extremely popular with the well healed squatters of the 1850’s. Next door is St Phillips Anglican church, tucked away from sight a little it’s been there since 1793, the current building built in 1856.
So that was my Sydney walk on a nice afternoon. If you’re in the city, or you live there take some time to have a look around. You’ll be amazed with what you find.
Have fun out there.
CG