Sunday 9 May 2010

Then & Now - Oxford St, Darlinghurst


This is the block of Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, between Taylor Square and Darlinghurst Road. The comparison is between 2010 and 1960 as the last trams were trundling through our city. Fifty years of change. But some things remain identifiably similar.


Take your bearings from the raised bill-board and the building on which it is perched with that small rounded turret.

Whenever I make these direct comparisons, I am always delighted with the greening of our city over this time span.

The Womens' Weekly is still published, but it comes out monthly.

16 comments:

Sagatun said...

Loved the before and after
Nice

brattcat said...

It seems unlikely they'd change the name to women's monthly...

Julie said...

... *guffaw* ... Brattcat, I had never made that link. What a hoot!

diane b said...

Great comparison shots. I remember the 60's shot and it is interesting to see there are more trees now.BTW Xavi has answered our question about the trumpet tree in his comment on my blog.

Peter said...

it is heartening to see that the skyline up oxford is still the same low rise. And the pedestrian crossings used to be yellow.

Bill said...

I love these 'now and then' shots. It's a shame the trams have gone.

Julie said...

It's a bit like B&W tv and colour TV, isn't it.

Yes, I saw the answer to the orange trumpet flower (and its botanic name).

Anonymous said...

The greenery is important when you notice how many cars there are in the new photo. Interesting that while Sydney's tram system had almost closed down by 1960, this very old tram was still running when there were plenty of the much more modern R and R1 class trams available. I can only think that was still operating because this class with its many access openings was very good at moving large numbers.

Julie said...

I think this is a P class tram, Andrew. They are the ones I mostly remember, somehow. The ability to get on and off really easily. Whereas the R and R1 class trams were more like a bus with a front door and a middle door. Somewhere I have photos of the turn of the century O Class trams, too, at the corner of Crown & Cleveland in Redfern. Shall try to replicate and post in the next week or so.

Bruce Caspersonn said...

I agree totally with Bill. The P type tram was a piece of junk, but it's still very good to see it.

Jim said...

Great comparison shots.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Julie said...

I defer to your knowledge of trams, Bruce, and was hoping you would have your sixpence worth.

Why was the P class a piece of junk? Something technical ...

Vicki said...

I love the now and then idea. Interesting to see what changed and what stayed the same.

Anonymous said...

I like these street pictures Julie. I can translate what is in the bubble: "I'm fed up!" it matches very well with the expression of the guy. Have a good day!
Serge

Joan Elizabeth said...

Great idea to show before and afters like this. As you observe the greening of the city is a nice thing, though once I owned an apartment in Crows Nest where I could sit at my desk and see the airport in the distance. By the time we sold some 10 years later the view was gone due to a street tree. Down at the street level I always preferred the trees.

It was a 1930s apartment. The world outside and inside buildings is always changing even though the structures remain the same.

Killara girl said...

this is one spot i dearly miss, i spent the last of my time in sydney living in paddo. glad to see it remaining intact.