Awash with lilac time

Sydney is gorgeous in late Spring: the Jacaranda is full and blousy; the firm heads of the Agapanthus are erect, ready to spurt their beauty; and, the scarlet/crimson of the thorny Bougainvillea lies spent on the sandstone paving. All is lush and bountiful, when a summer storm sweeps in across the mountains, leaving a bouquet of decay to invade the nostrils.

Looking both ways along Oxford Street, Paddington, beside the 1840 sandstone surrounds of Victoria Barracks, a thriving Defence (Army) establishment.

Night and day

The upper photograph was taken at 5:44PM the lower photograph was taken at 5:41AM.

At five in the afternoon I stood in Gipps Street, looking down into Glenmore Road, and across to Oxford Street. At five in the morning, I stood on Oxford Street, looking across into Glenmore Road and through the dawn's week light, up into Gipps Street. All in Paddington ...

An early start

Each Friday, I leave home early to catch the 6:15 train from Central to Fassifern. This is what it looked like this morning at 5:45 as I waited for the 378 bus on Oxford Street (next to Victoria Barracks) to take me to Central.

Retail's red tide

Retail is in a fragile state along the once bustling strip of Oxford Street that winds its way through Paddington. Once filled with boutiques that did a grand trade in fashion and accessories even on a weekday, they are now struggling even on Saturdays. More and more billboards are adorning verandahs trumpeting a shop for lease; more and more posters are stuck on shopfronts indicating a shop selling out from under. And yet, the general public has never been better off. The statistics indicate that wages are rising faster than prices. That interest rates are low. That employment is high. That taxes are lower now than they were 5 years ago.

Putting my lens where my mouth is

Never one to shirk 'calling' an outrageous claim, I blithely put my lens where my mouth was earlier this week when Peter from Sydney Emerald City claimed that he had found Plane trees with the most autumn colour in Sydney. Having observed quite a few Plane Trees this week, I think I have concluded that they do not have autumn colour, instead the leaves turn yellow, then brown, and when dead, fall off. Semantics, I guess.

I kept my eyes peeled as I took the 389 bus, the 380 bus, the 378 bus, and the train down to Gymea. I found quite a few examples but settled upon this fine stand of Plane Trees along Oxford Street, Woollahra.

They are within a centre verge of Oxford Street, where the carriageway runs along the edge of Centennial Park near the water tower before you get to the Waverley Bus Depot. In fact, this central verge used to house a double tram track prior to the 1960 cessation of that service.

Plane Trees (the London variety) are the tree of choice along the entirety of Oxford Street, from Darlinghurst to Bondi. Give it another 25 years and they will be quite striking, with their winter bones, their summer shade, and their autumn colour. According to a polemic issued by the City of Sydney the Plane Tree is 'the most widely planted street tree in Europe, North America, New Zealand, and Australia.' It has a robust structure, and is resistant to urban conditions. It is tolerant to urban pollution, and compaction. AND ... contrary to popular contention, does not add to the woes of asthmatics.

So, Peter and Jim: here is my riposte. The first image was taken at 5:01pm, and the last image was taken at 3:26pm.

Ker-ching becomes ker-plunk

Economies all over the world are doing crazy things, or having crazy things done to them. Debt levels in Europe are sky-high. Unemployment in the USA is rising. Productivity is faltering everywhere. Australia is not immune to the rising tide of disquiet.

This can be seen in my own local 'high street'. I live in Paddington, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, which are considered well-heeled. Our main shopping street is one of those old-fashioned ribbon-developments which seem to stretch on for miles. Populated by small often one-off boutiques, what economists love to call SMEs (small to medium enterprises).


Some shops seem to be prospering, whilst others go to the wall. Look at the number of 'for-sale' and 'for-lease' signs in these last three photographs, all taken during the last six months, indeed the large one taken last week. And this in an economy where our public debt is low, when compared with Greece, the UK, France, and the USA.

Shoppers are spending on essentials, and paying down debt instead of splashing out. What discretionary spending there is, is now occurring at the local mall, which is big and modern and trashy, stocking cheaper items. When we all change our spending pattern at the same time, there is not enough people buying to keep the economic cycle chugging along.


This post is part of the Signs Signs community.

Looking forward, looking back

Oxford Street Paddington with two minutes between shots: the upper shot at 7:27pm; the lower shot at 7:25pm.

This is primarily a retail precinct, and retail is doing it tough at the moment. People are still spending, but not on 'things' mainly on 'experiences'. This strip is heavily reliant on up-market fashion and shoe shops, with a sprinkling of household accessory outlets. On Wednesday, I will show you just how bad they are hurting.

The upper shot is dominated by the renovated 'Imperial Hotel'. The lower shot is dominated by the Paddington Inn. Both are very nicely appointed, with exceptional diners. They are in the 'experience' category, so should be smiling.

Data for the upper shot: F5.6, S/S 1/1600, ISO 1000, Focal Length 105mm
Data for the lower shot: F5.6, S/S 1/500, ISO 1000, Focal Length 50mm

Bricks'n'mortar or virtual?

Bookshops in Australia are closing their doors quite rapidly if I believe everything I read. A major chain (Borders/Angus&Robertson) has gone into receivership. And, many suburban shops cannot compete with online and supermarket prices.

I do a mix of both. When it is a specific title, I will often source it online. When I am browsing, I still purchase in store. I shop at Dymocks in the CBD, here at Berkelouw, and across the road in Ariel Bookshop. I used to buy from The Book Depository, but they were taken over by Amazon. So, I swapped to Fishpond. I have to be careful what I choose. If the book is cheaper because they have used inferior ink on inferior paper, causing the print to 'bleed', I find the book too hard to read. If they shrink the font size and reduce the white space, equally I find it hard to read.

I know that is how they reduce the prices, so I am prepared to pay to enable me to check that I can actually read the book.

Time comes dripping slow

The blunt of the facade proudly proclaims that the Imperial Hotel was erected in 1910, in the dog-days of the reign of Edward VII, with an empire that turned a Mercator map into a sea of pink.

The sign is no longer there that promises that the renovations will be completed in time for the centenary. They just *might* be open for Christmas ...

Here is Jim's 2007 photo prior to renovations commencing.

Yellow shoes

In 1968 at Newcastle Teachers' College, on the old Merewether campus, there was a particularly good music appreciation teacher. One thing is bright and shiney 'til this day. He rabbited on about notes and scales and octaves and other probably relevant stuff. A bulb lit up above my noggin: well then, music is finite. Given all these inputs, there will come a day when it will be impossible to write a new piece of music. A slight smyrk appeared at the corner of his mouth, 'Well, no Julie, not quite' and on he went to explain, as he played Handel's 'Water Music'.

Colour is a bit like that. When I was a kid, I am sure this green/lime/olive had not been discovered/invented/mixed. My childhood was a ROYGBIV world.

Powell's Building (1880), Oxford Street Paddington, opposite Victoria Barracks.

Shades of 'Mother's'?

The grey-fog swirled in my brain as I turned the corner, cut across the lane and headed for the doorway. Something was telling me I had been here before; that behind that door was a jazz club, with the sultry Edie Hart on microphone. I rubbed my fingers across my brow, and walking toward me out of the mist was the elegant form of ... Peter Gunn. The heavy Mancini guitar baseline burst from between my ears ... DAdadadadadadada DAdadadadadadada Daaaaa dah ... Was it really 1958-1961? My! Wasn't that Craig Stevens cool?

Side entry to the brasserie of the Paddington Inn.

Possibly not Tiffany's

I quite like this 'chain' of stores: there is another shop further down Oxford Street opposite the Verona Cinemas, whereas this shop is in the grounds of the Saturday Paddo Market.

They stock jewellery made from coloured stones and beaten metal from around the world. Jewellery that costs a lot but isn't worth much, if you know what I mean. The name is pretty cute, too.

The devil is in the detail

Here I go, leading you off down the garden path to 'geekdom' again. I have excelled myself this time ... hee hee hee!

You're dying to know what that daft little metal thingamejig is, aren't you? I can just sense the excitement bubbling to the surface ...

Once long ago, when politicians were even more daft than they are now, the city of Sydney did away with trams. After a century, and with one of the most extensive tramway systems in the world ... poof ... overnight ...

But, if you look really, really hard, you can find little bits they forgot.


The old photograph was taken in 1960 and shows a tram going down the hill from Kings Cross and just before Rushcutters Bay park. See all those cables that supply the electricity to power the trams? Well those cables had to be anchored somewhere.

The modern photograph shows an early Bank of New South Wales building in Castlereagh Street. Look carefully on the left-hand-side (LHS) just above the anchor point for the awning.


This old photograph is of College Street, with St Mary's Cathedral on the RHS and the Department of Births, Deaths & Marriages straight ahead. Judging from the style of GM-Holdens on the road, I would date this pre-1958. See all the overhead wires? They have to be anchored somewhere. I wonder if any anchor points are still lodged in the sandstone of St Mary's?

The photograph on the RHS is of the David Jones Market St store (the snooty department store mentioned over the weekend). This is the corner of Market St and Castlereagh St. See the rounded art-deco wrap-round window. Look just to the left of it. Bingo, an anchor point.


The old photograph was taken somewhere in Balmain and that model Holden came out in 1959. See all the overhead wires? If the photo was good enough, we could enlarge it and tell the difference between the anchor points for the tram cables and the anchor points for the awnings. Bet there are many still there.

The new photograph is along Oxford Street, Paddington. Victoria Barracks was at my back. See the old Greenwood Tree pub. It is now apartments for DINKS. Have a look above each anchor for the awning, and you will find an anchor for a tram cable. They can also be see on the next building if you enlarge the image.


So, figured out where the top photograph was taken yet? Yep, the main entrance to the Queen Victoria Building along George Street, just where the main inward bus interchange is. Criminal isn't it? Drilling into that lovely sandstone to support cables. But a city has to adapt to growth.

Heritage livery, perhaps?

Here is the Paddngton Post & Telegraph Office, all spruced up and looking in its prime. It is the season of renewal apparently, with both the Central Station tower and the Queen Victoria Building being swathed in hessian and more. And who can forget how long it took to sandblast the classic front of the State Library.

The PO stands on Oxford Street at the most dominant intersection in Paddington, a dog-leg involving Oxford Street, Ormond Street, and Oatley Road. Should you need to know, the little spikes are to keep the p.p..p...pidgeons off!!

The Coat of Arms is that of the British Monarch, as Australia was not a federated nation until 1901, and the State of New South Wales was a British Colony from 1788 until 1901.


One one corner stands the Post Office built in 1885, diagonally opposite stands the Town Hall built in 1890. Beside the PO is the oldest privately built residence in Paddington, Juniper Hall which was built by Robert Cooper in the 1820s. Beside the Town Hall is the Water Reservoir which was in use to supply the City of Sydney from 1866 to 1899.


The scaffolding has only recently been removed after having dominated the intersection for a good deal of this year. Here is the building in its old vestements, posted on Wiki by Jimbar. What do you think, Jim? Can you bear to look at it?

Chauvel - Memories of early Australian cinema

It may surprise you, but I am not a 'multi-plex' sort of gal. No siree! I am an independent cinema consumer - an 'indie'. I don't do horror, nor sci-fi, nor budget-busters. Nor anything that relies on running and slamming of doors to convey either narrative or character.

There are two cinemas within walking distance, the Verona and the Chauvel. Both are on Oxford Street in Paddington and are operated by the Palace Cinema group. I feel blessed. They both show the best of world cinema from the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americas. At the moment they are showing the Spanish Film Festival.


Charles & Elsa Chauvel were pioneering Australian film-makers from the 30s through to the end of the 50s when Charles died of heart failure. They were reknown in this country for films like 'Forty Thousand Horsemen', 'Rats of Tobruk', and 'Jedda' with this last, based on aboriginal displacement, being their main legacy.

The Chauvel Cinema has two screens and is housed in part of the Paddington Town Hall sharing office space with the Australian Film Institute (AFI).

Windows of opportunity

The Family Jewels, Oxford St, Paddington

I frequent the Verona Cinema on Oxford Street. My friend walks up from Redfern, and I mosey on down just a couple of blocks from my place. It is a vibrant area. One the way home, I totally meander, and look in windows. Do you know the expression 'tyre kicker'? That is what I do.

Ariel Booksellers, Oxford St, Paddington

However, taking a cue from my daugher, I am becoming addicted to shopping on-line. It gets delivered. Knock, knock. 'Parcel, missus'. How exciting is that?

This evening she bought a 'lite-scoop'. Last week I bought a pair of reef shoes.

Shag, Oxford St, Paddington

I did not realise that 'tyre kicker' was an Australian expression. People wander around used-car lots, and one of the actions they perform is to kick the tyre of the car. There is nothing to be gained from this action. And frequently, the action is done by someone with absolutely no intention to purchase. They are 'just looking'. Hence, a 'tyre-kicker' is someone with no intention of 'buying'.

Sydney Scherzo

Oxford Street, Paddington looking east outside the Verona Cinema We, an unabashed people, Yarning, gibing, protesting about what's right or wrong with us, All the long, crowded day, in the windy gold and the blue; Hurrying or sauntering workwards at all sorts of times in the morning, With rattle of myriad heels like the noise of a creek; Leaning from windowed eyries hundreds of feet above water, Or far away down in a garden, collapsed on a spongy lawn; Trapped in a shoppers' jostle of bags and intolerant elbows, Or hemmed by irrascible ears where bullocks were wont to plod; Making and buying and selling, handing out tickets and dockets - We rebel against the great city, we cavil and chafe at the clamour, The crush, the heat, the struggle, but still say 'Yes' with our hearts. John Thompson

Oxford Street looking back towards Taylor Square