Sydney Day 8 & 9

This Saturday turned out to rather interesting thanks to a blog mate Hels, and blog mates who I have met. 

I caught 333 bus to Paddington to visit the cafe/bookshop Ampersand, which Hels wrote about. It was a very cool place, on a few levels and full of people eating, drinking tea and coffee and surrounded by books. I looked for any old street directories but found none. They are quite precious now and highly desired. Thanks for the tip about Ampersand, Hels. I forgot to take a photo until I was at the bus stop to return to my hotel. With a bus approaching I quickly snapped a 'proof of being there' photo. You can make out a bit of the Ampersand sign.

This book looked interesting.

I suppose it is ivy. I didn't get close enough to this shop near the bus stop to find out

I left the bus at Taylor Square to check out the famous gay bookshop called The Bookshop. I understood it had recently been sold, but the sale fell through and is now going to close. It was so busy, it is hard to imagine it isn't profitable, or were all the people just browsing. 

The last time we were in Sydney, Oxford Street was a mess, but the works have been completed and it looks fine, and seems to work well. It is certainly a much calmer street now, and once it becomes all electric buses, it will be quieter still. Outbound the footpath is wide, with a bi directional bike lane, a bus lane and two car lanes. There is some on street  off peak parking further along. The other side is more conventional, with just the footpath and bus stops and two traffic lanes.

 

Next up was meeting James O'Brien for coffee and cake at Joe Black Cafe in Commonwealth Street, a very cool place, and a short walk away. I didn't get to return during my Sydney visit, but it is there for the future. It was great to see James and the conversation was easy. James' life has changed dramatically since the last time Ray and I met him, and obviously so has mine, but James' life changing experience has been very physical, and I admire his mental strength, dealing with whatever life chucks at him. This train map was quirky, with stereotypical names for areas in Sydney.

Back at my hotel, and there were drag performances underway at the rooftop bar of the Burdekin.

I was then picked up by Marcellous who took me for a marvellous drive to see the sights of inner south western and inner western Sydney. His knowledge of the area and his personal anecdotes were so interesting. 

We stopped off at the Everleigh Train Sheds, a closed maintenance depot, full of history and there was a ceramics exhibition and sale underway. Within Carriageworks there are performance spaces.

The purposeless tall steel structures are art, so they do have a purpose really.

Oh my, what a nice saw tooth roof.

More driving and history led us to the former tram depot at Forest Lodge, next to what was the Harold Park horse racing course. Along the way, and earlier, we passed some stunning houses and some quite average housing. It was a mix of styles and fineness of the buildings.

 

The old Forest Lodge (Rozelle) tram depot, Tram Sheds, has been turned into a small shopping centre, so we stopped for a bite to eat and a drink.

A restored Sydney R1 Class tram, the last trams built for Sydney. The tram system closed in 1961.

 

Marcellous had an overdue law book to return to Sydney University, so I was able to see that amazing set of buildings. 

Well, well.

I understand the White's Creek Aqueduct was built to carry sewerage from the western suburbs. It may even have been an open sewer drain. Nice.

With a little more street exploring, the terrific three and a half hour outing was over. I had half a pizza left in the fridge, which did for dinner. My Sydney diet was not improving.

If I wake during the night, it will usually be from 5.30am on but this night I woke at 4.00, and below you can see what woke me.

The next day was Sunday. I had plans, which I can't remember, but there were the usual demonstrations in the city, leading to buses being diverted. I worked out where the buses were being diverted to but I wasn't feeling great, rather annoyed, and I just said to myself, stuff it. I'll buy something to eat at the IGA supermarket and go back to my hotel. I think for dinner I had more Thai food at the restaurant at the base of the hotel. 

In the morning though, I did take some photos from the hotel rooftop, the location of the pool and spa. I'll put those in another post as this is quite long enough.