The Mayor of Newtown

Mystery Photo XIII - No Parking

2012-01-24T13:28:00.002+11:00

Has it really been more than a year since the last Mystery Photo ? Well 2011 was a little forgettable for many reasons, so let's just put it aside and start 2012 with a lucky 13th Mystery Photo. As always, the photo below is somewhere in Newtown (sometimes liberally interpreted, but this time very much central Newtown) and the goal is to be the first to identify the location as a comment here on the blog.

Bonus points for identifying the shop at the front of this building, and the popular new eatery from which this happy scene is visible.

Newtown Station January 2012 Update

2012-01-22T14:38:00.001+11:00

When plans were finally committed to for the Newtown Station renovations, I couldn't believe that it wouldn't be until the end of 2012 before the works were finished. I guess now it's January 2012 it's starting to become clear that we really won't have an accessible station until the end of this year.

There has however been some obvious progress, and you can see from the photo below that the new station will absolutely dwarf the existing buildings, and indeed the surroundings.

According to the summary posted on the construction site boundary, the lifts will be installed this month and next, and the internal works for the retail are ongoing. Indeed it seems like some progress is being made on the original station buildings; hopefully we won't have to wait until the end of 2012 for them to be ready.

From upstairs at the Townie you can see that the concrete base of the concourse has been laid over the graveyard of the old kebab shop, hopefully sealing in any toxic leakage that may have built up over the countless late nights it was operating.

Hatches IX - Jan 2012

2012-01-22T14:17:00.000+11:00

Hello and Happy New Year ! It's been a while since the last update here; as always lots has been going on up and down and just off King Street - below is just a summary of a few of the changes that have occurred in the last 6 months; hopefully it won't be 6 months to the next update !

Well it's January 2012 and now we're starting to understand why it's going to take until the end of this year to complete the Newtown Station upgrade. The progress is summarised in the notice below, see the detailed post for more information and photos.

Newtown Station Progress

Also still ongoing is the long running Energy Australia works; although Ausgrid, as they are now known have promised to repair the King St footpaths once all the shops connect to the beautiful black boxes on the footpaths, there's no news yet whether the road destruction on Wilson St, Angel St etc will be repaired. There are contact details below from their website:

If you have any questions, please contact our project team on the 24/7 project informationline 1800 643 608 or email info-kingstreet@ausgrid.com.au.

Wilson St EnergyAustralia Repairs

New Openings

Quite a few small bars popping up in King Street finally, including Bench, Jester Seeds (Newtown vibe and Darlinghurst prices), and Kuki Tanuki in Erskineville, finally emerging from interminable renovations.
Sydney's Mexican food trend has spread to Newtown, with the opening of Beach Bistro next to the Hub, replacing the short lived (and Mayor-loved) Soprano's pizzeria; and the slow but promised opening of Mad Mex
A swanky looking Basque inspired Kingfish Bistro as SoKi continues its fashionable evolution
A Korean barbecue restaurant has bravely opened above Tamana's North Indian diner; graveyard for Tamana's Upstairs, Posh Spice and most recently Top Level Pizza

Going ...

Old Advertising on King St

The Laundromat near King Street Cyclery burnt down spectacularly - revealing some great old advertising on the wall of the bike shop. Will be ever be nostalgic about today's advertising ? Hard to imagine !
Sadly Wilson St Gallery closed without much warning - apparently moved to Danks St, to be replaced (inexplicably) by a ballet shop Repertoire - that I give 6 months.
King St Cyclery itself has closed for renovations, moving to their repair centre near Marrickville Metro. Cheeky Monkey are still going strong
Taste Chicken surprisingly disappeared, not sure if anyone knows the story behind that.
The much loved Freaky Tiki in the Newtown Hotel closed - will it reappear after the renovations ?

Development Applications

A chain milk bar (above) to replace the suddenly closed African Feeling. I hope the mural is protected.
Yet another gelato shop to replace the camera shop next door to African feeling. I guess they've seen how popular Gelatomassi is
The owners of the post office have applied to add some apartments out the back - across the road from the much loved Varga Bar.

Reviews

There's a whole industry of food bloggers out there now, hard to keep track of them all ! A special mention though to Detective Chow who has quite an original take on the reviews; and has visited two Newtown locations recently.
New Vietnamese joint Rice Paper got a write up in the SMH Jan 21; coincidentally the same day the Mayor dined there. Recommended !

Random

Whispers of The Hub coming back to life - what will this be ?
Some very cool guerrilla knitting outside the Neighbourhood centre

You can see all the links that I have shared on Twitter via my bit.ly public timeline.

Hatches Batches and Dispatches VIII

2011-05-01T22:10:00.000+10:00

A bit of scandal in SoKi (South King Street) after an apparent management coup at the popular Pastizzi cafe - leading to a boycott call taken up on Facebook and Twitter (and hopefully in the real world). There are some more details and photos on Street Food.

Meanwhile the interminable Energy Australia (now re-branded AusGrid - at least their info shop near the old Effies) works roll on.

New Openings

Charming World grocer - in the distant and seldom visited upper reaches of King St - wins the award for best new name this edition.

Ramen Bar adds some spice to the ground floor of Berkelouw in Newtown (which was opened by KRudd ex-PM - they forgot the Mayor). Already reviewed on Street Food.
A new(ish) cafe Pickwick's on Enmore Road is getting good reviews.

Farewells

Much loved North Newtown institution Rosalinas is for lease
Crepe Kingdom on Enmore Road didn't last long; looks like some financial issues
The Eatery opposite old Elizabeths site is boarded up - not sure if for renovations or replacement. Anyone ?
Braintree Hemp and VietMaison north of Missenden Road both shut up shop recently

Development Applications

A small bar to replace Pleasure Zone (above) ?
A games Cafe on North King Street (details - while the DA is active)

Reviews

Three Newtown bookstores in a recent Sydney Top 10

Random

There is a DA with Marrickville Council to redevelop the TA Andrews funeral home on Enmore Road into apartments and shops (commenter on Hatches VII)
After 30 years, Edgeware Family Practice is moving to a practice in Church St Newtown (also from the comments)
Sopranos near the Hub has started live music - as has Corridor, which is also hosting some Comedy Festival acts

You can see all the links that I have shared on Twitter via my bit.ly public timeline.

Hatches Batches and Dispatches VII

2011-03-12T11:59:00.003+11:00

It's time for the first issue of Hatches for 2011. The big news in town has been the long awaited commencement of work on Newtown Station, with the roof of the platform removed one weekend in February, and the remaining structure now being surrounded in hoardings and slowly removed. Sadly after waiting so long it's still not until the end of 2012 that we will get the new station.

Another issue that has been generating a lot of concern is the long running Energy Australia works; especially given the quality of streets (Wilson St for example) that apparently are considered finished. While the King Street footpath will be repaired it seems we're stuck with the little black boxes outside all the shops - the price we have to pay to get the overhead wires removed.

Wilson St EnergyAustralia Repairs

New Openings

Pie Tin on Brown St

Pie Tin opened in the location of the old Pretty Dog on Brown Street. In a nice touch they also added a plaque giving some history of the building - hopefully this will be a trend that is continued.

There's a new(ish) Turkish restaurant Matee in the location of the old Bhan Thai restaurant next to Moose. Finally checked it out recently - recommended.
The Newtown Hotel has reopened as Freaky Tiki Bar - apparently for a 'while' until renovations get under way. Given the popularity of Freaky Tiki I wouldn't be surprised if some sort of Tiki theme survived the renovations - here's hoping.
Funky Cafe re-opened with new owners after being closed for a while.
Elizabeth's Bookshops moved down the road into the old Newtown Deli (which moved further down King Street to avoid the mad rents). At the moment there are two Elizabeth's on King St, with some pretty cheap good books on sale while they move.

Development Applications

Sydney Uni snuck out a master plan for Abercrombie Street while no-one was looking.
The Townie applied for later trading hours for their smoking areas.
A plan for an art-gallery on Brown Street

Reviews

Cafe Newtown got a review in the lateral eating blog, and the whole of South King Street got a write up on I nnerWest Lifestyle, reminding me I really should finish my post on the same topic I started a year ago - before all the businesses mentioned close !

Random

A Newtown local nominated himself for a minor Darwin award after tagging a police car - outside the Newtown Police Station.
Quartly's Mitre Ten is consolidating into the back shop (on the Whately Street carpark) after 95 years pn the same site - and 125 in Newtown. The main store apparently will be replaced by a bloody chemist - just what Newtown needs. There's a photo from the 70s here on the excellent Newtown Project site.
In better news, Marrickville council are voting soon to implement a smoking ban in pubic places - that could lead to the incongruous situation of no smoking on just one half of King St
Finally, a call to arms in the Inner West Courier to re-unite Newtown in one council - although they neglected the bit about me being reinstated on the Mayoral Throne.

You can see all the links that I have shared on Twitter via my bit.ly public timeline.

Newtown Station Platform Demolition

2011-02-19T18:21:00.000+11:00

Newtown residents were notified of the commencement of Phase 3 renovations with the note below this week, promising the demolition of the platform buildings and construction of the temporary shelters.

Sure enough, this afternoon (Feb 19th) the machinery was in and the 1924 platform building was being carted away

Old platform roof gone

Temporary platform buildings and shelter

Constructing new shelter

You can also see the supports for the new entrance (concrete pillars) going up in the background in the photo above.

Roofless Platform

The Hive Evolves Again

2011-02-07T23:28:00.000+11:00

I was surprised to see yet another Development Application for the Newtown (though most people think of it as Erskineville) site known for a while as the Hive, formerly used as the Mardi Gras workshops. There's been a long history of Development Applications for the site, which has been empty for a significant period of time.

Hive Building

The Mayor has been tracking the evolution of the Hive (not to be confused with the relatively new Hive Bar) since May 2009, when the first revision of the DA occurred. At that stage, it seemed as if the long running saga had finally come to a conclusion, with most people satisfied with the compromise of a single story supermarket, although the Friends of Erskineville were still holding out for something else (what was not quite clear). Sometime during the course of last year, intended occupiers Woolworths, who had been hoping to open their 'gourmet' brand Thomas Dux, must have lost interest, as the most recent DA prior to this week (minor amendments around the internals) mentioned IGA as the tenants.

The new Application has somewhat surprisingly upped the ante, reversing the previous application by adding not one but two stories of residential apartments. Somewhat naively the Traffic Impact statement claims there will be no discernible traffic impact from the additional residencies, as they will all be sold without car spaces. While this is great in principal, I predict a future of the supermarket manager clamping resident's cars that are left in the supermarket's limited parking spaces, and car shuffling around the area's limited parking spaces.

Artists Impression

Despite the above, there's actually a lot to support in this application. It certainly looks smart enough in the photos above, and infill developments like these so close to two train lines are certainly preferable to acres of Mc Mansions in the Hills District. I can't help wondering if the hold-out protesters from the previous proposal are now regretting their opposition to the last-but-one application; as it would appear to have triggered a re-think.

As is often the case with these DAs, there's lot's of information to be found in the Historical Impact Statement (pdf) for those of you with an interest in our past. Below is a photo from the report looking down Erskineville Road.

So what do you think ? Is it too big ? Will the traffic ruin the Village ? Or is about time the abandoned sites along Erskineville Road were developed ?

Newtown Station 2011 Update

2011-01-27T22:31:00.002+11:00

It's been a while since my last update on the Newtown Station renovations but over Christmas some more details were released accompanying the Development Application to Sydney Council. Before going into some more detail on what the final outcome will look like, some 'milestones' news.

Artists Impression

According to the Project Manager, Phase1 (archaeological and some demolition works) is complete. Phase 2 (ground work and piling associated with the construction of the new concourse and walkway) is nearing completion, and Phase 3 (main construction works) will be starting soon. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012.

The end of 2012 seems a long way away - apparently the main reason it will take so long is the need to keep the station running while doing the works, and the need for 'track possessions' - when the trains don't run - which are apparently limited to 4/year (although I could swear they are more frequent).

Apart form the artist's impression above, probably the best idea of the overall layout of the new station comes from the upgrade plan below. The new concourse is quite a long way down the platform, pretty much on top of the existing 1927 platform building, which is to be demolished. There will also be a new entry from Thomas Street, behind the Newtown Central shopping centre.

One thing I couldn't find, despite looking everywhere, was an impression of what the revised walkway roof would look like. The original design, or at least the artists impression of it, caused quite a bit of controversy when the original plans were announced, so I was curious to see what the announced more discrete canopy would look like. The closest I could find was in the sketch below, showing the view from the side of the station - I can only assume no impressions were generated to avoid controversy ! Let me know if you manage to find an impression anywhere.

Walkway canopy
In order to provide cover to the access walkway, a canopy is to be constructed
between King Street and the new concourse. A 4 metre wide walkway canopy commences at King Street adjacent the existing booking office building and continues along the northern side of the walkway to the concourse building where it continues down to the new station concourse building, where it would terminate beneath the canopy of the concourse. Drawings of the design and the proposed form of the walkway are located in Appendix C

I did find the above about the canopy in the 'REF' - Review of Environmental Factors - but none of the diagrams in Appendix C sated my curiosity !

Concourse Level Side View

The DA also has a large set of detailed plans. Those interested in history should check out Appendix D1 - the Heritage Report. The remaining Appendix D volumes are mostly more modern photos, with the exception of Appendix D7 which contains an ammendment to the original HIS, updated after the original plans were modified, which is where I learnt that the stairs (1892 originals) will be retained as an emergency exit from the platform.

Building the platform in 1927

Appendix E - the archaeological report - contains even more history, unfortunately broken into 7 chunks, I guess to facilitate easy downloading for those still on Tony Abbott approved dial-up.

So it's a long wait, but I think the finished product will be worth it. Next step - find out what's happening to those Tram Sheds !

Mystery Photo XII - Milk Bar

2010-11-07T19:54:00.002+11:00

Anyone had a chocolate milkshake here lately ?

Not in Newtown any more Toto - Surry Hills 1992

2010-11-07T19:10:00.003+11:00

After I recently published some extracts from the 1992 Student's Guide to Sydney Pubs (with content suspiciously similar to the 1992 Sydney Pub Guide) there was a request from Twitter's @Surry_Hills to share the reviews for Surry Hills.

Whereas the Newtown described in 1992 is instantly recogniseable to today's Newtonians, (with the notable exception of affordable accomodation) the same can't be said for Surry Hills. A haunt for black-leather wearing musicians, noted for the smoke and a 'nostalgic sense of desperation'. Back then you could 'walk into Surry Hills pubs and receive unwelcome and sometimes bizarre looks'; these days anything vaguely dangerous has been priced out of town and the only risk you have is not being hip enough for the staff.
To make you really sad, here's the review of the Hopetoun in the days of $2.50 schooners and no cover charge. R.I.P the Hoey.

Newtown in 1992 Student Pub Guide - Part II

2010-10-18T21:26:00.005+11:00

In my last post I shared an introduction from the 1992 Student Guide to Sydney Pubs, describing the 'disproportionate number of Thai restaurants' and Newtown as an 'affordable place to live'. At least one of those is still true.

This time I'll share some of the actual reviews; my OCR is rubbish so you're going to have to make do with page scans which look deceptively old. 1992 wasn't that long ago - was it !? Click on the images for more legible versions.

The Sando reads much as a review would today - apart from the band names and the beer prices. Interesting how beer prices were a feature of this Pub Guide - I guess it reflects the target audience !

The Bank Hotel review seems to confuse Sleepers and the front bar; the loss of Sleepers as a bar to drink in rather than walk through is the greatest tragedy of the recent long-running renovations of the Bank.

Nothing too exciting in the Marly review - except the fake Duck Pond ! The Royal on Abercrombie also gets a half review as the beer garden out the back is being built.

Finally - RIP the faux tudor (Germanic style wooden walls apparently) of the Student Prince on Parramatta Rd - drinking bar of choice of the Mayor's soccer team back in the day. The last day of the season coincided with the last night of the Prince and we were unfortunately obliged to drink the pub dry - free of charge.

Lastly, The Shakespeare (Coopers old name) was so gnarly back in the day it didn't even rate a mention. How times change !

Newtown in 1992 Student Pub Guide

2010-10-17T21:39:00.005+11:00

The 1992 Student Guide to Sydney Pubs, written in those long forgotten days before the internet, features a section on Newtown, including reviews of The Marlborough, The Bank, The Newtown, The Sando, as well as long forgotten neighbouring bars such as the Student Prince and Sydney Saloon.

The relevant page is below (click on the article to embiggen):
The disproportionate number of Thai restaurants are still there, but sadly the fruit shops don't stay open late any more, and you're more likely to be visiting Crispy Inn to satisfy late night cravings. Nearly 20 years on, the Landsdowne, Annandale and Sando are still your best bet for pub rock in the area, though thankfully no-one refers to Newtown as the 'Paddington of the South' any more; you can understand why the author didn't go on to an illustrious journalistic career !

I'll try and scan post some of the individual reviews if there's any interest.

Hatches Batches and Dispatches VI

2010-10-04T19:21:00.007+11:00

So it's time for another edition of the semi-regular round up of some of the comings and goings on and around King St Newtown in the last month or so. Hoardings have gone up at Newtown Station, there are rumours of movement at Newtown Hotel, whose proposed renovations were recently approved - with 98 conditions ! As well, Newtown was in the news when local sculptor painted an anti-Burqa mural on his wall, challenging the usual local support for free speech and tolerance, and unsurprisingly pleasing Daily Telegraph readers.

The most read link shared by the mayor in the last couple of months though related to the $3.2M Newtown house sale. Not sure what that says !

See below for more:

New Openings

Sabbaba is close to opening up next door to Max Brenner
The Imperial Hotel re-opened after 3 years and many false re-openings
The Watershed started a bike-hire scheme that got wide publicity
@Newtown re-launched as Shush

Going ...

Much loved Funky Cafe closed for nearly a week - not looking good. It's been on the market for a while now
The much loved but short lived Newtown Gazebo finally fell foul of council safety regs

Dresser to the mayor, Crazy Horse, is on the market:

Development Applications

Dendy applied to add 10 screens to their Newtown mega-plex; including a tacky mural facing Camperdown Park
Nothing else too exciting this month - click here for all current Newtown DAs from Sydney Council website.

Reviews

The Inner-West focussed Sydney Fringe Festival opened and closed to mixed reviews
Changing Lanes in Eliza Street was a sell-out success
Plans for the renovation of Marrickville Metro are attracting much criticism
Corridor gets a gushing review in the Gold Coast's local rag

Random

There's not much life on King Street, Newtown in Queensland
A For Sale sign appeared and quickly disappeared outside the old Erskineville PYCC

Mystery Photo XI - Pet Procession

2010-07-31T15:44:00.003+10:00

It's been a while - but finally it's time for Mystery Photo XI - and the first guest Mystery Photo - thanks to @VerityChambers. Where in town would you find this pet procession ?

BTW Don't ask me - I don't know either !

Hatches Batches and Dispatches V

2010-07-31T15:37:00.000+10:00

It's been a while since the last round up of some of the comings and goings on and around King St Newtown. It's getting harder to keep track of the goings on but thankfully I have all of your tips from last month's update and Twitter. The most reported Newtown related news in the last month or so is the possible resumption of houses in Leamington Avenue for RailCorp's proposed Western Express line. The story got a second wind once some discovered the linkage to the famous 'Three Proud People' mural; now unfortunately blocked from view from Macdonaldtown Station by the sound barrier.

New Openings

Cucina Sopranos on the site of the old Wedgetail
The Polish restauarant in the old Choclate Dog has a name - New in Town - and gets the mayoral thumbs up - tasty and generous portions.
A new Vietnamese noodle place called "Pho Sure" opened in the old service station on the corner of Stamore Rd and Liberty St Enmore (nice break from the terrible Thai/Tie puns)
Dolce and Gelato has had a name change, now called gelato blue. Apart from that all looks the same.
Moo Gourmet burgers the latest to take on the site of Mickey's
King St deli has moved to south king, where there used to be a business centre
The Bank Hotel has re-opened after the fire
A new design shop (cute !) called Lillypad Designs hidden at the back of the newsagent near the Dendy
Not so new now but not yet mentioned is the nursery next to the controversial car-wash on South King Street;

Development Applications

The proposed bottlo shop in Newtown Central has a name - Cellarbrations. A chain, of course.
Speaking of chains, Dominos Pizza coming to (far north) Newtown. Signage looks really garish
Mostly residential otherwise.

Reviews

Funky Cafe gets a mention in an SMH article about live music
Not quite a review, but both Pentimento and Newtown resident and ex-Mr Varga Bar Ben Soutter got quoted in an article about Cafe mobile phone etiquette.

Random

Most visited story the mayor shared in the last month was about ATM skimming on skim street; while Fairfax were too scared to name the bank involved, they did point out that NAB, CBA and ANZ denied it was them and the Pac declined to comment. Go figure.
A broader inner city story getting too much airtime is the bike lane backlash, led by such likables as former Newtownian (sadly) Alan Jones and the Tele. Sad to say even a Wilson Street local is complaining about the lanes
Once again, The Imperial is 'opening soon'. Sadly the plans of Sydney Fringe to use the Hub as a venue have come to nothing
A filtered water fountain has been installed outside the Town Hall (real one, not the pub)

Hatches Batches and Dispatches IV

2010-05-30T12:55:00.000+10:00

Yarn

The fourth round up of some of the comings and goings on and around King St Newtown in the last month or so. Thanks to reader Alison for some of the observations, and those who commented on Hatches III.

New Openings

Famous Surry Hills Thai Prasits has taken over the not very succesful Thai restaurant next to the high school
New Asian restaurant – and it’s not Thai! - Asian King, on the site of old Shaiza’s Curry House
A Coffee and a Yarn at 413 King St - hugely popular knitting and mini-cafe
The Granny Square – looks like a cute crafts store, site of old Champion Textiles – 47 King St (a theme here)
Chocolate Dog is now a Polish restaurant, according to Twitter !

Prasits arrives in Newtown

Development Applications

Yet another bottle shop proposed for Newtown Central (next to Townie)
Check out the excellent Planning Alerts site to track D.A.s near you

Reviews

Moose in the SMH (Facebook link)
Darley St Bistro in the Botany View Hotel makes the Tele's Top 10 Pub Bistros
Street Food blog has a few Newtown reviews
Blog review of A Coffee and a Yarn

Random

Pretty Dog has moved down the road in Brown Street; it's great to see some action off King Street.
Popular cafe Anise has closed due to renovations upstairs
Funky Cafe is on the market. Whoever buys it must maintain the music ! And death to the nimby who raised a noise complaint; on King St FFS.
A new Festival proposed for Eliza St in September

Pretty Dog slides down Brown St

Newtown Station Latest

2010-05-15T19:19:00.000+10:00

After a long period of silence, the revised Newtown Station renovations were launched this month by local member and Deputy Premier, Carmel Tebbutt and Transport Minister, Davd Campbell. The accompanying press release (pdf) was light on detail, although did contain an intruiging reference to 'including archaeological testing and demolition of the old kebab shop'. The renovations are supposed to cost an extraordinary $31M dollars, you really think we'd be getting more for that than a tarted up old station building, covered walkway and a couple of elevators.

Today

The main change from the previous proposal (read more here and here) is that the gaudy canopy (on the right below) :

has been replaced by a simpler cleaner look, which is an improvement. Interesting though that the revised plan was not provided to the public for comment, and indeed is not online anywhere. The Mayor's requests to Carmel Tebbutt's office for any further information have not been responded to.

Probably because this was about the 17th launch of station renovation plans (a NSW Labor specialty) there wasn't a lot of press, apart from this very brief article in the Inner West Courier. The comments on that article reflect the general cynicism that this will actually go ahead.

However a D.A. has already been lodged with the council, although intruigingly only for soil quality testing (those kebabs again) rather than any demolition or construction work. I've got to say it's the most detailed documentation I've ever seen, given the limited scope of the works. Maybe that's where some the $31M is going. According to the press release a tender has been called for the demolition of the kebabery as well; still, I'll only be assured this is real when I see signs of some construction rather than destruction.

Cycling to and from Newtown II - The City and North

2010-05-09T17:39:00.000+10:00

The latest in a series of cycling posts, this post focuses on how to get from Newtown to the City and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The accepted route from Newtown to the city starts on the Wilson Street contra-flow. However very quickly opinion divides (and there are no signs; unlike the Marrickville side) on how best to get to the city. Going to the southern half of the CBD is best done following Wilson Street to the very end, through Little Eveleigh, around Redfern Station, down George Street, through Prince Alfred Park (when it's open) and then take your chances on Chalmers Street.

View Larger Map

To get to the Northern half of the CBD, or the bridge (which is the Mayor's commute) turn left off Wilson St at Shepherd St and follow it all the way past Sydney Uni Engineering, across Cleveland Street, 2nd right at Daniels, left at Buckland; then either straight down to Broadway and take the footpath up to the Jones St lights, or take a right at Blackfriars, take your chances across Abercrombie to the far lane, then cross Broadway and first right up Thomas Street to join Jones Street.

Follow Jones street almsot to the end, then right turn at Fig St. At the intersection with Harris St, either follow it down Murray St and up to Pyrmont Bridge, or turn left at Harris and take it down to Pyrmont Bridge Road. Turn right and you'll eventually join all the commuters coming off Anzac Bridge, and follow the soon to be completed Union Street cyclepath to Pyrmont Bridge.

According to their press release, the Central Park project on the old Carlton Brewery will contain a cycle way connecting Barbour Street to Jones St and the UTS precinct. While this is great news, it's still not clear to be how this will best connect to Wilson St. From the Sydney Uni / Sydney Council cycle map, it seems the best option will be still to take Shepherd Street, veer right at Boundary Street, cross Cleveland at the lights into Beaumont Street, then follow Myrtle Street across Abercrombie into Meagher Street, before turning left at Balfour.

If you're interested in cycling around the region, I recommend signing up for Sydney Cyclist, in particular the Inner West group. The state govenrnment is also taking feedback on cycling in Sydney until May 28th; I encourage you to have your say.

Hatches Batches and Dispatches III

2010-05-09T15:01:00.000+10:00

The third round up of some of the comings and goings on and around King St Newtown in the last month or so ...

New Openings

Wine and Dine, which opened only a month ago where Mickey's was, has already closed.
A new book shop Plato opened this weekend just down the road from Newtown institution Goulds.
Inner West Live launches. Check it out !
Mayor of Newtown turned one (148 in the real world, only two years until the sesquicentenary)

Development Applications

All quiet this month. Some minor mods to the Hive D.A.
Mostly residential applications on the council website

Reviews

Another Iiza review
The Bloodwood buzz continues, with reviews in Barzine, Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney Restaurant Review, Time Out, and several blogs amongst others

Bloodwood

Random

Midnight Thai, behind the 7-11, is closed until problems with their exhaust fan are fixed to the satisfaction of council. Their neighbours at the coffee shop are still going strong
Some publicity for the excellent Newtown history site
Popular newcomer Luxe Bakery gets named for dodgy soy milk
Stay tuned for some news regarding the Hub ...

One Year of the Mayor of Newtown

2010-04-19T11:48:00.001+10:00

One year ago on April 19th the Mayor of Newtown announced his arrival in the on-line world with this post. It seems just a few weeks ago that I was marking the 6 month anniversary of the blog; indeed in terms of output the second 6 months have been a lot quieter than the first 6 months; roughly half the number of posts. That can be attributed to some pent up stories prior to launch, as well as the distractions of a Sydney summer !

The Top 5 all time posts has just one new entry since October, a post which discussed the popular proposed renovation of Newtown Hotel, hopefully bringing back the verandahs. The top 5 posts for the first year of Mayor of Newtown were:

It shows that readers share the Mayor's two main interests - urban renewal and drinking venues ! In terms of absolutes, Google Analytics tells me that the Newtown station had a total of ~ 500 unique views; and that the site overall has had 5000 'unique visitors' for a total of around 16,000 pageviews; and that a quarter of my visitors now arrive from Google (in the early days it was almost all Twitter).

A recent popular addition has been the Hatches Batches and Dispatches series; an occasional round up of new openings, closures, Development Applications and random news from Newtown. The first edition is the third most visited post of this year; happily there are two Mystery posts (one bar, one photo) in this year's top 5, and the Mystery Photos continue to be popular.

Six months ago I also kicked off the Mayor on Posterous and Facebook, to accompany the Mayor's Twitter presence that was launched simultaneously with this site. They've proved less popular - I've more or less given up on Posterous, as the gap I thought it filled possibly doesn't really exist. I might give it another go; maybe for three line reviews of new bars, restaurants and cafes. The Facebook presence has also drawn little interest - under 200 'fans' compared to the 800 Twitter followers and 6000 members of Facebook's much older I Love Newtown group.

To celebrate my birthday I got myself a present - some mini-cards from Moo.com. There are 5 varieties in all, all with the same obverse. I've started leaving them around the town, so keep your eyes open and let me know if you find them.

What's next ? More of the same I'd say - although, as always, I welcome your suggestions. In terms of the main interests of my readers Newtown Station, The Hub and the Tram Sheds all remain unresolved, although it looks like The Hive will become a supermarket development still hasn't started. The last year has finally seen some bars joining Madame Fling Flongs in providing an alternative to Newtown's pubs; and hopefully that trend will continue.

Thanks for your support and Happy Birthday to me !

Mystery Bar II Revealed - Bloodwood

2010-04-18T14:00:00.005+10:00

The mystery bar series kicked off the other week with Corridor, which lasted a respectable amount of time before being identified. Mystery Bar II continued the 'door' theme of the recent mystery photos (red and farm) and asked in which fine Newtown drinking establishment the above yellow door was.

It wasn't so hard given there are still too few bars in Newtown to really challenge you, but whether it was shyness or something else, it was 10 days until LolaSkate put their name to a (correct) guess of Bloodwood - and scored the bonus point for identifying that it leads absolutely nowhere ! To be fair ShaBlair had pointed this out earlier, but only on Twitter.

Bloodwood has been the subject of a very un-Newtown like buzz since it opened a couple of months ago in the old Planetarium (fancy word for a nursery) in the up and coming South King St (SoKi) area. It has been reviewed postively in Barzine, Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney Restaurant Review, Time Out, and several blogs amongst others.

In my mind Bloodwood is more of a restaurant than a bar - the food is bloody good as you'd expect from ex-Claudes chefs (I'll leave reviews to the experts) and much has been made of the great design. The bar area is really just the reception at the entrance - the physical bar given to protecting the chefs and anyway the corridor is too narrow for bar stools - but at least there is the option to drink and or dine in this much welcome addition to the Newtown scene.

Out the back

Mystery Bar II - Follow the Yellow Door

2010-04-06T23:09:00.004+10:00

The mystery bar series kicked off the other week with Corridor, which lasted a respectable amount of time before being identified. To continue in the 'door' theme of the recent mystery photos (red and farm); and certainly a little easier than they have proved to be; I present (without further ado) the second Newtown Mystery Bar - "Yellow Door".

In which fine Newtown drinking establishment is this door to be found ? And for a bonus point - where does it lead ?

Hatches Batches and Dispatches II

2010-04-02T09:48:00.000+11:00

The second round up of some of the comings and goings on and around King St Newtown in the last month or so ...

New Openings

Kick Lounge has opened on Erskineville Road near the still closed Imperial Hotel
Metrobus 30 - Newtown to Enmore, started March 28, garnering surpising support from the Mayor's followers ;)
Red Cross vintage boutique opened at 359 King St
Old Aboriginal art gallery on Mary Street is for lease

Development Applications

Newtown RSL to be replaced by 63 room boutique hotel
The Sando applies to maintain extended trading hours

God drinks here

Reviews

Bloodwood in the SMH
Iiza in the Tele
Corridor in the SMH (cliche alert) and TimeOut
Soffrito in the SMH (5.4 on the Mossop cliche scale)

Bloodwood

Random

Rumour has it that Funky cafe is on the market
The Vanguard is for sale; with current owner John Cass looking for a new owner who will maintain the vibe
Mickeys (next to Daniel Motsyn) has closed and has been replaced by Wine and Dine, a slightly sterile looking cafe/bar (but welcome nevertheless !)
The old Allan's Cakes in Erko will re-open as a dessert bar (pending licence approval)
The same owner has plans for a shared plates style bar next door. Finger's crossed ! Take time to do his Erko survery

Mystery Photo X - Red Door

2010-03-31T16:41:00.000+11:00

From the Farm Door of Mystery Photo IX, we move to a slightly scarred red door, lurking in the back streets of Newtown. Where exactly ?

Mystery Photo IX Revealed - Farm Door

2010-03-23T11:44:00.000+11:00

Mystery Photo IX asked where in Newtown the above 'farm door' could be found. It was a sinch for DarkStarDeity, who very quickly posted:

That's the boarded-up back door to the old stable in Crooks Lane (just off Church St), generally referred to as "The Shed" (since corrected to Shack). I was actually going to send you a photo of this building myself for one of the mystery photos as I live near it

Given that I was hoping this was a more challenging Mystery Photo I removed the comment to give others a chance at guessing the location, which no-one managed for three weeks or so until Smacky-wolf chipped in with the correct location.

Crook's Lane doesn't get mentioned in Google Maps, though from this street view you can just see the shed at the end of the lane. In the standard Newtown view, it's the elbow shaped lane in the pocket bounded by Church Street, King Street, Mechanic's Lane and Hordern Street.

Consenus is now that the Shed is actually known by its inhabitants as The Shack, but other than that, there's precious little to tell about this unusual-for-Newtown building - unless readers can provide more information

Hatches Batches and Dispatches

2010-03-17T10:12:00.006+11:00

The Mayor's collection of comings (mostly) and goings in Newtown. The first in a possible regular series ...

New Openings

An Asian supermarket called Qmart across the road from the Marly
A highly regarded and well reviewed bar/restaurant called Bloodwood at 416 King St
Another highly regarded bar called Corridor, on the site of the old Sabor de Espana
A deli/cafe/bar called 2042 Cafe and Deli, reviewed in the SMH
A fancy looking Izakaya Japanese restaurant Iiza on site of the much lamented Lucky's Pizza and a less lamented Indian restaurant.
A fancy and tasty Mexican restaurant Izote at the far far end of Newtown (6 King St)

Upstairs at Corridor

Development Applications

Popular sort-of Irish pub Kelly's has applied to expand with a lounge over Janet's pies
Trinity Church on Erskineville Rd has applied for some internal reconfiguration and a carpark upgrade
Wilson Street cafe Ism (opposite Hollis Park) has applied for outdoor seating (Nimby opposition alert)

Random

Rumour has it that Satellite is about to change hands, and the new owner maybe contemplating night openings
Popular Flower shop The Flower Room is up for sale
Random Thai joint (and former purveyor of Duck) Midnight Thai appears to have closed, although the coffee bar and pastry shop attached is still going strong (behind the 7-11 on Brown St)
Vinnies and the 7-11 are rebuilding their awnings
The much-loved and sadly vandalised steeple sculpture in Camperdown Park has gone AWOL

Gone ...

Mystery Bar I Revealed - Corridor

2010-03-04T15:53:00.004+11:00

The first Mystery Bar asked you to identify the bar where this cosy lounge was to be found. It was relatively quickly indentified by justiceotb as Corridor; although happily not until after a few near misses, which has encouraged me to perservere with the Mystery Bar series ! It might have been easier to pick with some wider angle pictures ...

Corridor is the second attempt at making a success of the former site of Sabor de Espana, Newtown's short lived tapas bar. Early indications are that it will be a success. A fair bit of effort has gone into the renovation, although the basic form of the site has been maintained, with a limited bar area downstairs and more seating (indoors and outdoors) upstairs.

The night the mayor visited the outside area was full while the insides remained mostly empty, but I can see the front room upstairs becoming popular as the weather cools, even if the fireplace sadly doesn't look functional.

All in all, a welcome addition to the Newtown bar scene.

Corridor, 153a King St Newtown.

Mystery Photo IX - Farm Door

2010-02-24T17:10:00.003+11:00

Hot on the heels of the revelation of the last Mystery Photo; uncovering the Festival balloon - and a new community garden - in Oxford Street, Newtown; comes this week's challenge.

Where, in very urban Newtown, is this distinctly rural looking door ?

Cycling to and from Newtown I - Going West

2010-02-24T11:20:00.004+11:00

In the previous post; I made some general observations about the state of cycle paths in Sydney and some of the issues with the current approach to planning and building cycleways. In the next few posts I'm going to focus on current and planned cycleways in and around Newtown, starting with the route from Newtown to Stanmore and further west.

View Larger Map

The route from Newtown to Stanmore is at least fairly well marked; known as L2 in the Marrickville council labelling scheme; this path flows up Mary Street, through the park then down Albermarle Street before turning at Baltic Street, past the Scientology School then down to the Liberty Road roundabout.

Sign on the return leg at the entry to the park

The Albermarle Street leg of this route is particularly problematic; a theoretically two way road not wide enough for even a car and bike to pass; it's also crossed with stop signs every second block; with limited visibility at intersections this is not conducive to smooth or safe cycling.

The alternative Bedford Street route is more spacious and has fewer stops; however it is more trafficked; and getting to it involves negotiating King Street at the dangerous Newtown Bridge. The solution for me is to make Albermarle Street one way with contra-flows and remove parking from one side of the road. To avoid it turning into a car rat-run; the one way system should change direction half way (say at Chelmsford Street) i.e. one way west from Australia Street to Chelmsford Street then one way West from Bedford Street.

Going further west (with an ultimate destination of Homebush for example) is another story. The marked 'L2' cycle path peters out after the railway line hugging laneway parallel to Douglas St - and for good reason, as the options are not much chop. Some guides recommend a complicated set of zig-zags all the way back to Parramatta Road; twice. This would also appear to be what the OpenStreetMap path is recommending; although it's noteworthy that L5 apparently just disappears somewhere in the vicinity of the Cockatoo Hotel.

View Larger Map

More seasoned riders (such as the Mayor) bite the bullet and take their chances on the narrow and busy Trafalgar Street and Railway Parade rather than the 10 minute detour, but it's not for everyone. The Sydney University guide, reproducing the Bike It map, suggests a split between that way going east; and a slight detour via Brighton Street cycling west.

This gap in the network really needs to be addressed if the government are serious in their commuting targets; if you agree please take the time to comment on the 'Missing Links' link below !

The next post will address cycling north towards the city; in the mean time here are a few more links for you:

Massbug link to cycling routes; including the OpenStreetMap project.
bikely link for Newtown routes.
NSW Bike Plan update
Feedback on missing links to NSW Government (bloody hell - removed a day after posting)
Sydney University cycling page
Australian Cyclist magazine
Sydney Cyclist forums

Mystery Photo VIII Revealed - Lost Balloon

2010-02-22T18:51:00.005+11:00

The most recent Mystery Photo asked you to identify the location of the Sydney Festival yellow balloon. It wasn't too long until 'anonymous' (please leave a name; even a made up on - it's much more fun !) picked it as the empty block of land next to the Scientology School on Oxford St Newtown.

View Larger Map

Since the photo was taken last year, the long abandoned site has undergone quite a change, and it looks like some sort of community garden is coming to life here; a quick google check reveals that's the case (via an Athena newsletter). Does anyone have any more information ?

Although the area where the ball was is still looking pretty crappy.

Mystery Bar I - Chesterfield

2010-02-20T13:20:00.005+11:00

The Mystery Photo series, popular with visitors (albeit shy ones, very few of you leave comments), continues to struggle to last more than a day without being identified. However I will persist and one day create a Mystery Photo that lasts more than 48 hours !

In the meantime, it's time to introduce the first of the Mystery Bar series. There still aren't so many bars in Newtown; sadly more people in Darlinghurst and Surry Hills seem to be taking advantage of the new small bar laws than here in Newtown. Still, things are slowly improving here; and hopefully as this series progresses there will be more and more candidates.

I won't be giving too many hints; especially at this stage. The photo above is taken in a Newtown Bar. Where is it ? And what is the bar's name ? And for a bonus point; what did it used to be called (yes, a hint of sorts).

Cycling and Newtown - Part I

2010-02-08T18:46:00.009+11:00

Newtown has a well earned reputation as the heart of Sydney cycling. Cyclists abound on and around King St, and the 'cyclists highway' of Wilson Street was the site of Sydney's first (I think) contra-flow cycle lane. According the NSW government's statistics web page; Newtown ranks second in NSW (really first, as O'Connor is in the A.C.T - strange that the website claims it as part of NSW) for the number of commuting cyclists.

The City of Sydney Council and Marrickville Council (joint custodians of Newtown) both have excellent cycling strategies online (Sydney and Marrickville). One key difference though is that Marrickville council have recently cut their cycling budget - despite the best intentions of the Greens - whereas Sydney Council are spending millions on implementing theirs.

The above dichotomy reveals are more general problem with cycle paths in Sydney. Given the state government's complete lack of interest in cycling, it's left in the hands of local councils. As a result, cycle paths (where they exists) typically stop at council boundaries (or anywhere else where the money happns to run out). The classic example of this in Newtown is the way the Stanmore - Newtown cycleway peters out at the corner of King Street and Mary Street, with an unfriendly one way street between it and the aforementioned Wilson Street cycle highway.

Amazingly there is a detailed plan to fix this intersection and unify these paths (on page 101 of Marrickville's cycle strategy) although no details on timing or funding (nor even whether the RTA would agree to losing one lane of one of the few East - West routes in inner-Sydney).

Sydney Council has recently announced plans for a Cycle Hub at Taylor Square. The planned hub will include showers and a bike repair centre. There are doubts about whether this is the right location for the hub; on the positive side it's on the intersection of three major cycle routes; on the other hand it's not clear it's close enough to offices to be really useful for commuters.

Newtown's Hub would seem like an obvious site for a similar facility (we can't let Surry Hills get one up on us) - perhaps associated with the community centre in my old office (a.k.a the Town Hall) - situated as it is at the intersection of several bike routes. It could act as a de facto bike parking facility for Newtown Station, given that Railcorp will not commit to decent bike facilities. What do you think ?

In Part 2 I'll discuss in more detail some of the local routes in and around Newtown and planned upgrades; in the meantime here are some (hopefully) useful links - let me know if I've missed any !

Bike Sydney
BIKESydney was formed in 2000 to help look after the Sydney City Council Area (Australia) and is affiliated with Bicycle NSW.
Massbug
Local bicycle group covering Marrickville and former South Sydney Council areas. The group meets on the first Wednesday of the month at the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre at 7:30pm.

Bicycle NSW
Peak cycling body providing advice, insurance, ride events bike shop discounts and Australian Cyclist magazine to members
RTA Cycleways
The RTA has produced Cycleway maps for Newcastle, Central Coast, Illawarra and Sydney regions.
Sydney Community College
Offers short affordable cycling courses to improve your skills and confidence in riding a bike.

Mystery Photo VIII - Lost Balloon

2010-02-08T18:39:00.003+11:00

The Narrow Lane didn't take too long to identify - again ! Before I resort to really obscure photos; here's one more 'street level' mystery photo to test your knowledge of Newtown. Can you help the Sydney Festival folk relocate their lost yellow balloon ? It's come to rest somewhere in Newtown ...

Mystery Photo VII - Narrow Lane

2010-01-23T16:09:00.003+11:00

Time for the first Mystery Photo of 2010. Somewhere in Newtown is this faded sign - where exactly ?

Newtown Hub Update

2010-01-15T12:38:00.001+11:00

This weeks Inner West Courier has an article on Newtown's Hub, although unfortunately there is no news as such. The owner, Chris Vlattas, is quoted blaming Marrickville Council for the lack of progress in turning The Hub into an entertainment venue, a charge which the council quite reasonably denies given the most recent DA was for shops and offices (see my take from last year).

Maybe the publicity will force those interested to discuss sensible options for the venue; certainly Newstown readers have come up with some creative ideas. Use of such an iconic building for shops and apartments would really be a shame. Some sort of concert / cinema venue would be the most logical use - but I'd love to see some more original ideas !

Here's hoping - one thing for sure is that The Hub has stood empty for way too long.

Posted via email from Mayor's posterous

Newtown Hotel Renovation Proposal

2010-01-13T15:38:00.010+11:00

Image - Humphrey Edwards Interior Designers and Architects

It's been a while since I've been as excited about a development proposal as this one. The main reason (apart from the re-opening of a venue that's been closed for way too long) is that this proposed renovation includes the reconstruction of the original verandas. There are several diagram of how it might look, including a front view here (pdf).

I'd like to complement the consultants on the detailed preparation done for this D.A; I've never seen such a well researched application. Anyone interested in local history should take a look at the Heritage Appendices (Appendix 3.x), and there's a lot of information on how the renovated hotel will look in other documents.

Gleeson Grocers - (c) City of Sydney Archives

Those of you familiar with old photos of Newtown will know that these verandas were once commonplace along King Street. These days however they're virtually non-existent - instead mostly replaced by awnings and occasionally (C.B.A. building for example) nothing at all.

Hopefully this D.A (if approved) will be the start of a trend; I imagine one of the motivators for this is the provision of smoking area - an unfortunate consequence of the indoors smoking ban in pubs (which the mayor loves) is that the best areas of many bars (the outdoors ones) now resemble ashtrays - but these verandas provide a neat solution for those bars that don't have outdoor areas; as well as extending table space for dining areas.

More positively this could increase the utility of the first floor of the buildings along King Street; hopefully some first floors could become small bars or even restaurants if verandas become more prevalent. I'd love to see official council policy encourage recreation of verandas along King Street - someone should speak to the Mayor !

I'm not aware of all the details of the dispute between the building owners and Newtown Hotel operators; although there is some good background here and here. The most recent news suggests that a compromise was brewing - here's hoping that's the case. I'd be interested if anyone has some inside info - drop me a note.

The trading hours requested are only to midnight - personally I think this is a shame; with the restriction on using the King Street entrance only after 11pm I can't see why the bar can't stay open until a few hours later. The proposed design also seems to include private dining rooms - and even a function area (see the 2nd floor plans), as well an internal courtyard and outdoor dining area.

All in all, a promising looking D.A - let's hope it gets up, and sparks a trend for the re-veranda-isation (there's a neologism for you) of King Street.

Newtown What's On - Weekly Events and Links

2009-11-03T15:08:00.002+11:00

My attempt to run a weekly Newtown what's on took too much time for too little feedback; so I've decided to produce a semi-regular update of all the weekly events in Newtown and a collection of links to use to see what's on for a given week.

As always, if you run a venue and want to be included, drop me a note. If you're got some time on your hands and are happy to help prepare a weekly guide, then I'd love to hear from you on my gmail address.

Regular Events

Funky Deli Cafe, 256King St Newtown
Live music 7 days

Madame Fling Flong
- Tuesday night movie $20 with drink/mezze. Bookings advised.

Sandringham Hotel
- Live music every night and Sunday afternoons

Town Hall Hotel
- Local DJs Friday nights 11pm - 4am
- YourSpace Wednesday nights

Eveleigh Markets
- Farmer's Market every Saturday 8:00 - 13:00
- Eveleigh Artisans Markets first Sunday of the month

Addison Rd Centre, 142 Addison Road Marrickville
- Marrickville Organic Markets every Sunday 8:30 - 15:00

Marly Markets
First Saturday every month
Marlborough Hotel, Corner King St and Missenden Road, Newtown

Venues

Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown
Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St
Enmore Theatre, 119-132 Enmore Road, Newtown
Town Hall Hotel, next to the Station
Sandringham Hotel, 387 King St Newtown

Theatre

Newtown Theatre, Corner King and Bray St, Newtown
New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown
Seymour Centre, City Road, Newtown

Galleries

Wilson Street Gallery, 30-34 Wilson St Newtown

Happy Anniversary to Newstown

2009-10-28T12:17:00.007+11:00

This October marks 6 months since the Mayor of Newtown launched in the blogger world; simultaneously creating a presence on Twitter to spread Newtown news to the world. Since then, the Mayor has also appeared on Facebook, and more recently Posterous, a holding place for posts too short for Newstown but too long for Twitter.

As this is also the 50th post on Mayor of Newtown, I thought I'd indulge myself in some 'nostalgia' and review some of the most popular posts in the last 6 months. Like the Mayor himself, readers are very interested in urban development, with 4 of the 5 most visited posts relating to Newtown's physical environment. The most popular post of all was the discussion of the long-awaited plans to renovate Newtown Station (with more than 400 views). Development plans for the Hive and discussion of the long vacant Hub site also made the Top 5; as did one of the Mayor's own Top 5 series; Newtown's Top 5 Eyesores, a look at the not so great architectural treasures of Newtown.

Eyesore or Potential Gem ?

The only post not related to urban development in the Top 5 relates to another interest of the Mayor's; the controversial ranking of Newtown's Top 5 Pubs. Top5 Cafe's and Cheap Eats are in the pipeline, so stay tuned and please drop any suggestions to the Mayor.

The Mystery Photo series has been popular in terms of visitors if not contributors - one problem being that the locations are identified too quickly by sharp eyed visitors. The most popular of all (and longest lasting) was Milestones - go and see if you can identify it if you haven't already.

Milestone

On the negative side, Newtown What's On didn't really strike a chord and was abandoned after a couple of months. Maintaining it simply required too much effort and didn't get the number of hits (averaging 50-odd a week) to justify the time. That could change though, especially if there's a volunteer out there to help compile and promote the list (email the Mayor if you're interested).

Going forward, there's a backlog of reviews and Top 5s to complete; redevelopment plans to watch, new shops to visit (Magnation anyone ?) and things to write about I haven't even thought about yet.

So many thanks to all who've visited and contributed to Newstown over the last 6 months. Like all bloggers the Mayor loves visitors and loves getting comments even more - so even if it's your first visit here, please take the time to say hello, ask a question or request a feature.

2042 Art on the Street launched

2009-10-28T12:04:00.001+11:00

Art on the Street had a soggy launch on Sunday. Read all about it here; and keep your eyes out around King Street.

Posted via email from Mayor's posterous

Restored Organ Recital in Enmore Sunday 1st 2pm

2009-10-28T10:50:00.002+11:00

Here's an email sent to the council archives regarding an organ recital Sunday prior to it being dismantled and restored.

I wish to advise you of a Pipe Organ recital to held at St Luke's Anglican Church, 11 Stanmore Rd, Enmore on Sunday 1 November, 2009 at 2.00 pm. It is the only Pipe Organ in Australia built by organ builders, Wordsworth and Maskell of Leeds, UK but erected in its current location by local organ builders, Layton Bros of Newtown. The organ is mechanical action and is in essentially original condition.

The organ will be dismantled for restoration beginning 2 November, 2009 and there will be a short organ recital and talk by the well known Sydney organist, Mr Peter Jewkes on Sunday 1 November at 2.00 pm at the church. Admission is $10 and $5 concession, with afternoon tea provided.

The organ will be open for viewing after the recital.

I would be pleased if you could distribute this email and the attached leaflet to your members to aid us in making local residents aware of this historic instrument.

The restoration is supported by the Heritage Council of NSW and the Organ Historical Trust of Australia.

Posted via email from Mayor's posterous

Newtown's Sando in the press re Hoey Closure

2009-10-12T11:53:00.002+11:00

People who move to the inner-city and complain about noise from pubs that have been there for 100+ years are a pet hate of mine. Great that the Sando is still going with the venue, but absurd that we were close to losing it.

http://bit.ly/7tuRH

Posted via email from Mayor's posterous

Newtown in the Duststorm

2009-09-26T12:25:00.001+10:00

Some photos from the dust storm that swept through Sydney on Wednesday (23rd September) around King Street, Sydney Park and Erskineville.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Mayor's posterous

Campos Newtown features in the Australian today

2009-09-25T13:10:00.001+10:00

There's an article in the Oz today featuring our very own Campos cafe' and coffee provider. Not long now until the Mayor's Top 5 Newtown cafe's are revealed - stay tuned !

Posted via email from Mayor's posterous

Erskineville Newtown Hive Approved by council

2009-09-25T11:03:00.001+10:00

As expected, Sydney Council approved the Woolworths Hive grocery store / supermarket (which word you use determines which side of the fence you sit on this one) at their meeting on Monday night. While it's certainly not optimal use of the site as far as the community is concerned, at least it's a decision and hopefully it will trigger use of the other abandoned sites along that strip of Erko Road.

Posted via email from Mayor's posterous

Imperial Hotel Newtown (considered Erskineville) latest

2009-09-25T10:01:00.001+10:00

The latest news of the Imperial Hotel renovations is now online. There's a court hearing on October 6 to challenge council's limit of 442 punters (the owner wants 788). Have a read and let me know what you think.

Posted via email from Mayor's posterous

Mystery Photo VI Revealed - Kinky Tea

2009-09-18T13:59:00.004+10:00

Mystery Photo #6 alas last about as long as numbers 5 and 4. My readers do indeed know Newtown just too well. The Kinky sign above was indeed the remnants of the Kinkara Tea sign from the 'Kinkara Tea House' in Chelmsford Street.

I'm not sure the RA would have made it any harder to guess judging by the speed that Dark Star Deity tracked it down.

Here's the cottage in its full glory

There's an interesting guide to preserving Historic signs at the Heritage NSW Website here (pdf) which uses this sign as an example of a historically significant sign - check out the colouring of the sign in 1998 (p12) - it looks suspiciously like a touch up job.

Mystery Photo VI - Kinky

2009-09-17T22:35:00.002+10:00

But not too kinky.

I'm having a bad run with the mystery photos, none of them are lasting 24 hours. A sign I guess that Newstown readers know their 'town !

Where in our god-fearing neighbourhood is this kinky building ?

Mystery Photo V Revealed - Tin Shed in the Sky

2009-09-17T19:26:00.003+10:00

Mystery photo V was the above mysterious floating rusty shed. Unusual enough in appearance to qualify as subject of the mystery photo series, the position of the shed outside the back of a popular Turkish pizza joint, and near the courtyard of a much loved Newtown cafe meant that this one was never going to stay a mystery for long.

The building on the right is the pizzeria. It's hard to imagine this one getting through council !

View from outside Buzzbar

Council Approved Plumbing

Hive Revisited

2009-09-16T18:00:00.006+10:00

Back in May, I posted about the controversy surrounding the proposed redevelopment of the 'Hive' site (confusingly there's now a Hive Bar in Erskineville, but that's another story) as a supermarket. In a nutshell, the original proposal for a large supermarket was rejected for size reasons after a well-coordinated campaign from the Friends of Erskineville Village; only for the owner to come back with another proposal for a 'grocery store' (less than half the size) on the same site.

The Friends relaunched their campaign; but feelings didn't seem to be as strong this time round, and while no-one is pretending this is the best use of the site, there are plenty who feel that it's not the disaster the friends are claiming.

Now, the council Development Assessment Sub-Committee have prepared their report on the application which goes to Council next Monday. They have recommended approval of the application, subject to the following conditions:

• Restricting the maximum length of vehicles servicing the site to 8.8m;
• Restricting hours of operation to: 7.00am to 10.00pm, Monday to Saturday and 8.00am to 10.00pm on Sunday
• Implementing traffic works and restrictions;
• Prohibiting the use of trolleys; and
• Compliance with the acoustic report.

The full report can be found here (item 6) - I'll draw your attention to the justification (on page 51)

(a) the development will introduce much needed competition, a wider range of goods and lower prices for customers;
(b) residents would like to be able to walk to a shop of this size on a daily basis, rather than drive to another suburb; and
(c) the development will attract employment for locals.
(d) The re-use of the building has environmental benefits and will conserve its current appearance. It is a significant improvement to the previously approved mixed-used development.
(e) Traffic is an acceptable part of living in the inner-city.
(f) The building is currently an eyesore and needs to be refurbished. Investment in this part of Erskineville will improve the amenity of the village.
(g) The majority of residents support the application and are not being heard due to the minority of vocal objectors.

Point g), I imagine, will be particularly galling to FOE, but is consistent with what I have seen. Broadly, there were two main themes to the objections; the additional traffic that a supermarket on the site would generate, and the impact it would have on existing Village businesses.

There's no question that the traffic on that part of Erskineville road is shocking; and any development or use of the Hive would make it worse. The question the council has to wrestle with is the veracity of the claims in the impact statement that the majority of clientele would arrive on foot. Frankly you'd be mad to drive there (I'm not sure how many drive to Frankies on King Street or the Foodworks today) but I'm no traffic engineer. I used to commute via Erskineville Road until I discovered it was faster (not too mention better for you) to cycle during peak periods.

The second objection has drawn quite a response from readers of this blog and followers of the Mayor on Twitter - but not the one you might have expected. The feeling of the majority is that existing retail in the village takes its clientele for granted and could do with a bit of competition.

After keeping my opinion to myself in the first post; I finally added this today:

In my ideal world the Hive would be put to a more imaginative use than a grocery store / supermarket - but of course this is not an ideal world; and someone has bought the building expecting to make a commercial return on it.

The current proposal is way better than the previous one in size and scope. My biggest objection to the current proposal is that the shop will be run by Woolworth's - presumably under their new Thomas Dux brand. As Kelly pointed out above, they don't have a great track record in the way they treat local businesses - it's a crying shame the new Hive owner couldn't find a local to open up a boutique grocers there instead.

Unfortunately Council can't reject the proposal on those grounds - we're really in the hands of the ACCC to protect us from the grocery duopoly - a job they are not doing very well at the moment IMO.

One positive is that finally the Hive will no longer be derelict; now to fix some of the other buildings on Erskineville Road.

As always, interested in comments and feedback.

Mystery Photo IV Revealed - Tram Shed Ramparts

2009-09-14T23:16:00.008+10:00

Mystery Photo IV asked you to identify the jungle ramparts in the photo above. This didn't prove too difficult, and Steve of Bucknell very quickly identified it as the back of the tramsheds off Railway Lane. I'll save a potted history of the tram sheds, and the mayor's plans for them, for another post and instead just share a few more photos of the sheds as they are today.

There are some fantastic shots from inside the sheds on Newstown reader Ghee's flickr page; below I offer my more humble efforts - from the laneway:

from Erskineville:

and finally from the Thomas Street:

Moving the Inner West

2009-09-14T23:09:00.001+10:00

Flights to Surry Hills on the hour

It seems like all our local transport modes are in various stages of revision at once. There's a new train timetable kicking into place next month; the State Transit Authority has just launched a consultation phase for new bus timetables for the South and West, and Sydney Council has just released its draft Pedestrian Cycling and Traffic Calming Plan (catchy name that one) for Darlinghurst, Camperdown, Erskineville and the bits of Newtown they control. Not to mention (which I won't this time, I promise) all the hullabaloo regarding light rail and metro in the wider Inner West.

Inner Westies have just a couple of weeks to get their act together if they want some say in all of this. It's too late for the trains, which after a false start a couple of years ago will start operating to the new timetable on October 11th. The relevant changes are summarised here - there doesn't seem to be much changing on the Inner West line at first glance.

State Transit have gone to quite an effort to consult their planned bus route and timetable changes; apart from this informative website, glossy brochures - complete with detailed maps - have been distributed to all households in the region. Changes to the busses in the area have been summarised in 8 categories:

Sydney CBD focused bus services;
Balmain, Birchgrove and Glebe bus services;
The Metrobus network;
Strathfield bus services;
Homebush Bay bus services;
Mortlake, Breakfast Point, Concord, Cabarita,Abbotsford and Chiswick bus services;
Rockdale, Kogarah and Miranda bus services; and
Cross Regional bus services;

and I'd really recommend bus users to take the time to read the details and submit feedback; either online or the old fashioned way on the brochures. I've already had feedback via twitter that the new proposal doesn't address the 428 frequency and related over-crowding - if you agree, let them know - it's a rare chance. Feedback closes October 9th.

There's also a new Metro Bus route (M30) that will take you directly from Enmore to Mosman and back should the need somehow strike you. Maybe there'll suddenly be a proliferation of pearls on King Street (or tatts on Military Road).

from the council website

Finally, the Sydney Council have reduced their draft Pedestrian Cycling and Traffic Calming Plan for comment. The mayor attended the original consulting session for this (on a rainy night in Camperdown in March) - I have to say it was very professionally organised and facilitated and it's great to see that notice has been taken of the feedback. I made fun of the name earlier; but the council did explain that the name has been changed from the original 'Traffic Plan' to emphasis the community friendly aspect of the plan, rather that an emphasis on cars - and how to move them as quickly as possible.

The report (click on the 4th link in the further information section) is the most interesting document. It's well worth reading - if you're impatient jump to the recommendations on page 8. It's accompanied by some detailed maps summarising proposed changes - you can also download high-resolution versions of the maps as well.

In summary, the draft plan includes:

Pedestrian and cycling access improvements across the area, including intersections on Wilson Street and Abercrombie Street
Working with the RTA to install new crossings missing at signalised intersections and a new crossing along Mallett Street
Cycleway projects on Missenden Road, Wilson Street and Shepherd Street
Kerb extensions and additional crossings along King Street, and potential new bike parking.

We have until Friday 25th September now to prepare any comments - once again, I really recommend taking the time to check out the report and submitting any feedback - all the evidence suggests the council takes it seriously, and this plan will be the framework for changes over the next 5-10 years.

And from the photo above, it seems that the Federal government is still investigating sites a lot closer to home for Sydney's second airport ...

Mystery Photo V - Jungle House

2009-09-13T22:37:00.004+10:00

Well the last Mystery Photo didn't offer much resistance, nor generate much comment. Hopefully a few more of you will have a go at this one. Still very much in Newtown, yet looking more in place in the country perhaps, where is this jungle house located ?

Here's some plumbing detail, in case the greenery is overwhelming.

The Old of Newtown

2009-09-09T14:31:00.006+10:00

City of Sydney Council has just updated their Newtown specific history website. It's a great resource and anyone interested in Newtown is encouraged to get over there and have an explore.

I discovered it when I moved into Newtown early this century (doesn't that sound grand) but re-visiting it a couple of years ago it appeared to be abandoned, with the latest updates being a few years ago. In fact the mayor's portrait was even pilfered from there (it belongs to a real Mayor of Newtown, Alderman William Rigg); a fact that council archivist Mark Stevens pointed out to me when I wrote to him requesting permission to use some other council photos for the mystery photo series shortly after Newstown was launched !

Mark also informed me that the archive site was being updated - even better, the work has been done by a local Newtown firm, In My Room. So head on over there and check it out.

Credits, from their about page:

The Newtown project started in 2000 and is based on a concept by Graeme Nichols. Work on the site during 2000-2005 was undertaken by Graeme (who was the webmaster during this time) and other volunteers at the City of Sydney Archives. The site was redeveloped in 2009 by In My Room, a Newtown based web design firm.

We would particularly like to acknowledge the contributions of -

Graeme Nichols and Reg Johnson, for transcription of Sands Directory .
Shirley Doolan, Jan Bowditch, Jenny Kropp and Lorraine Sketch, for transcription of the Minutes of Newtown Council.
Mark Matheson, for biographical notes on Mayors and Aldermen, and historical notes on street names and other topics.
Mark Stevens Natasha Neal
City Archivist Webmaster

Newtown Station - Mayor's take

2009-09-08T23:05:00.011+10:00

In my last post I summarised what I could find regarding RailCorp's plans to upgrade Newtown Station. So what do I think about the planned upgrade ?

In some ways the plan was a surprise for me, I had been expecting the concourse to push out behind the existing station building; assuming that the insides would be fully gutted to provide a smooth access to the lifts and stairs. The actual plan is more ambitious and has the advantage of also cleaning up the mess that is the property between the station and the Townie.

Other positive aspects of the plan include the renovation of the Tramway Depot Office (above) - as well as the existing buildings that were always going to be repaired, and of course the fact that the station gets two new stairs (should reduce the crowding that occurs after every train in peak hour) as well as a lift to improve access for many people who today struggle with the stairs. I'm pretty sure a single lift will be sufficient so I'm not worried about that.

One commenter has observed that the modern "wave" look of the new retail and concourse is out of character for Newtown. It's hard to tell from the limited 'artist's impression', and I'm not a fan of faux heritage; but it is important that the new retail be sympathetic to the surrounds, without necessarily aping them. Hopefully we will be provided more detailed plans and get a chance to really see how they fit in with the surrounding buildings. From first glance the wave roof may well be too domineering for the area. I'm not sure about covering the whole area between King Street and the concourse either - it's important part of the walk way is covered so that it's possible to get to the platform dry, without a massive structure blocking out all sunlight.

My biggest worry though is the impact these plans might have on the tram sheds and remaining open space in front of them next to the station. In the Mayor's ideal world, this open space would become a public square, the Tram Sheds converted to low cost artist/designer residence with on site markets (as well as cafes etc). It would be a shame if this station upgrade blocked off access to the remainder of the open space in front of the sheds, or indeed took up too much of the space that could otherwise become part of a Newtown Town Square.

It's very hard to get accurate information on what the state of play is with the tram sheds - my recollection from the April meeting was that they had been sold to a developer a while ago, it had all gone pear-shaped and it was now in court. Fingers crossed that the situation can be saved.

Anyone got any more information on the tram sheds ? In a future post I will give more ideas on what I'd like to see happen there, but I'd love to get the full picture of the current situation.

And what do you think ? I'd love to see some comments.

Newtown Station Plans Revealed

2009-09-07T18:27:00.001+10:00

A few months ago, your mayor attended the community information session on the oft-delayed Newtown Station upgrade, where deputy premier and local member Carmel Tebut, representing both herself and the absent RailCorp and RTA, announced that the initial proposed plans for a lift from the existing station building to the platform had been abandoned for technical reasons, and RailCorp had gone back to the drawing board, with more ambitious (and expensive plans) due for release in 3-6 months for public comment.

Credit where credit is due, last month RailCorp did indeed come out with some details on the planned upgrade and timing. While there is a glossy brochure (available at the station) describing the upgrade (from where the above image comes), details are hard to come by online. The NSW government planning site offers just an unhelpful map, and local media coverage was limited to one article in the local rags. Finally however I managed to find the Development Application on the Heritage Branch website; where it appears we have until September 16th to comment, provided we get to Parramatta for the paper copies before then ! It rather brings to mind the beginning of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

So what do we get ? The application states:

Proposal: Construction of easy access facilities including installation of one lift to the platform, new centrally located overhead concourse, two stairs to the platform, new elevated covered access walkway from street entry to the concourse, new public toilets and family accessible toilet, new platform canopies, relocation of station ticketing facilities to refurbished two storey Tramways Depot Office, new and upgraded retail premises.

What this means is that the unused area between the station and the Townie will become the station entry, with a semi-covered walkway leading down to a point past the end of the Townie, where a concourse will be built over the platform, with two new sets of stairs dropping down onto the platform, as well as the much promised lift (just one).

The picture above may help (click on it for a larger version); the building behind the tree is the Tramways Depot Office, which is proposed to become the new booking office, and the walkway runs down past it before swooping over the platform to become the new concourse and access point.

The map below gives another viewpoint; from it, it appears a new station access will be created at Thomas Stree t, off Newman Street.

The existing station buildings will be refurbished; and the existing stairs will disappear. The area outside the current booking office becomes part of the concourse; and the wall between it and the new access is removed. The actual booking office becomes new retail; and the adjacent 'Thundabox' building is to be (finally) renovated. It seems though that the Mayor's suggestion of a direct slippery dip from Platform 8 at the Townie has unfortunately been ignored.

Below are a few more pictures to help understand the plans.

Thundabox in its present-day glory

Current Building

New Entrance -
the chimney will presumably disappear as the wall is opened up

Kebabery to be replaced with new retail

Mystery Photo IV - Castle Walls

2009-09-05T18:16:00.003+10:00

Back again after a break. We had a lot of fun with the Milestones mystery photo - hoping this one will also prove at least a bit of a challenge. Where in Newtown (really Newtown this time) are these imposing jungle surrounded walls ?

As usual, first prize, and all runners up, win a lifetime's free subscription to Newstown.

Desalination Overrun

2009-07-22T11:49:00.004+10:00

The protests regarding the Sydney desalination plant have died down as the project is well and truly under way and seems unstoppable. There are only so many issue frustrated NSW residents can be worked up about at once. However, I was alerted to an article on the BBC regarding a new desalination plant opening in Barcelona. The quoted cost seemed low - 230 million Euro - almost exactly 400 million Aussie dollars at today's exchange rate. A quick check of Wikipedia reveals that the Sydney plant's estimated costs (and we now how they tend to end up) are already at 1.8 billion dollars. The proposed Sydney plant will generate 250 Mega-litres per day of desalinated water, compared to Barcelona's 200 ML/day.

Crude maths suggests a capital cost to build a plant that generates a litre of day of desalinated water to be $7.20 in Sydney versus $2 in Barcelona. I'm sure there are factors I've missed (pipe length, property costs etc) but it's hard to see how such a difference can be explained.

While researching Inner West light rail for my recent post, I came across the excellent Eco Transit website. An informative article by Gavin Gatenby (much better researched than this back of the envelope effort) exposed the project cost differentials between rail projects in WA and NSW. Interestingly enough there was a factor of greater than 3 there as well. Are we seeing some of the same effect here ? Anyone know any more ? I'm surprised more people aren't protesting the rail estimates as the NSW public are really suffering as a result.

Newtown What's On: Week ending July 19

2009-07-15T14:32:00.003+10:00

Here's the latest Newtown What's On, a (more or less) weekly guide to what's going on in Newtown. I welcome corrections or suggestions to mayorofnewtown 'at' gmail.com. If you run a venue, please add me to your mailing list.

Mayor Recommends
Caroline Nin - Hymn to Piaf
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown
July 14 - July 25

Music
Wednesday July 15
Caroline Nin - Hymn to Piaf
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown
(and every night)

Thursday July 16
Caroline Nin - Hymn to Piaf
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Adrian Mears Quartet
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St

Friday July 17
Ned Collette and Wirewalk
Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville

The Catholics
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St

Caroline Nin - Hymn to Piaf
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Time Machine
Newtown RSL, 52 Enmore Rd, Newtown

Saturday July 18
Caroline Nin - Hymn to Piaf
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Jacob Manricks Quartet
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St

Hill Top Hoods (sold out)
Enmore Theatre, 119-132 Enmore Road, Newtown

Sunday July 5
Caroline Nin - Hymn to Piaf
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

The MFW
Town Hall Hotel 5pm

Theatre
Unit 46
Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville
Wed - Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 5pm
June 25 - July 19

This Way Up (coming soon)
Newtown Theatre, Corner King and Bray St, Newtown
July 28 - August 15

New Directions - Horrific Acts for Charity (coming soon)
New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown
July 22 - July 25

Gutenberg The Musical
Seymour Centre, City Road, Newtown
July 14 - July 25
See website for session times

Exhibitions
Michael Keighery - Neurotica
Wilson Street Gallery, 30-34 Wilson St Newtown
July 19 - August 8

Other
Newtown Jets v Auckland Vulcans
Saturday July 18, 3pm. Henson Park, Marrickville

Regular Events
Funky Cafe, 256 King St Newtown
- Live music Mon - Sat night

Madame Fling Flong
- Tuesday night movie $20 with drink/mezze. Bookings advised.

Sandringham Hotel
- Live music every night and Sunday afternoons

Town Hall Hotel
- Local DJs Friday nights 11pm - 4am

Eveleigh Markets
- Farmer's Market every Saturday 8:00 - 13:00

Addison Rd Centre, 142 Addison Road Marrickville
- Marrickville Organic Markets every Sunday 8:30 - 15:00

Mayor's Top 5 - Newtown Pubs

2009-07-12T00:43:00.003+10:00

Well this is the big one - the Mayor's list of the top pubs in Newtown. Hopefully this one will not please all my readers - everyone has an opinion on Newtown pubs and I'm really looking forward to some heated feedback. Newtown has a generous range of great pubs - covering most tastes; although it's unfortunate timing that both the Newtown and Imperial have been closed for the last couple of years, leaving the area without a noted gay pub for the first time in decades.

An interesting fact is that all the pubs in Newtown have operated on the same site since the last last century; although most have changed names, and one was closed for a while, that's still an impressive record. The downside to that is that apart from the re-opening of the Cricketers in 1999 as Kelly's, (replacing an unpopular McDonalds) no new pubs have opened in Newtown in more than 100 years. If you're ever downstairs and sober-ish at the Townie, take the time to check out the historical posters on the walls. The photo of the old swill-friendly bar in the Union in particular is a corker. I can also recommend this site and the Council's archive for some history.

A downside to preponderance of great pubs in Newtown is the dearth of decent bars; Madam Fling Flong being pretty much the only one. Let's hope Clover's new laws will eventually encourage the opening of some more bars in Newtown, enabling me to compose a Mayor's Top 5 Bars. In the meantime, here are the Mayor's Top 5 Newtown Pubs:

Honourable Mention - Nice Fac(ad)e, Shame About ...

The Sydney Park Hotel and The Union Hotel get an honourable mention for their classic Art Deco exteriors, but neither of them are really popular Newtown destinations. To be generous you could call Sydney Park Hotel tired - as the St Peter's end of King Street keeps picking up here's hoping that St Peters Hotel will start to attract a more varied clientele.

The Union Hotel has more character - at least in the front bar. For some reason the back bar was converted into a massive RSL style bistro a few years ago that has all the character of an airport departure lounge.

... and so to the Top 5.

Number 5 Zanzibar

First entry in the Top 5 was a close one between Kelly's on King and ZanziBar. Both have improved noticeably in the last 6 months or so - Kelly's de-emphasising its Irishness (and seemingly running Karaoke 24/7 - how many times has the Mayor seen Fingers do Gay Bar ?), and ZanziBar de-emphasising the Moroccan theme that it inherited when it ceased being the Oxford.

ZanziBar just pipped Kelly's into the Top 5 for its more recent mini-renovation; downstairs now has an urban feel, complete with band posters and graffiti, and upstairs has become more of a club. Zanzibar also has Newtown's only rooftop bar which the perfect place for a gin tonic as the sun sets over King Street.

Number 4: The Sando

The Sandringham Hote l (known to all as the Sando) has been a mainstay of the Sydney live music scene for ages now. It seems to have finally survived the run in with the neighbours (who moved next to a pub that had been there for 100 years and started complaining about the noise - a pet hate of the Mayor's) and now reliably runs live music both downstairs (often free) as well as in the dedicated and sound-proofed gig area upstairs.

As well, it is rumoured that God has started drinking here since the Shakespeare changed its name. I'm pretty sure he'd be happy at how the Sando has maintained its unpretentious character over the years.

Number 3: Town Hall (The Townie)

Aptly known as the Downfall, anyone who's been in the Town Hall before midnight would justifiably be surprised by this placing. Horrifying by day, the Townie (of course) comes into its own after 11pm or so as the crowds drift in after gigs/shows or from other bars in the area. The Friday and Saturday night DJ sets add life to the downstairs crowd; upstairs, formerly the epicentre of late night townie life, is slightly calmer, and the smoking areas outside are always jammed.

Despite the size of the venue and the late hours it keeps, the vibe of the Townie is always chilled - non-judgemental, pretty much dick-head free, and friendly. The one downside of The Townie would have to be the bouncers, almost comically unable to detect the inebriation or otherwise of punters, and frequently and randomly restricting entry to completely sober patrons.

The Mayor was lucky enough to visit the manager's residence upstairs at the Townie a few years ago, and is very much hoping that one day the extensive outdoors area can be converted to Newtown's second rooftop bar.

Number 2: Coopers Hotel

Coopers Hotel, which started life as the Shakespeare in 1869, and was known for a while as the Cooper's Arms, has successfully survived a recent renovation managing to maintain the local feel of the downstairs bar while converting the upstairs backpackers into a sophisticated bar, bistro and outdoor dining/smoking area - even if the fishpond didn't last.

Like The Bank (name and location unchanged since 1880), the Coopers has become a destination bar, drawing outsiders to the various birthdays, engagement parties and the like upstairs on weekends. Recently live music has been re-introduced to the Coopers after a couple of years absence. Really the biggest problem with the Coopers these days is that it has to close at midnight.

Mayor's Number 1: The Courthouse Hotel

Perennial Newtown favourite and television star, Newtown's Courthouse aka 'The Courtie' has to be one of the best places in Sydney to while away a Sunny Sunday afternoon. The much loved beer garden has undergone a pretty serious tidy up recently that hasn't dimmed its popularity with jug drinking locals, and indoors has remained as grotty as ever. The pokies (such a key issue in 'Love is A Four Letter Word') are unobtrusive, and there's even a pinnies room. Being off the beaten track means that it draws a mostly local crowd, fiercely protective of the friendliest bar in Newtown.

Mystery Photo III - Celebrating a Milestone

2009-07-08T18:36:00.001+10:00

Mystery Photo III was 'miles from home' - readers were asked to identify the location of the milestone below, that appeared to be 11 miles (it looks older than 1966) from Sydney.

Of course, if you'd seen the other side, or had some idea of Sydney geography, you may have realised that it was actually only 2 miles from Sydney - and 13 from Parramatta.

That knowledge may not have been enough, even armed with a map and a protractor - or Google Maps - to locate it accurately. One gets the impression that the milestone may well have been moved sometime over the last century, given how neatly it snuggles into the recently landscaped footpath and garden.

So where is it ? BM-dog guess it accurately - with lots of help from Marrickville Greens, who identified - via the vegetation appropriately enough - that it was somewhere near the Parramatta Road side of Sydney University. In fact it's on Science Road in the shadow of the Main Quad - E16 on this map.

If there are any historians from the Uni reading this I'd be interested in hearing the history of the milestone - my guess is that it was salvaged from Parramatta Road at some stage (construction of the Footbridge Theatre maybe) but this is pure speculation.

When in doubt - google ! This Sydney University heritage page lists 'Milestone Sydney II' - uncertain if it's an original or a copy - but definitely pre 1900 and if orginal relates to an 1810 Macquarie Road. Take a look at the listing. There's also a 1995 conservation study of Milestone I (Parramatta XIV) available at Sydney Town Hall by appointment.

Mystery Photo III - Miles From Home

2009-07-06T23:57:00.004+10:00

Who knew Newtown was so far from Sydney ?! Or is it ?
Whereabouts in the broader Newtown area is this delightful stone hidden ?

No prizes other than smug self-satisfaction - which is surely reward in itself.

Newtown What's On: Week Ending July 12

2009-07-06T23:38:00.004+10:00

Here's the latest Newtown What's On, your weekly guide to what's going on in Newtown. I welcome suggestions: email the mayorofnewtown 'at' gmail.com. If you run a venue, please add me to your mailing list. New this week - In The Hood - a recommendation in a neighbouring suburb.

Mayor Recommends

Newtown local MJ Woodbridge supporting Melbourne Trio 'Me and the Grown Ups'
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown
Thursday July 9 @ 8pm

Music

Wednesday July 8
Daryl Beaton Band + Rosie
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Thursday July 9
Me and the Grown Ups + MJ Woodbridge
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Friday July 10
Gest8
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St

Vic Chesnutt and Victoria Williams
Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville

Johnny Cass and the Dukes
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Saturday July 11
The Idea of North (Acapella)
Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville

West End Composers Collective
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St

Urban Dance Centre
Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St
2pm and 8pm

Wildkatz
Marlborough Hotel, Corner King St and Missenden Road, Newtown

Butterfly Effect (sold out)
Enmore Theatre, 119-132 Enmore Road, Newtown

Sunday July 12
...nothing yet ... email me !

Theatre

Wrong Way Up
Newtown Theatre, Corner King and Bray St, Newtown
July 28 - August 15

Horrific Acts for Charity
New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown
July 22 - July 25

Unit 46
Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville
June 25 - July 19
8pm, Sunday 5pm

Exhibitions

Roni Feldman - Collective Resolve
Wilson Street Gallery, 30-34 Wilson St Newtown
Until July 12

Other

Regular Events
Funky Cafe, 256King St Newtown
- Live music Mon - Sat night

Madame Fling Flong
- Tuesday night movie $20 with drink/mezze. Bookings advised.

Sandringham Hotel
- Live music every night and Sunday afternoons

Town Hall Hotel
- Local DJs Friday nights 11pm - 4am

Eveleigh Markets
- Farmer's Market every Saturday 8:00 - 13:00

Addison Rd Centre, 142 Addison Road Marrickville
- Marrickville Organic Markets every Sunday 8:30 - 15:00

In the Hood

Tuesday July 7, 7:30pm, Friend in Hand Hotel, 58 Cowper St, Glebe, $10/5, 9660 2326.
Something special...

Word in Hand plays host to a massively chewy treat when spoken word legend Tug Dumbly fires up the Barbie to unleash his Banjo Paterson award winning epic ode to meat Barbeque Bill and the Roadkill Café.

Tug’s tale pits the locals of a sleepy north coast hamlet famed for its magnificent meat up against a horde of nefarious New Age invaders, whose plans for remodeling the town include the removal of the famed Big Steak, as well as stifling the trade of the town’s most celebrated son Barbeque Bill – it’s cleavers at ten paces!!

Newtown What's On: Week ending July 5

2009-06-29T14:07:00.011+10:00

Here's the latest Newtown What's On, a (more or less) weekly guide to what's going on in Newtown. I welcome corrections or suggestions to mayorofnewtown 'at' gmail.com. If you run a venue, please add me to your mailing list.

Mayor Recommends

Stevie Wright - Spoken Word
The Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville
Thursday July 2 @ 8pm

Music

Wednesday July 1
The Bain Maire Tour $12 for 4 unsigned bands
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Thursday July 2
Paul Capsis
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Friday July 3
The Translators
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St

Paul Capsis
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Saturday July 4
Lamplight and Jordie Lane
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Wanderlust
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St

Winter Jam 09
Enmore Theatre, 119-132 Enmore Road, Newtown

Sunday July 5
Anyone got anything they want to recommend ?

Theatre

The Return
Newtown Theatre, Corner King and Bray St, Newtown
June 17 - July 4

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll
New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown
June 4 - July 4

Basic Training
Seymour Centre, City Road, Newtown
June 23 - July 4

Unit 46
Factory Theatre,
June 25 - July 19
8pm, Sunday 5pm

Exhibitions

Roni Feldman - Collective Resolve
Wilson Street Gallery, 30-34 Wilson St Newtown
Until July 12

Other
Stevie Wright - Spoken Word
The Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville
Thursday July 2 @ 8pm

Marly Markets
Saturday July 4 11am- 5pm
Marlborough Hotel, Corner King St and Missenden Road, Newtown

Eveleigh Artisans Markets
Sunday July 5 10am - 4pm
Eveleigh Markets

Regular Events
Funky Cafe, 256King St Newtown
- Live music Wed - Sat night

Madame Fling Flong
- Tuesday night movie $20 with drink/mezze. Bookings advised.

Sandringham Hotel
- Live music every night and Sunday afternoons

Town Hall Hotel
- Smells Like Townie Spirit - Local DJs Friday nights 11pm - 4am

Eveleigh Markets
- Farmer's Market every Saturday 8:00 - 13:00

Addison Rd Centre, 142 Addison Road Marrickville
- Marrickville Organic Markets every Sunday 8:30 - 15:00

Mystery Photo II Revealed - School of Arts

2009-06-22T21:53:00.000+10:00

Better late than never - Mystery Photo II was indeed the old School of Arts - just down the road from the Courthouse Hotel at 5 Eliza Street, so not very well disguised from my readers ! Unlike the Elizabethan Theatre, there's not a lot of history of the School Arts available online, apart from this somewhat rambling effort from the Newtown Diamond Jubilee. I'd be interested if anyone knows more about the building's history, or even what goes on inside today - it seems to be mostly dance classes.

School of Arts in 2009

As it was :)

Newtown What's On: Week ending June 28

2009-06-22T13:59:00.010+10:00

Here's the latest Newtown What's On, a (more or less) weekly guide to what's going on in Newtown.

I welcome corrections or suggestions to mayorofnewtown 'at' gmail.com. If you run a venue, please add me to your mailing list.

Mayor Recommends

The Specials Pre-Tour Party
Vanguard
Sunday June 28

Music

Thursday June 25
Firebird
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Friday June 26
Alex and Eve - The Wedding - Sold Out
The Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville

Ford + Theak Band
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St

Saturday June 27
Martin Rappeneau
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Alex and Eve - The Wedding - Sold Out
The Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville

The World According to James
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St

Sunday June 28
Specials Pre-Tour Party (Mayor's Pick)
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Theatre

Theatre Sports Schools Grand Final
Enmore Theatre, 118-132 Enmore Rd, Newtown
Sunday June 28 2pm / 5pm

The Return
Newtown Theatre, Corner King and Bray St, Newtown
June 17 - July 4

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll
New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown
June 4 - July 4

Basic Training
Seymour Centre, City Road, Newtown
June 23 - July 4

Steel Magnolias
Seymour Centre, City Road, Newtown
June 23 - July 4

Unit 46
Factory Theatre,
June 25 - July 19
8pm, Sunday 5pm

Exhibitions

Roni Feldman - Collective Resolve
Wilson Street Gallery, 30-34 Wilson St Newtown
Until June 14

Other

Regular Events

Funky Cafe, 256King St Newtown
- Live music Wed - Sat night

Madame Fling Flong
- Tuesday night movie $20 with drink/mezze. Bookings advised.

Sandringham Hotel
- Live music every night and Sunday afternoons

Eveleigh Markets
- Farmer's Market every Saturday 8:00 - 13:00

Addison Rd Centre, 142 Addison Road Marrickville
- Marrickville Organic Markets every Sunday 8:30 - 15:00

Newtown What's On: Week ending June 10

2009-06-03T11:03:00.012+10:00

Here's the first of a planned weekly Newtown What's On. It's far from complete at this stage - see here for how you can help contribute. Please send any corrections or suggestions to mayorofnewtown 'at' gmail.com.

Mayor Recommends

TED Talks @ Newtown Public School
Thursday June 4, 6pm.

Music

Thursday June 4
Tango Bar - Cafe Carnivale
Sound Lounge at Seymour Centre Corner City Rd and Cleveland St

Friday June 5
Luluc + Jessica Says
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Alex and Eve - The Wedding
The Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville

Saturday June 6
Monsieur Camembert
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Sunday June 7
Mick Medew and the Rumours - Album Launch
Vanguard, 42 King St, Newtown

Theatre

Merchant of Venice
Newtown Theatre, Corner King and Bray St, Newtown
26th May - 13th June

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll
New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown
June 4 - July 4

My Name is Rachel Corrie
Seymour Centre, City Road, Newtown
28 May - 20 June

Exhibitions

Marnling Press & Whaling Road Studio - Printed Image
Wilson Street Gallery, 30-34 Wilson St Newtown
Until June 14

Other

Rugby League - Frank Hyde Day
Henson Park, Marrickville
Saturday June 6 3pm

Artisan's Market
Eveleigh Markets, near Carriage Works, Wilson Street
Sunday June 7 10am - 4pm

Regular Events

Funky Cafe, 256King St Newtown
- Live music Wed - Sat night

Madame Fling Flong
- Tuesday night movie $20 with drink/mezze. Bookings advised.

Sandringham Hotel
- Live music every night and Sunday afternoons

Eveleigh Markets
- Farmer's Market every Saturday 8:00 - 13:00

Addison Rd Centre, 142 Addison Road Marrickville
- Marrickville Organic Markets every Sunday 8:30 - 15:00

Introducing Newtown What's On

2009-06-03T09:47:00.004+10:00

I'm hoping to start a regular what's on guide to Newtown on this site. Ideally posting every Wednesday in time for the (extended) weekend, covering one off concerts as well as regular events, art exhibitions, book shop readings e.t.c.

In order for this to work I'm going to need help from you; especially if you own or run a venue or know someone who does. If you have a weekly mailing list, please add the mayor to your list. If not, please email me early in the week with what events you're running during the week.

And I'll be fairly generous with my definition of Newtown - Enmore and Erko definitely rate, Marrickville depending on my mood; Surry Hills and the CBD - no chance !

My email address is mayorofnewtown 'at' gmail.com.

Have a look at a skeleton what's on here. Looking forward to some feedback.

Inner West Light Rail

2009-05-28T17:06:00.016+10:00

There was some excitement in the Sydney media this week as it appeared the NSW government was starting to take the idea of extending Sydney's light-rail to Dulwich Hill vaguely seriously, after years of entrenched resistance.

Ever since Sydney's light-rail system was extended to Lilyfield in 2000, there has been agitation to further extend it in various directions. The two that have gained most traction are a CBD loop; and taking advantage of an existing goods line to extend the existing line to Summer Hill and then to Dulwich Hill. Sydney Council have been vocal in lobbying for a CBD loop, utilising either George or Castlereagh Street, and have gone as far as to fund several feasibility studies. However the NSW ALP government have always given these ideas short shrift, preferring (famously) to release, re-release and cancel various heavy rail and metro projects; at the same time pooh-poohing light rail as a toy solution that wouldn't work on Sydney's narrow streets.

Closer to home, the Summer Hill (or Dulwich Hill) extension seems like even more of a no-brainer. Clearance and tracks are already in place, and in this age where trillion is the new billion, projected costs for the more expensive option - at less than $100 million - seem like small change. There's a lot of interesting information on the EcoTransit lobby site - they've gone as far as to release newsletters and nail up posters supporting this push.

Light Rail map from EcoTransit website

The supporters of the Greenway are also keen (their proposed nature route from Iron Cove to the Cook's River would share a large part of the trail), although their very detailed studies have identified problems with a pinch point in Dulwich Hill that is not wide enough for both light rail tracks and the cycleway/path. I'm sure a clever resolution can be found; either single tracking the light rail at that point or implementing a shared cycleway/pathway/tramway.

Bruce Ashley/Friends of the GreenWay Inc., 2008

It seems that in David Campbell, the Premier might have accidentally chosen a Transport Minister who evaluates transport projects based on community/environment benefits rather than headlines and kick-back possibilities. See private eye Nick Possum's amusing and informative website for more on that ! However, he is still actively pushing the dubious benefits of the CBD Metro plan - more on that one another day.

Fingers crossed then that the Dulwich Hill extension gets up. Already the remnants of the Costa regime have tried to sabotage the process (so early) but the Councils called their bluff and the process is still on track - indeed Clover Moore may also have got the CBD option a bit more oxygen.

Newtown Junction c1912 -
reproduced with permission from City of Sydney Archives

What about Newtown then ? Of course, Newtown was an important junction of Sydney's original tram network, and there are those who'd like to see a line installed down King Street, potentially looping back to the City via Green Square. As much as I'd love to see that, I'm not sure how the shopkeepers would react to losing parking on one side of King Street - and unfortunately King Street way too narrow to support a central track.

Another view from c1908. Thanks to Nick Possum

Any thoughts ? Could Newtown support light-rail ? Is there anywhere else in the Inner-West that would benefit from light-rail ? Are you in favour of the Dulwich Hill extension. Comments please !

A Bit Shit

2009-05-25T22:17:00.000+10:00

Our Newtown, while being the best and most famous, is not by any means the only Newtown in the world. Close to home, and close-ish in feel, is the Newtown in Wellington across the ditch. Near a hospital, home to many students, famous for its grungy feel, it in many ways resembles Newtown (Sydney) circa 1988. Hell, it even has a Wilson Street !

Towards the end of last year there was a bit of a stink in the Wellington press when a local resident created the t-shirt above: Newtown - It's a Bit Shit. The local progress association and council got involved - displaying a total absence of a sense of humour, and generating priceless publicity for the shop that was by now selling them. There's a good summary of the blue in this article on the excellent Wellingtonista website.

Your mayor, who was there at the time, tried to buy one but was put off by the price (70 Kiwi bucks), and more concretely, by the fact that the store selling them on Cuba Street was always closed. I did, however, spot one at the Eveleigh Markets a couple of weeks ago and I'm sure there's a market for an enterprising enterpreneur (is there any other kind ?) to start making some similar here using a photo of one of the Top 5 Eyesores.

For those interested, there are 5 Newtowns with their own postcode in Australia - the others are in Toowoomba and Ipswich - home of Hanson - in Queensland, and Geelong and Ballarat in Victoria. No fewer than 23 Newtowns have earnt an entry (or stub) in Wikipedia - including Newtown in Pennsylvania which recently celebrated its 325th Anniversary - surely it will soon be time to rename it Oldtown ? There are other clusters of Newtowns in Ireland (5), Northern Ireland (5), California (5) and the rest of the United Kingdom (12), but strangely only one in Canada. Special recognition to the Newtown in Wales, owner of the Newtown.co.uk domain, and, having been founded in 1321, almost certainly the oldest Newtown in town.

I've only been to the Wellington Newtown so far - I think I can feel a junket coming on. Anyone visited any others ? Any visitors from other Newtowns to this blog ?

Notes about a New Venue

2009-05-14T17:53:00.011+10:00

Notes Live

There's a new venue in Newtown. While it doesn't (yet?) seem to form part of the Newtown Entertainment Precinct, it seems that Notes Live, at 73-75 Enmore Road near the bridge, has ambitious plans to be a permanent part of the Newtown Entertainment scene, at least judging by the yet to be active website, extensive upcoming gig list, and branding. With a fancy menu accompanying the Monsieur Camembert invitation, it seems the inspiration is very much Newtown's Vanguard.

The official opening this Friday (15th May) will feature Vanguard favourites Monsieur Camembert, although the venue has been there for a while, operating as a sort of occasional Greek nightclub and function centre. The fact that the premises are a converted funeral parlour shouldn't be an issue given the success of Kinselas in Darlinghurst.

Any new venue is good news for Newtown in the Mayor's opinion, although I only hope it doesn't impact on any plans for The Hub to re-open as a venue. I'd be pleased to hear from anyone who has already been there, or is attending the opening - let us all know what it's like as a venue.

Pub Talk II - ZanziBar / The Oxford

2009-05-10T21:45:00.000+10:00

ZanziBar - or the Oxford as many locals prefer to call it - occupies an important location in the history of Newtown. It was here in 1832 that Sam and Eliza Webster opened New Town Stores, from which Newtown takes its name. The owners quickly discovered that alcohol was more profitable and the New Town Store became the Daniel Webster Hotel, Newtown's first. While that building has long since been replaced, the Oxford also holds the honour of being Newtown's oldest pub.

ZanziBar was the first cab off the renovation rank. Unlike the Bank, the Oxford was kept open while it slowly and painfully transformed itself into a Moroccan themed bar - in fact there was a box on the counter for a while to suggest the bar's new name. As well as a new name, the Oxford got itself a new floor and Newtown's first rooftop bar from the renovations. The rooftop bar is the highlight; although thanks to the neighbours, numbers are strictly limited which means that access is often denied on a Friday/Saturday night, even though the bar appears empty. Pet hate - people who live in Newtown and complain about the noise at 9pm on a Saturday night. Move to Wahroonga.

The Moroccan theme divides locals - some find it tacky (which it is) but I appreciate the effort to distinguish itself from other bars in the area - and the middle floor in particular, with its middle eastern tapas bar, and lounges, is a welcome addition to the Newtown scene. Best of all, the tradition of late night cheese gerkins and bikkies was alive and kicking the last time the Mayor ducked in.

At one stage, the downstairs bar seemed exclusively for out-of-(New)towners, however Zanzibar has recently undergone a second, less drastic renovation that has toned down the more wacky Moroccan-ness and as a result the locals have returned, and indeed there's almost a Darlinghurst feel to it these days. It's still reliably tacky on Friday and Saturday night, and the bouncers are a lot more human than the trogdolytes across the road at the Townie.

Two mayoral thumbs up for the rooftop and one each for the lower floors.

Mystery Photo II - Quiet Please

2009-05-09T12:31:00.002+10:00

An easier mystery photo this time - where is this inviting library entrance ? Answers (or guesses) to mayorofnewtown at gmail.com, or via twitter please !

Mystery Photo I - Revealed

2009-05-05T13:36:00.012+10:00

Congratulations to Twitterers Glebe2037 and Portek, and the blogger Stubborn Mule for correctly identifying the first Mystery Photo as the old Majestic Theatre on the corner of Wilson St and Erskineville Road. The picture from the Register of the National Estate captures the destruction of the Majestic Theatre (later Elizabethan Theatre) in 1980.

Not so majestic today

The Majestic Theatre had quite a history. It was built in 1917 by the Fuller family, had a capacity of 1642 (roughly) and was a popular venue for variety shows and weekly melodramas. According to Alan Sharpe in his Pictorial History of Newtown: "In the late 1920s a season of Shakespeare opened to the guffaws from residents of other suburbs but it ran for 16 weeks."

It switched to movies with the arrival of 'talkies' in 1928, and was the location of a John Curtin inspired labor party 'Unity Conference' in the late 30s. After brief wartime service as a military showroom, the Theatre came of age in 1955 as The Elizabethan, home of Australia's first national theatre company, the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust. Among many others, The Elizabethan was the scene of the Sydney debut of Ray Lawler's Summer of the Seventeenth Doll in 1955, and Doug Stewart's Ned Kelly, starring a young Leo McKern and with set design by a certain Sidney Nolan, in 1956.

However, the location of the Elizabethan, off the beaten track in a working class suburb, put it at a disadvantage, and shows were less and less well attended. Amazingly there was little protest when the Theatre suspiciously burnt down in January 1980.

There are some more photos of the insides of the theatre here and here - I'm waiting for permission to publish them directly. There is also a collection of posters of performances at the Elizabethan at the Powerhouse Museum.

Mystery Photo I - The Great Bite

2009-05-02T15:19:00.006+10:00

The first in an occasional series of posts where the mayor will share an old photo with you and you have to guess where it is. First correct answer wins a year's free subscription to Newstown :) As do all other correct answers.

Where was the above photo taken ? What monstrosity (there's a clue) replaced the half-eaten building on the corner ?

Hive of Non-Activity

2009-05-01T14:54:00.006+10:00

In neighbouring Erskineville there has been a recent hullabaloo over the planned conversion of the old Sydney Mardi Gras warehouse (also known as the Hive) on Erskineville Road into a Supermarket. A very vocal and effective campaign was waged by the local pressure group 'Village Friends' - their excellent website is worth checking out - and Sydney City Council eventually rejected the application due to traffic issues and the impact on surrounding businesses. The appeal to the Land and Environment Court was also rejected in January this year.

A new Development Application has just been received by Council for a grocery store (far less threatening than a supermarket) on the same site. At first glance it seems that many of the residents' objections have been addressed; the area of the proposed grocery store is less than 900sqm, compared with the 2138sqm of the orginal proposal, and there are only 16 car spaces envisaged. The proposal is only for a single story building which is the same as the existing building, as opposed to the previous double story plans.

The Economic Impact Assessment is the most interesting document submitted as part of the DA, explaining (or at least claiming) that the smaller grocery store will only attract locals and limited passing traffic, rather than being a destination store attracting (car based) shoppers.As anyone who lives in the area can tell you, that part of Erskinevile Road is chockers and most times of the day and really doesn't need any more traffic. Still, at 900sqm the proposed store is only slightly smaller than King Street's Franklins (1200sqm) and Foodworks (1042sqm), neither of which are small 'grocery stores'.

So what do people think ? Does this DA go far enough in meeting the council's requirements ? Is this a positive development for Newtown/Erskineville (technically the Hive is in Newtown although most would consider it part of Erskineville) ? Let me know !

By the way, like the Hub, the Hive is available for short term rent while the DA gets processed.

What of the Hub ?

2009-04-28T19:23:00.010+10:00

I'm not sure how it escaped the Mayor's attention, but last October, Marrickville Council thankfully rejected a development application to convert the Hub in Newtown to a 3 story combined retail and commercial premises. The full details, including plans, are on pages 303-323 of the Council Minutes (34MB - beware - and see comments below for download instructions). The text regarding the decision reads:

File Ref: DA200800185
Application to carry out alterations and additions to convert the Hub
theatre into retail space on the ground floor and two levels of open plan
commercial office space above. Four (4) submissions were received in
response to Council's notification of the proposal. A submission was
also received from RailCorp advising of certain matters, such as noise
and vibration and stray currents from railway operations, that should be
addressed in the assessment of the application. The proposed
development varies from the maximum floor space ratio prescribed
under Marrickville Local Environmental Plan 2001, and the applicant
has submitted an objection under State Environmental Planning Policy
No. 1 in support of the proposed variation. The proposed development
fails to provide car parking in accordance with Marrickville
Development Control Plan No. 19 – Parking Strategy. Council’s
Heritage and Urban Design Advisor does not support the proposed
development as the subject proposal equates to substantial demolition of
the existing building and will result in the loss of a significant social
icon, which is located in the centre of a key heritage precinct. The
application is recommended for refusal. The application is referred to
the Committee for determination due to the prominent location of the
site, the local significance of the theatre building and the excess gross
floor area proposed.

The Hub is now available for short term lease - presumably while a follow up DA is being prepared. Thanks to the anonymous tipster who pointed this out on the Newtown Eyesores post.

The Hub is a Newtown icon and deserves a better future than being chopped up and diced out like a piece of meat. Hopefully the owners can come up with better plans than that.

What should become of the Hub ? Is there room in Newtown for another live music venue, so close to the Enmore and Factory ? Do we bring back the skin flicks ? Is an ice-skating rink the answer ? A permanent artisan's market ? Are there any proposed short term uses ?

Your thoughts please !

Mayor's Top 5: Newtown Eyesores

2009-04-26T11:24:00.004+10:00

Semi-abandoned property adjoining Newtown Station

Newtown is probably more famous for its cultural attractions than its physical landscape, yet part of its charm is consistency of the mainly Victorian period architecture, including both the ubiquitous terrace houses as well as the shopping precinct of King St, which has been described as "perhaps Sydney's largest and best example of 19th Century commercial architecture" and is listed on the Register of the National Estate.

However Newtown is not quite as harmonious architecturally as it could be, and at a certain point in time certain of my predecessors in council have taken their eye of the ball (possibly assisted by wads of something subtly placed in their pockets) and allowed the construction of what can only be described as architectural shockers to be built in the area.

In this first in a planned series of Top Fives, the Mayor of Newtown presents ... Newtown's Top Five Eyesores !

#5 Newtown Police Station

Somewhere in the world there is someone who will defend this as a wonderful example of Brutalism. That someone is not me; this ugly 70s monstrosity issues a giant up yours to its surrounding Heritage Listed examples of 19th Century civic architecture. Prince Charles is famous as a critic of Brutalism, having famously said of a London example: "You have to give this much to the Luftwaffe - when it knocked down our buildings, it didn't replace them with anything more offensive than rubble." While the mayor is a little more open to the charms of Brutalism in the right context, the Newtown Civic area is not it.

#4 Brown Street Apartments

This multi-dwelling apartment block is the only residential building to make the mayor's list of shame, despite some fairly serious competition from some of the recent additions to North King Street (you know who I'm talking about, Georgina apartments).

Like the Police Station above the main crime of this building is the sheer inappropriateness of the building's location. Dense mutli-living dwellings like this have their place - and this building would not look out of place in Mona Vale, for example. Yet I struggle to think who could approve the construction of a building like this next door to historic Newtown Library.

#3 Newtown Professional Centre

I don't think this one needs any words.

#2 The Dendy

Those whose only experience of Newtown is King Street could be forgiven for being surprised at this choice; at the street front the Dendy in someways epitomises what many people like about Newtown; a cool cafe, an indie cinema, record shop and book shop all in the same open complex.

Come around the back though, and things aren't so rosy. In fact the Dendy deserves two entries in this list - not only does it present a particularly squat arse to Camperdown Memorial Park (home to the Newtown Festival):

but recent renovations managed to add an even more offensive and out of place side profile to Mary Street, the split into two equally repellent lumps totally mocking the neighbouring Emily Terraces.

This development was the subject of a dispute between Marrickville council and the developers - apparently the council had imposed conditions on the developers that somehow they felt they could ignore. Does anyone have the latest on this ? The SMH article is no longer on-line.

This eyesore has been a reason for the mayor to boycott the Dendy cinema since the redevelopment.

#1 Telstra Exchange

The winner by a nose however is Newtown's Telstra exchange, located on an L-shaped property stretching from Mary Street (opposite the ugliness of the Dendy) to King Street (the carpark forms the wall of the 'I Have a Dream' mini-plaza).

This building would be ugly and out of place in almost any suburb in Australia (if not the world), but once again, particular offence is created here due to the location of the exchange, looming threateningly over the delightful 1885 Church Avenue terraces (above) and other adjoining terraces (below).

It's a relic of the time when Telstra was Telecom Australia, a federal agency that had no legal obligation to comply with local council regulations. The exchange on Oxford Street Paddington is another classic example. These days even councils have to comply with their own rules for their own developments which is a much improved situation.

There's an interesting picture from January 1980 of King Street during the construction of the exchange here; thanks to the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts for permission to reproduce the web-sized version of their photo on this blog. I can recommend snooping around their site and learning more about the Heritage rules and how they apply, as well as for some cool old photos.

Here's what it looks like today, you can just see the exchange car park walls behind the trees.

Have I forgotten anything ? Are there any other eyesores that deserve to make this list ? Have I been too harsh on some of the buildings above. Comments please !

ANZAC Day in Newtown

2009-04-24T10:05:00.004+10:00

Where do Newtowners go to celebrate ANZAC Day ? In the eyes of the Mayor, the best two-up is to be found at the Coopers and the Courthouse - not surprisingly two of the more authentic old-school bars in the area. Further afield, the Duck and Swan in neighbouring Chippendale (definitely within the Newtown sphere of influence) has a great outdoors two-up on the street, at least until the cops roll around at sundown to close it up.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Townie and the Carlisle Castle also were good places to be - has anyone spent ANZAC Day there in the past ?

So what's the verdict ? Anyone got comments on the above pubs or experiences anywhere else ?

PS Don't forget the Newtown Jets will be playing at home (Henson Park) on ANZAC Day at 3pm, against the Shellharbour Dragons (who walloped us 42-10 earlier this season) - a great post two-up option, complete with KB long necks and a real grassy hill.

Pub Talk I - The Bank Hotel

2009-04-22T09:10:00.008+10:00

The new NSW anti-smoking laws, as delayed and watered down as they are, have been the trigger for a wave of renovations of the bars up down and just off King Street recently. That and the fact that some of them were getting pretty tatty (not that that's necessarily a bad thing).

Over the next couple of weeks, the Mayor will cast his eye of the evolution of Newtown's drinking establishments over the last 3-4 years.

1. The Bank Hotel

The Bank has copped the most severe make over, and by all accounts the most expensive. The bar was closed for more than a year, the owners recently saying that Railcorp approvals were a a significant factor in the delays. Fundamentally there's been a rebuild from top to bottom. Thankfully Sumalee Thai is back; but the chaotic tropical jungle of yore has been replaced by a boxed in neat courtyard, which seems much smaller and more organised, losing that 'lost in the wilds' feel it had. The food however is as good as it ever was - those who complain about the price of the dishes tend to overlook the size of them - it's a great place for sharers.

The extensive new outdoors areas illustrate perfectly the good and bad of the new smoking legislation. On the plus side, Newtown now has two/three great new outdoors locations for afternoon drinking, even in winter thanks to the heaters. On the other hand, these areas are so choccas with smokers it's almost impossible to breathe there. Unfortunately the most appealing outdoors places in pubs are now practically 'smokers only' zones.

The indoor mid-level (front bar, and Sleepers cocktail bar - now pretty much a walkway to the deck) has been done up in a pretty sterile Surry Hills kind of way; the upstairs lounges are more original but certainly a change from the usual Newtown feel. At least Wednesday nights are still Wednesday nights at the newly christened Velvet Room - boys be warned.

The Bank was always the 'classiest' bar in Newtown (no great achievement that) - with this renovation it's now more Surry Hills than some Surry Hills bars. The good news is that it's no longer necessary to take a taxi out of Newtown to get a dose of eye candy. The bad news, though (not unrelated) is that the wanker factor is definitely on the up. Overall a mayoral thumbs up for the new upstairs areas, and thumbs down for the downstairs.

Welcome to Newstown

2009-04-19T17:07:00.001+10:00

Newstown has been established by the Mayor of Newtown as a source of news and forum for discussion about the Sydney suburb of Newtown. As Mayor, I'll be keeping my ear out on stories of interest to locals of Newtown and surrounding suburbs, tracking the opening and closing of noteworthy businesses, watching Development Applications and occasionally reviewing favourite restaurants and pubs.

Newtown hasn't had a dedicated news source since the Newtown Chronicles folded in 1920. Today, rather as the suburb itself is split down King Street between the City of Sydney and Marrickville Councils, local news is covered sporadically by both The Glebe and the Inner West Courier, neither of them doing a particularly good job. In cyber-space, sites range from the Arts focussed Newtown Precinct to the quirky observational Nosey In Newtown. Newstown aims to be complementary (and complimentary) to these sites and more, and will hopefully fill gap for those curious and/or passionate about Newtown.

It's a big ask, and one I won't be able to achieve on my own. Once this blog gets up and running, I'll be looking forward to your help in contributing stories, gossip, and above all feedback !

In the meantime, please leave a comment if you've stumbled by, or even better some suggestions as to what you'd like to see covered here.

Newtown Station

2009-04-19T01:13:00.004+10:00

Historic Newtown Station

The Mayor was recently invited to a discussion at the Newtown RSL (I can't bring myself to call it Petersham RSL or worse, @Newtown), called by the Newtown Business Precinct to discuss the state of Newtown Station and surrounds. Railcorp, the RTA and the NSW Government were all invited, but only Deputy Premier and local member Carmel Tebutt showed up, representing, according to the organisers, the absent organisations. The Deputy Premier herself was quite clear (perhaps wisely) that she was not representing the government agencies, promising only to pass on any messages received. Also present were the mayor of half of Newtown (and Marrickville), Sam Iskandar, and Councillor John McInerney, representing Clover Moore, mayor of the other half of Newtown (and the City of Sydney).

Railcorp Property adjacent to Newtown Station

The meeting started with an effective presentation from the organisers, using photos similar to the above, highlighting what a shambles Newtown station was; and wanting to know what had happened to the NSW government promise of making Newtown Station the first all-access station in the state seat of Marrickvile (which covers most of Newtown).

A more general discussion was held on the run down state of surrounding properties, bus-stop over-crowding and the dangerous nature of high-speed King Street (outside of peak hours at any rate). Owners of local pub The Bank described the extensive delays caused to their renovations by the difficulties of negotiation with Railcorp, compulsory when renovating properties adjacent to Railcorp property.

Dead kebabery under the mayor's office on Railcorp property

The late arriving Deputy Premier had done her homework and was able to provide the latest information. In a nutshell:

Existing Railcorp plans for Newtown Station access (which ALP election promises were based on) basically consisted of dropping a lift down from the station entrance to the platform. * Further studies had concluded that this approach was not feasible due to the narrowness of the platform
A new plan was being prepared based on extending the entrance concourse further over the rail lines. This new solution would be significantly more expensive than that planned.
It was highly unlikely that Railcorp would spend any money cleaning up the area or making plans for the station and adjoining property while this process was ongoing - this in response to an audience suggestion to use them as artists galleries or cafes while plans were ongoing.
Next planning phase was due to complete mid-year (3-6 months) after which she would report back to the community on the scope of the latest plans.

Newtown Station and abandoned tram sheds

Questions were also asked about the future of the tram sheds and associated land. Apparently the sheds had been sold off by the previous government to a developer but the deal had gone bad and ended up in the courts. Any further decision on their future was pending the outcome of legal proceedings due 'soon'. I have my own idea on what could be done with this property which I will be sharing soon.

Tram sheds from Angel Street

Your mayor will be attending the follow meeting and will inform everyone of the outcome. In the meantime, if you've got any ideas on what should be done with the station and surrounding properties, including the tram sheds, please share them here.

Who is the Mayor of Newtown ?

2009-04-19T01:01:00.001+10:00

Not many people know that Newtown still has a Mayor. History records that Newtown Council, and therefore the role of Mayor, was abolished in 1948, as one of a never-ending series of power struggles between Sydney councils and the state government. The first Mayor of Newtown was elected in 1862, and in 1912 Newtown Municipal council issued a book to celebrate the Golden Jubilee, from where you can see a list of my early predecessors:

History, however, is written by the victors, and what it neglects to mention is that, like the House of Savoy, unceremoniously usurped from ruling Italy only 2 years earlier in 1946, the flame has been kept alive, and there are many supporters of the Mayor of Newtown waiting patiently for the time for the day when the illustrious office reappears and the Mayor can take his rightful place on the Mayoral throne in the Town Hall.

In the interim, I have set up office in the Town Hall Hotel, at the corner window on the first floor (above), from where, in addition to watching over the comings and goings on Kings St, I can gaze across the road to the eponymous Town Hall, temporarily occupied by usurpers from the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre.

It's a shame to see the Town Hall covered up like this - literally if you see the photo below, where the occupiers have attempted to negate the very existence of the Town Hall, an attempt which only came unstuck due to a timely Sydney southerly.

Newtown Town Hall today

When returned to my office, I plan to restore the Town Hall to its turn of the century splendour. Looking at the picture below only makes me more determined to right the historical wrongs that have left Newtown split between two uncaring councils and its Town Hall a banner-covered shadow of its former glory.

Newtown Town Hall in 1912

In order to introduce myself to the wider public, and establish popular support for my comeback, I have established this blog to communicate goings on in Newtown and nearby suburbs. I'm hoping that this will be a chance for those who like me love Newtown to follow the goings on and indeed communicate stories of their own.

Stayed tuned to these pages for more Newtown news - and if there's anything you'd like to see more information on, drop me a note at mayor of newtown (oneword) at gmail dot com.

P.S. Black and white images taken from the Jubilee booklets, which have been scanned and stored on the excellent Sydney council Newtown archives - check them out.