Secret Sydney

This is pretty funny….. AUSTRALIA AND AUSTRALIANS The following has been written by the late Douglas Adams of “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” fame. “Australia is a very confusing place, taking up a large amount of the bottom half of the planet. It is recognisable from orbit because of many unusual features, including what at…

Sitting imposingly on the shores of Parramatta River is Rivendell. Often thought by Sydney locals to be a private residence, this has always been known as a hospital. Over time it has grown from a specialsed home for war veterans to become a key component for the care of mentally ill young persons across New…

The Macquarie Watchtower is the earliest known surviving, sandstone tower building in Australia, the oldest surviving building on Botany Bay, and has long been recognised as a picturesque landmark on the headland, particularly popular for wedding photographs. The c. 1820 Macquarie Watchtower is thought to have been commissioned by Governor Macquarie. Not only is it…

Sydney’s asylums are haunting monuments to a shameful chapter in our criminal and medical history. Shut away from a public that was fearful of the “wild-eyed lunatic”, the city’s poorly-funded asylums became a dragnet that would catch the forgot, the poor, the criminal and, of course, the mentally ill. There were plenty of success stories,…

Located in front of the Western Sydney University building in central Parramatta is a piece of pulci art with quite an incredible story behind it. This work of art is a statue of a boy, so lifelike that he seems about to step down from his low pedestal and stride off into the distance. His…

Monumental in scale and ambition, The Eyes of the Land and the Sea by Alison Page and Nik Lachajczak commemorates the 250th anniversary of the 1770 encounter between Aboriginal Australians and Lt James Cook’s crew of the HMB Endeavour at Kamay Botany Bay National Park, Australia. The artwork is cast in bronze and takes the…

Hanging Rock, a large sandstone object hanging out from a sandstone cliff, is one of the most iconic landmarks in the greater Blue Mountains region. It is situated a few moments away from the Baltzer Lookout, from where visitors can enjoy eye-dropping views of the Grose Valley and surrounding escarpments. These two beautiful sights can…

Marrickville in Sydney’s Inner West has been named No. 10 in the top 40 coolest neighbourhoods in the world by Time Out – and, despite living in Sydney all my life I’m ashamed to say, I haven’t really explored it properly. Here is why you must add Faversham Lane to your list of things to…

The date is 5th July, 1938. The place is Rose Bay, Sydney. An Empire Class flying boat rumbles and bobs towards its departure point and then turns slowly into the wind. As the engines roar, the plane gradually gathers speed before skimming across the sparkling, blue waters and starting its lazy climb into the sky….

Barrenjoey Lighthouse sits majestically on Sydney’s most northern point – Barrenjoey Head at Palm Beach. Positioned 91m above sea level, the lighthouse can be reached by a couple of walks and offers breathtaking views. It’s an easy day trip from Sydney and a great place to bring overseas visitors – they may recognise the lighthouse…