Darlinghurst Blog: Past and Present: Darlinghurst Road From Burton Street

This picture was taken just after Darlinghurst Road was widened in 1935. Everything is so clear and  uncluttered. And look at how St John's Church steeple rises above the skyline. The Kurrajong apartment building looks nice and new, as it does today after recently being treated for concrete cancer. And look at those old terraces on the right, which were demolished for extensions to the Sydney Jewish Museum. Now just look at the amount of stuff - cars, street signs, traffic lights and road-lines - clogging the streets today:

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Links:

City of Sydney Archives

City of Sydney ArchivePix

Darlinghurst Blog: Detritus: Mum's In Part Two

Oh my golly f**king goodness. I just had one of the most fabulous nights in the badlands of 1930s Darlinghust. Me and me gal pal, Salmina, put on our finest frocks and stockings, caught a cab (because we are always running late) and zipped down to Heffron Hall on the corner of Palmer and Burton streets.  

Of course, when we arrived, we didn't pay the driver, just held a razor to his throat, stole his takings and ran off into the night. 

We were f***king rich. And what a party we had. The event was Guido Calletti's wake and as Tilly always says, there's no party quite like a f**king funeral. 

We met Slim Jim under a streetlight on Palmer Street and he painted an L on our palms to allow us entry into the hall - ya can't have any old f**king riff-raff comin' to the party.

Then we knocked a ratta-tatt-tatt on the door, gave the password (Mum's In) and entered. We were patted down on arrival, natch, but they never found Salmina's razor which was slipped between her suspenders. Haha. I just kept me pistol in me handbag as per usual.

We grabbed some seats at the table closest to the stage where three old farts were sitting. We had planned to sweeten them up and roll them, but they were not the kind of chaps that fancy women, so instead we just got ourselves some sly beer - it being after 6pm and all - and a bowl of peanuts for three bob. Like I said, we were f***king loaded. 

There were about 50 other fine folk at the do, all swilling drinks and punching each other up, as you do. That dumb bitch f**king Surry Hills slum slut was also there and I gave her a right slappin'.

Then that bloody supremo actress, Vashti Hughes, arrived on stage and sang a few ditties for poor old f**king Guido, such as Knees Up Mother Brown and Fuck 'Em.

"I love me face in the paper

And there's one thing I'd like to say

It's all f**king bullshit 

That crime doesn't pay

"I'm f**king rich

I get f**king richer every day

Why would I change it now to

Turn around and play the straight way?

"F**k 'Em!

What the hell would they know

You'd have to be an imbo, a stupid twat

F**k 'Em!

I'm richer than a politician

Coz I've worked out a system.

Where I know what's what.''

Salmina and I sang along and even though we didn't know the tune we sounded bloody f**ing brilliant.

Well, it was the best f**king wake I have been to - what a f**king knees up! I just can't wait until Tilly Devine or Kate Leigh carks it, 'cos they would be some f**king excellent wakes to go to. 

As per bloody usual though, the party was broken up when we got word that the coppers were on their way, so we tore out of their real f**king quick smart, me and Salmina, off into the dark Darlinghurst streets.

Mum's In Website

Darlinghurst: Bars: Pocket

My friend Ruby Molteno and I still pine for Barons, that fabulous late night haunt with comfortable lounges, an intelligent and artistic crowd, and the best jukebox in Sydney. We spent many memorable nights at Barons, which was tucked away at 5 Roslyn Street in Kings Cross, and met so many interesting people there, including the late American musician Jeff Buckley. 

The best thing about Barons though, was that it seemed to never close, so you could rock up at 3am and not have a problem buying a drink. But Barons closed in 2007 when the building was demolished and nothing has ever filled its gap. 

New, relaxed liquor laws introduced in Sydney in late 2009 have seen a proliferation of new bars opening up, but they all seem to close at midnight. Boring. 

Still, if there was any bar that has come close to filling the hole in my heart left by Barons, it would have to be Pocket.

As its name suggests, Pocket is a little pocket of loveliness tucked away on the hilly corner of Burton and Crown streets, just down from Oxford Street. It's not huge, but cosy, with enough space for about 65 people.

Pocket, owned by Karl Schlothauer and Christophe Lehoux, was one of the first bars to embrace the new liquor laws and opened in late 2009. (Interestingly, Schlothauer was a Cleo Bachelor of the Year finalist in 2010 - haha.)

Pocket's walls are covered in street-art style murals by Steve Gorrow and the room is kitted out in a mish-mash of vintage furniture purchased on Ebay. 

And while this old upright lounge (below) doesn't look all that comfortable, the sofa that Ruby and I found was heavenly and we kind of sunk in to it and were lost in the music. 

The music is excellent too and not too loud. In the hour or so that we were there we heard David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, The Pixies, The Smiths and Gorillaz. Any bar that plays The Pixies has a place in my heart.

Obviously with the new liquor laws you don't actually need to order food to have a drink. I remember at Barons - when the liquor laws meant you had to order food - the doorman would often ask, whether or not you would be dining. ''Yes, of course,'' we would reply. ''We're just going to have a drink first''. And then of course we would never eat. The doormen knew this, but because of the strict laws, they had to ask. 

Pocket's Euro food menu ranges in price from $4 for a bowl of olives to $21 for a cheese plate. Within that range are their signature dish of Crepes - either savoury or sweet - as well as Tuscan-style pate ($16), Chorizo sausage with white beans ($18), skewers, bruschetta and lots of meaty-sounding dishes, such as a Salami Plate ($18) and Ham Hock ($14).

Ruby ordered the Savoury Crepe with aged proscuitto, bocconcini, cherry tomatoes, basil and fresh tomato sauce ($14.50):

I pigged out and had the Garden Bruschetta of peas, Meredith feta, lemon oil and fine herbs ($14), which was so yummy, I nearly forgot to photograph it:

And I also had the Chicken Skewers marinated in chili and lime soy sauce, served with chili mayo ($12). I couldn't taste any chili at all and it would have been better if the chicken was marinated for longer for a stronger flavour, and cooked for longer, as I can not eat pink chicken:

But that is only a small complaint, and it could have just been a result of the dim lighting. As usual, I checked out the bathrooms, which has walls covered in pages torn from old magazines:

If only they stayed open after midnight.

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Pocket

13 Burton Street

Darlinghurst NSW 2010

02 9380 7002

www.pocketsydney.com.au

Darlinghurst: Lost and Found: Missing Finger

Oh, no! A missing finger.

''Missing Finger. Please help me!! 

Recently lost my pinky. About 37mm long, manicured nail, no visible scars. If you find this valued limb reward may be given if returned in working order. Contact . . .''

This sad poster was taped to a telegraph pole on Burton Street, near Oxford Square yesterday. Poor little Pinky. It is so cute. I wonder where it is? I hope it is just having a short adventure and returns home soon. If you live in Darlinghurst, please keep an eye out for it.

Darlinghurst: Detritus: Christmas Below the Coke Sign

Christmas Lights Above the Coke Sign, Christmas Eve, 2010.

It's a Friday night and Christmas Eve in Darlinghurst and the neighbourhood is empty. Residents have flown from the city, suburbia has decided to give the suburb of sin a miss for the night, and tourists are low key. 

Parking spots? 

Hundreds of them.

Yet over the past couple of weeks, people have been celebrating Christmas in Darlinghurst with trees, wreaths and colourful lights - in laundromats, dress shops and private homes. I wandered through the back streets seeking out such decorations and here is a collection of photographs taken on my jaunts.

I'll be back on Monday, December 27, with a reader's ripper of a story set in 1960s Darlinghurst, so make sure you check in next week.

Have a safe and happy Christmas dear readers! 

Stars and Lights, Burton Street Laundromat, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, Caldwell Street, Darlinghurst.

Lights, Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst.

Bells, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

Red Christmas Tree, Forbes Street, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, Hardie Street, Darlinghurst.

Kingsgate Shopping Centre, Kings Cross

Merry Christmas, Blossom Gardens Nursery, Burton Street, Darlinghurst.

Plastic Santa, Blue Spinach, Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, Womerah Avenue, Darlinghurst.

Red Door and Wreath, Womerah Avenue, Darlinghurst.

White Door and Wreath, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

Star and Wreath, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

Blue Lights, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

 Wreath, Craigend Street, Darlinghurst.

Nativity Scene, Nimrod Street, Darlinghurst.

Tinsel-Covered Bus, Oxford Street, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, 22 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay.

 Christmas Trees, 61 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay.

 Miniature Christmas Tree, 46 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay.

Lights on Frangipani Tree, 19 Roslyn Street, Elizabeth Bay

And my little tree branches!

Darlinghurst: Heritage Items: 10-20 Oxford Square

10-20 Oxford Square

- Register of the National Estate, City of Sydney Council Heritage List

I mainly know this square as being the former home of Rogues nightclub, which was this dork, but very popular, dance-music venue that ran from sometime in the 1980s, until morphing in to the equally dork The Gaff nite-spot a few years ago.

I never knew this area - which fronts on to Oxford Street - was called Oxford Square until I discovered the Register of the National Estate list, and after digging around on the Heritage Branch website, I have learned a little more about this historic place.

The area was once part of Burton Street, but in 1887 it acquired the name Oxford Square.

The Victorian Free Classical-style building at 10-20 Oxford Square was owned by the Burdekin family - who were a major landholder in the area - and has the date, 1886, carved in to its parapet. Because this was the year prior to the establishment of Oxford Square, historians have concluded that the Burdekins were responsible for pushing for the area's name change - but they admit there is no documentary evidence to prove this.

I don't really mind so much who changed the name.

The property is also known as the SILF Company buildings - SILF being an acronym for the Sydney Investment Land and Finance company - although those same historians can't find any evidence that SILF ever resided at 10-20 Oxford Square.

Thomas Burdekin left London for Australia in 1828 to set up the local arm of the Burdekin and Hawley ironmongers and merchants. Business must have boomed, for in the ensuing years Mr Burdekin purchased vast tracts of real estate throughout NSW.

When he died in 1844, his fourth son, Sydney Burdekin, inherited the land at Oxford Square. Four years after the building at 10-20 was constructed, Sydney was appointed Lord Mayor of Sydney, a position he held for 16 months until April 1891.

When Sydney died eight years later, the property passed on to his wife, Catherine.

In 1906 the property was purchased by the City of Sydney Council as part of civic improvements and road-widening of Oxford Street.

Over the next 49 years the building remained in council hands until it was sold off in 1958.

Like many historic structures, the two-storey building suffered due to its use as a commercial building, the continual changing of ownership and the dozen or so building applications that naturally follow that change.
The building is presently home to The Gaff, Arum Hair Salon and a doctor's surgery. 

While the top floor of its facade is mostly intact, the ground-floor shopfronts have been modified haphazardly without any thought of the building as a whole. The Gaff's ghastly orange signage is a fine example of this ruin - I'm surprised business owners don't give more consideration to their signage and how it sits on a heritage building.

I have firm ideas about signage and believe the reason the beautiful 1913 Kings Cross Hotel, at 248 William Street, recently closed (less than two years after it was given a multi-million dollar refurbishment) was because of its tacky signage, which was at odds with its stunning heritage exterior.
As an aside, a company called Repeller Nominees purchased the Kings Cross Hotel in 2002 for $8.5 million and after spending a fortune on its re-fit, sold it in October last year for $12.55 million . . .  but more on that in another post.

Darlinghurst: Heritage Items: Burton Family Hotel

Burton Family Hotel

- Register of the National Estate, City of Sydney Council Heritage List

Now home to the Carhartt Store clothing boutique this corner building at 20 Burton Street was built as a hotel in the rum-soaked years of 1883-84.

I'd love to step back in time, loosen my corset and have a cold pilsener at the Burton Family Hotel bar, which isn't too far from my Stoneleigh mansion.

I have a hunch the mid-Victorian building still belongs to the original owners, as the NSW Heritage Branch refers to its ''long term single family ownership'', while the title can not be found in basic, online real estate databases.

I love its large, ground-floor windows and corner entrance and the fact that it has clung to this hilly site for about 125 years.

Because of the hill, the building has three-storeys fronting Burton Street and four-storeys on Riley Street.

Darlinghurst: Public Transport: The 311 Bus

A small part of my week is taken up by scenes such as this:

And this:

And this:

It may not look like the greatest place to be, but while I'm seated there, looking at the backs of people's heads, I couldn't be happier, because I have just managed to catch the 311 Bus. And that's no easy feat.

The 311 Bus - or the 311 Mystery Bus as it is known to dozens of Darlinghurst's residents who spend a great deal of time waiting at the bus stop for the ride that never arrives - is a vehicle that inspires mixed emotions.

When it fails to show up, or arrives early so that I miss it, I curse the damn thing and then fork out $10 for the cab to work.

But when it arrives on time - and the driver actually sees me and pulls over - I just love that bus.

Then there are the other times when I'm in no need of public transport and I see the 311 waiting impatiently at the lights, rearing to go:

Or just storming past in a blaze of blue paint and petrol fumes:

It is during these moments that I feel compelled to turn to the person nearest to me and say, ''Look! There's the 311!''

Such is its phantom-like allure.

The 311 route could not be more efficient. It begins its journey down at the loop in Elizabeth Bay, chugs up Greenknowe Avenue, cruises along Macleay Street, hoons along Victoria Street and tears down Oxford and Elizabeth streets along the edge of the CBD to Central Station.

From my bus stop on Victoria Street, it takes me only 10 minutes to arrive at work on the 311.

There's also a 311 Doppelganger bus that begins its route at the Elizabeth Bay loop and ends at Circular Quay, near Sydney Harbour, but that doesn't service Darlinghurst residents.

Darlinghurst instead has the 389 Bus from Bondi Junction in Sydney's eastern suburbs, which happens to pass along Burton Street and down through Little Italy (in the Darlinghurst Valley or Flats) on its way to the Quay. It is a bus that isn't purely devoted to the suburb and I only use it when I need to go to David Jones department store, because it stops right outside the door on Elizabeth Street.

There's also an army of buses that plough along Oxford Street on their way to and from other places, but I am not interested in those itinerants.

To catch the 311 it is useful to have one of these:

You can buy the TravelTen ticket at most convenience stores in the area and for $16 you can take ten rides on the 311 that would normally cost $20 if you were paying by cash.

The alternative commute to Central Station from Darlinghurst is by train, which departs from nearby Kings Cross, but that costs $3.20 for a one-way trip.

There is also this bus:

But it costs $30, cruises around the city endlessly and is designed for tourists.

The other thing I love about catching the 311 is the curious people, overheard conversations and occasionally interesting graffiti that can be found inside its hallowed interior.

I have seen some strange commuters, usually nervous-looking middle-aged men, who hop on the bus at Taylor Square and then alight at Whitlam Square, a journey of about 500m that would be more efficiently traversed on foot. These people are not elderly, generally look healthy and I often wonder about their motivation. Perhaps, like me, they just simply love being on the 311.

I also spent one trip listening in to a conversation between two women in which I received a detailed account of one's mental health history and whether or not she was presently going through a manic period. Judging by the tone and volume of her voice, I gave her a positive diagnosis.

Then yesterday, while luxuriating in the sun on the 311, I spotted this collectable sticker on the back of a seat:

Here's a close-up:

The caption reads: Disappointment, Number 4 in a Series.

I wonder if the man in the photograph is standing at a bus stop somewhere in Darlinghurst, still waiting for the 311.