city as memory

Scenes from the Noarlunga Centre Interchange, 1986. Endless...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 08:29:21 -0400

Scenes from the Noarlunga Centre Interchange, 1986. Endless endless State Transport Authority orange against the harsh concrete and brown of the Satellite City.

The diesel fumes of the old Red Hens. The pre-Sesquicentennial optimism and futurism of the Jumbos. The surbanist brown and cream of the Volvo buses.

One may despair at the utter staticness of the scene should one visit Noarlunga Centre today, with only a bizarre third platform and 3000 series trains replacing the Red Hens the notable differences.

Thankfully, electrification comes *at last* in 2013 and the line extended to the widespread housing developments of Seaford and the further south.

The bus numbers will surely forever remain the same, however…721, 725, 734 and so on…

Pink Building on Clarence Street, Sydney. Built 1886.

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:52:00 -0400

Pink Building on Clarence Street, Sydney. Built 1886.

Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-267B (VR-HKG), departing Sydney...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:26:53 -0400

Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-267B (VR-HKG), departing Sydney Airport, August 1979.

One of my favourite airline liveries, the epitome of 70s/80s jet-setting glamour (with the exception of British Airways’ “Landor” livery, especially on a Concorde) with a sheen of functionality and a hint of “Far East” exoticism before yearly boozy trips to Vietnam were commonplace.

V/Line Coach (in classic orange/green livery), awaiting...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:02:21 -0400

V/Line Coach (in classic orange/green livery), awaiting passengers at Spencer Street Station.

A reminder of those signs at Spencer Street (#istillcallitspencerstreetstation) or Bendigo directing passengers to the coaches (and wondering why they would take a coach). And that terrific mural inside ‘modernist’ Spencer Street.

Catt Thai (now closed down), New Canterbury Road at...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:28:00 -0400

Catt Thai (now closed down), New Canterbury Road at Petersham.

If this is your card, I would advise you to get in touch with them pretty sharply. They’re no longer open for business and have been flogging off all the restaurant furniture this weekend…

From the Sydney Morning Herald on December 3, 1954. The result...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:00:00 -0400

From the Sydney Morning Herald on December 3, 1954.

The result of Det Sgt J. Corcoran’s investigations remain unknown.

Opening of Petersham Odeon, 15 February 1947. Note the tramlines...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:44:59 -0400

Opening of Petersham Odeon, 15 February 1947.

Note the tramlines on New Canterbury Road..

Commercial Row, Petersham. Built 1883.

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 07:12:15 -0400

Commercial Row, Petersham. Built 1883.

Petersham Odeon, 7 April 2012. After a life as a cinema...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 07:08:52 -0400

Petersham Odeon, 7 April 2012.

After a life as a cinema (switching from the mainstream to foreign language films in the 70s) and then as a skating rink, the building is being gutted and rebuilt as apartments.

Opening of Petersham Odeon, 15 February 1947. Built in 1920 on...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 07:06:00 -0400

Opening of Petersham Odeon, 15 February 1947.

Built in 1920 on the site of the 1912 Queens Theatre, the Majestic Theatre opened as a cinema in July 1921. It was taken over in 1946 by Greater Union Cinemas and re-named Petersham Odeon.

Audley Street, Petersham, 1907. Your tumblogger’s street,...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:39:00 -0400

Audley Street, Petersham, 1907.

Your tumblogger’s street, one hundred and five years ago.

City of Noarlunga Civic Centre, 1976. A design for people, a...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:37:00 -0400

City of Noarlunga Civic Centre, 1976.

A design for people, a modernist social democratic ideal.

A wasted opportunity.