George Street

Went down to Sydney today to see Brokeback Mountain. Train trip from Woy Woy to Central station then a trot up George Street to one of those massive fridge-cold cineplexes.


(Big version) Belmore Park

Chinese New Year celebrations were happening in Belmore Park as I came through from Central. Couldn't see much more than the ears of the dog above the crowd. There was a stall for the Guide Dogs Association (it's the year of the dog) and acrobats round the side of the stage. Didn't have time to linger but the celebrations will be going on for another week or so.


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I love this building. It's on the corner of Parker & Hay Streets between Belmore Park across the road from Central) and Chinatown.

UPDATE, 29th: No trouble picking the style on this one. It's used in the book as an example. Federation Anglo-Dutch (circa 1890 - circa 1915) and it's "Corporation Building (formerly Municipal Building ... George McRae, City Architect, c.1893". I'll be keeping an eye out for his other stuff.


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One of my favourite libraries. The shelves are built into deep niches like narrow rooms.


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I love the wee portico. It could do with a sandblasting though. George Street near the Goulburn Street lights. I'm taking a punt and putting this one in the 19th rather than the early 20th century. Would've looked at the foundation plaques to find out but I was too tired to think.

UPDATE, 29-1-06: Don't know yet when it was built but the design is Victorian Free Gothic or Victorian Tudor (both circa 1840 - circa 1890). They're very similar styles when it comes to red brick churches.

Lucky I didn't fall asleep in Brokeback Mountain. It was excellent. Beautiful landscape shots (it's set in Wyoming I think), decent bit of cloud porn, plenty of blokey reticence. The straight reviewers said "graphic sex scenes". Realistic yes, graphic no. You saw a flash of arse when the American guy hits on Our Heath, some snogging and hugging and another flash of arse later when they went skinnydipping. Check out Cocktalia's photos for nekkid Heath and some other Brokeback photos. Hope my local cinema shows it soon. I want to see it again.


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Went up George Street a bit further after the movie. Love the carved stone window arches on this building. It's the KFC on the corner of George & Bathurst Streets, just across from St Andrew's.

Love the carved stone window arches on this building. It's the KFC on the corner of George & Bathurst Streets, just across from St Andrew's.

UPDATE, 29th: I'm guesstimating the date on these beautiful arches at 1890 - 1900. There was a recession in the 1890s and work like this would've been cheaper to get them. The wear on the sill is hard to date. This building is on the corner of George Street and George Street has been a major thoroughfare since 1788. I can picture a lot of blokes over the years knocking their pipes out on it while they wait for the missus to come out of St Andrew's across the road and probably so horse and cart accidents taking chips off it. The walls on both sides of the corner have damage up to head height.