Mondo

Selwyn Street is a wide, tree-lined street that is quiet despite its proximity to the Pacific Highway and Shirley Road. The homes here are large, with beautiful gardens, and despite its small length, some famous authors, scientists and politicians call Selwyn Street home. Not mentioning any names though – to protect their privacy. But one could be a former PM!

After it moves away from its busy Crows Nest end, Shirley Road is home to apartment block after apartment block. It is very difficult to find street numbers here, leading to much confusion for visitors. Always ask for the nearest cross street, or a landmark, when finding addresses here! Once past the apartments though, Shirley Road enters the peaceful area of the Berry Island Reserve – which could not be more opposite to the busy Pacific Highway if it tried!!

Shirley Road is very long – running from the Pacific Highway in Crows Nest, through to the waterfront reserve at Berry Island Reserve. In its Crows Nest Section, it is home to several commercial and medical practices, the Fire Station, and apartment blocks. It has a busy intersection at River Road, where traffic to and from the Lane Cove/Hunters Hill area access the city routes.

Running from the busy Pacific Highway through to the quieter Ivy Street, Rocklands Road sees quite a bit of daytime traffic, and parking is at a premium here. The main reason is that the huge Mater Private Hospital is situated in this street, and has inadequate parking for staff and visitors. Buses that run along the highway are the best alternative for visitors who fear frustration with parking. The rest of the street is devoted to apartment blocks – further exacerbating the parking situation.

Blue Street runs from the Pacific Highway at the approach to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, through to William Street. With a pub on one corner, a multi storey hotel on another, major bus stop and North Sydney Station access, the can be a very busy street, especially for pedestrians travelling to and from work to the public transport precinct.

Lavender Street runs from Blues Point Road to Alfred Street South and commands some of the best city and harbour views of the North Sydney area. There is a strip of terraced houses on the northern side of the road that are old, refurbished and worth millions. They are high enough to see over the homes on the opposite side of the road. Towards the Harbour Bridge end of the street, there are high rise office and apartment buildings with easy access to Milson’s Point railway station.

Named for the Catholic St Mary’s Cathedral, St Mary’s Road bounds the church and boy’s high school on one side and a section of The Domain on the other. It is often used to access the eastern part of the city, Woolloomooloo, and the large Domain Parking Station. Parking meters control the limited street parking.

Cathedral Street runs of St Mary’s Road and is used to access the magnificent Catholic St Mary’s Cathedral. As well, St Mary’s Boys High School can be accessed from here. Even for those not getting married at the Cathedral, it is a popular place for wedding photographs, and for city workers seeking refuge from the busy-ness of the city.

Pitt Street Mall would have to be the busiest parts of the city at lunchtime. With access to major department stores, multi level shopping arcades, boutiques and fast-food outlets. The observation deck and restaurants of Sydney Tower can be accessed from Centrepoint at the southern end of the Mall.

St James Road is a small street, one of the boundaries of Hyde Park. On the park’s northern side, between Macquarie and Elizabeth Streets, it is right near one of the exits to St James’ Railway Station, part of the “City Circle”. A busy station for city workers and shoppers (across the road from the David Jones’ Elizabeth Street store), it is an ideal place for one of the city’s main taxi ranks.

At its northern point, Macquarie Street is both a turning circle and access way to the Sydney Opera House carpark. Travelling south, and uphill, it bounds the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Conservatorium and State Parliament House, Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital, before ending at Hyde Park. On the other side of the road it becomes home to the “Macquarie Street Specialist” – with many of the buildings being occupied by specialist medical practitioners.

Just off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Gloucester Street is one of the less busy streets of the city. Parking meters control the limited parking, and it’s a good place to look for some short term city parking if you have business in the northern part of the city. It forms the boundary of St Patrick’s church grounds, and one of the busiest times for the street is on Christmas Eve, when many people flock to the church for midnight mass. The street itself ends in a turning circle, but can be used to access Essex Street.

When driving off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the first street to the left is Grosvenor, used by lots of traffic to access George Street and the city CBD. The main landmark on this short street is St Patrick’s Catholic Church, a magnificent sandstone and stained glass building that is dwarfed by the city buildings surrounding it. Its unassuming street presence belies its size and beauty. The church of my high school, St Pat’s is often sought as an oasis from the hustle and bustle by city workers at lunch time.

Argyle Place is a small street lined on one side with some historic houses listed by the National Trust. Sadly owners wishing to restore them to former glory are being thwarted by the bureaucracy of Sydney City Council and as a result they are in danger of being beyond salvage. The homes are large, and many have “carriageways” where today’s garages would be. If restored, they would be real testaments of a bygone era. On the opposite side of the road is a small park, and the only drawback to the street is that it is used by Sydney Buses as a turning area.

Access to Circular Quay West is restricted and controlled by boom gates. There is a limited amount of paid parking here, and mainly pedestrian traffic uses this area to access the overseas boat terminal. In the days of mainly ocean liner travel this was the point of arrival and departure for all ships, but those that fit under the Sydney Harbour Bridge now travel on to Darling Harbour. The very big, traffic stopping, luxury liners still berth at Circular Quay. The terminal itself is now home to very trendy bars and restaurants – my favourite is Yuki’s at the Quay, the best Japanese restaurant in Sydney.

Back in the early days of Sydney, Hickston Road was used to access the docks area of Walsh Bay and Dawes point. The street hugs the point, from George Street, and goes under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, bounds Dawes Point Park. There are loads of old warehouses and woolstores here that have been converted to tourist shops and restaurants, and the Dawes Point Wharf is home to apartments and marina. The views of the harbour are great in parts, and the drive and walk along here are popular with tourists.