Archive for the 'Sydney' Category

Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

Old kitchen furniture, Susannah Place, The Rocks, Sydney

Old kitchen furniture, Susannah Place, The Rocks, Sydney

The Susannah Place Museum in the Rocks district of inner Sydney preserves some of the social history of this interesting part of Australia. This group of terrace houses was built in 1844 and has been in continuous use ever since. Now it is only a museum, but one of the houses was still occupied a few years ago.

Relics from the past, Susannah Place Museum, Sydney

Relics from the past, Susannah Place Museum, Sydney

Each of the former homes have been decorated and furnished in a different era of its history. Moving through the various homes and rooms in each home on the guided tour is like walking through the pages of early Australian history.

This museum is only a short walk from Circular Quay in central Sydney. It has proved to be very popular with tourists and locals wanting to taste a little of Sydney’s past.

Old furniture, Susannah Place Museum, Sydney

Old furniture, Susannah Place Museum, Sydney

Susannah Place Museum, Sydney

Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

Although I was a little uncertain at first, I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Susannah Place Museum in The Rocks district of inner Sydney. we went there on the advice of our daughter who was with us on this holiday. A teaching colleague of hers had previously been there and had recommended a visit.

Basic laundry at Susannah Place, The Rocks, Sydney

Basic laundry at Susannah Place, The Rocks, Sydney

We went on an hour long guided tour of these old historic terrace houses and shop. The houses were generally occupied from 1844 until relatively recently, one of them until only a few yars ago.

The houses are furnished and decorated in keeping with various eras in the life of this building. Some of the facilities, like the outdoor laundry tub and water heating fireplace and copper tub shown above, seem primitive when compared with what we have today.

Furniture in Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

Furniture in Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

Susannah Place Museum, Sydney

Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

Late last year we travelled to Sydney with our daughter. One of the places she was really keen to visit was the Susannah Place Museum in The Rocks district of inner Sydney. I was a little dubious at first but after going on the guided tour of this old historic shop and terraced houses I had radically changed my mind.

Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

The tour of this museum illustrates so graphically how people lived in this area in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Some of the houses are furnished as they would have been in that era. Other houses have a more modern feel with furnishings from the early twentieth century.

Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, Sydney

The Corso, Manly Beach, Sydney

The Corso, Manly Beach, Sydney

The Corso, Manly Beach, Sydney

The Corso at Manly Beach in Sydney is the main thoroughfare through this beautiful suburb. It leads from the ferry wharves to the beach. Most of this street has no vehicular traffic making it a broad pedestrian precinct for shoppers and visitors.

Solar powered Christmas Tree, The Corso, Manly Beach

Solar powered Christmas Tree, The Corso, Manly Beach

Our visit to Manly Beach was a few days after Christmas in December 2008. The Corso featured a large Christmas Tree whose lights were powered by a solar panel.

The Corso, Manly Beach, Sydney

The Corso, Manly Beach, Sydney

The Corso, Manly Beach, Sydney

Children playing on The Corso, Manly Beach

Children playing on The Corso, Manly Beach

On our recent holiday in Sydney we took the ferry to Manly Beach.  The ferry ride on the beautiful Sydney Harbour is highly recommended as one of the delights of visiting Sydney.

Children playing in water on The Corso, Manly Beach

Children playing in water on The Corso, Manly Beach

While we were at Manly we were amused at the antics of the children playing on The Corso, the main street leading from the ferry wharves to the beach. A series of fountains had been installed in the footpath. Every half minute or so they would gently raise the water up about a half metre and then die down again. This was repeated over and over. It was an excellent way for the children (and any adults) to cool off, or to wash off the saltiness and sand from the beach.

It looked like fun. Kind of made one wish one was a child again. Actually, there is nothing and no-one stopping any adults who wanted to have just as much fun as the children.

Manly Beach, Sydney

Manly Beach, Sydney