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New South Wales (Sydney Region) |
| Paddington and Woollahara | |
| From the intersection with South Dowling Street in Darlinghurst, Oxford Street strikes southeast through Paddington and Woollahra to the verdant expanse of Centennial Park. Paddington, a slum at the turn of the century, became a popular hangout for hipsters during the late 1960s and 1970s. Since then, yuppies took over and turned Paddington into the smart and fashionable suburb it is today: the Victorian-era terraced houses, with their iron-lace verandahs reminiscent of New Orleans, have been beautifully restored. | |
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of the terraces were originally built in the 1840s to house the artisans
who worked on the graceful sandstone Victoria Barracks on the
southern side of Oxford Street, its walls stretching seven blocks, from
Greens Road to just before the Paddington Town Hall on Oatley Road. Shadforth
Street, opposite the entrance gates, has many examples of the original
artisans' homes. Though the barracks are still used by the army, there are
free guided tours on Thursday mornings at 10am - complete with army band -
while a small museum is open to visitors on Sundays (10am-3pm;
free).
On the northern side of Oxford Street the small, winding, tree-lined streets are a pleasant place for a stroll and offer tantalizing glimpses of the sparkling waters of the harbour - and a chance to wander into the many small art galleries or to take some liquid refreshment. Head via Underwood and Heeley streets to Five Ways, where you'll find cafés, speciality shops and a typically gracious old boozer, the Royal Hotel. But the main action is on Oxford Street, most lively on Saturday from 10am to around 4pm, when the crowds descend on the fun and fashion-conscious Paddington Bazaar in the church grounds at 395 Oxford St. Woollahra, along Oxford Street from Paddington, is even more moneyed but contrastingly staid, with severely expensive antique shops along Queen Street replacing the wackier style of Paddington. Centennial Park |
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| South
of Oxford Street from Paddington and Woollahra, lies the green expanse of Centennial
Park with Bondi Junction to the east and Randwick to the south. Opened
to the citizens of Sydney at the Centennial Festival in 1888 (the
bicentennial version was opened at Homebush in 1988), the park, with its
vast lawns, rose gardens and extensive network of ponds resembles an
English country park, but is reclaimed at dawn and dusk by distinctly
antipodean residents, including possums and flying foxes. The park is
crisscrossed by walking paths and tracks for cycling, roller-blading,
jogging and horse-riding: you can rent a bike or rollerblades or hire a
horse and then recover from your exertions in the caféor in the finer
months stay on until dark and catch an outdoor film at the Epson Moonlight
Cinema. (Daily 8am-6pm, until 8pm during Daylight Savings)
Adjoining Moore Park, west of Centennial Park, has facilities for tennis, golf, grass skiing, bowling, cricket and hockey it is also home to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Sydney Football Stadium and Fox Studios. |
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