Powerhouse Museum

As with so many of the Tyrrell collection photos - much has changed over the years, and yet - not.

Earliest date: ca. 1903 - external work on Bank of Australasia completed

Latest date: 1906 - work on Challis House yet to start, or in an early stage...I'm not sure when work on the 1906-08 Commercial Banking Co additions would have become visible...

Similar view, but somewhat earlier
www.flickr.com/photos/powerhouse_museum/4903275121/

Kind of reverse view...taken at about the same time...but not the same occasion...there are some differences
www.flickr.com/photos/powerhouse_museum/2362675439/

ca. 1904-06

Electric street lighting was introduced in the CBD in 1904...operating from ca. July 1904
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/164909998/16884702

Before the 1906-08 alterations/additions to the Commercial Banking Co of Sydney, NW cnr George/Barrack Sts
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/263589536

From Neutral Bay (in the vicinity of Wycombe Road) looking south towards Kirribilli and the Botanic Gardens.

Another coincidence?

Arthur Streeton "Sydney Harbour from Penshurst (Cremorne)" 1907
[OA29.1962]
ED - New link for AGNSW - www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/OA29.1962/

To be more precise, it's Thrupp Street, Neutral Bay …

beachcomber australia

See Cody Tutt book “Caution! THIS BOOK CONTAINS DEADLY REPTILES” p.91 the Aboriginal and Traditional Owners of YUIN Country around Darling Harbour Foreshores, also named WARRANG, …

Watch out for the Broad-headed snake or, YUGA-MAGA, P90 in “Deadly Reptiles” book.

Just going on the two garden plots seen here in the foreground, the date range has to be 1907-13...the City Council built the gardens in 1907...a tramway building (not seen here) was erected on the smaller triangular plot in ca. November 1913.

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/142945425 - the Australasian [Melbourne], 17th June, 1911...the pic of the garden plots that appears here looks to be somewhat later (see pic bottom rhs)...

The two garden plots were built on the site of the Ship Inn and an adjacent yard...the adjacent yard occupied the smaller triangular allotment. The Ship Inn was demolished in ca. March/April 1904. I suspect the Change Alley building also occupied part of the plot closest to the camera. Change Alley was demolished in ca. August/September 1901 to make way for the Pitt St tramway extension...

- this ca. 1891-93 SANSW pic shows Change Alley and the Ship Inn and also the adjoining yard as they then appeared...

The two allotments on which the gardens were built were evidently leased to the City Council by the Railways Department in 1907...the City Council appear to have built the garden plots by the end of 1907. The Railways Department resumed ?both plots in 1913...and then erected a tramways building on the smaller triangular plot in ca. November 1913...the initial tramways building was a basic rectangular structure...in subsequent years it was added to and became more elaborate...

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/115231796 - Evening News, 30th April, 1907...re preliminary work being carried out prior to the construction of the garden on the site formerly occupied by the Ship Inn...

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/238058729 - Daily Telegraph, 30th April, 1907...slightly more info on the proposed garden...

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/229923580 - the Australian Star, 20th April, 1908...brief mention of the garden...which must have been planted some time previously...

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/229672730 - the Sun, 28th August, 1913...background on the City Council lease of the garden plots...

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/238900687 - the Daily Telegraph, 11th September, 1913...one of numerous objections to the erection of the tramway building on the Circular Quay reserve garden plots

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/15463958 - SMH, 8th November, 1913...brief item which indicates that the construction of the tramways building was then in progress...

- this 1920s SANSW pic shows the tramways building as it then appeared...

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/71590526 - the Australian Town & Country Journal, 20th March, 1907...the stereoscope pic of Circular Quay that appears here shows the Paragon Hotel addition...this is the first pic I've found that shows the addition...there were a number of additions made to the Paragon Hotel over the years...substantial additions/renovations were also evidently made in 1910...

- the Paragon Hotel addition doesn't appear in this other PHM pic taken in ca. September-October 1902...

Another date marker I've overlooked are the suspension wires for the tramway overhead electrical wires...the suspension wire system replaced the tramway 'T' poles in 1908...so that puts the date range at 1908-13...