When I heard that the annual open day for Kirribilli and Admiralty Houses was on I made the snap decision to choose Postcode 2061 as my next Syndey location to visit. Postcode 2061 incorporates the two suburbs of Kirribilli and Milsons Point. My Mother-in-law lived in Kirribilli when she first arrived from Perth in 1956. Already having a selection of photos I had taken at Luna Park last July I thought this was the perfect opportunity to publish them as part of this project. The Luna Park shots were taken on a wet ole Sydney day but I love the contrast of the drizzling weather and calamity that is Luna Park.
Last Sunday, accompanied by Miss Laura who spent the day snapping away with me, I headed to postcode 2061. We started our day at Kirribilli House and Admiralty House, followed Kirribilli Road down towards the water passing under the SHB, sticky beaking through the large glass windows of North Sydney Pool before reminiscing in Luna Park. Heading back up Alfred Street South we enjoyed the Kiribilli markets wandering through Burton Street tunnel to the harbour side of the bridge to discover a quaint little church called 'Church by the Bridge'. We finally made our way home by train from Milsons Point Station which had fantastic views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Greenway Flats.
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| Kirribilli Hotel est 1937 |
Kirribilli House is the official Sydney residence of the Prime Minister of Australia, currently Julia Gillard. What a delightful building, I felt like I was trespassing through a fairy tale as it was reminiscent of a gingerbread house, with heart shaped fretwork and high pitched roofs. Originally build in 1854 by Adolphus Fredrick Feez in a Gothic revival style.
Admiralty House is home to the Govenor General of Australia, currently Quentin Bryce. It was built and originally named 'Wotonga' in 1846 by Lt. Colonel J.G.N.Gibbes. It has spectacular views of Sydney's harbour which were stunning on the sunny day we visited. I only grabbed a few shots as photography of the interior of both Kirribilli and Admiralty Houses was forbidden and there were hundreds of people buzzing around the outside.
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| View form the manicured gardens of Admiralty House |
Heading down Kibilli Road from Admiralty House looms the most spectacular view of Sydney's favourite bridge.
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| View of Sydney Harbour Bridge from the bottom of Kirribilli Road |
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| Over the bridge - under the bridge |
Milsons Point is home to North Sydney Olympic Swimming Pool. You need council approval to photograph inside the complex, but nobody said you couldn't photograph inside the complex from outside the complex. North Sydney Pool celebrates its 75th Birthday this year.
I photographed these next pictures of Luna Park well before I started 'My Sydney'. The photos were taken on a wet July day in 2010 and published in a Facebook Album entitled, 'Faces in A Face'. They have always been a favourite of mine and I am thrilled to be able to share them again. Luna Park celebrated its 75th Birthday last year. On my visit this time the facade of Coney Island was hiding behind scaffolding - having a face lift I expect.
The second Sunday of each month Kirribilli is host to two markets. 'The Art and Design Market' in the Burton Street Tunnel and the 'Vintage Fashion Market' next door in Bradfield Park. The market date coincided with the Kiribilli House open day so we were in luck to enjoy both. The gorgeous recycled golden book diaries and notebooks are made by Tina from www.retrostardesign.com and a sweet lady by the name of Dilys Rhodes is responsible for the funky tea cosies. I did not make any purchases today but I did enjoy window shopping. Can you even window shop in markets?
'Church by the Bridge' at St John's Anglican Church Kirribilli established 1884
Greenway Flats in Kirribilli can be seen on the north approach of the SHB. These photos were taken as we waited for the train home at Milsons Point Station. Built in 1948 on land cleared after the construction of the bridge. When opened in 1954 the Greenway Flats was the largest flat development in the country, tenancy was granted by means of a Housing Commission lottery. Greenway Flats remain public housing today.
