Remember this: The changing face of downtown Sydney (1972)

This is the last entry of our "Remember this" series. We are in the midst of a huge building boom in downtown Sydney. In the early 1970s,  we saw a similar transformation take place though it would have been even more dramatic than the boom we are experiencing today.

Source: Frykberg, I. 1972. "The changing face of Downtown Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald, January 13: 2. 

Remember this: Australian Made Concert (1987)

Above: A photo published in The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader on January 29 1987. 

On Thursday, we mark Australia Day and as part of marking Australia Day in 1987, Sydneysiders were treated to the final concert of Australian Made tour.

Leading Australian Artists came up with the idea of uniting together to promote the best of Australian Talent and undertook a national tour which began in Hobart on December 26, 1986, before moving onto Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

This was in response to promoters of international acts who claimed that Australian artists could not fill up large arenas.

The concert has been recorded as occurring on January 26, 1987. It was held on January 24, 1987, which was part of the Australia Day long weekend.

In Sydney, the concert was held at Endeavour Field (Southern Cross Group Stadium), Cronulla attracting crowds of more than 20 000.

INXS were the headline act, but the list of acts was endless. We will never see a list like it again

• Jimmy Barnes
• The Divinyls
• Mental as Anything
• I'm Talking 
• The Saints
• Models
• The Triffids. 

Below is some coverage as seen from The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader on January 29, 1987. The feature was published on page 3.

And as a bonus, below are some clips from the film (from Youtube) that was produced as part of the tour and all are from the Sydney concert.

Remember this: The vendor who thought $145 000 was not enough (1969)

One of the most popular topics on this blog is to do with real estate. This time, here is an article from 1969, where the vendor for a harbourside mansion at Point Piper thought that an offer of $145 000 was not enough. They wanted $180 000.

 

Source: Anon. 1969. "$145,000 was not enough". The Daily Telegraph, June 20: 11.

The RBA Inflation Calculator would measure the reserve price as being the equivalent of $2 million in today's money. Going by the information I have, median house prices in Sydney in 1969 were roughly $20 000.

Remember this: Winfield Cup Banner at Belmore Oval (1985)

I remember as recently as 2012, seeing the faded Winfield Cup Banner at Belmore Oval on the train heading to do volunteer work at a primary school.

Here is a Winfield Cup advertisement featuring the banner from its heyday in 1985. It was published in September 1985 in The Daily Telegraph but the exact date is not known.

Remember this: Airport Express Advertisement (1991)

For January, our weekly entries will focus quite simply on classic advertisements or moments in time.

Many like myself have left town for the summer, and some are about to head off. I will admit this was written well before I went away.

In fact today, I'll be in the air and contending with the challenges of flying including the fight to get to the airport.

This one does relate to holidays and travel. Here is a 1991 advertisement promoting the now-defunct Airport Express Bus service. Buses used to shuttle passengers between the Airport, City and Kings Cross.

The service was provided by the State Transit Authority/Sydney Buses. Following the opening of the Airport Rail Line in 2000, the service was discounted in 2001 with private operators providing door to door shuttles.

Compared to today, it would cost the equivalent of $10 single or $16 return which is pretty cheap. There is a push to operate more bus services to Sydney Airport to reduce congestion on the roads in the area.

Source: State Transit Authority. 1991. "Take off for Your Holiday on our Runway" (Advertisement). The Sunday Telegraph, December 22: 11.