In the last post of our current series of Remember This? I share a newspaper advertisement to promote the Bennelong Restaurant at the Sydney Opera House from 1973. This year is fifty years since the restaurant first opened to diners, coinciding with the opening of the Opera House itself.
Source: Bennelong Restaurant. 1973. "Your guide to dining at the Opera House" (Advertisement). The Sun, October 17: 6.
Below are two photos that were published in a photo feature The Changing City, in The Daily Telegraph on 13 May 1971. The photos focus on the demolition of homes for the Eastern Suburbs Railway Line. The second photo also features highrise development taking place in the area, with the Kingsgate Hotel rising in the background. Note that Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Woolloomooloo at the time were being subject to rezoning for highrise development, and proposals for highrise buildings had also been lodged, which were set to transform the area. However, with a few exceptions, the highrise developments did not proceed, and the area was allowed to retain its current densities and streetscapes.
Below is a 1990 newspaper advertisement by the State Transit Authority to promote the savings associated with taking public transport on the weekends.
Source: State Transit Authority. 1990. "Catch the huge savings on buses and ferries this weekend". The Daily Mirror: 39.
In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, which led to an increase in petrol prices to around 75 cents per litre which was high at the time. The Sydney Harbour Bridge toll has doubled to $3.00 on weekends, but at the time, the $1.50 toll was charged irrespective of the time travelled.
A ferry trip from Manly to Circular Quay in 1990 cost $3.20 for adults, compared with $8.04 on an opal card or contactless payment in 2023. Note that there is a weekend daily cap of $8.40 for an opal meaning a return trip would cost 36 cents.
In 1990, it cost $3.80 to travel by bus from Newport to the city and $2.40 from Coogee to the city. In 2023, the same trip from Newport to the city decreased by 27 cents to $3.53 as bus fares were previously subject to a flat fare with no off-peak discounts. However, the trip from Coogee to the city has increased just 35 cents to $2.75, but when adjusted for inflation, the same trip in real terms is cheaper than in 1990.
A few weeks after the advertisement was published, Cityrail also used high petrol prices to attract commuters to commute by train. A link is listed below.
Opal Fares are correct as of 9 January 2023.
Related Entry
Remember This? CityRail Advertisement (1990)
Remember This? has returned for the annual summer run, where I share material that would not normally be suited to our regular weekly postings and an opportunity to share interesting finds that I encounter.
This week I share a 1968 newspaper advertisement for the Hotel Metropole, which was located on the current site of the Governor Macquarie Tower (facing Young, Bent and Phillip Streets). The hotel traded between 1890 and 1970 when it was demolished for CAGA House, a thirty-storey office tower which itself was demolished in 1992 for the Governor Macquarie Tower.
Rooms were available for as little as $6 per night, but a standard room cost around $12.50 per night. According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, $6 equated to around $78.30 in today's money, which is still cheap by Sydney standards for a hotel room if you were seeking a room on a low budget. For a double or twin room, it was equivalent to around $163 a night.
Source: Hotel Metropole. 1968. "Hotel Metropole" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, June 4: 5.
