Property Advert of the Week: AVJennings Great Home & Land Sale! (1998)

Below is a 1998 newspaper advertisement by AVJennings promoting new housing estates at Beaumont Hills, Hoxton Park and Prestons.

Based on the maps provided, the display villages for each estate were at the following location

Beaumont Hills  - Windsor Road 

Hoxton Park -  Corner of Twelfth Avenue and Cowpasture Road

Prestons - San Marino Drive

Source: AVJennings. 1998. "The Great Home & Land Sale!". The Daily Telegraph, January 3: 10-11. 

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Anthony Horderns Brickfield Hill Redevelopment (1964)

Above: A render of the proposed 42-level tower as part of the redevelopment of the Anthony Horderns site at Brickfield Hill (World Square).Full Citation Below.

Welcome to a new series of Never Built Sydney focusing on the buildings and developments that were proposed for Sydney but never went ahead or alternate schemes for existing developments.

In 2016, I posted an entry on a mid 1960's proposal from Anthony Hordern & Sons to redevelop their existing store at Brickfield Hill (now World Square). Since then, I found more clippings about the proposed tower and can share more information.

At the time of the original posting, I mentioned that the plans were dated from 1965, when they were unveiled in 1964. 

The redevelopment proposal was conceived in response to the decline in trade at the Brickfield Hill store associated with the increased appeal of suburban shopping malls appearing across the Sydney metropolitan region. The company was operating at a financial loss. 

 

Source: Anon. 1964. "Anthony Hordern Plans a £9m Building on City Site". The Sydney Morning Herald, October 31: 1. 

In addition, there was a push by local and state governments to revive the southern end of the Sydney CBD, and this project was seen as a catalyst for future development in that section of the city. Given concerns about lost trade, increased commercial and residential development within that area would in turn attract more customers. 

To attract trade, a forty-two-level tower comprising office space and apartments was planned for the rear of the existing building (Liverpool Street side) facing Swan Street. It was projected to rise 527 feet (161 metres) from the George Street end of the tower. Swan Street itself would be redeveloped into a pedestrian "concourse" linking George and Pitt Streets. 

In 1965, it was reported that the tower would be complete by 1968 at the earliest. 

 

Source: Johnson, B. 1965. "They'll live it up on top of the town". The Sun Herald, September 26: 45. 

The estimated cost of construction was $20 million. According to the RBA Inflation Calculator this would be equivalent to around $295 million today. 

There was an advertising campaign in 1966 to promote the redevelopment, but nothing was mentioned about it after that date. 

This advertisement (below) was published in The Sunday Telegraph on 31 July 1966.

The Sydney Morning Herald published a two-page spread on 1 August 1966. 

 

Anthony Hordern & Sons continued to struggle. In 1969, the Brickfield Hill site was closed and the company itself was taken over by Waltons Ltd. in 1970 (Click here to view my entry on the end of Anthony Horderns). The takeover did not include the purchase of the site at Brickfield Hill which was sold separately. 

This tower was one of several "Never Builts" for what is now the site of World Square. You may find the following entries of interest. 

EVOLUTION OF WORLD SQUARE: The original World Square Scheme (1973)

EVOLUTION OF WORLD SQUARE: Kenzo Tange's Original Scheme (1983)

EVOLUTION OF WORLD SQUARE: Kenzo Tange turns World Square into a Lotus Flower (1985)

EVOLUTION OF WORLD SQUARE: The abandoned site (1991)

Property Advert of the Week: Landcom - Postcard from the Olympic City (2000)

To mark the 2000 Olympic Games, Landcom published this advertisement to promote Sydney as a great city to live in and that Landcom would help them secure their home and an opportunity to live in a great city.

Given a large number of visitors from around Australia and overseas, the advertisement was obviously targeting them

   

Source: Landcom. 2000. "Postcard From the Olympic City". The Daily Telegraph, September 23: 62.

Royal Easter Show Flashback: 1998 (First Show at Sydney Olympic Park) - Part III

Today is the final day of the Royal Easter Show for 2023. Welcome to the third and concluding entry on my series, looking back at the 1998 Royal Easter Show, which was the first to be held at Sydney Olympic Park.

Last week focused on the first week of the Easter Show. This week will focus on the second week, including the Easter weekend.

Good Friday - 10 April

Traditionally the busiest day of the show was affected by heavy rain. Homebush recorded 84mm of rain between 9am and 3pm. An estimated 70 000 attended, down on the projected 85 000. The evening program finished at 7:30pm due to the poor weather.

Organisers were concerned that the show would not turn a profit.

 

Source: Hoy, A. 1998. "Rain and hospitality wash out Homebush Show profits". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 13: 1. 

Easter Saturday - 11 April

A new attendance record for Easter Saturday was set with 120 982 passing through the gates, including members of the International Olympic Committee who were in Sydney to inspect progress ahead of the 2000 Olympic Games. 

Source: Bye, C. 1998. "Games chiefs' day at Show". The Sun Herald, April 12: 4. 

Easter Sunday - 12 April

A new Easter Sunday attendance record was broken with 118 958 attending, smashing the 1991 record of 101 408. However, there were reports of showbags being sold out along with one hour delays to enter the showbag pavilion.

   

Source: Trute, P. 1998. "Showbags sell-out disappoints crowd". The Daily Telegraph, April 13: 8. 

Easter Monday - 13 April

Traditionally Good Friday would be the busiest day, but Easter Monday saw the largest daily attendance for the sixteen days - An estimated 172 000 passed through the gates. 

Source: Trute, P. 1998. "Easter Monday Show record". The Daily Telegraph, April 14: 19.

David Foster 1000th Woodchopping title - 16 April

David Foster secured his 1000th title in the Woodchopping and made the back page of The Daily Telegraph the following day.

Final Day - Saturday 18 April

According to the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, 1998 saw a new all-time attendance record set - 1 262 339. 

The previous record was 1 232 413 in 1947.

Carol Smith and her family from Kogarah were presented with gifts from Easter Show organisers to celebrate the milestone.

The only disappointment was that many showbags were already sold out according to The Sun Herald.

Source: Creer, C. 1998. "Smiths lucky number: Stunned family breaks royal record". The Sunday Telegraph, April 19: 23. 

Source: Bye, C. "1.23 million smash Easter Show record". The Sun Herald, April 19: 10.

That concludes our three-part series on the 1998 Royal Easter Show. Hope you enjoyed looking back at a historic and record-breaking show.

Related Entries

Royal Easter Show Flashback: 1998 (First Show at Sydney Olympic Park) - Part I

Royal Easter Show Flashback: 1998 (First Show at Sydney Olympic Park) - Part II

Property Advert of the Week: St Lawrence Apartments, Alexandria (1998)

Below is a 1998 newspaper advertisement for the St Lawrence Apartments complex in Lawrence Street, Alexandria. One and two-bedroom apartments were available, along with three-bedroom townhouses.

Source: Century 21 Newtown. 1998. "St Lawrence Apartments". The Sydney Morning Herald, May 2: 23RE (Real Estate Liftout). 

Royal Easter Show Flashback: 1998 (First Show at Sydney Olympic Park) - Part II

Last week, I posted the first entry in my series on the 1998 Royal Easter Show which was held for the first time at Sydney Olympic Park focusing on admission fees, transport and showbags.

This week, I focus on selected feature articles from the first seven days of the show while next week, I will focus on the Easter long weekend and the second week of the show.

On 3 April 1998, the gates opened for the first day. Below the afternoon edition, (second "F" edition) of The Daily Telegraph reported that the showgrounds were "swarming with people" when all exhibitions and rides opened at 9:30am. A record 42 500 people attended day one - the biggest opening day attendance for a non-school holiday period. This was the first of several attendance records to be broken. 

Being a test event for Sydney's Olympic Transport network, glitches were reported such as showgoers left stranded at bus routes en route from Dee Why for up to one hour and one bus driver needing directions from passengers. The Sydney Morning Herald (4 April) reported that around eighty per cent of showgoers arrived by public transport. 

Back at the former Showgrounds at Moore Park,  Sue Sim and her daughter Greta Bromwich, thought they were at the right venue. 

 

Source: Sweetman, K. 1998. "The right address, just a year". The Daily Telegraph, April 4: 5. 

The Sydney Morning Herald was also positive in their coverage. The only negatives arose from those who chose to drive. 

Source: Macey, R. 1998. "The scariest ride of them all - your car". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 4: 6. 

Source: Hoy, A. 1998. "Four in five arrive aboard a train or bus". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 4: 7. 

The good coverage continued especially public transport usage and large crowds swamping the new showgrounds.

 

Source: Gora, B. 1998. "Public transport copes with numbers easily". The Sunday Telegraph, April 5: 14-15. 

Sunday 5 April saw a record 90 000 (estimate), breaking records for attendance on Day 3. Below is a feature on food offerings, but "junk food" still outweighs healthy foods. I see more "junk" on offer.

Source: Power, L. 1998. "Crowds go for healthy option". The Daily Telegraph, April 6: 17. 

Source: Hoy, A. 1998. "Transport triumph lifts Show to record". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 6: 6. 

One criticism was the lack of shade and seating.

Source: Trute, P. 1998. "More seats and shade for visitors". The Daily Telegraph, April 7: 19.

On April 8, the show was officially opened by Governor-General Sir William Deane and was followed by the first Grand Parade.

 

 

Source. Anon. 1998. "Class cattle a parade of champions". The Daily Telegraph, April 9: 15. 

Next week, I will present by concluding entry in this series focusing on the second week of the show.

Related Entry

Royal Easter Show Flashback: 1998 (First Show at Sydney Olympic Park) - Part I

Property Advert of the Week: The Claridge Kings Cross (1966)

In 2016, I posted an advertisement for The Claridge at Kings Cross. Below is another advertisement for the same complex from 1966. This advertisement has a photograph of the completed complex.

Source: Parkes Developments Pty. Ltd. 1966. Untitled (Advertisement). The Sun, October 14:49.

Related Entry

Property Advert of the Week: The Claridge Kings Cross (1966) - Posting from 2016.

Royal Easter Show Flashback: 1998 (First Show at Sydney Olympic Park) - Part I

Source: Royal Agricultural Society of NSW. 1998. "Say Hello to the Show at Homebush Bay" (Advertisement). The Sun Herald, April 5: 14. 

Thursday marks the start of the annual Royal Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park, and it is also 25 years since the Show moved from Moore Park to Sydney Olympic Park.

Like last year, I will split this into three entries. This week focuses on the key facts and show bags, while for the following fortnight, I will post a selection of feature articles each week. 

Date:         3 April to 18 April 1998

As it was the first Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park, it ran for 16 days like the previous year, to the farewell Moore Park.

Admission

Adults: - $15.00
Pensioners & Tertiary Students - $11.00    

Children: - $7.50

$6 after 6pm tickets were also on offer. 
 
Showlink tickets were also available and could be prepurchased at train stations for use on any one day of the show, including show buses. 

In 2023, ticket options are broader, but the general prices are listed below:

Adults - $ 47.00

Concession - $30.50

Child - $29.50

A person with a Disability - $29.50

Early bird tickets are available with discounts of up to 20% available, with further discounts if entering after 4pm.

Tickets in 2023 include free return travel on public transport on the day of the visit, and date of the visit must be pre-booked. 

Transport

 

Source: Olympic Roads and Transport Authority. 1998. "Where to hop on a train or hop on a bus" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, April 3: 34. 

The Olympic Roads Transport Authority (ORTA) oversaw transport arrangements. The Easter Show was the first test event for Sydney's Olympic Transport network. Sydneysiders were introduced to a network of designated bus routes linking Sydney suburbs with Sydney Olympic Park and direct rail services to Sydney Olympic Park. Selected services on the Western, Southern, and North Shore lines were re-routed to service Sydney Olympic Park. Those on other lines or not directly served by Olympic Park trains could join direct services at Central, Redfern, Strathfield, Lidcombe, Granville, Clyde, Parramatta, Westmead and Blacktown. 

To deter showgoers from driving, a flat $25 fee per vehicle was introduced for parking at designated carparks with the Sydney Olympic Park Precinct, with parking restricted to two hours in streets in nearby suburbs. 

Source: Olympic Roads and Transit Authority. 1998. "Hop on a train or hop on a bus and get to the show without any fuss" (Advertisement). The Sunday Telegraph, March 22: 34. 

Showbags
In 1998, showbags ranged from $2 to $12. This year it will range from $3 through to $35. 

The scanned content in this section is from the official preview magazine that was published in The Sun Herald on 29 March 1998.

Bensons

Cadbury showbags (a popular favourite each year) were $5 and included the choice of a novelty. In 2023, it's $6 but no choice of novelty. Other Cadbury bags also came with a novelty. A quarter of a century later, Cadbury bags have evolved around budgets and options, e.g. smaller bags vs. big bags.

Mega Showbags

I will confirm that the Mega bags are still sold, but I cannot identify the distributor. The 2023 Easter Show guide lists 24 of them on offer. Unfortunately, Mega Sumo will not be on offer this year.

 

The Showbag Factory

In 2023, they are confined to regional or smaller shows. The unanswered question is why they are no longer present at the Easter Show? For fans of cheap lollies, these were your bags loaded with them and the obligatory novelty.

Nestle World of Showbags

 

Triple M Showbag

A consistent best seller. 

 

Coca Cola

They offered a satchel bag and I remember regretting the fact that I didn't get one because those bags were in trend at the time. Sadly, no bag on offer in 2023.

   

Candy World

Next week, I will do my second entry focusing on the show itself and its first week. 

Property Advert of the Week: Victoria Tower - Sydney CBD (1996)

Below is a newspaper advertisement from 1996 promoting a "final release" in the Victoria Tower complex in Castlereagh Street (next to Park Regis) with the promise of dramatically reduced prices.

   

Source: Colliers Jardine. 1996. "Victoria Tower" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 22: 16 RE (Real Estate Liftout).