In 1978, the NSW Government announced plans to construct what would become the Regent Hotel (now Four Seasons Hotel), one of Sydney's most prestigious and famous hotels. The hotel was opened in 1982 with 531 rooms.
Did you know that the 30-storey hotel had a different design proposal when it was announced? Below is a 1978 article from The Sydney Morning Herald.
Source: Anonymous. 1978. "$40m luxury hotel planned for Quay". The Sydney Morning Herald, August 23: 10.
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1 O'Connell Street, as we know it, was designed by Peddle Thorp Walker. The 36 level/166 metre tower was completed in 1991 and is topped of by a spire inspired by spires on other Sydney buildings such as the Queen Victoria Building and Lands Department Building. It replaced the CSR Building, built in the 1960's and was demolished to make way for the tower.
However, this may not have happened as an earlier design for the tower did not consider a spire, but rather a much more standard roof.
Not proceeding with this scheme was a good decision, as Sydneysiders were rewarded with a tower featuring a notable architectural feature. The site itself commands never to be built views, meaning that any tower built had to be a focal point. Peddle Thorp Walkers' design achieves it.
Source: Chancellor, J. 1987. "Highest high-tech floors may notch $850 sq m". The Sydney Morning Herald, December 8: 33.
In 1964, homesites were on offer at Mt Pritchard for a deposit of £10 ($20) or £850 ($1700) each. According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, this is equivalent to about $ 30,000 in today's money.
Mulgoa Road likely refers to what is now known as Elizabeth Drive.
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Did you know that 2026 marks 40 years since Sydney Ferries revived the green-and-yellow livery that adorned the ferries in earlier decades of the 20th century?
The reason for its introduction was that the First Fleet Ferries, to replace the older Lady Class Ferries, were funded by the Australian Bicentennial Roads Development (a misnamed fund) as part of transport upgrades for the Bicentennial, which was held in 1988. It was meant to symbolise that the Federal Government funded the ferries, not the State Government.
Source: Coultan, M. 1986. "Ferries let us see colour of their money". The Sydney Morning Herald, February 19: 4.
They would replace the dark blue and off-white livery of existing ferries.
The successor Lady Class Ferries (post-1968), along with the Manly Freshwater Class Ferries, would eventually be repainted green and yellow.
Ferries introduced during the 1990s and 2000s, including the Jetcats, Rivercats, Harbourcats and Supercats, did not adopt the green-and-gold livery during their working lives.
Since the introduction of the Emerald Class Ferries in 2016, every new Sydney ferry entering service has adopted the green and yellow livery along with the Minicat, River and Parramatta River class ferries. In 2026, 100% of Sydney's ferry fleet will be adorned in green and yellow.
Below is a 1985 newspaper advertisement from Long Homes. Display Homes could be inspected at Edensor Park (Fairfield), Macquarie Fields, St Andrews and Kingswood.
In 2002, The Sunday Telegraph supplement homeowner published a feature article on the redevelopment of Sydney wharves into apartment complexes.
At the time, the finger wharf at Woolloomooloo had already been redeveloped into "The Wharf", while at Walsh Bay, the former piers were in the process of redevelopment. Darling Island, once a wharf itself, was also in the process of undergoing redevelopment.
The Walsh Bay redevelopment would be completed in stages from 2003, while Darling Island would be completed in 2004.
A key selling point for apartments in those projects was "absolute waterfront", though that term can be applied to any home that adjoins the water, i.e. you can step from your property onto the water. Many harbourside homes can boast about absolute waterfront.
Source: Wills, J. 2002. "Reclaim the sea". The Sunday Telegraph, July 7: 10-11 (homeowner liftout).
This is part two in our Royal Easter Show Flashback, focusing on 2001. Last week, I posted admission prices, transport arrangement and showbag advertisements.
This week, I share several newspaper clippings focusing on the Easter Show itself.
Opening Day - Friday April 6
Source: Banham, C. 2001. "Show's opening brings out all creatures small and great". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 7: 1.
By 5 pm, 25,886 had attended the first day of the show, which was just over half of the previous year's opening-day attendance. In 2001, the Easter Show began one week before the start of the school holidays, whereas the previous year, the first day of the show coincided with the last day of Term 1 for school students.
In the main arena, crowds were entertained by Bluey, "the helicopter who thinks he's a sheep dog". There would be lunchtime and evening performances.
25 years later, we have Bluey the sheep dog who has his own TV show and is loved by kids around the world, and yes, you can even get a Bluey Showbag.
The Sun Herald captured the first day of the opening weekend in a full-page feature on April 8 2001.
Source: Smyth, T. 2001."Hardly a no-Show". The Sun Herald, April 8: 9.
Official Opening - Wednesday April 11
The 2001 Royal Easter Show was officially opened by Governor General Sir William Deane and was followed by the first Grand Parade, where 1000 of the finest livestock were paraded in the Main Arena
Good Friday - April 13
Traditionally, it's the busiest day of the show. 140,000 made the trek on the first day of the Easter Long Weekend, and it was the busiest day for Sydney Olympic Park since the Olympic Games held several months earlier.
Ticket limits are in place for each day of the show in 2026, so we will not see crowds like this again on Good Friday. That is why tickets must be bought for a specific day.
Source: Jackson, A. 2001. "Show stopper: 140,000 drop in to say howdy". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 14: 1.
Easter Saturday - April 14
Another bumper crowd through the turnstiles
Source: Smyth, T. 2001. "A once a year, 'only at the Show' time". The Sun Herald, April 15: 9.
On April 20, The Sydney Morning Herald posted a photospread in its main news section, along with a summary of the show
Source: Dennis, A. 2001. "Thanks a million for coming folks, and it'll be even bigger next year". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 20: 8.
Next week marks the start of the annual Royal Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park. The year of focus is 2000 and will be presented in two entries.
This week, I will focus on key facts and the showbags.
Date: April 6-19, 2001
The Easter Show ran for 14 days (Down from 16 days in 2000) and it will run for 12 days in 2026.
Theme: The Great Australian Muster
Admission
Show Only entry ticket prices increased by $3 for adults and $2 for children. This was also the first show where the GST (10%) had been charged, being introduced on July 1, 2000, and would have attributed for much of the increase.
In 1984, the Hunters Hill property 'Merimbah', built in 1864, was converted into an eight-unit complex. One, two and three-bedroom apartments were available.
Source: Anon. 1960. "These historic homes will be preserved". The Daily Telegraph, August 5: 12.
In 1960, the NSW Government declared five colonial homes as "places of historic interest". This would ensure that the buildings would be preserved and would be a forerunner to their eventual inclusion on the NSW State Heritage Register
Source: Anon. 1960. "Govt. "Declares" 5 Historic Homes". The Daily Telegraph, August 4: 7.
Inclusion on the NSW State Heritage Register
The Heritage Act, 1977 (NSW) led to the creation of the NSW State Heritage Register, which oversees the protection of items identified as historically, culturally or architecturally significant. To obtain a state-level heritage listing, it would need to be heritage-listed at a local (i.e., council) level before moving to regional listing. If listed at the regional level, it may be considered for heritage listing at the state level.
The five buildings listed in 1960 were added to the State Heritage Register in 1999.
This week, I am posting a double-page spread from Stocks & Holdings Projects, which appeared in The Sun on August 2, 1968. The double-page spread features three advertisements:
Below is a 1973 newspaper advertisement for a land release offered by Neeta Land Sales. Only $100 was required as a deposit, with blocks starting at $10,400. This is equivalent to spending around $123,500 in today's money (RBA Inflation Calculator).
Source: Gowings. 2006. "Closing Down Sale" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, January 16: 6.
This year (2026) marks 20 years since Department Store Gowings closed after 138 years of trading, leaving Sydney with just two major department stores: David Jones & Myer.
It may have been a distant third behind the two majors in Sydney Department store chains, but it wanted to keep competing and also offered Sydney shoppers something different.
Also, Gowings had outlasted many larger chains that either collapsed or were absorbed by competitors.
But what saw its end?
Back in 2000, the department store arm was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) as Gowings Retail. In 2005, it was renamed as G Retail
In the years leading to its demise, it sought to expand into the suburbs for the first time, opening stores in Wynyard, Darlinghurst, Parramatta, Sydney Airport, and Hornsby. It was even planned to open stores interstate and turn it into a national chain.
The suburban expansion was unsuccessful, with the stores operating at a loss. Parramatta was of most concern, with millions lost and failing to accommodate the demographics of western Sydney.
In November 2005, an administrator was appointed to G Retail following reported losses of $13 million. The menswear chain Lowes had expressed serious interest in acquiring Gowings, but talks fell through. By December, administrators at Deloitte had decided to wind up the company, as no buyer could be found. On December 16, 2005, employees were notified that the stores would cease trading by the end of January 2006. The remaining stores were progressively closed, with the Market Street store closing on Sunday, January 29, 2006.190 employees lost their jobs as a consequence of the closure
Source: Brown, M. 2006. "Gone to Gowings no more". The Sydney Morning Herald, January 30: 3.
Following the store's closure, Gowing Bros sold the building to Amalgamated Holdings for $68.6 million.
Source: Stevens, J. 2006. "End of an era in store". The Daily Telegraph, January 28: 6.
Two decades later, the makeup chain Mecca occupies the space formerly occupied by the store. British fashion chain Topshop Topman replaced Gowings until its Australian stores stopped trading in 2020. Like Gowings, the Sydney CBD store was the last one to close. The rest of the building, along with the adjoining State Theatre, was converted for hotel use and now houses the QT Sydney hotel.
While the Department Store no longer exists, Gowing Bros (the company that ran the store) still operates as a fund investment company, and the famous Gowings signage along its George Street side remains and is heritage-listed.
On January 27 2006, I managed to take these pictures of Gowings in its final days. They may not have liked me taking the pictures, but they do make a historical record of what it was in its final days.
Michael Evans wrote the following feature on the demise of Gowings, which was published in The Sydney Morning Herald on January 23, 2006.
Source: Evans, M. 2006. "This time next week it really will be gone". The Sydney Morning Herald, January 23: 17 & 18.
