1991: Conception of the Rivercats

Rivercat Nicole Livingstone in action on the Parramatta River. Taken by the Author (2022)

Last year saw the commencement of the retirement of the Rivercat ferry fleet on Sydney Harbour. It commenced with Betty Cuthbert, followed by Evonne Goolagong and Nicole Livingstone. Only four Rivercat ferries remain, with the new Parramatta Class ferries being introduced into service.

In 1991, Transport Minister Bruce Baird announced that seven Rivercats would be built, providing seating for 150 people. This would also enable the extension of ferry services to Parramatta, which commenced in 1993.

 

Source: Anon. 1991. "Higher". The Daily Telegraph Mirror., May 11: 4. 

At the time, ferry services on the Parramatta River were operated by First Fleet class ferries. The new Rivercats promised commuters faster trips along the Parramatta River. Express ferries from Parramatta to Circular Quay, stopping only at Rydalmere, would only take fifty minutes to complete the journey.

The NSW Government followed through, with seven Rivercats entering service between 1992 and 1995, ultimately having a capacity of 230 people.

Related Entry

1993: Rivercat Services to Parramatta Commence

East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): The Revolving Office Tower Scheme (1991)

Source: Cameron, F. 1991. "Revolving idea attracts foreign interest". The Weekend Australian, November 30: page unknown.

Last week, I posted Colonial Mutual Limited (CML) 's 1991 proposal for the Bennelong Centre at East Circular Quay, which Sydney City Council rejected.

Towards the end of 1991, Hassell Architects unveiled a proposal to construct the first revolving office tower in the world on the site. While the proposal attracted global interest, CML was not interested. Three years earlier, CML had secretly rejected the scheme. 

Source: McDougall, B. 1991. "A new tower to turn heads". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, November 26: 1-2.

Hassell Architects was no longer bound by the agreement and could make it public. They wanted Australia to have the first tower of its type built in the world.

The rotating tower would rise thirty-six stories and turn 180 degrees each day, tracking the sun. Tenants would have harbour views every second day. It was designed in the shape of a leaf, and the circular core of the building would remain stationary. 

Given CML's lack of interest, this proposal didn't go far. 

It also attracted criticism from planning experts and environmentalists.

Source: Scott, S. & Bisset, K. 1991. "Turning tower in trouble". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, November 27: 9.  

Entries in this series

1. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): The first apartment block proposal (1979)
2. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Opera Garden Centre Scheme (1984)
3. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Unilever House Hotel Conversion (1986)
4. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Opera Garden Centre Scheme Revisited (1986)
5. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Unilever House Hotel Conversion (1987)
6. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): CML's 1990 Scheme
7. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): CML's Bennelong Centre (1991)

East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): CML's Bennelong Centre (1991)

From: O'Brien, G & Chancellor, J. 1991. "Too high, too wide, too big: Quay tower rejected". The Sydney Morning Herald, July 26: 1. 

With Easter now over, I resume our series on the redevelopment of East Circular Quay.

Three weeks ago, I mentioned how Colonial Mutual Limited (CML) had spent $250 million in 1988 and 1989 to purchase four adjoining properties or sites to add to their existing ownership of Bennelong House. This opened up opportunities to redevelop the block. In 1990, plans for an office complex known as the Bennelong Centre were leaked to the public, sparking opposition.

Source: Hawes, R. 1991."'Ugly' Quay gets new look". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, June 27: 1 & 4. 

In June 1991, a more conservative scheme known as the Bennelong Centre was unveiled. It complied with Sydney City Council's planning guidelines, restricting the height to seventeen storeys. The estimated cost of redevelopment was $700 million. However, it would exceed the height limits and width dimensions by three metres. Council also recommended a maximum of 46 000 sq/m of floorspace, but CML proposed 56 000 sq/m of floorspace.

Apart from office space, three levels of retail space were provided, with an open colonnade and a concealed bus interchange underneath Macquarie Street to replace the existing street-level terminus. The creation of the Colonnade and building onto the Macquarie Street footpath enabled the extra 10,000 sq/m of space, which was needed to make the development economically viable. 

Graham Rogers, Director and General Manager of CML, presented their case for the development based on the argument that it complied with guidelines. 

Source: Rogers, G. 1991. "Quay proposal 'follows guidelines'". The Sydney Morning Herald, July 23: 25.

And opinion was stacked against it.

Source: Briggs, L. 1991. "Cool response to $300m Quay plan". The Weekend Australian, June 29: 1 (Property Review Section).

NSW Opposition Leader Bob Carr called for a public inquiry into the site's development and considered a possible land swap for other government-owned land west of the Sydney CBD.

Source: Romei, S. 1991. "Carr calls for Quay inquiry". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, July 24: 10.

The majority of Aldermen at Sydney City Council also expressed their opposition. 

Source: Catalano, A. 1991. "Helen leads Quay fight". The Sun Herald, July 21:15. 

The Sydney Morning Herald approached nine architects to share their insights. 

Source: Chancellor, J. & Nixon, A. 1991. "Opinion is stacked against the Bennelong Centre". The Sydney Morning Herald, July 15: 26. 

The Central Sydney Planning Committee rejected the proposal on July 25 1991, as it did not comply with planning guidelines, given it had exceeded its height, width and bulk. This would lead to CML withdrawing their development application within a fortnight of its rejection.

  

Source: O'Brien, G. & Chancellor, J. 1991. "Too high, too wide, too big: Quay tower rejected". The Sydney Morning Herald, July 26: 1.

The series continues next week. 

Entries in this series

1. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): The first apartment block proposal (1979)
2. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Opera Garden Centre Scheme (1984)
3. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Unilever House Hotel Conversion (1986)
4. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Opera Garden Centre Scheme Revisited (1986)
5. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Unilever House Hotel Conversion (1987)
6. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): CML's 1990 Scheme

Property Advert of the Week: AVJennings Ad (1991)

Property Advert of the Week returns for 2024. Below is a 1991 newspaper advertisement from AVJennings offering homes to be built on your block of land. Three-bedroom homes could be built for $ 58,990, and four-bedroom homes for $ 69,990. Display centres were located at McGraths Hill, Castle Hill, Pennant Hills, Hurstville, Narellan, Menai, and Abbotsbury, along with Erina and Kariong on the Central Coast. 

   

Source: AVJennings. "AVJennings Shock Prices!" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph Mirror, July 20: 8.

Property Advert of the Week : The Rutherglen (1991)

Below is a model home that was on offer by Dainton-Gough Homes in 1991. The home itself was on display at Cherrybrook.



Source: Dainton-Gough Homes Pty. Ltd. 1991. "The Rutherglen" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph Mirror, October 12: 46.

Remember This? Cityrail periodical tickets Ad (1991)

I am in the process of unearthing some further material on the evolution of Westfield Miranda. This week "Remember This" returns to fill in the gap.

Below is a 1991 advertisement by Cityrail promoting the sale of periodical tickets. The introduction of the Opal Card in recent years and the travel cap (originally $60 per week, now $50) has marked the end of such tickets. Reduced fare journeys are also available to regular commuters on a weekly basis e.g. a person making return trips to and from work five days a week saves 10% along. Opal also $2 discounts for transfers to other modes of public transport in a journey, which was not available with paper tickets for single or return trips.

How about a person who does alot of travel in one day? $15 maximum daily travel cap.

The abolition of periodical tickets did hurt some as they were attracted by the big savings on offer by paying upfront.

Commuters were promised up to 196 free trips if they bought a yearly ticket. The advertisement was published in The Daily Telegraph Mirror on June 3, 1991.

Property Advert of the week: Penrith Land Release (1991)

This week, we head to Penrith which $100 000 landed you a home on your own block of land.

Source: Stockland Trust Group. 1991. " Land + Homes & Land" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph Mirror, October 12: 46. 

Remember This? CityRail Fare Evasion advertisement (1991)

Fare evasion on Sydney trains has always been a constant problem. Below is a 1991 advertisement from Cityrail warning commuters if they cannot be bothered buying a ticket, Cityrail will give one out for you (which would be more expensive than the ticket you were meant to buy).

Even with Opal Cards, the message is still relevant in 2018. It is still fairly easy to evade, especially where a station has no ticket barriers. However, it is pleasing to note that ticket inspectors are on the trains more regularly than they were in previous years, which makes evading a fare a little harder.

Source. CityRail. 1991. "If you can't be bothered buying a ticket, we'll give you one" (Advertisement). The Sunday Telegraph, September 13: 131.

Property Advert of the Week: Diamond Hill, Kurrajong Heights (1991)

$129 000 in 1991 bought you acreage up at Kurrajong Hills.

Source: Anon. 1991. "Diamond-Hill" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph Mirror, October 12: 46. 

Property Advert of the Week: Wattle Grove (1991)

This week, I share another advertisement promoting the suburb of Wattle Grove dating from 1991.

Source: Wattle Grove. 1991. "Wattle Grove" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph Mirror, October 19: 9.

Feel free to view advertisements from 1992 and 1995.

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.

New Years Eve 25 Years Ago: 1991 (With a special VIP visitor)

Above: Hoodlums and drunks were read the riot act as the reports from the December 31, 1991 edition of The Daily Telegraph Mirror show. 

It is the last day of 2016 and its time to wind back the clock 25 years to 1991 to see how Sydney farewelled 1991 marked the start of 1992. Yes, we have come such a long way as I remind readers each year. But while celebrations were not as grand as today, there was a very special visitor that decided to attend. He was US President George Herbert Walker Bush who was visiting Sydney as part of a tour of the Asia-Pacific Region.

To me, the idea of a president being on a tour on New Year's Eve just seems odd to me because usually, the American President is enjoying a break of the Christmas New Year Period. Barack Obama, for instance, likes to be in Hawaii at this time of year. His visit dominated news coverage. The fireworks were second fiddle.

  

Bush arrived that evening in Sydney on Air Force One before the Presidential Limousine drove him from Sydney Airport to Rose Bay where he boarded a boat to take him to Admiralty House at Kirribilli where a New Years Eve took place. Prime Minister Paul Keating and Governor General Bill Hayden were present. Security on Sydney Harbour was tight. Below is a Youtube Video from Nightline (Nine Network) on December 31, 1991, providing an overview of his arrival in Sydney. Also, there is some footage of the finale of the Skyshow from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

   

No visiting World Leader since has seen Sydney's famous fireworks display. This is rare. For the rest of us, we had to scramble for other viewing points around the city to admire the thirty-minute fireworks display at 9pm. There was no midnight show like we see today.

Below is some of the advertising promoting the fireworks spectacular - Skyshow 3. No mention of Bush visiting at all.

Like in the previous shows, the Skyshow was the launch event for the Festival of Sydney. The estimated cost of the thirty-minute show was $500 000. Unfortunately, it was not televised like today. You had to be there, or you missed out. Don't forget the radio too as 2DAY FM had a special soundtrack to accompany the display.  

Revelers were encouraged to use public transport to join in the festivities in the city. Below is an advertisement for bus and ferry services. Services were to operate through the evening with some services operating around the clock. Organising public transport was a little easier as there were not the street closures we see in central Sydney like now. However, those departing the last ferries from Mosman, Manly and Neutral Bay before the fireworks were in for a treat. Their service would remain moored in the harbour for the duration of the display - all for the price of a normal fare. 

I couldn't find an advertisement for Cityrail, but The Sydney Morning Herald did report that train services would operate until 2am. 

For drivers, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was still open, but if you stopped your car during the show, it would be towed away.

Source: Jackson, S. & English, B. 1992. "Revellers subdued by rain, alcohol ban". The Daily Telegraph Mirror: 6. 

And what about an overview of the night itself? According to The Sydney Morning Herald (January 2, 1992), an estimated 250 000 were reported celebrating in the city around Darlinghurst, Kings Cross, and Darling Harbour. Numbers were "down" due to wet weather but also the alcohol-free zones which scared those needing a drink away. Arrests were down, compared with the year before. Darling Harbour reportedly did not reach the estimated 200 000 attendees. At least 300 000 are reported to be attending this year at the same location.

Christmas Snapshot: 1991

Christmas Day is tomorrow and I thought I'd share with you how Sydney marked the big day 25 years ago.

Australia was coming out of recession by the end of 1991, but the impacts were still being felt. Unemployment was yet to peak and our country and the world saw some big changes.

Just one week before Christmas, Australian got itself a new prime minister - Paul Keating. He defeated Bob Hawke in a leadership ballot 56-51. After more than 8 1/2 years, Hawke became the first Prime Minister from the Labor party to be voted out by their own caucus. Keating would later reign over Australia for four years.

Below is some coverage from the major networks of the change of leadership.
 

If the political chaos in Canberra or the economy didn't impact on you, you might have had your travel plans thrown into disarray when Compass Airways collapsed on December 20.

And there was the end of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day itself.

You ask with a poor economy - What was on special? If you had a job, how should we spend our dollars? Below are a few advertisements that were published by Grace Bros in The Daily Telegraph Mirror in the lead up to Christmas.

The discount department stores had some of their own bargains.

 Some were happy to wait for the Boxing Day sales to snap up their Christmas gifts.

Source: O'Callaghan, L. 1991. "Shoppers Wait for The Sales". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, December 19:21. 

Yes, you could shop on a Sunday as shops were allowed special permission to trade on Sunday. Major retail centres in Sydney had been allowed to have their shops trade on Sunday e.g. Parramatta. Within 12 months, all retailers in Sydney would be allowed to trade on a Sunday.

It was interesting to read an article from The Sydney Morning Herald on December 24, 1991, which reported that gifts tended to be geared towards family use. The gift may have been intended for one person, but to be shared around e.g. board games or sporting equipment.

Grace Bros launched the Christmas Season with their 3rd annual pageant on November 24. I couldn't find anything from the papers relating to the pageant itself. 

  

Carols in the Domain was a near washout with only 4000 braving thunderstorms and rain. In fact, it nearly got called off. Master of Ceremonies was Barry Crocker and Jackie Love.

  

Source: Gibson, A. 1991. "Singing in The Rain: Only 4000 carolers brave it at the Domain". The Sunday Telegraph, December 22:17. 

I did manage to find a video on Youtube of Judith Durham singing that evening along with the finale.

As usual, British backpackers descended on Bondi and were treated to the perfect summer day with 15 000 present. However they did leave a big mess that lingered into Boxing Day.

Source: Skelsey, M. 1991. "Bondi Rubbished: Anger as beach left like a tip". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, December 27:3.

It was mentioned that those flying had some problems getting to their final destination if their airline had gone out of business. Train commuters had their issues too if they were heading north to the Central Coast and Newcastle. 

Finally, what were the specials at the Stocktake Sales that followed for those who ended up holding off on their gift buying or had any cash left?

 

They were going for broke... 

Source: Thorp, D. 1991. "Big shops go for broke". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, December 27:1 & 2. 

And the final wrap up.

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I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and keep safe as you celebrate.