East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Construction commences (1995)

Sourced from: Skelsey, M. 1995. "Gilding the Quay". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, November 3: 11. 

This is Part 14 in the series of entries on the redevelopment of East Circular Quay. Last week's entry focused on the unveiling of the redevelopment scheme that would lead to what we see there today. In 1994, Colonial Mutual Limited (CML) and Mirvac won approval to redevelop their respective sites with a focus on residential development, along with space for a hotel, retail, dining, cinema, rehearsal space, and offices for the Australian Chamber Orchestra. The new buildings would range from 12 to 15 levels.

Work commenced in 1995, with the demolition of buildings still on the site. Multiplex won the contract to demolish and construct the buildings on the land owned by CML.

In November 1995, CML announced that the project had been split into two. The northernmost building (1 Macquarie Street) would be developed separately, while 3, 5, and 7 Macquarie Street would be built jointly. During 1995, 1996, and 1997, CML had proposed altering the usage of 3,5 and 7 Macquarie Street from all residential to a mix of hotel and residential but ultimately settled for residential. 

Sourced from: Anon. 1995. "Sydney's Growing Pains". The Sydney Morning Herald, August 21: 11.

While apartments were yet to go on sale, prices were unveiled in November 1995. Seven penthouses in  Bennelong Apartments (northernmost tower) were on offer for more than $4 million. This would have made it one of the most expensive apartments in Australia. At the time, the most expensive apartment in Australia was at Darling Point, valued at $4.2 million and was owned by Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise. 

Smaller penthouses (10) were on offer for less than $4 million, while remaining apartments were on offer from $750,000. 

Source: Skelsey, M. 1995. "Gilding the Quay". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, November 3: 11. 

The series continues next week.

Additional Sources

Condon, T. 1995. "Multiplex poised to win controversial Quay job". The Australian Financial Review, May 4: 34

Smith, F. Jimenez, K. 1995. "Australia's most expensive view will cost upwards of $4m". The Australian Financial Review, November 2: 40.

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)
8. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): The Revolving Office Tower Scheme (1991)
9. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): East Circular Quay 'Ideas Quest' (1992)
10. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Mirvac Hotel Scheme - 61 Macquarie Street (1992)
11. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): New Planning Guidelines unveiled (1993)
12. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): The shift towards residential development (1993)
13. East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): Residential Scheme unveiled (1994)

Property Advert of the Week: Waratah Court, Parramatta (1995)

Below is a 1995 newspaper advertisement by Meriton Apartments to promote the Waratah Court Complex at Parramatta.

Source: Meriton Premier Apartments. 1995. "Waratah Court" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 85. 

Property Advert of the Week: "The Charlotte", Ultimo (1995)

Below is a newspaper advertisement dating from 1995 for "The Charlotte" at Ultimo. Apartments were on sale from $ 179,500. 

 

Source: Colliers Jardine & Charles & Stuart. 1995. "Take a look at - The Charlotte" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 87.

Property Advert of the Week: Watermark Manly Cove (1995)

This week, we head over to Manly. 5-7 Victoria Parade had two luxurious penthouses on offer for either $1.15 million or $1.25 million in 1995.

 

Source: Anon. 1995. "Watermark Manly Cove" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 80.

The apartments are located two blocks from The Corso and Manly Wharf . Beaches were short stroll away on either side with views of Manly Cove and the Sydney CBD on offer. 

One of the two apartments advertised was reportedly sold for $5.5 million last year. 

1995: Golf Driving Range in the Sydney CBD

Angel Place spent the 1990's as one of Sydney's "Black Holes" after a failed attempt by the AMP at the end of the 1980's and early in the decade to build a major office tower on the site. By the mid 1990's AMP were still discussing how to develop the site, but golf fans were given a treat when the empty site hosted a temporary golf driving range. City office workers could practice their golf swing during their lunch breaks.

The article below is from The Daily Telegraph Mirror in 1995.

Source: Skelsey, M. 1995. "Concert hall for city's black hole". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, August 16: 27.

Click here if you want to find out why the site ended up becoming one of Sydney's "Black Holes" from the 1990's. 

Property Advert of the Week: Ashton Square, Rockdale (1995)

Below is a 1995 newspaper advertisement promoting the Ashton Square complex at Rockdale. The complex was built by Meriton. Ashton Square adjoins the Rockdale Plaza complex. 

Source: Meriton Premier Apartments. 1995. "Ashton Square" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 94. 

Property Advert of the Week: Carrington Green, Seven Hills (1995)

Below is a 1995 newspaper advertisement promoting a townhouse complex - Carrington Green with townhouses on sale from just $166 000. It is located at the end of Bogan Place, Seven Hills, though it was advertised as Toongabbie. Click here to view the location on Google Earth.

   

Source: Portland Homes. 1995. "Carrington Green" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 95.

Property Advert of the Week: Seapoint, Bondi Junction (1995)

Below is a 1995 newspaper advertisement by Mirvac promoting apartments in the twin tower Seapoint complex. No prices were advertised but note that it was advertised as being located in Woollahra when technically it was located in the Bondi Junction CBD.

A fantastic location that offered great city views, shops and transport at the door.

 

Source: Mirvac. 1995. "Your Passport to an International Lifestyle" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 84.

Property Advert of the Week: Museum Gardens, Parramatta (1995)

Below is a 1995 newspaper advertisement for Museum Gardens, Parramatta which was built and marketed by Meriton Apartments. It is located on the northern banks of the Parramatta River. 

In 1995, David Jones was still located in Church Street, but one year later, relocated to Westfield Parramatta. During the 2010's, Meriton redeveloped the site as Altitude Parramatta which was completed in 2017.  

Source: Meriton Premier Apartments. 1995. "Museum Gardens" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 95. 

Property Advert of the Week: 3 Bedroom Apartments for sale - Maclaren, North Sydney (1995)

Below is a 1995 newspaper advertisement for the Maclaren Apartment complex in Maclaren Street, North Sydney. It focused on three bedroom apartments that were "penthouse style" that were on offer from $540 000 to $685 000.

 

Source: Winten Property Group. "Maclaren" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 80. 

Property Advert of the Week: The Darlington, Pyrmont (1995)

Source: Meriton Premier Apartments. 1995. "The Darlington" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 87.

Above is a newspaper advertisement from 1995 promoting apartments for sale in The Darlington at Pyrmont which was built by Meriton Apartments. 

The prices were to mark its opening with "pre-completion" prices. Studio apartments started from $130 000.

Other apartments on sale included:

• 1 bedroom - From $197 000
• 2 bedrooms - From $228 000
• 3 bedrooms - From $278 000

The address of The Darlington which was not advertised in the advertisement is 152-164 Bulwara Road, Pyrmont.

Property Advert of the Week: The Carnarvon, Potts Point (1995)

Below is a newspaper advertisement promoting the sale of studio apartments of "The Carnarvon" in Potts Point dating from 1995. Prices commenced at $99 000.

 

Source: Charles & Stuart. 1995. "The Carnarvon Pott's Point" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 24: 86. 

New Years Eve 25 Years ago: 1995

Source: Anon. 1995. "1995 Sydney Skyshow" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph Mirror, December 30:18. 

On Thursday evening, we will mark the end of 2020 and usher in 2021. Due to COVID-19, celebrations have been scaled back and it will be ticketed access only to major viewing sites to allow for social distancing between attendees.

It will be interesting how we will look at this in 25 years from now which is a long way off in the future. Instead of focusing on now or how I may present this years festivities in the future, lets rewind back to 1995 and look at how Sydney welcomed 1996. 

Like 2020, there were challenges and actually threatened the night itself.

Staging an event costs money. The major sponsors from the previous years had pulled out, threatening the show. There was only one show at 9pm.

Sydney City Council intervened to save the now annual tradition while The Sunday Telegraph sponsored the event.  

The Sunday Telegraph prepared a poster for its readers providing details on viewing locations and transport in its edition of December 31.

The SkyShow maintained the traditional launch points - The Sydney Harbour Bridge and one near the Sydney Opera House. The one near the Opera House was shifted eastwards to a point North East of the Sydney Opera House. This opened up even more areas of Sydney Harbour for viewing. 

Source: Dean, A. 1995. "Bang goes another year". The Sydney Morning Herald, December 30:2. 

Syd Howard continued to coordinate the show and managed to keep costs down. It cost only $175 000 compared with $220 000 the year before. Media reports estimated attendance on Sydney Harbour at 500 000 as in previous years.

For those unable to attend (or those who attended but wanted to see it again), Channel Seven broadcast the show on delay at midnight across the nation. The video is below but no sound is featured. Anne Fulwood presented the show from Cremorne Point. Channel Nine would pick up the baton one year later and turn it into a live TV event. 

Darling Harbour provided a very good alternative. In addition to a 9pm fireworks show, there was also a midnight fireworks show with fireworks released from Cockle Bay and Sydney Tower  Entertainment was also provided in Tumbalong Park. Sydney City Mission also encouraged partygoers to support its "Mission 96" fundraiser.

Source: Sydney City Mission. 1995. Untitled (Advertisement). The Sun Herald, December 31:94.

CityRail combined with the State Transit Authority for the first time to produce a combined newspaper advertisement for public transport arrangements. Many bus routes operating to the city were subject to diversions to accommodate for traffic congestion and road closures. Sydney Harbour Bridge remained opened to vehicular traffic during the fireworks but pedestrians were banned. 

Source: CityRail & State Transit Authority. 1995. "New Year's Eve Bus, Train & Ferry Services". The Sun Herald, December 31: 8. 

New Years' Celebrations have become page one news, but our newspapers on January 1 1996 did not feature the celebrations on the cover.

The Daily Telegraph Mirror ran coverage on Page 3. For the paper itself, it was its final day under The Daily Telegraph Mirror before reverting to The Daily Telegraph. 

 

Police patrols were stepped up at Bondi Beach following a riot on Christmas Day (for more details, read my Christmas entry from last week) but it had been reported of clashes with revellers and police. It was estimated that as many as 100 000 could have converged in the area for the evening.

The Sydney Morning Herald published a photo of the fireworks released from the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Page 2, but focused more on Hogmanay celebrations amongst Sydney's Scottish community and sales of French Champagne.

Finally, I wish all of you a very safe and happy new year. 

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Christmas Snapshot: 1995 (Part II)

This is Part 2 of our Christmas Snapshot of 1995. Last week, we focused on the gift ideas and specials provided by major retailers.

Now to the day itself...

12 000 people (largely backpackers) descended on the beach for Christmas celebrations. However that evening was marred by a riot that was initiated by the locals. Hundreds were involved with police in riot gear pelted by bottles.

Before the riot, the crowd was well behaved. There were concerns over noise from an amplifier which led to it being shut down by police. 

Also, it was reported that Sydney Harbour Casino was the first casino in Australia to open on Christmas Day without restrictions. Hundreds of bookings were received for lunch and some would linger afterwards for some gambling.

The Exodus Foundation at Ashfield served Christmas lunch to 1100 people. 

On December 23, 100 000 people attended Carols in the Domain compered by Rob Guest.

Source: Gora, B. 1995. "100,000 carol singers". The Sunday Telegraph, December 24: 12. 

In the week prior to Christmas, the Wesley Mission did the Darling Harbour Christmas Pageant in Tumbalong Park. Apart from carols, attendees were treated to a reenactment of the first Christmas. It was televised on Christmas Eve on Channel Seven.

Below are messages from the Churches but also an overview of services available over Christmas Day and Boxing Day. It has become standard for cinemas to now open across Sydney on Christmas Day.

And how did the retailers fare?

Source: Brennan, W. 1995. "Xmas tills ring in last-minute spree". The Sunday Telegraph, December 24:3.

The Sunday Telegraph on December 24 provided some assistance to last minute shoppers given Christmas Eve was on a Sunday for the first time since 1989.

Source: Green, P. 1995. "Crisis Shopping!". The Sunday Telegraph, December 24: 22.

Retailers felt that trade over the Christmas season fell from 1994 and noted that the anticipated last minute surges did not happen.Were people waiting for the sales? The past decade has seen the sales moved forward with retailers offering discounts but also embracing "Black Friday" from the United States to attract Christmas sales. Post Christmas still remains large but there isn't the rush or need to wait as the past.

Source: Seymour, T. 1995. "Waiting for the rush". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, December 25: 7.

But this article seems to indicate that retail trade was perhaps not as bad???

Source: Brennan, W. 1995. "Xmas tills ring in last minute spree". The Sunday Telegraph, December 24: 3.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. 

Christmas Snapshot: 1995 (Part 1)

With Christmas approaching, it is an annual custom to look back at how Sydneysiders marked Christmas 25 years earlier.

This year we will focus on 1995.

Given the amount of material that I collated, I am breaking this into two parts.

Part 1 will focus on what retailers were providing for Christmas shoppers while Part 2 (next week) will focus on the day itself.

In 1995, computers and electronics were in vogue.

Coles recently decided to sell factory refurbished iPhones. In 1995, Strathfield Car Radios had their own second hand offers. This advertisement was published in The Daily Telegraph Mirror on December 16 1995.

You needed around $3000 to secure a good desktop computer. In 2020, you can buy a more powerful and advanced computer for several hundred dollars. A Canon inkjet printer cost $699. A basic printer can be found in 2020 for as little as $50. Below is a Grace Bros advertisement that was published in The Sunday Telegraph on December 17, 1995. 

Bing Lee offered good computers at lower prices.

Other Advertisements of interest are featured below:

Chandlers 

December 17 1995, The Sunday Telegraph

BigW 

The first advertisement was published in The Sunday Telegraph on December 10 1995 while the second advertisement was published in the same newspaper on December 17 1995. 

Kmart 

December 20 1995, The Daily Telegraph Mirror

Brashs and Target attempted to lure shoppers by offering days where all items were reduced. This included the famous Target 12 1/2 % off everything sale. 

Target

December 3 1995, The Sunday Telegraph

Food & Drink

Woolworths

December 20 1995, The Daily Telegraph Mirror

Coles

December 21 1995, The Daily Telegraph Mirror

Liquor Stax

December 20 1995, The Daily Telegraph Mirror

Macs Liquor

December 20 1995, The Daily Telegraph Mirror

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MILESTONE: ANZAC Bridge turns 25 (1995-2020): Conception & Construction

Last week, I published an entry relating to the opening of the ANZAC Bridge (originally known as the Glebe Island Bridge) in 1995.

This week, I will share clippings associated with its conception and construction.

Plans for a new Glebe Island Bridge to replace the original Glebe Island Bridge (1903) were unveiled in 1988. It's design was immediately compared to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was intended that work would commence the following year (1989) with completion slated for 1993.

Source: Grimshaw, P. 1988. "'Golden Gate' to span Harbor". The Daily Telegraph, September 22: page unknown.

Formal approval was given in 1990. The completion date had moved back one year to 1994 with an estimated cost of $160 million for construction.

Source: Barbeliuk, A. 1990. "Golden Gate for Sydney". The Daily Telegraph, February 2: 15. 

In 1992, there was controversy over the height of the span and that it did not need to be high.

Source: Koch, P. 1992. "Uh oh, a bridge too high". The Sunday Telegraph, October 18: 7.

Sydney City Council decided to take legal action against the Roads and Traffic Authority because of its visual impact. 25 years later and any visual impact tends to be positive!!!

Source: Cook, C. 1992. "Council's legal action may thwart Glebe bridge". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 11: 5.

Below are assorted feature reports on the construction of the bridge, mostly focusing on the spans meeting in the middle in June 1995.

September 1993

Source: Bishop, K. 1993. "Motorists get room to view Glebe Is bridge". The Sydney Morning Herald, September 16: 6.

June 1994

Source: Woodford, J. 1994. "Bridging the gap to international fame". The Sydney Morning Herald, July 25:5. 

December 1994

Source: Brennan, W. 1994. "Span a hit with visitors". The Sunday Telegraph, December 11:23. 

June 1995 - The spans meet

Source. Anon. 1995. "Together at last - our new bridge". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, June 20:1. 

Source: Keogh, K. 1995. "Landmark to make ends meet". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, June 7:23.

Source: Bekoff, K. 1995. "Bridging the gap". The Daily Telegraph Mirror, June 21: 9.

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