Time and tide From the Cumberland plains of western Sydney, through to the clamour of Circular Quay, there is plenty of Sydney’s history to explore. Just as they have over three centuries, bicycle riders can appreciate the fine- grained mixture of old and new and have the time to stop, look and take it all in. 7 City back lanes 8 Parramatta to Sydney Olympic Park 9 Banks and Botany tour 10 Cammeraigal shores 11 Prospect waterways and cycleways 12 Working waterfront 55 7 City back lanes Here’s your chance to re-create a journey not taken for decades–the At a glance path beaten by the night-soil Type of ride: short distance carters, or “dunny men” as they but be prepared for anything! were affectionately known. All Mainly quiet back lanes but some those narrow back lanes that major road crossings and busy intersections; 8km and 2-3 hours exist as a parallel universe to Getting there and back: For the frenetic main streets were CityRail services to Kings once the night-time haunt of Cross change at Town Hall. At burly blokes in blue singlets. Kings Cross, catch the lift up They scurried to the backyard from platforms to concourse then escalator to street level dunnies, hoisting cans of excreta (Darlinghurst Rd). At Central to be deposited in the horse- for CityRail trains catch lift up pulled night cart waiting out the from the Eddy Ave concourse to platforms to the Airport, East back. Well you wouldn’t want Hills, Western and Bankstown the contents spilling on the lines, or lift/escalator down to the hallway Axminster would you? Illawarra/South Line. Horse-drawn carts gave way to Ride connection: a short detour to the hip and groovy Danks St motorised carts, which in turn galleries–left at Bourke St, thru gave way to the sewer, and the the lights then right into Danks, backyard dunny gave way to right again to Young (footpath job the en suite. But the myriad of here) to join the route one click later at Cooper St back alleys and lanes still provide Best time: Sunday for a quiet ride the perfect opportunity for without much traffic, mid-week riders to permeate through the afternoon to see all the action, asphalted congestion unnoticed mid-week evening for the dunny men experience and unfettered. Travel along the Food: plenty of options at narrow corridors to emerge at Woolloomooloo, along Oxford St familiar roads from an unfamiliar (e.g. cafés where Riley St meets viewpoint. Oxford), Devonshire St, Danks St area Enjoy: narrow back lanes snaking A couple of the lanes require you through the city hustle, discover to walk to avoid riding contra- back-street haunts flow, while still achieving the Watch out for: delivery vans along most direct and flat route. With a narrow lanes, pedestrians, big rats! fresh council approach, the traffic engineers are embracing the free way to get about in the inner most exhilarating and pollution- city. Now there is the prospect 57 Ride 7 City back lanes Ride 7 City back lanes 0km Kings Cross Station EXIT R to Darlinghurst Rd 50m X ped X’ing A myriad back alleys and R Brougham La R McKelhone St L Sydney Pl Stephen St lanes still provide the perfect Woolloomooloo L Forbes St (landscaped street) opportunity for riders to R Cathedral St L to Bourke St bike lane permeate through the asphalted X William St (as pedestrian) at lights Bourke St for 250m congestion unnoticed and R O'Briens La (at pocket park) L Palmer La R Berwick La unfettered Liverpool La Seale St L Yurong St Norman St R Riley St of riding contra-flow, more bike R Foley St (contra-flow for first 50m) R 250m Bourke St through plaza lanes, less car traffic and a whole Dist X Oxford St at lights to plaza lot more fun. Join Bicycle NSW Woolloomooloo Oxford St & Taylor Square Palmer St Bourke St for 60m (see p?? for details) and help Eastern Rd L Linden La R Maiden La make it happen! Starting at Kings Cross William Kings Cross L Short St R Clare St City St Cross, which is a hive of activity St Start R Mary Pl L Floods Pl EAST X Albion St to other side for 30m regardless of the time, the route Tunn Ave SYDNEY el R Hutchison St L Hutchison Pl zigzags down through back lanes Oxford Liverpool St L Street St the busy streets of the inner city. R Fitzroy La Sandwell St Farnell St to Woolloomooloo. The “Loo”, Oxford X Fitzroy St to Marshall St Darlinghurst Climbing up to Oxford St gives L R as it is known locally, used to DARLINGHURST St Phelps St Phelps La you a wheelie good bin-view of past pocket park Wentworth y be mud flats at the head of ar L Arthur St Victoria nd the behind-the-scenes workings Taylor ou Square Flinders B 4km South Dowling St its bay, but infilling since St Square of this cosmopolitan strip, and European settlement X Sth Dowling St at lights Albion St Crown St gives you a chance to see some Moore Park provided the flat land Finish St Moore Park cycleway for 350m St of the City’s new bike lanes on R Central Bourke that is now Forbes St Foveaux X Cleveland St at lights for 600m Station Bourke St. Riley R cross cyclebridge thru gardens and Bourke St. Try a St L Bourke St R 200m Danks St St detour right down SURRY R Yurong St footpath St At Taylor Square there is less HILLS Anzac to the end of the Devonshire R Phillip St congestion due to the Bourke St L Baptist La Finger Wharf, where Pde L St closure, and the space has been 400m Boronia St R Young La Belvoir St there are a few nice St L Cooper St R Walker St Theatre Moore renovated. But alas, the palms pubs and cafés Chalmers Park X at lights to Wilton St Crown St Cleveland St are gone forever, replaced by R Belvoir St along the way, and ubiquitous steel and granite that is Belvoir St Theatre (50m on left) St up-market nosheries Dowling L pathway through Ward Park oft the way with low-maintenance L Devonshire St R 30m Little Riley St along the wharf itself. Elizabeth streetscapes. Squeezing through L 500m Fitzroy St L Waterloo St The Forbes St area L REDFERN Surry Hills you can almost hear R Belmore La Mary St was redeveloped for R Foveaux St the clink, clink, slurp, slop of the X at lights to station entrance community housing Young St Bourke Baptist St cans being emptied, the screech 8km Central Station in the Whitlam era and Phillip St South of cats sparring in the narrow now provides a quiet lanes and the clip-clop of horse and shady reprieve from and cart. Once you cross South 58 59 Ride 7 City back lanes Ride 7 City back lanes been completed and these proposed an improved network of pedestrian and cycle pathways, including the construction of a pedestrian/cycle overpass over Anzac Pde to connect with Federation Way and Centennial Park (Moore Park South Masterplan, Spackman Mossop, 2002). All we can hope is that it doesn’t take as long as the footpath upgrade asked for by the Bicycle Institute! There is a fine rotunda worth a visit at the northern end of Moore Park, constructed in 1909, and recently restored. See www.cp.nsw.gov.au Belvoir Theatre: there are plenty of theatres in the city but this one seems to fit the back-street ambience. As strong and long- lasting as your trusty Araldite, the place was developed through a unique legal blending of Company A (owning the building etc.) and B the performers. This apparently avoided Dowling Street you soon break back street route that may soon Stanley St, and Zante Cafe 2/1 Foveaux the problem of going out backwards through out into the greenery of Moore be developed as part of the latest St homeward-bound for some choice a box office crash (which happened to the Park. As you cross Cleveland St, round of bike “plans”. Perhaps sandwiches and salads by all accounts. former Nimrod Theatre) and thus provides marvel at the refurbished shared history will come full circle? Woolloomooloo: the low-lying former us with the neatly eponymous Company B. path leading to the Sydney docklands area east of the city has had a The Theatre was established in 1984 when Cricket Ground and Centennial colourful past. The area was largely tidal a large collection of celebrities from the Park. Lobbying for the repair Spare Parts mudflats until filled. It was a working class entertainment industry donated funds to buy place relating to the docks, including the the place. See the full story and what’s on started in the late 1980s by the Maps/reference: Bike-it! Sydney maps 29, Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf. This is the show at www.belvoir.com.au T 9699 3444 then Bicycle Institute of NSW–but 30, 37; RTA map Sydney and Parramatta; longest wooden structure in the world, now riders are in “fields of Sydway maps 55-56, 65-66; UBD maps Markets: Kings Cross Rotary Markets, now lovingly preserved and largely off-limits Clover” so to speak as the City 3 & 6; City of Sydney Historical Walking El Alamein Fountain, Fitzroy Gardens, to the steerage class. Gentrification has upgrades and connects the path Tours brochures (set of 6 themes) Sundays 10am to 4pm and also at the brought an influx of swanky apartments, but network!Before too long you are same place the Kings Cross Organic Cafés and eateries: Even though the cute fortunately there are still areas (such as the back into the flatter and longer Food and Farmers’ Market, Saturdays shop-front painted aquarium scene has lanes around Forbes Street) where the shriek 8am-2pm; Farmers Market Taylor Square, lanes and galleries of Waterloo.