Bondi Beach once had a dedicated tramway...

...with cuttings and bridges and curves.... and now we have buses and cars. Oh well. And the tramway reservation? Gone. Filled in. Some of it became park, some sold off to developers. Like a lot of Sydney's reserved track, just gone.

Here are some snaps I took in the mid-70s when the in-filling was taking place...

Victoria Park gets another mention

Nice potted history of "Victoria Park". I haven't seen mention before of a motor racing connection, but the rest rings true.

Transport the key issue as newest suburb nears completion

The name, Victoria Park, was taken from the racecourse, used for both horse and motor racing, that existed on the site for the first half of the 20th century. In 1950 it was bought by Sir William Morris, the 1st Viscount of Nuffield, to assemble Morris Minor and Morris Oxford cars. By the time Leyland Australia took control of the site in 1970 it was the biggest car plant in the southern hemisphere and operated as such for just five years longer before closing down.

Before redevelopment the large warehouses on the site had been used by the federal government as a naval stores depot.

My list of Sydney's race tracks and circuits. 

or checkout my list of Sydney and surrounding airstrips and airports. 

After 50-odd years of neglect, Rozelle tramsheds to turn into shops?

I can't quite picture it, but there you go. After more than 50 years of lying idle, unless you count being a storage for vandalised trams and what-not as 'activity', the Rozelle tramsheds will become shops. It's not the first, of course, with the North Sydney tramsheds already doing long-time similar duty, and the huge South Dowling Street depot now a 'super centre'.

The article quoted below doesn't mention what happens to the tram cars and other material stored therein (assuming they are still there). And it's somewhat ironic that these tramsheds and allied housing are somehow being twisted into a green initiative that will reduce reliance on private cars...  yes, knock down old transport infrastructure and build some shops. That won't encourage car use, will it? Especially not with an expense of gravel and asphalt laid in the yard outside, perfect for parking. 

If you are quick you might get down there and possibly spot some old tram rails. There is an old tram bridge or 2 not far away, too. As for the lost heritage of the Harold Park site and the neighbouring stables spread as far as Newtown, well, that's progress.  

The paceway that became a suburb | thetelegraph.com.au

Under the master plan, 3.8ha of the 10.63ha site will be hived off as public open space and parklands along the Harbour foreshore.

The heritage-listed but dilapidated 1904 Rozelle Tram Sheds will also be restored and given new life as retail space.

"The Rozelle Tramsheds will be the gateway to Harold Park," said John Carfi, Mirvac CEO Development Apartments.

"The heritage significance of these magnificent buildings will be restored and the space transformed into a vibrant retail and commercial hub which will include dedicated space for community facilities."

Sydney by Street Directory - c. 1920-1940 - a video

This is what happens when I spend some time with my old Sydney street directories, a camera and a video editor... this is the full version, there are shorter ones on my youtube channel.