Old Compass Travel Australia

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Sydney, NSW
Old Compass Travel Australia

Walks and special small group tours in Sydney with a focus on history, heritage, food and landscapes.

31/08/2026

When an old convict colony becomes rich, the buildings have gotta reflect the newfound prosperity. James Barnet was the colonial architect who got a lot of that work done in Sydney. This is the clock and George St facade of the GPO building in Martin Place.

29/08/2026

The Lands Department building before this morning's walk. Cracking James Barnet building from the 1870s bathed in reflections from the surrounding glass towers. The collection of First Nations artwork inside (open to the public), a reminder of the role the building played in colonial development, agriculture and dispossession. Not sure if there's a history of land in NSW from colonisation to the present but it'd be juicy - and judging by recent ICAC hearings, getting juicier!

The Lands is now part of Capella Sydney - Sydney's coolest luxury hotel.

28/08/2026

Love this portrait of Dylan from Brett Whiteley's days at New York's Chelsea Hotel. Was exhibited at Heide Gallery in Melbourne recently.

25/08/2026

Plenty to chat about here... Social housing, gentrification, bridges, The Rocks and dispossession. The Sirius even makes it. Decided to go with black and white. Join us for a private walk of Sydney history, architecture and art.

23/08/2026

I love asking our international guests for their views on Sydney's architectural landscape. It's a mixed bag here as it is in most cities. Modernist Harry Seidler has had the biggest impact on the city's skyline since the 1960s and his work usually gets good reviews (my own commentary might be distorting the integrity of my surveys). Australia Square (1969 left) is one of my favourites. As it approaches its 40th birthday, Grosvenor Place (right) is holding up well too. Love catching these lines of Harry's work through the many newer towers that now fill an increasingly dense cityscape.

21/08/2026

Back in Sydney.... It's tempting to assume the Orient Hotel in The Rocks, among the oldest original pub buildings in the country, took its name from the Chinatown that sprung up around it when the Goldrush hit in the 1850s. But no...the name was adopted in the 1880s to attract guests off the Orient Steam Navigation Line that operated cruises into the city at the time. Handsome colours yesterday arvo too.

18/08/2026

In Melbourne, these ultimate symbols of Victorian civilisation, the underground toilet block, continue to support the city. In Sydney they seem to have all been closed - though their wrought iron gates survive? I'm thinking of Macquarie Place and Taylor Square. Are any still open?

17/08/2026

Good mornin'. Lookin' good there Melbourne.

16/08/2026

Ned Kelly's armour, his r***e and a boot watch over patrons of Melbourne's State Library. Good to see he has a high profile. You can explore his life further at the Old Melbourne Gaol nearby, where he was hanged in 1880. Tons of other cool stuff to see at the library too.

15/08/2026

Spare a thought for Victoria (the Queen). In the capital city of the state that carries her name, she needs the protection of a high, heavy fence. Not so in Sydney - where we can't get enough of her.

Address

The Rocks
Sydney, NSW
2000

Website

http://www.oldcompasstravel.com/

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