Bulletin Place - Laneways - Sydney - New South Wales

Bulletin Place - Laneways - Sydney - NSW

The Basement Has Long Been A Favourite Jazz Venue In The City. Beyond This, Warehouses & Stores From The Mid 19th Century Preserve A Little Enclave Of Olde Sydney. The Bulletin Newspaper Was Published Here From 1880, & Writers Such As Henry Lawson & A B Paterson Would Have Frequented This Little Street. 

This Lane Possibly inspired The Lines Of Patterson's Famous Poem 
"Clancy Of The Overflow" 
About Dingy Offices And Folk With 
"Stunted Forms & Weedy, For Townsfolk Have No Time To Grow, They Have No Time To Waste"

Reiby Place - Macquarie Place - Sydney - New South Wales

Reiby Place - Near Macquarie Place - Sydney - NSW 

Today Reiby Place Is Lined With Slick Glass & Concrete, But It's Name Commemorates One Of The City's Earliest Entrepeneurs. 

Before This Area Was Drained, Thomas & Mary Reiby Had A House On the Waterfront Macquarie Place. Mary Reiby, Convicted For Horse Stealing, Became A Wealthy & Respected Widow, & In 1817 Her House Became The First Premises Of Australia's First Bank, The Bank Of New South Wales.

Mary Reiby's Face Is On The $20 Note.





Mary Reiby 1777 to 1855 was a convict who became a highly successful business woman was interested in hotels, trading, shipping, farming in city buildings.

She briefly owns the land around Argyle stores in 1828. Mary Reiby was a governor of the free Grammar School and a founding member of the bank of New South Wales, as well as an active in church and charity work

The Roads Obelisk - Macquarie Place

In September 1816 The Contract Was Signed To Erect A Very Handsome Stone Obelisk In Centre Of Macquarie Place As An Ornament To This Part Of Town & Also For The Purpose Of Measuring The Miles From All The interior Parts Of The Colony..... TO the Cost Of  eighty Five Pounds Sterling.

In Greenways Obelisks We Read

This Obelisk was Erected In Macquarie Place A.D. 1818,

To Record That All The Public Roads

Leading To The Interior of The Colony 

Are Measured From It

L. Macquarie, Esq, Governor 

Then Came Macquarie the visionary, & On 6 October 1810 He Proclaimed a town plan, saying with Macquarie Place

“It being attended to remove all those old buildings & enclosures now on that ground bounded by the government domain on the east, by the judge advocate, secretary, chaplains, & Commissary houses on the south, by the spring of water in stream on the west, and by the south, by the spring water in the stream on the west & by the houses if Mr Lord, Mr Thompson and Mr Reiby on the north, and to throw the same into an open area, the said area has been named  “Macquarie Place” and it is henceforth to be so nominated.

Simeon Lords Mansion - Macquarie Place - Sydney - NSW

Simeon Lord's Mansion 

Macquarie Place, Near Bridge Street


BUILT 1805 & DEMOLISHED 1908 

(103 Years Old) 



In 1805 Simeon Lord, Former Convict And Later Merchant, Trader And Manufacturer, Built A Mansion On This Site. It Was Not Demolished Until 1908

On the 22nd April 1790 Simeon Lord, Aged 19, Was Sentanced At Machester To Seven Years Transportation. HJe Arrived At Sydney Cover On the "Atlantic" on 20th August 1791

At That Time When Simeon Lord Arrived In Sydney Town He Scarcely Had a Friend In The World. 

  

Simeon Lords Flour Mill At Botany 

Simeon Lord's House, also known as Macquarie House, is a historic building located in Macquarie Place, Sydney. It is an important landmark that reflects the colonial history of the city. Here's an overview of the history of Simeon Lord's House:

Early Ownership and Construction:

• The house was built by Simeon Lord, a prominent colonial merchant and entrepreneur, in the early 19th century.
• Simeon Lord arrived in Sydney in 1791 as a convict and later established himself as a successful trader and property owner.

Location and Significance:

• Simeon Lord's House is situated in Macquarie Place, a historic area near Circular Quay that was named after Governor Lachlan Macquarie.
• The house's location in a prominent part of the city reflects Simeon Lord's influence and success in colonial Sydney.

Architectural Features:

• The building is a two-story Georgian-style structure with distinctive architectural features of the period, including sash windows and a symmetrical facade.
• The design of the house is a reflection of the architectural trends of the early 19th century.

Merchant's Residence and Business Hub:

• Simeon Lord's House served as both a residence and a place of business for Lord's various commercial ventures.
• Lord was involved in diverse business activities, including shipping, trade, and property.

Lord's Controversies:

• Simeon Lord was a controversial figure in colonial Sydney due to his legal disputes, financial dealings, and conflicts with other prominent figures.
• His involvement in the "Rum Rebellion" led to legal battles and controversies that marked his legacy.

Later Uses and Restoration:

• Over the years, Simeon Lord's House went through various ownerships and uses.
• In the 20th century, the building underwent restoration efforts to preserve its historical significance and architectural features.

Heritage Status:

• Simeon Lord's House is recognized as a heritage-listed building due to its historical significance and architectural importance.

Today, Simeon Lord's House stands as a tangible link to Sydney's colonial past and the individuals who shaped the city's development. It serves as a reminder of the complex history of the early colonial period and the people who played pivotal roles in Sydney's economic and social growth

Governor Arthur Phillips Garden - Macquarie Place - Near South Western Corner - NSW

Governor Phillip's Garden

Macquarie Place, Near South Western Corner 

David Collins Remarked "Some Ground Having Been Prepared Near His Excellency's House On The Eat Side, The Plants From Rio De Janeiro And The Cape Of Good Hope Were safely Brought To Shore In A Few Days; And We Soon Had The Satisfaction Of Seeing The Grape, The Fig, The Orange, The Pear And The Apple, taking Root And Establishing Themselves In Our New World" 

Surgeon General John White in His Journal Of A Voyage To New South Wales Wrote About The Sick Suffering From Dysentry And Scurvy. 

"His Excellency, Seeing The State These Poor Objects Were In, ordered A Piece Of Ground To Be Inclosed, For The Purpose Of Raising Vegetables For Them. The Seeds That Were Sown Upon This Occassion, on first Appearing Above The Ground, Looked Promising And Well, Which Was Not Indeed Wxtraordinary, As They Were Not Sown At A Proper Season Of The Year."

In May 1788 Governor Phillip Gloomily

Commented "From The Great Labour Which Attended The Clearing Of The Ground, It Proved Impracticable To Sow More Than Eight To Ten Acres With Wheat And Barley; And It Was Feared That Even This Crop Would Suffer From The Depredations Of Ants And Field

nice. 

Two Bunches Of Grapes Were Plucked On The 24th January 1791, Three years Later. And 

"It Was Predicted In The Vehemence Of Expectation That Their Juice Will Hereafter Furnish An Indisputable Article Of Luxury At European Tables."

Lieutenant P.G. King on 29th January Noted In Their Journal: - "Some Convicts Digging Up The Ground for A Garden."

Surgeon General John White Travelled On The Transport Charlotte to Botany Bay With The First Fleet, And Remained In New South Wales Until December 1794, After Which He Returned To England.  While In England's Newest Colony, The Peppery Doctor, Besides Collecting Material On The Fauna And Flora Of The Colony, Fought A Duel With His Assistant, Dr William Balmain. White's Book - Journal Of A Voyage To New South Wales, Published In 1790 Carried - Sixty Five Illustrations Of Non Descript Animals, Birds, Lizards, Serpents, Curious Cones Of Trees And Other Natural Productions."

John White Died In Sussex, England in 1832.

Macquarie Place - Sydney - New South Wales

Macquarie Place - Bridge Street - Sydney - NSW

There Was Once A Through Street At Macquarie Place, But This Is Now Given Over To A Public Space Joining A Little Park Packed With Items Of Historical Interest, Including The Obelisk Of Distances, The Anchor Of The Sirius, A Victorian Drinking Fountain And The Remnants Of What Was Once A Glass Domed Entrance To The Underground "Men's Convenience". This Area Is A Popular Drinking Hole At The End Of The Day When The Surrounding Office Blocks Close For Business.

Originally swampy mangrove land

Originally swampy mangrove land on the banks of the Tank stream, this triangular morsel of land is awash with historic relics.
The obelisk records distance in miles by road to important places in the colony 7 beyond.
The sandstone monument was designed by Francis Greenway, who was sent to the colony for forgery & became Sydney's first Colonial Architect.
Along one side of the park with the Canon & the weather anchor of HMAS serious, flagship of the first fleet which arrived in Sydney in 1788.
The imposing statue of the 19 century industrialist Thomas Sutcliffe mort looks over Bridge Street