Royal Exchange Of Sydney - Bridge Street - Between Pitt And Gresham Street - Sydney

The Royal Exchnage Of Sydney
Cnr Bridge St &Gresham St

An Exchnage Was Established In 1861. 

When The Estuary Of The Tank Stream Was Reclaimed At Bridge Street It Paved The   Way For Building Some Impressive Buildings 

Foremost In Archeatectyral Beauty Waa The Royal Exchange - Almost Opposite Macquarie Place   

The Sydney Exchange, also known as the Sydney Stock Exchange or the Sydney Stock and Futures Exchange, has a history closely tied to the financial and economic development of Sydney, Australia. It played a pivotal role in facilitating the trading of securities and financial instruments. Here's an overview of its history:

Early Beginnings:

• The Sydney Exchange traces its origins back to the mid-19th century. The first organized stock trading in Sydney occurred in the 1830s, but it was relatively informal.
• The official establishment of the Sydney Stock Exchange took place in 1871. It was created to provide a central marketplace for the trading of stocks, bonds, and other securities.

Early Location:

• The exchange was initially located in various buildings in the central business district of Sydney. It operated in rented premises as trading volumes and the number of participants grew.

Rise in Importance:

• Over the years, the Sydney Exchange gained prominence as Australia's major securities trading platform. It facilitated capital raising for companies and offered investors a venue for buying and selling financial instruments.

Formation of the Australian Associated Stock Exchanges (AASE):

• In 1937, the Sydney Exchange joined forces with other Australian stock exchanges to form the Australian Associated Stock Exchanges (AASE). This federation aimed to streamline regulations and facilitate inter-exchange trading.

Modernization and Technological Advancements:

• The latter part of the 20th century saw significant changes in trading practices due to technological advancements.
• Electronic trading platforms emerged, gradually replacing traditional open-outcry trading methods.

Merger and Transition:

• In 1987, the Sydney Stock Exchange merged with the stock exchanges of Melbourne and Adelaide to form the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX).
• The ASX became Australia's primary securities exchange, bringing together trading from different cities into a unified platform.

Global Influence:

• The ASX grew in importance on the global stage as it attracted foreign investors and companies seeking to list their shares on an established exchange.

Continued Evolution:

• The ASX continued to evolve, embracing electronic trading and adapting to changes in financial markets.
• The ASX's role expanded to include trading in derivatives, commodities, and other financial products.

Milestone Developments:

• In recent years, the ASX has considered adopting blockchain technology for settlement and clearing of trades, showcasing its commitment to innovation.

Present Day:

• The Sydney Exchange, now part of the ASX Group, remains a vital component of Australia's financial landscape.
• The ASX continues to operate as a comprehensive securities exchange, serving as a platform for capital raising, trading, and investment.

The history of the Sydney Exchange reflects the growth and sophistication of Australia's financial markets. From its early origins as a modest stock exchange to its integration into a national exchange group, it has played a crucial role in shaping Sydney's economic landscape and contributing to the development of the country's financial sector.

Botany Bay

Botany Bay is a place before it is a chorus. Kamay, on Dharawal country — Gweagal country on the southern shore — is the wide shallow bay Cook’s men walked onto on 29 April 1770. Banks and Solander filled the nets, the English name followed the plants, and the names already on the water stayed in the country. Eighteen years later the First Fleet stood in from the sea (18–20 January 1788), found the water thin, the soil poor and the anchorage awkward, and Phillip took boats north. Port Jackson was the better harbour. On 26 January they shifted the whole expedition to Warrane, Sydney Cove. Botany Bay was the intended penal station that lasted a week as a camp and then became the other bay — La Perouse on one head, Kurnell on the other.

The lyrics on this post are not 1788. “Farewell to old England forever / Farewell to the well-known Old Bailey” is “Botany Bay,” the number from the London burlesque Little Jack Sheppard (Gaiety Theatre, Boxing Night 1885; Melbourne 1886, Sydney Theatre Royal 1887). It shares verses with the earlier broadside Farewell to Judges and Juries, and it became an Australian folk standard a century after the Fleet, which is why schoolrooms still think convicts sang it on the Charlotte. They didn’t. Transportation to New South Wales had already ended when the Gaiety first heard the tooral-i-ay.

Keep the song if you like — it is public domain, and slightly misspelt on the live page — but put the bay under it. Cook’s landing, Phillip’s rejection, Kamay Botany Bay National Park, Bare Island off La Perouse. The chorus is Victorian theatre. The water is older.

Site Of The Public Fountain

Stand at the western corner of Macquarie Place — Bridge Street side, opposite the Lands Department pile — and you are on the footprint of one of Macquarie Sydney’s vanished ornaments. In 1819–20, stonemason Edward Cureton built a sandstone Doric public fountain here to Francis Greenway’s plan, with Elizabeth Macquarie closely involved (contemporary accounts have her rejecting an earlier attempt and insisting on Greenway’s design). Townspeople could draw water without entering the Governors Domain.

It sat on the southwest edge of the little civic triangle that Macquarie formalised with Greenways obelisk (1818) as the zero point of colonial roads. Commissioner Bigge sniffed at the extravagance of Macquarie ornament; Sydneysiders used the fountain anyway. By the 1880s the structure was tired. Dictionary of Sydney dates demolition to about 1883, to clear the western corner for Pierce Francis Connelly’s statue of merchant and pastoralist Thomas Sutcliffe Mort (erected 1883). Heritage notes sometimes say c.1887 for clearance — either way, no Greenway fountain fabric stands above ground; footings may survive as archaeology near the Mort statue.

This is not the Frazer Fountain in Hyde Park, and it is not a Bent Street fountain in its own right. An earlier post on this blog titles the same lost Doric under a Bent / Spring Street precinct label — useful for the civic neighbourhood, but the structure itself belonged to Macquarie Place. Keep the two posts cross-linked and the geography honest.

The Government Wharf - Circular Quay

Stand on Alfred Street at Circular Quay — near Loftus, with Customs House on one side and the ferry wharves on the other — and try to picture water under your boots. In 1788, when the First Fleet anchored in Port Jackson, the head of Sydney Cove was a V bisected by the Tank Stream, which entered the cove roughly where Pitt Street meets the Quay. Surveyor James Meehan’s early plan still shows today’s Alfred Street drowned at high tide. That foreshore is where the colony’s first Government Wharf went up between 1788 and 1790 — eastern side of the cove, hard by the present Customs House frontage — so government boats and stores had somewhere dry to tie up.

Nothing of that timber jetty survives. Semi-Circular Quay reclamation from the late 1830s into the 1840s–50s filled the mudflats, covered the Tank Stream mouth as a drain, and pushed the shoreline out to the stone quay we walk today. The live note that points at the Paragon Hotel corner (Alfred / Loftus) is useful as a landmark for the old waterline, not as a claim that the hotel is the wharf. Read it as a lost first infrastructure site: Phillip’s cove, the Tank Stream delta, and the government landing that made Sydney Cove a working harbour before Circular Quay existed as a name.

Commissariat Stores - Circular Quay

Commissariat Stores, Circular Quay West — historic photograph; State Library of NSW.

If you stand outside the Museum of Contemporary Art and squint at the quay, you’re on top of a ghost. The Commissariat Stores — big sandstone government warehouses on the western shore of Sydney Cove — were the logistical heart of the convict colony. Lieutenant-Governor Joseph Foveaux commissioned building in 1809; Governor Lachlan Macquarie finished the 1810 store and ordered another in 1812. They sat in front of what later became the Maritime Services Board headquarters, tied into the naval dockyard and early quay works.

For more than a century those ranges were among Sydney’s oldest surviving public buildings. Then the 1938 Butters Plan for Circular Quay renewal marked them for demolition to clear space for a new MSB office and a modern quay. There was a proper row about it — an early heritage flashpoint — and the stores still came down in 1939. Post-war building produced the MSB block (occupied in the early 1950s); since 1991 that building has housed the MCA.

Under and around the MCA / First Fleet Park area, the Sydney Cove West Archaeological Precinct (State Heritage listed) holds what’s left: archaeological evidence of the Commissariat, the government dockyard and related early quay fabric. A foundation stone from Macquarie’s 1812 building was kept at the request of the Royal Australian Historical Society and later marked nearby. This post is about a lost Circular Quay landmark — not a building you can still walk into.

LINKS LINK LINKS - HELPFUL AND INSIGHTFUL LINKS FOR PEOPLE WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT SYDNEY & AUSTRALIAN HISTORY

Mirror Sydney - An album of Sydney encounters by Vanessa Berry. The psychogeography of the city. Places unusual, overlooked, hidden and secret. Minor landmarks and suburban oddities. Time and memory. Paying attention to the under-appreciated parts of the urban environment since 2012. Plenty Of Links To Other Sydney Sites And Resources, 

Past Lives Of The Near Future - Revealing Traces Of A Former Sydney.  Sydney’s past is still visible beneath the facade of today if you look close enough. Past/Lives seeks to uncover the secrets, reveal the hidden sides and tell the forgotten stories of Sydney using the clues that have been left behind through the years. Past/Lives chronicles those instances of poorly reconstituted Pizza Huts, lazily retooled milk bars and forgotten former points of significance we pass by or even notice every day, but never really stop to look at.

TROVE - Digital Print

First Fleet Links University Of woollongong

Dictionary Of Sydney - 

Project Gutenberg Australia -  A Truly Amazing Site with all e books and other material thats out of its copyright and is free to download. There is something there for everyone once you start looking.

Everything from The Journals From Captain Cook, Sir Joseph Banks, La Perouse, Arthur Phillip & the Firs t Fleet, to The Explorers, To The Indigenous, to Famous Australian Authors, From "The Magic Pudding", to the "Harp In The South", to "Storm Boy" To "The Wild Men of Sydney" 

I have personally downloaded so many titles from Project Gutenberg and its really helped me understand some of the stories from an earlier time in Sydney Town 

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

Early Naval Office - George St North, Outside Rawson Institute For Men - John Piper

In early New South Wales the Naval Officer wasn’t a ship’s captain’s title on shore leave — it was the official who enforced British navigation and trade laws and collected import duties, the forerunner of the Collector of Customs. Governor King appointed a part-time Naval Officer in 1800; after Navigation Law changes and the end of the East India Company’s regional monopoly, the Colonial Office upgraded the post. Captain John Piper (born Maybole, Ayrshire, 1773), formerly of the New South Wales Corps, was appointed Naval Officer and returned to Sydney in 1814. He became one of the colony’s most conspicuous public men — later nicknamed in society as a “prince” of colonial hospitality — until suspended in 1827 over large deficiencies in customs collection (mismanagement rather than proven theft). He resigned and sold much of his property to clear the debt.

The Naval Officer’s workplace sat in the maritime strip of Sydney Cove / George Street North associated with the Government Dockyard (accounts place the office toward the northern end of the dockyard precinct, earlier linked with the master boat builder’s residence). Customs functions later moved to premises in The Rocks (including the Argyle Stores period) and, from 1845, to the purpose-built Customs House on Circular Quay. The landmark “outside the Rawson Institute for Men” points to the later Mariners’ Church / Mission to Seamen complex at about 100 George Street (opened 1859; Rawson Institute name from the 1909 extensions) — handy Rocks orientation for historic views, but not itself Piper’s Naval Office.

Images here relate to George Street North and the early customs / dockyard shoreline story. Fix every “Navel” typo to Naval; the ship was Pitt, not “HMAS Pitt.”

Campbell's Wharf

On the western shore of Sydney Cove — Hickson Road / Circular Quay West, hard by today’s Overseas Passenger Terminal — you are standing in Robert Campbell’s old commercial kingdom. Scottish merchant Campbell, trading out of Calcutta then Sydney, put up warehouses and a private wharf on land at Dawes Point from the turn of the nineteenth century. By 1803 the live plaque language is right enough: house, wharf and first storehouse were in place; by 1810 visitors were already admiring a second wharf and a colonnaded house in its own garden.

Campbell became the colony’s great private merchant fair prices, credit to small settlers, Bligh’s ally in 1808, later “Campbell’s Bank” shorthand for the Savings Bank he helped shepherd. The early waterfront buildings are gone. What still stands immediately north along the quay are the mid-century Campbell’s Stores (stone bond stores built in stages from the early 1850s, with earlier waterfront stores on the same wharf complex; upper brick storeys and further bays followed later in the century). They are among the last quayside Georgian warehouses on Sydney Cove, now restaurants under Place Management NSW care, and listed on the State Heritage Register.

Read the site as layers: Campbell’s Wharf (the commercial foreshore from c.1800) underneath; Campbells Stores (the surviving mid-Victorian warehouses) as the visible remnant. Do not flatten them into one build date.

Australia's First Church

For the first five years of the colony, divine service meant a tree, a tent, or whoever’s hut would hold a congregation. Chaplain Richard Johnson, who had already preached the first Christian service in the colony on 3 February 1788 (text: Psalm 116:12 — “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?”), finally got tired of waiting for the government to build a church. In mid-1793 he paid for one himself — about £67 12s. 11½d. — and opened it on 25 August 1793.

The building stood near today’s Richard Johnson Square, at the Hunter / Bligh / Castlereagh intersection (live text’s “Johnson Place”). It was wattle-and-daub on strong posts, thatched, T-plan, earthen floor, said to seat about five hundred. On weekdays Johnson and his wife Mary ran a school there for 150–200 children. Lieutenant-Governor Grose had been in no hurry to fund a proper church; Johnson’s private initiative irritated him and still did not fill the pews — Christmas Day 1793 drew only a few dozen.

On the evening of 1 October 1798 the church burned. Contemporary suspicion pointed at convicts angry at Governor Hunter’s push for compulsory Sunday attendance; the attribution is traditional rather than courtroom-proven. A store shed was fitted up for worship afterward. Nothing of the 1793 fabric survives. St Philip’s is the later parish church, not this building — do not merge them.

First Boat Built At Sydney Cove - Alfred St In Front Of Customs House

Alfred Street, In Front Of Customs House

The First Boat Built At Sydney Cove

On October 5th 1789, the first boat was built on the shore of Circular Quay. It was known as the “Rose Hill Packet” or “The Lump”. She was built by R. Reed, Carpenter of the HMAS Supply. 

Officers on the brig “Supply” on January 26th 17888 included Robinson Reed (or Reid), Master Carpenter. On 25th November James Davis, Seaman, was accused by Mr Reed of treating him disrespectfully. Davis was found guilty and sentenced to receive 400 lashes of the Cat - O - Nine - Tails. 

In December 1788 Captain Collins recorded that 

“Mr Reid, The Carpenter of the HMAS Supply, now undertook the construction of a boat house on the east side, for the purpose of buildings, with the timber of this country, to launch or how capable of being employed in conveying provisions to Rose Hill, and for other useful & necessary purposes. 

Tank Stream Bridge & Head of Sydney Cove

Stand on Bridge Street between George and Pitt and you are standing on the reason Sydney is here. The Tank Stream met the tide at the head of Sydney Cove; a timber crossing went in as early as October 1788; a stone bridge followed in 1803–04 — Governor King at a foundation stone in July 1803, carriages over it by April 1804. The rivulet took its name from tanks cut into the sandstone in the early-1790s drought. One contemporary figure for the first tank is about 8,000 gallons, in May 1792; other accounts give three tanks of about 20,000 litres each. Don’t pretend those numbers are the same measurement.

By the late 1820s the stream was an open sewer and the town had moved on toward Busby’s Bore. What you walk now is a name and a drain under the CBD. The east–west split of early Sydney — officers one side, convicts the other — started at this crossing.

The Centennial Park Eel

THE CENTENNIAL PARK EEL

In the Ponds Of Centennial Park Lives The Eastern (???? ) Eel. And To The Normal Park Goer They Look Like An Ugly Animal Swimming Around In The Murky Waters Of The Parklands. 

But The Centennial Park Eels Hold A Remarkable Story For Those In The Know. 

Male Eels Mature Around 10- 30 years and Female Eels Mature Around 8 Years. When They Reach Adult Stage & Feel The Need Spawn & Amazing Thing Happens.

The eels Hop From Pond To Pond and then crawl Through a drain Underneath Alison Road and into Randwick Racecourse. They then follow the Natural Watercourse Through To The Moore Park Golf Course and then Follow it Through To Botany Bay Coming Out Where The Third Sydney Runway Comes Out at Kingsford Smith Airport.  

While Making This Journey some Amazing Changes Happen To Their Bodies...... 

- their Dorsal Fin Becomes bigger  So They Are Able To Swim Better In Ocean Currents. 

- their  stomach shrinks

- Their Eyes Also Change Size That They Can See In The Seawater

- their anus Restricts and Any Orifice To Reduce Water Loss

- Their Gills 

 From Freshwater To Saltwater. They Can Also Out In Fresh Air, And If There Is No Watercourse For Them To Make It To Botany Bay They Can travel Across Land for short distances. 

The Eels Then Make A 3,500 Mile Journey through The Ocean To Somewhere Near New Caledonia, where They Spawn Their Young & Die. 

These Young Eels Then Male Their Way The 3,500 Miles Back To Centennial Park Where They Live In The Ponds Until They Mature 

I Haven't Seen Any Eels In the Park Recently To be Able To Take Photos.


ABC Catalyst - Centennial Park Eels

The Tragedy of drought

THE TRAGEDY OF THE DROUGHT

THIS Is The Biggest Story In The  Nation By a Mile. 

The Grapes Of Wrath - A Drought In Oklahoma USA  Left The Farmers Broke and The Banks Closed On So They Could  Sell The Land To Big Corporations

multi Generational Farmers Being Evicted From Their Farms By The Police. The Fear Of Speaking Up. What Have The Bastard Banks Done To Our People. this Is a Travesry against Our People.  The ANZ Made 7 Billion. The NAB Is Eight In There In The Trough

When These People are For WS Off Their Farms There Is Nowhere For Them To Go. There are No Refugee aeevices Wating 

There's Basically No accommodation. They Camp about. Shocked Broken ans alone

Not One Farmer Has asked For Help. Broken & Brutalised. The Banks Make Sure That The Farmer Feels It Is Their Own Fault 

after What I've Seen Happen My Own People 

Free Up The Land For Mining Companies Or Leave It Open for The Chinese To Come In & Buy It Cheap

The Mobilisation Pf Our Military Forces Has Come at a Great Cost To The  Taxpayer 

Financial & Emotional Carnage 

Honourable Farming families Caught In This Situation 

The australian Media Doesn't Give  a Damn 

and So The Banks Have Been Free to Terrorise These People

Can't Provide The Mortgage Trail Because The Bank Has On sold The Mortgage. 

australian People Need to Be Informed  & Enraged. This Is about .

all Farmers Rights Have Been Taken away From The Farmer. The Mining Companies

Right Now, The Banks 

The australian People Have No Idea What Is Being Done To Them 

There is a Gaping Wound right across the Heartland Of This Country 

No australian was Ever Consulted If They Wanted  It Mined  to Oblivion 

No australian Was ever Consulted about If We Wanted Our Eland Sold On The Cheap 

If We're Ever Going To Do Something.. The Time Is Now 

We Will No Longer tolerate 

We Need a National Morotorium 

The farmers Feel Like They've Been Left and Hung Out To Dry

It's only 4% 

The Prime Minister, Treasurer & the rest Of The Cabinet 

they Must Fully Guarantee 

that Can Pay Its National Debt 

The Free trade Deal With China needs to Go To The australian People Before It Is approved 

The australia. people Have already Dug In 

People are Beey 

The Narip la Land Twfiater 

Protected Fr Ownership. Investment Is One Thing but Ownership Is another 

1 Million Cattle To ago To China. Where are They Going To Come From??? Where are These Cattle???  So Where Is The Breeding Stock To Ship Out To China Next Year. Out In The Bushies Have a Term For It - Bullshit - and If You Have to Wrap The Free Trade agreement With China In Bullshit, More Than Likely The Rest Of It Is on The Nose

Cleveland house - Part 1

Cleveland House - Buckingham Street & Chalmers St - Central - Built Around 1823…

. It is Now 2023 So The House itself Is Approx 200 Yrs Old…. 

Cleveland House Is Situated On Part Of Section 408 Of The Parish Of Alexandria, Which Comprised Of 10 Acres Of Land Origianlly Granted To Charles Smith In 1809 And Came To Be Known As Cleveland Gardens.

From The Date Of The Original Grant Until The Subdivision Of  The Cleveland The Only Roads Giving Access To The Boundaries Of Elizabeth Street South And Devonshire Street.

Historical Notes 

Cleveland House was built in about 1823-4 for prominent emancipist merchant Daniel Cooper. The house was built on about twelve acres of land which was originally granted to Charles Smith by Governor Macquarie in 1809 (Annable, 1991:12). Smith used this land, known as Cleveland Gardens, as either a market garden or nursery. Upon his purchase of the land Cooper spent (Pounds)4000 on construction of the house, believed to be the work of architect Francis Greenway (Annable, 1991: 5). The Cooper family moved into the house in 1825 but only resided there until 1829 when Cooper separated from his wife. At the time the house was let to provide Mrs Cooper with a source of income. (Annable, 1991:6) 

Until 1855 the house and its land was let out mainly to various families for residential purposes. However, in the 1830s the property was also used as a school. During this time the property is believed to have held prime views of the Darling Harbour and city areas. The decision in 1850 to build Redfern terminus brought industry to the area. This resulted in the subdivision of many of the gentlemen's estates in the neighbouring suburb of Surry Hills. This caused Surry Hills to be built out and changed its character from a picturesque 'village' to a high density suburb (Annable, 1991:6). 

Daniel Cooper returned to England in 1831 and left the house in the trust of James Cooper on the death of his ex-wife, Hannah, in 1836. Daniel Cooper died in 1853 and James Cooper sold the estate, which now amounted to around 13 acres (Annable, 1991:22), jointly to Moorehead and Walker (Annable, 1991:14-15). In 1855 this estate was subdivide into eight sections as part of the redevelopment of Surry Hills. The section containing the house and the outbuildings, lots 7, 8 and 12, were sold as a single property to Isaac Levey and inherited by his son, Montague, in 1860. For a short time after the subdivision the property was used for residential purposes but from 1858 the uses were varied. Uses included a school, laundry, boarding house, gentlemen's apartment and a government labour bureau (Annable, 1991:6) 

A further subdivision of land, lots 7 and 8, occurred in 1886. However, only 2 of these were purchased. From about the mid-1870s the outbuildings were used as a cordial factory, Barrett's. It is thought that some new buildings and extension of existing buildings took place to accommodate the factory. This use continued until it was sold to Peach and Jones bottle merchants in 1896 (Annable, 1991:6). At this time, the house was still owned by Levey (Annable, 1991:16). 

In 1903, the Order of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan purchased the entire unit of the original 1855 subdivision, with the exception of the two lots that were purchased in the 1886 subdivision. The Order used the property as a receiving place in the city for its refuge. Cleveland House was used as a convent for the nuns. They built a large four-storey building to house the refuge and a commercial laundry which was opened in 1904 (Annable, 1991:8) In the late 1920s the refuge became a home for aged and infirm women (Annable, 1991:17) 

In 1946 the property was sold to the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary who used it for the same purposes as the Good Samaritans (Annable, 1991:8) 

In 1958 Cleveland House was purchased by the NSW Society for Crippled Children. The refuge, built in 1904, was used as a hospital, clinic and for administration. Cleveland House was also used for administration. The former convent garden was filled in to be used as a lawn area and later for parking. Additional small buildings were constructed on the site (Annable, 1991:8). 

The property was sold in 1988 to Denerin Pty Ltd and all the buildings with the exception of Cleveland House were demolished and further subdivisions have occurred (Annable, 1991:8). Today there is a small garden at the front of the house and a grassed area between the side of the house and Chalmers Street. A large apartment complex is located at the rear (south) of the house. 

The house has been in private hands throughout its 186 year history. It is today owned by LGS Enterprise, which runs a medical education business InViVo Communications from the building (Central Sydney magazine, 10/2/2010, 4).

Check out Cleveland House Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4 

How To Be Normal In Australia

I've Started Reading A Book I Found In My Travels Called "How To Be Normal In Australia" And I'm Shocked!!!!!  It Comes Across As A Legitimate Read, Or Is The Author Just Taking The Piss Out Of Australian Culture or do People Perceive Us Being That Bad??? How Do They say It.... "Aussie Aussie Aussie... Oi Oi Oi".. A Guide For The Puzzled Visitor From Overseas, the Desperate Local, and The OverWhelmed Beginner..."A Practical Guide To The Uncharted Territory of Antipodean Relationships.." (whatever That Means)...

 

Chapter 1. The National Sport in Aust is Splitting The Bill

 

Chapter 2. How To Avoid People. Only Hang With Your Mates, With Collective Consensus With The Alpha Male. Anyone That Is Not Part Of The Group Should Be Made To Know It. 

 

Chapter 3. Always Be Sorry. No Matter What. All Care No Responsibility. Saying Sorry Usually Gets The Average Aussie By. 

 

Chapter 4. Facial Grimacing For Beginners - Learning The Different Grimacing Between Australians. 

 

Chapter 5 Mother's Day - Only Australian Mother's Know How Hard It Is To Teach Children Patience to Keep children Waiting As Long As Possible Chapter 6. Never Appear Worried - Denying Emotional Concern & Involvement - example Road Accidents - Join A Crowd Of Idle Observers - Under No Circumstance To Touch, Help Or Move Anyone. That Is Job Of Authorities... (Anyone With A Badge???) Remember in Australia... The only Worrying You Should Do Is Never Appear To Be Worried...

 

Chapter 7. How To be Passive - Australian Males Understand Only Too Well That The Less energy They Behave, The Greater Their Chances Of Being Picked Up. They Know That Women Have To take The Initiative

 

Chapter 8. Why Kissing Always Means "Yes".... Australians Will Kiss For One Purpose And One Purpose Only....

 

Chapter 9. A Modest Observation.. - men In Australia Become Gay If They Like Women, and heterosexual if They Don't... (Well That's A Revelation)

 

Chapter 10 - Sex By Attrition - Australians Consider That Any Admission Of Desire Shows A Demeaning Lack Of Character. Any Reference to Real Intentions Should Bring out A "Hot Denial"

 

Chapter 11. How  To Become Respectable - Australians Have a Great Admiration For Gamblers - Racecourses, dog tracks, poker machines, Lotto Agencies, Scratchies, TAB's, Raffles, competitions, Promotions, Casinos, instant Prizes Etc. It's Important to Train children At An Early Age to Buy Lotto For birthdays, Melbourne cup Sweepstakes, pokies  etc.... A FAMILY THAT BETS TOGETHER, GETS TOGETHER

 

Chapter 12. Australian Wedding - Each Planned Stage to tying the Matrimonial Knot Should  be the Source of Acrimonious Fights Between Bride, Groom & Their Families.

 

Chapter 13. Three Games For Beginners. Keeping Necessary tension with Partner... "Doesn't Matter"... "Someone Saw You!!!!"... "Us. Really!?!?"

 

Chapter 14. Bringing Down Children. Childhood Should Consist Of "Don'ts".. If A Child Has A Natural Passion, Force Them As Much As Possible Away From It In The Hope They'll Lose Interest Or Be Discouraged. Don't Teach Children Too Much As It Might Give Them An Advantage Over Others

 

Chapter 15. The Seven Ages Of Man. 0 - 25 - Involves A Lot Of Hard Work. After 25 Come The Good Times. You Can Let Go. It's An opportunity to Let Your Guts Hang Out Over Your Stubbies Shorts & Stay Exclusively in your age Group. Chapter 16 - The Bedroom. Australians Learn From Their Parents That The Real mirror To The Soul Is The state Of Their Bedroom. Give Bedroom A Rigid And Uninviting Appearance. 

 

 

Chapter 17 - The Loungeroom - generally It's The Last Place You take People into. Ensure Loungeroom has a Stale Ambience. Loungeroom Furniture Should Appear to be Cemented Or Bolted Down. Sofas Chairs Etc A Long Way From Each Other to prevent undue Intimacy and discourages relaxing Place Coffee Tables Too Close So People Can't Stretch Their Legs. Huge empty Spaces in The middle Of The room

 

 

Chapter 18. The Twilight Zone. - Steps Are taken for the Elderly in Australia from the outset to Protect The aged from Any Possible Abuse from their Families. This Is Why They Gather The Elderly Together, & Keep Them safely & securely in One Place.... Under The Care Of Strangers.... The Nursing Home

 

From About 40yrs old onwards discourage mixing with younger people. They Should Attend RSL's & Bowling clubs. Discourage Parents from spending Time At Your Place. They Might Like It and Makes It Harder to get Them into A Home.  Visit Them At Fewer & Fewer Intervals so eventually, except for a couple of hours on Christmas Day, They Won't Ever Have To See The Family Again. 

 

 

Chapter 19 - Renovations - Generally It Has  A Strong Correlation With The Marital Problems With The People Undertaking It. To keep A Marriage Going, Do Not Finish Renovating. Leave Bits Permanently unfinished. If All Improvements Are Made And finished, in Australia Research Shows the Property will Be Sold.

 

 

Chapter 20. Keeping The Peace... An Australian Mother Knows Only Too Well That "The Family" is A volatile Institution. She Also Knows It's Up To her To Be Peacekeeper, So The Family Is Not Plunged Into Anarchy through Open Arguments & Face To Face Conflicts. First Thing Is To Keep Everyone As Far Apart As Possible."Don't Bother Your Father..."  "you Better Tell Me First..."  "You're Upsetting Your Sister..."  "Leave The Kids Alone..." if contact Occurs.... "Stop It Both Of You...."   "I don't Want To Hear AnyMore About It!!!!".... "I Think You Two Better Stay Away From Each Other...."The Advantage Of Unresolved conflicts is that Australians Grow Up without Knowing how To Argue And Make Up

 

 

The Mother's Ultimate Aim Will Be to Discourage Any Kind Of Exchange Of Views, Personal Or General, As It could  potentially Lead to A Full Blown Drama

 

 

The Mother's Hand Of Manipulation Will Become undetectable As The Years Go on

 

 

Chapter 21 -  How to Recognize your Father

 

 

Father Is Like The Country's Governor General. Only Recognisable for His Uniform And Appearance at Special Occasions. Also Usually Delivers The Physical Punishment Once Child Is Proven Guilty And Convicted, By Way Of Hitting, or Having A Certain Object Of Fear Like A Belt, Wooden Spoon Or Implement Which Will Deliver Pain

 

 Mother operates Like The Modern Prime Minister. Expected to make Important unpopular Decisions. She Tries To remain In Power As Long As Possible. children Represent the opposition. Heard Only After whinging, Shouting And Stamping Of Feet. All Patriotic Australians Abide By This Rule, trespassing It Could Plunge The Whole Family into A Constitutional Crisis. 

 

 

Chapter 22. how to be No Trouble. the highest Praise That Can Be Given To A Child Is.... "That They Were No Trouble..." This Must Be Pointed Out At Every Opportunity. You Must Always Point out How Much trouble Your Neighbours, Cousins, Sisters Etc are Having With Their Children.

 

 

The Description of "No Trouble Children" Really Means.... They didn't do Anything in particular..... Stayed out Of Parents Hair..... Never Spoke Unless they Were Spoken To..... Spent A Lot Of Time Out Of Home Amusing Themselves..... Or Sat Around For Hours Staring At The TV

 

 

Chapter 23 - Fathers Day