Let us start with the Archway Terrace building, on the corner of Market Street and Clarence Street.


Heading north on Clarence Street, this is the Grace Hotel, born as the Grace Building in 1930 and the headquarters for the Grace Brothers Department Store.


The 1885 Clarence House started life as the Gardiner & Co. Warehouse, paired with 71 York Street (which shares its back lot).


This fine commercial building on the corner of Barrack Avenue was previously an office building, then Hotel Arcadia starting in 1929, but its original 1889 name was the Grand Central Coffee Palace. You'd expect that to be a large brewing company in New York City, so here's the deal. There was a large temperance movement in the latter half of the 19th century in the Euro-centric world, which ultimately led to Prohibition in the United States. In Australia, it wasn't as successful, but followers of the movement decided they needed an alternative to hotels, which in Aussie are pubs first and accommodations second. Enter the "coffee palaces," which may have been so named to entice people to come and enjoy their caffeinated benefits, providing coffee bars downstairs and lodging upstairs.


The 1882 John Sands building is at #62 Clarence St. The two column caps read "PROGRESS" (not pictured) and "MANUFACTUR". No "e", no "ing." Unless I'm missing something, this is a 140 year-old typo that would be costly to correct.


Glimpses of St. Philip's Anglican Church, at the north end of Clarence Street.


Now over to Lower Fort Street, by the south end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.


Heading south from there at the split to Windmill Street. If you can't see, the Hero of Waterloo dates to 1843.


Claimed to be the most intact warehouse in the Walsh Bay area, whatever that means, #30 Windmill St. was built as Parbury's Bond Store #3 in 1892. Grazcos Wool Store started in 1919 as the Graziers Co-op Shearing Company.


The front entrance and address are on Kent Street, but these sides of the 1892 Bond Building are along Windmill Street.


You won't see this anymore. This was the Sydney Harbour Control Tower, controlling shipping from on high 1972-2011 and demolished in 2016, viewed from the top of the hill of Windmill Street at Dalgety Road.


One block over on Bettington Street, Hotel Palisade was built in 1916, an unusual shape for a lone building.


Coming down to Hickson Street, Wharf 8/9 is the oldest of the "sea shed" buildings on the waterfront, dating to 1912. Sea sheds were used by shipping companies - whether ship operators or goods manufacturers - for loading, unloading, and storage. Each is numbered by the piers it served.


Wharf 6/7 (first 2 photos) dates to 1918 and Wharf 4/5 (last 3 photos) dates to 1921. Only the façades of these buildings are left, as they have all been converted to apartments. The bridge into the upper level of the building provided access to upper level sheds, increasing the utility of the wharves by taking advantage of the topography.


Looking north across Sydney Harbour at North Sydney from the foot of the Harbour Bridge.


This is probably not the first place you've seen the Sydney Opera House, opened in 1973 to replace a tram depot. One of the best views is from Bradleys Head across the harbour, and one of the worst views is from Cumberland Street over a wall. Enjoy both.


You can also get down by the water on Hickson Road (first 3 photos) or the end of Macquarie Street (last 2 photos) and see the Opera House at eye level without leaving the comfort of your car.

The Rocks
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