Sydney: 1930s snapshot

[TP]

A fine pair of photographs at opposite ends of Circular Quay in the 1930s, featuring, in one, a young R class tram and the Manly ferry Curl Curl of 1928 and, in the other, One of Doran's Glasshouses (P class tram) and the North Shore ferry Koompartoo or Kuttabul of 1922. The very new Harbour Bridge is in the background of both. I don't know the attribution of the photos but happy to acknowledge it if somebody does.

In case anybody wonders why Sydney had so many trams, it took about 14 trams to transport the maximum load of the Manly ferry and over 20 trams to transport the maximum load of one of those North Shore ferries, the trams running seconds apart between them along George, Pitt, Castlereagh and Elizabeth Streets.

Circular Quay Railway Station (and thus the compete city rail circle) didn't open until 1956, by which time the patronage of the ferries was half what it was in the 1930s. Since the trams returned a few years ago, each now having the capacity of four of the old trams, they are running at 4 minute headways between two routes, which would compare capacity-wide with the old trams running at one minute headways, but only along George Street now. In days of yore, trams were running along George Street about 18 seconds apart, but they had loop termini then, none of this stupid shunting nonsense that eats into the headways.

Circular Quay Station was approved for construction in 1915, but finally came way too late for its potential glory days, which would have been in the 1920s and 1930s. Now it's one of the more modestly-used city stations and has recently suffered a 6% loss in patronage since the metro opened, as Martin Place has become a more preferred northern CBD destination, it's patronage increasing 92% since the metro opening and soaring past Circular Quay in patronage. It wouldn't surprise me if the trams were again the most-used feeder between the ferries and the CBD, as the city circle stations are less convenient and don't always have good frequency through Circular Quay.

Tony P

 

[David Batho]

Lovely photos, Tony.

David (whose computer is now fixed!)

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<CQ1932.jpg><CQ1930s.jpg>

[TP]

Thank you David. There are lots of lovely photos floating around, unacknowledged, on the internet. It pains me not to be able to acknowledge them, but I suspect many like these come from the State and City collections.

Here's another looking from the Customs House northwards. The newly-built 1940s Art Deco wharves have replaced most of the earlier Federation wharves and the view across to the water is still intact, a view I still vaguely recall from my early childhood before the "great wall" went up. A coupled pair of Doran's Glasshouses (I love that nickname!) cruise past on their way to the terminus, having emptied their load.

Secondly, a few years later in the early 1950s, looking the opposite direction. The great wall is starting to rise, but it seems apparent that it wouldn't have been too bad if they'd just left it at the station level and not put the Cahill Expressways (named after the State Premier who ordered the destruction of the tram system) on top. Almost like a big FU to the trams. I like to think it would have given him apoplexy to see today's trams back in Alfred Street again.

Tony P

[Mal Rowe]

On 26/11/2024 23:42, 'TP' via TramsDownUnder wrote:
> The great wall is starting to rise, but it seems apparent that it
> wouldn't have been too bad if they'd just left it at the station level
> and not put the Cahill Expressways (named after the State Premier who
> ordered the destruction of the tram system) on top.

Perhaps Sydney needs a local earthquake.  It worked for San Francisco!

Mal Rowe - severely off topic and not wishing disaster on the Harbour City

[David Critchley]

Note in the second image how 'low' Sydney looked in that era, especially when compared to Melbourne and Brisbane at the time.  Following a series of disasterous fires around the turn-of-the-century and fearing that fighting fires was nearly impossible in tall buildings, the NSW Government passed the Height of Buildings Act of 1912, limiting new buildings to just 150 feet tall.  The Act was to determine the height of Sydney buildings for almost 50 years.  It wasn't repealed until 1957 and as a result Sydney spent almost half a century growing predominantly outward rather than upward.  

At least it made photographing trams in Sydney less problematic!  

David Critchley

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[Mal Rowe]

On 27/11/2024 12:24, 'David Critchley' via TramsDownUnder wrote:

Note in the second image how 'low' Sydney looked in that era, especially when compared to Melbourne and Brisbane at the time.  Following a series of disasterous fires around the turn-of-the-century and fearing that fighting fires was nearly impossible in tall buildings, the NSW Government passed the Height of Buildings Act of 1912, limiting new buildings to just 150 feet tall.  The Act was to determine the height of Sydney buildings for almost 50 years.  It wasn't repealed until 1957 and as a result Sydney spent almost half a century growing predominantly outward rather than upward.  

Melbourne still has a similar height limit covering the blocks bound by Flinders, Elizabeth, Lonsdale and Russell streets.

Together with wide streets it keeps central Melbourne from the 'curse of the canyons'.

Not so with the Melbourne Docklands development where developers and planners were one and the same, resulting in narrow streets and tall towers.

Mal Rowe - whose words fail him in describing the 'security fence' in the attached picture of Collins St, Docklands

[TP]

We've had a few earthquakes, but unfortunately none of them have managed to dislodge the Cahill. Even Keating couldn't remove it, so it looks like it's here to stay.

Yes, interesting about the height of buildings. Sydney has actually gone through an additional generational change compared to any other Australian city, except maybe Hobart. The original very charming Georgian city was replaced by a Victorian city, which in turn has been replaced by a 20th century skyscraper city. I can't say I'm all that happy with all the losses, but since it's now a "world city" I guess it's unavoidable. The irony is that most of Sydney's early colonial heritage is out in western Sydney, including its only surviving 18th century buildings. However, now the skyscrapers are chasing themselves all the way out there and Parramatta looks as massive as another capital city.

Tony P