In
February 2012 Sarah and Terry found one sunny day in our long wet
summer to take some fresh photos around about the Fort Street school
area with an emphasis on that dim tunnel and where some of us caught
the tram home.
Some used to run across the road from either being dropped by car or at the first bus stop after the toll gates. Try that now!
Oh, the many lunch wraps and orange peels that were tossed into our convenient garbage disposal in 1952/53, now not a good idea.
Our playground for lunchtime, quite grand really.
More of Observatory Hill playground
The Observatory looks a bit fenced off now, not so when Chris lived there and we used to go play in the house after school.
View from opposite the school towards the city. My, what a clutter now compared to our days.
Now the walk home for the tram catchers, let's go to the tunnel under the road.
Looks a bit scary for a young child. Now has bike ramps up and down as the western walkway is now a bikeway.
Looking scarier, hope we don't meet some weird folk down there.....
Phew, got to the other side and nobody followed us
It really is quite a structure in keeping with the bridge itself, need to go up one level to get to the trams in 1952/53
Where the tunnel and stairs (to trams in the old days) spill out into Cumberland Street.
Coming
up those stairs we are on the Bridge walkway and on the right used to
be the tram tracks. The road above was added after the trams were
removed in 1958.
Hmmm,
blurry shot Sarah, but this is where the actual tram stop was. Back
home over the bridge the stop was on the left against the wall.
Coming to school stop was against the green railings, which were not
there in 1952.
Tram
tunnels to Wynyard are now used as a car park, and the ends closed off.
Tram users had to be very aware of trams popping out of that far tunnel
as they crossed the tracks to go home.
And an old photo to show the way it was.....
General
view from Cumberland Street. The tram stop was on that intermediate
level and the later roadway constructed above it. The big arch being
high over the very early Argyle Cut built in 1843 to 1867. It was made
to make the Millers Point docks easier to reach.
Argyle Cut and Cumberland Street above, from the east side of the Cut.
And
another view of the Cut. The concrete arch over would have been part of
the Harbour Bridge construction in the early 1930's.
So
that's a small collection of contemporary shots of some of our old
haunts, thanks to Sarah. More images welcome, old or new from our
1952/53 Fort Street classmates. Just email to
or let me have links to any stored photos that you wish to share. I can
scan any old photos that you may post to me, just contact me first. February 2012
The area covered. (The school is contained in the upper half of the circular road).
or let me have links to any stored photos that you wish to share. I can
scan any old photos that you may post to me, just contact me first. February 2012