Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
waves. The lake is covered
with lotus and water lilies for
much of the year and a rock
monster guards against evil.
On the other side of the lake
is the Twin Pavilion. Waratahs
(New South Wales's floral sym-
bol) and flowering apricots
are carved into its woodwork,
and also grow at its base.
A tea house, found at the top
of the stairs in the Tea House
Courtyard, serves traditional
Chinese tea and cakes.
outdoor theatre, which were
in turn replaced by a circus
with a floodable ring. The
present building was erected in
the 1920s as a luxurious picture
palace. In the mid-1990s, the
cinema was restored, in keep-
ing with the original theme of
a Florentine Garden.
The Capitol reopened as a
lyric theatre with productions
being staged beneath its
Mediterranean-blue ceiling
studded with twinkling stars
reflecting the southern sky.
Chinatown entrance, Dixon Street
spruced up, with street lanterns
and archways, and a new wave
of Asian migrants fills the
now up-market restaurants.
Chinatown is a distinctive
area with greengrocers,
traditional herbalists and
butchers' shops with wind-
dried ducks hanging in their
windows. Jewellers, clothing
shops and confectioners
fill the arcades. There are
also two Chinese-language
cinema complexes.
Chinatown
8
Dixon St Plaza, Sydney.
Map
4 D4.
Paddy's Markets.
Originally concentrated
around Dixon and Hay
Streets, Chinatown is expan-
ding to fill Sydney's Haymarket
area, stretching west to Harris
Street, south to Broadway and
east to Castlereagh Street. It is
close to the Sydney Entertain-
ment Centre, where some of
the world's best-known rock
and pop stars perform and
indoor sporting events are held.
For years, Chinatown was a
run-down district at the edge
of the city's produce markets
where many Chinese migrants
worked. Today Dixon Street,
its main thoroughfare, has been
The lavishly renovated Capitol
Theatre in Chinatown
Capitol Theatre
9
13 Campbell St, Haymarket.
Map
4 E4.
Tel
9320 5000.
@
George St routes.
#
performances only.
Box office
#
9am-5pm Mon-Fri.
7
www
.
capitoltheatre.com.au
Paddy's Markets
0
Cnr Thomas & Hay sts, Haymarket.
Map
4 D4.
Tel
1300 361 589.
Paddy's Markets.
#
9am-5pm Thu-
Sun & public hols.
ยข
25 Apr, 25 Dec.
6
7
See also
Shops and Markets
p203.
www
.paddysmarkets.com.au
In the mid-1800s a cattle and
corn market was situated
here. It became Paddy's Market
Bazaar with sideshows and an
Haymarket, in Chinatown, is
home to Paddy's Markets,
Sydney's oldest market. It has
been in this area, on a number
of sites, since 1869 (with only
one five-year absence). The
name's origin is uncertain, but
is believed to have come
from either the Chinese who
originally supplied much of
its produce, or the Irish, their
main customers.
Once the shopping centre for
the inner-city poor, Paddy's
Markets is now an integral part
of an ambitious development
including residential apart-
ments and the Market City
Shopping Centre, with fashion
outlet stores, an Asian food
court and a cinema complex.
However, the familiar clamour
and chaotic bargain-hunting
atmosphere of the original
marketplace remain. Every
weekend the market has up
to 800 stalls selling everything
from fresh produce to
chickens, puppies, electrical
products and leather goods.
Pavilion in the grounds of the Chinese Garden
