Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SIGHTS
Potts Point
FITZROY GARDENS
(cnr Macleay St & Darlinghurst Rd; Kings Cross)
It's testimony to the 'cleaning up' of the Cross
that this once-dodgy park is now a reasonably safe place to hang out (probably helped by
the austere police station in the corner). It still feels seedy, though: malnourished seagulls
compete for scraps with pigeons who look like Keith Richards, while groaning, bearded
homeless guys compile cigarettes from discarded butts.
PARK
Known locally as the 'elephant douche', the dandelion-esque
El Alamein Fountain
(Macleay St, Fitzroy Gardens; Kings Cross)
, built 1961, sends waves of chlorinated spray across
the open space. An organic food market sets up here on Saturday mornings, while on
Sundays a little flea market takes its place.
MCELHONE STAIRS
(Victoria St; Kings Cross)
These stone stairs were built in 1870 to connect spiffy Potts Point
with the Woolloomooloo slums below. The steep steps run past an apartment block: resid-
ents sip tea on their balconies and stare bemusedly at the fitness freaks punishing them-
selves on the 113-stair uphill climb.
LANDMARK
Elizabeth Bay
ELIZABETH BAY HOUSE
Cross)
Completed in 1839 for Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay, this elegant neoclas-
sical mansion by architect John Verge was one of the finest houses to be built in the colony
(and still is one of the finest). Its grounds - a sort of botanical garden for Macleay, who col-
lected plants from around the world - once extended from the harbour all the way up the
hill to Kings Cross.
HISTORIC BUILDING
Ugly 20th-century apartments now surround the house, but the exquisite oval salon and
stairwell are timeless architectural delights.
