Bush wallabies in Redfern?

These were some of the images conjured up when the City of Sydney organised a day of walks and talks at Redfern Town Hall to celebrate the area’s 150^th anniversary of incorporation as a municipality.

Lisa Murray, the Acting City Historian, and Heidi Norman, the 2006 Indigenous History Fellow, gave a series of talks throughout the morning and early afternoon, ranging from ‘The Gardens and Nurseries of Redfern’ to ‘The Black Heart of Redfern – Aboriginal People in 20^th Century Redfern’.

In between these lively talks, a keen group of participants was led on a short walking tour by historian Mark Dunn of leading heritage consultants Godden Mackay Logan (based in George Street).

Mr Dunn’s research provided explanations for some local mysteries. For instance, the 19^th-century house on Redfern Street, which has what looks like a sub-station incongruously stuck on the front, was the home of a bank manager who decided to open a branch in his own front yard!

And Dunn dispelled a couple of local myths as well. The transported mutineer, Dr William Redfern, for whose land grant the suburb is named, never actually lived here, though he owned 100 acres between Cleveland, Regent, Phillip and Elizabeth Streets.

And contrary to popular belief, George and Pitt Streets have never been connected to their City counterparts.

Lisa Murray also told of the privately owned Albert Cricket Ground, set between Elizabeth and Moorehead Streets, a block east of Redfern Oval. It opened in 1864 and was one of Sydney’s most important recreational and sporting grounds. And she told how John Baptist (who donated the fountain in Redfern Park) prospered so well from his veggie gardens that he ended up owning 37 houses in Surry Hills and another 25 in Redfern. So, presumably, he could well afford the fountain!

The Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, paid tribute to the many diverse layers of Redfern, hailing it as a unique urban village, with its mix of Indigenous culture, public housing tenants, immigrants, students and artists.

Lisa Murray is writing a history of Redfern, Waterloo and Alexandria, to be published next year. She wants to hear from residents, former residents and people with photos, memorabilia or stories about the area. Contact her at the City of Sydney.

Photo: City of Sydney - Caption: Redfern Street from Regent Street

Source: South Sydney Herald September 2009 www.southsydneyherald.com.au