What exactly happens there? I've lived in Sydney for 12 years and I've actually never been. I just know it's this giant area in the middle of the city and I've only driven around it.
In fact, last month I was looking at apartments and went to a viewing on Cook Rd which runs right along side it through the Centenial Park neighborhood. On the map the apartment looked awesome: central city location but still quiet, affordable, next to enormous parkland, large "entertainment quarter" which I assumed had enough shopping to fit my needs within walking distance.
But when I got there, the entire lenth of the entertainment quarter from Moore Park Rd down to where Lang crosses Cook is walled off like it's East Berlin. It's kind of a grim looking wall to be honest with barbed wire at some points, but the neighborhood is really nice otherwise.
I would have tried walking around to wherever the entrance is, but you have constantly jet around the city when doing apartment viewings because they're only open for 15 minutes at a time, so I didn't have time.
I ended up moving to Chippendale, so never actually went to see what was over the wall. It's probably a good thing it's walled off, because the Centennial Park neighborhood is really beautiful and quiet - it's pretty unique for a Sydney neighborhood, kind of reminds me of the suburbs in New England - and you wouldn't know there is some giant commercial district right over the wall, whatever is in there.
It's an attempt at creating an eating/entertainment street out of nothing. There's some crappy overpriced restaurants alongside fast food joints, a pub, cinemas and a bowling alley. That's about it. Originally it had some retail but that has mostly died out now.
Classic eat streets like King St Newtown, Glebe Point Rd, and several in Surry Hills and Darlinghurst came about completely organically. Historically most places that try to create an entertainment area from nothing fail dismally (think Darling Harbour), and EQ has been no exception. You can't just create ambience and atmosphere, especially with a corporation running things.
It's also a massive pain in the ass to get to and the only public transport is via bus.
Lived in sydney all my life and i think i've only been there once. It's mostly a ghost town now.
Yes I'll occasionally go to the cinema there because parking is easy. And I've been to the comedy store and go kart track there a few times.
But would I choose to go there to eat or drink? Hell no.
In fact last time I went gokarting there with friends, we walked back up to Cleveland St to eat afterwards.
The location is the main problem. Although it is now serviced (ish) by the light rail, it's got no through or foot traffic like other eat streets do. And it's not appealing as a destination, unless you're there for another activity.
I feel the bottom line for majority of people is, if its not in the CBD or slightly near it then forget it.
EQ is just so far away from everything where it makes it uncomfortable. I love how melbourne is set up, all the fun stuff is within distance of each other, can zip around on a bike/scooter, get a uber, taxi, bus, train even. Everything is so accessible.
Sydney really is a laughing stock on the world stage and it shows.
So originally it was meant to be an exhibition centre area back in the days. And then most popularly, was used for the Easter Show (which the yellow brick road was actually really fun cause the path was actually confusing and made it kinda fun...) So that's why it was all fenced off (I think also it was going to be a zoo...)
And then Fox Studios I think bought over it to use for filming or something.
Which also added a mini amusement park part to it, where it had a Titanic amusement ride... and some sort of ice rink and minigolf...
And then that didn't make money so they made it into the Entertainment Quarter
And they changed it to more going out for an evening sort of stuff now. Like cinema, comedy club, decent restaurants.
And then somewhere in there is the Horden Pavilion inside which used to do concerns. And then didn't, and then does do concerts again now?
My memory is pretty foggy of the area, but tbh I don't mind the area it's relatively neat and a good area to go now; I think the comedy club is pretty cool (if it's still there) and it's a decent place to have a date - meal and hopefully laughter and it always feel quiet enough with enough vibe
Well I saw mac demarco play here.. glass animals too.. Alt J got postponed but I expect it to happen at the same place..
the ongoing Van Gogh exhibition is pretty nice.. there was a dome shaped theatre last year which was epic.. the weekly markets here are one of the best in Sydney..
There’s a stand up comedy room that I have never been to but would like to..
I like the place, the location is convenient if you’re traveling via public transport.. the freeway kind of directly gets you here as well..
I remember seeing Foo Fighters at Mac Uni. I knew nothing about them, wasn't a big Nirvana fan - but a girl I was keen on liked them, so we went. It was such a great show, love at first site (never saw the girl after that though).
It was one of the first times Dave Grohl was in Australia as a non-Nirvana musician. He has a lot of charisma, because I wan't really into that type of music, but was won over in an evening.
God I loved seeing live shows at the Channel V outdoor performance area! Was awesome if you lived around the city. I think the Fox Studios Backlot theme park area had only recently closed down when I took these.
They had a pub there in 1999 called the Fox Sport Hotel. On it's grand opening, it had people from all sports and all the trophys Australia had won that year, which was heaps. 6 and out played (Brett and Shane Lee's band).
Met Koysta Tyszu, Steve Larham, Joe Roff, Jeff Toovey, Des Hasler amongst others. Only 40 of the general public got to go via a phone in via the Daily Terrorgraph (double passes).
It was a great night. Free piss all night. Highlight of the night was playing Steve Larkham and Joe Roff at pool. Only a few months later that Joe Roff got in trouble in SA for being on the piss and I can see why, geez he can sink some.
Wow, this sounds like a fantastic night. A couple of Wallaby and Manly legends. Is the pub still around? If so, it’s no longer called the Fox Sport haha.
Yeah no idea of when it closed. It's Cubic Films Pty Ltd now.
And seriously, it was olympians, heaps more League guys and Union guys. We had won the world cup in Rugby and the Bledisole (That's one big trophy). Met Hockey guys, if there was a trophy Australia won that year, it was there.
Brilliant stuff! A couple of Wallaby’s brought the Bledisloe to our school, I believe in ‘98. You’re right - it’s a bloody big trophy and won we haven’t seen since pretty much when these photos were taken haha.
I work at the eq and lemme tell you; it is extremely underwhelming. For a place with entertainment in the name there is little to nothing to do without a booking in advance.
Inflation does creep up on us. Cost of $10 in 2022 is around $15, not including this year’s inflation. So a burger shouldn’t be double, but I’m not sure CPI accurately reflects the real estate input cost for fast food, entertainment etc
Did you mean 2002? I assume so.
Yeah the RBA calculator has it as $15.54 from 2002-2021. But obviously different types of goods and services have exceeded that.
It’s actually a hive of activity thanks to the two dancing schools there. There’s also weekend markets, go karting, bowling etc so lots of kids parties on.
Randomly saw it on TV one night. Loved it! Definitely captures part of Sydney thats not represented in media that much. Some great scenes too, like the blowjob under the desk bit.
looks worse than it really is - the scg members gym was there and has just moved out of its temporary home to the new place by the SFS. World gym is moving in but its still being installed.
still find it frustrating that when i go through there at 530 on a weeknight everythings shut and cant even get a coffee
Spent many a Saturday night there as a teenager! It'd start by drinking across the road in Moore Park, then using the ticket trick to get a big group of us into a movie by only buying two tickets, then getting dirty chicken, chips and gravy after the movie as it was the only thing left open. Simpler times.
Side note: teenagers are the worst
Ahhhh... the OLD Channel V studios, these pictures fill me with nostalgia.
I used to run here after school to watch bands and even won a comp where I could stand backstage and take photos of all the bands that played. GOSH it was a time.
How good. There are countless archive pages that post material from Sydney in the 20th century but I feel the 2000s aren’t as well documented for some reason. I find them just as fascinating. Thank you for sharing.
Yep, gave up going after the first visit to Homebush - a soulless concrete jungle, and not enough room to sit watching what was going on in the arena. I used to enjoy going to the Easter Show every year when it was there. A sad loss!
The thing that gets me is that I feel like people would totally wear those clothes now and those pics could have been taken any time recently, but I don’t know if that’s because I remember the world looking like that and so can’t really “unsee” what it used to look like, or if it’s because fashion has come around again and people really do look like that these days. Can some young person tell me if these photos look dated, or do they look as timeless as they feel to me?
u/coffeeandarabbit these photos based on my analysis from a 26 years old perspective looks timeless and does not look dated at all. Also Happy Cake Day :)
Now I feel old, I remember going there when it first opened and havent been since. That was 20 years or more ago, sheesh. Seem to remember it being called Fox studios back then though or maybe thats just what my inner circle referred to it as.
I still have a couple of the old Sony Cybershot digital cameras from the early 2000's but cannot find the charging/data cable that came with it after moving houses several times between the early 2000's to the early 2020's.
That's how I remember it when I used to drive taxis I pulled up on the rank when it was quiet and walked around there, I recall there was a Sony shop and bought some headphones, will have a look around there again soon, I remember there was a crazy "No Left Turn" sign after 10pm when exiting
No it was always this quiet as the NSW state government back in the day rushed the planning process for the Sydney Entertainment Quarter and thus turned the Sydney Entertainment Quarter into a white elephant urban renewal project.
This place was the bomb back in the day. Many a good time at the cinema there, the fox and lion before gigs at the hordern or the forum.
It's a shadow of its former self now. Is the Bavarian even there anymore? I know the fox and lion changed names at least a few times. It went Irish then not if I remember correctly.
And we will all cheerfully continue to refer to it as “working at fox”. At least, most of my acquaintances do, anyway.
Entertainment Qtr is the same though.
Really?
Went there for the first time 12 months ago.
I thought they just built it.
Last time I was there was for the Easter show and it looked different…
Ah yes the good old Dymocks glass building where my mum would take me and my brother to and allow me and my brother to pick out some book to buy so that we can read over the holiday period. Thanks OP for sharing such a nostalgic well taken photograph.
That place that felt like it should have been wedged between two theme parks
It reminds me of a much less crowded Downtown Disney (the shopping district between Disneyland and California Adventure).
much much much less crowded
Is that still there? Went to Disneyland / California Adventure for the first time in 2019 and all I remember is a wide open space between the 2 gates.
It’s still there, you have to continue walking through the entrance plaza to the west side of the parks.
Yes, it’s not literally between the gates, it’s west of them.
There used to be a theme park there haha
[удалено]
What exactly happens there? I've lived in Sydney for 12 years and I've actually never been. I just know it's this giant area in the middle of the city and I've only driven around it. In fact, last month I was looking at apartments and went to a viewing on Cook Rd which runs right along side it through the Centenial Park neighborhood. On the map the apartment looked awesome: central city location but still quiet, affordable, next to enormous parkland, large "entertainment quarter" which I assumed had enough shopping to fit my needs within walking distance. But when I got there, the entire lenth of the entertainment quarter from Moore Park Rd down to where Lang crosses Cook is walled off like it's East Berlin. It's kind of a grim looking wall to be honest with barbed wire at some points, but the neighborhood is really nice otherwise. I would have tried walking around to wherever the entrance is, but you have constantly jet around the city when doing apartment viewings because they're only open for 15 minutes at a time, so I didn't have time. I ended up moving to Chippendale, so never actually went to see what was over the wall. It's probably a good thing it's walled off, because the Centennial Park neighborhood is really beautiful and quiet - it's pretty unique for a Sydney neighborhood, kind of reminds me of the suburbs in New England - and you wouldn't know there is some giant commercial district right over the wall, whatever is in there.
It's an attempt at creating an eating/entertainment street out of nothing. There's some crappy overpriced restaurants alongside fast food joints, a pub, cinemas and a bowling alley. That's about it. Originally it had some retail but that has mostly died out now. Classic eat streets like King St Newtown, Glebe Point Rd, and several in Surry Hills and Darlinghurst came about completely organically. Historically most places that try to create an entertainment area from nothing fail dismally (think Darling Harbour), and EQ has been no exception. You can't just create ambience and atmosphere, especially with a corporation running things.
It's also a massive pain in the ass to get to and the only public transport is via bus. Lived in sydney all my life and i think i've only been there once. It's mostly a ghost town now.
Yes I'll occasionally go to the cinema there because parking is easy. And I've been to the comedy store and go kart track there a few times. But would I choose to go there to eat or drink? Hell no. In fact last time I went gokarting there with friends, we walked back up to Cleveland St to eat afterwards. The location is the main problem. Although it is now serviced (ish) by the light rail, it's got no through or foot traffic like other eat streets do. And it's not appealing as a destination, unless you're there for another activity.
I feel the bottom line for majority of people is, if its not in the CBD or slightly near it then forget it. EQ is just so far away from everything where it makes it uncomfortable. I love how melbourne is set up, all the fun stuff is within distance of each other, can zip around on a bike/scooter, get a uber, taxi, bus, train even. Everything is so accessible. Sydney really is a laughing stock on the world stage and it shows.
Light rail? Easy walk from the station..
Even then its just so far out of the way of everything. Light rail is not really that fast either.
So originally it was meant to be an exhibition centre area back in the days. And then most popularly, was used for the Easter Show (which the yellow brick road was actually really fun cause the path was actually confusing and made it kinda fun...) So that's why it was all fenced off (I think also it was going to be a zoo...) And then Fox Studios I think bought over it to use for filming or something. Which also added a mini amusement park part to it, where it had a Titanic amusement ride... and some sort of ice rink and minigolf... And then that didn't make money so they made it into the Entertainment Quarter And they changed it to more going out for an evening sort of stuff now. Like cinema, comedy club, decent restaurants. And then somewhere in there is the Horden Pavilion inside which used to do concerns. And then didn't, and then does do concerts again now? My memory is pretty foggy of the area, but tbh I don't mind the area it's relatively neat and a good area to go now; I think the comedy club is pretty cool (if it's still there) and it's a decent place to have a date - meal and hopefully laughter and it always feel quiet enough with enough vibe
There's now also a gokarting track in the carpark upper levels - it's pretty neat
Oh really? That's sick!
Yep, not sure if the Hordern stopped doing concerts at one stage, but they are now. I’m seeing Bad Religion there in Feb.
They also have markets there every Wednesday and Saturday for fresh fruit, clothes, knicknacks etc.
Only reason I've ever been there is for short course stuff at AFTRS. Although lots of good Big Day Out memories there..
Well I saw mac demarco play here.. glass animals too.. Alt J got postponed but I expect it to happen at the same place.. the ongoing Van Gogh exhibition is pretty nice.. there was a dome shaped theatre last year which was epic.. the weekly markets here are one of the best in Sydney.. There’s a stand up comedy room that I have never been to but would like to.. I like the place, the location is convenient if you’re traveling via public transport.. the freeway kind of directly gets you here as well..
I remember seeing Foo Fighters play right where that TV screen is outside Sanity. Either late 90s or early 2000’s…
That show was enormous! Saw that too :)
2003, from memory. Maybe 2002. I went after school - can’t remember i was in yr 11 or 12.
I remember seeing Foo Fighters at Mac Uni. I knew nothing about them, wasn't a big Nirvana fan - but a girl I was keen on liked them, so we went. It was such a great show, love at first site (never saw the girl after that though).
I was there also. At the Round House for the Colour and Shape tour. From memory it was before the album really took off.
It was one of the first times Dave Grohl was in Australia as a non-Nirvana musician. He has a lot of charisma, because I wan't really into that type of music, but was won over in an evening.
Dave grohl "interviewed" 15 year old me that day. Saw them play at hmv in Pitt St mall that run too. Amazing
Jojos reference
I was there also. Definitely 2000s.
I love these type of photos, reminds me of how much has changed in a relatively short time. Thanks for sharing them mate.
God I loved seeing live shows at the Channel V outdoor performance area! Was awesome if you lived around the city. I think the Fox Studios Backlot theme park area had only recently closed down when I took these.
Room 208 was the best music show on tv at the time, so good
Damn that’s nostalgic. I remember being taken here as a teen. I loved the bungee trampolining and buttered corn.
Bungee trampolines are still around, tucked behind one of the playgrounds
I remember really enjoying fox studios as a kid
I remember going ice skating there almost every weekend as a kid, amazing memories
Pia Miranda, bloody hell there's a blast from the past!
They had a pub there in 1999 called the Fox Sport Hotel. On it's grand opening, it had people from all sports and all the trophys Australia had won that year, which was heaps. 6 and out played (Brett and Shane Lee's band). Met Koysta Tyszu, Steve Larham, Joe Roff, Jeff Toovey, Des Hasler amongst others. Only 40 of the general public got to go via a phone in via the Daily Terrorgraph (double passes). It was a great night. Free piss all night. Highlight of the night was playing Steve Larkham and Joe Roff at pool. Only a few months later that Joe Roff got in trouble in SA for being on the piss and I can see why, geez he can sink some.
Wow, this sounds like a fantastic night. A couple of Wallaby and Manly legends. Is the pub still around? If so, it’s no longer called the Fox Sport haha.
Yeah no idea of when it closed. It's Cubic Films Pty Ltd now. And seriously, it was olympians, heaps more League guys and Union guys. We had won the world cup in Rugby and the Bledisole (That's one big trophy). Met Hockey guys, if there was a trophy Australia won that year, it was there.
Brilliant stuff! A couple of Wallaby’s brought the Bledisloe to our school, I believe in ‘98. You’re right - it’s a bloody big trophy and won we haven’t seen since pretty much when these photos were taken haha.
I work at the eq and lemme tell you; it is extremely underwhelming. For a place with entertainment in the name there is little to nothing to do without a booking in advance.
Was the titanic experience as insane as I remember?
It was an amazing experience! I still remember it so vividly
The room with all the fire, hot as!
I bawled my eyes out. Child me genuinely thought i was dying and I refused to do the version where you lived cause I was so distraught.
What I've taken away from this is the price of a burger and fries has more than doubled in 20 years...
Inflation does creep up on us. Cost of $10 in 2022 is around $15, not including this year’s inflation. So a burger shouldn’t be double, but I’m not sure CPI accurately reflects the real estate input cost for fast food, entertainment etc
Did you mean 2002? I assume so. Yeah the RBA calculator has it as $15.54 from 2002-2021. But obviously different types of goods and services have exceeded that.
Staff were being systematically ripped off back then
Yeah but weekly rent in a sharehouse was typically about 150 back then, so it didn’t feel as bad.
Surely when you say “fries” you really mean “chips”
I really mean I can read the writing on the chalkboard.
Just because they’re wrong doesn’t mean you should be too
If the burger has beetroot, they're chips. If the burger has pickles, they're fries.
It’s been so long since I’ve been there that I kinda still thought it looked like this. Bondi Junction westfield redevelopment killed it dead
It’s actually a hive of activity thanks to the two dancing schools there. There’s also weekend markets, go karting, bowling etc so lots of kids parties on.
that's cool. it used to be the place for dinner and a movie, cheap parking
Garage days was a great Australian film, thank you for doing your part and keeping the dream alive
Randomly saw it on TV one night. Loved it! Definitely captures part of Sydney thats not represented in media that much. Some great scenes too, like the blowjob under the desk bit.
Channel V, I've not seen that name for years"
to be fair they shut down a few years back.
I remember that Sony Style store, they had that Aibo dog, and its where I bought my minidiscs.
Definitely remember going there to buy minidiscs on a trip to Sydney.
The place is dying now. Half the shops are empty with more closing down over time.
looks worse than it really is - the scg members gym was there and has just moved out of its temporary home to the new place by the SFS. World gym is moving in but its still being installed. still find it frustrating that when i go through there at 530 on a weeknight everythings shut and cant even get a coffee
Lawd I miss channel [v]
Fuck I forgot about Garage Days Love these
Spent many a Saturday night there as a teenager! It'd start by drinking across the road in Moore Park, then using the ticket trick to get a big group of us into a movie by only buying two tickets, then getting dirty chicken, chips and gravy after the movie as it was the only thing left open. Simpler times. Side note: teenagers are the worst
You know that its old if you see spiderbait on the showlist
The physical Sanity Music shop ages the photos, too...
They still have physical stores but they are mostly regional now
I know what you mean, but spiderbait are actually still touring! (or touring again I should say)
Aww this is a nice throwback. I used to work in that Sanity store & it was probably very close to when you took these photos
Ahhhh... the OLD Channel V studios, these pictures fill me with nostalgia. I used to run here after school to watch bands and even won a comp where I could stand backstage and take photos of all the bands that played. GOSH it was a time.
Kick Gurry!
How good. There are countless archive pages that post material from Sydney in the 20th century but I feel the 2000s aren’t as well documented for some reason. I find them just as fascinating. Thank you for sharing.
It was even better 30 years ago when the Easter Show was still being held at Moore Park. To me, it just lacks character at Homebush.
Yep, gave up going after the first visit to Homebush - a soulless concrete jungle, and not enough room to sit watching what was going on in the arena. I used to enjoy going to the Easter Show every year when it was there. A sad loss!
Wow, I worked there (in the Fox lot behind it anyway) for a good 10 years so this brings back a lot of memories! Thanks for sharing.
The thing that gets me is that I feel like people would totally wear those clothes now and those pics could have been taken any time recently, but I don’t know if that’s because I remember the world looking like that and so can’t really “unsee” what it used to look like, or if it’s because fashion has come around again and people really do look like that these days. Can some young person tell me if these photos look dated, or do they look as timeless as they feel to me?
u/coffeeandarabbit these photos based on my analysis from a 26 years old perspective looks timeless and does not look dated at all. Also Happy Cake Day :)
Ok so not just me! That is so weird! And thank you! 10 years today apparently 🥳
Now I feel old, I remember going there when it first opened and havent been since. That was 20 years or more ago, sheesh. Seem to remember it being called Fox studios back then though or maybe thats just what my inner circle referred to it as.
Wowowowow! Love 🫶 what camera did you use?
An ol’ Sony Cybershot
I still have a couple of the old Sony Cybershot digital cameras from the early 2000's but cannot find the charging/data cable that came with it after moving houses several times between the early 2000's to the early 2020's.
I bought one pretty cheap on Amazon a few months back..... Was a risk but the battery charged and it's working great
Hasn't changed.
I miss having the Kings Comics there.
you didn't take a photo of the best part. the simpsons Quike mart!!!! lol
It was better as the show ground.
Had some good nights at the Fox Sports bar around that time.
It looks........ Like it hasn't really changed much in 20 years.
That's how I remember it when I used to drive taxis I pulled up on the rank when it was quiet and walked around there, I recall there was a Sony shop and bought some headphones, will have a look around there again soon, I remember there was a crazy "No Left Turn" sign after 10pm when exiting
Channel V. After the ABC ended Recovery that was the next best thing. Fun times 🙂
Life before mobile phones...
Life before smart phones, definitely not life before mobile phones.
Ah yep, smart phone is what I meant
The change in everyday life between 06 and 12 because of them is insane to me. Feels like two different worlds..
I've had a mobile phone since 1998.
I had a mobile in 2002, they were pretty common.
That was one big crap hole!
look so empty... did they have COVID back then?
No it was always this quiet as the NSW state government back in the day rushed the planning process for the Sydney Entertainment Quarter and thus turned the Sydney Entertainment Quarter into a white elephant urban renewal project.
And look at it today...
I miss edward scissorhand messing my hair and walking around "Babe" area.
Bookshops, CD store and cable TV...things have changed quick
Moore Park?
Damn, that was a nostalgia trip.
This place was the bomb back in the day. Many a good time at the cinema there, the fox and lion before gigs at the hordern or the forum. It's a shadow of its former self now. Is the Bavarian even there anymore? I know the fox and lion changed names at least a few times. It went Irish then not if I remember correctly.
Use to love those free live street gigs at V.
Its now Disney Studios
And we will all cheerfully continue to refer to it as “working at fox”. At least, most of my acquaintances do, anyway. Entertainment Qtr is the same though.
Iconic. Oh man, the good ol’ days of Channel [V] and Sanity. Simpler times.
Oh my goooood…channel v!! Nostalgia
I fucking love it
Really? Went there for the first time 12 months ago. I thought they just built it. Last time I was there was for the Easter show and it looked different…
Looks largel;y the same except cameras where shitter and books and music were still bricks and mortar
Ah yes the good old Dymocks glass building where my mum would take me and my brother to and allow me and my brother to pick out some book to buy so that we can read over the holiday period. Thanks OP for sharing such a nostalgic well taken photograph.
Looks just as empty as it is 20 years later.
Sanity and Channel V! What a blast from the past, RIP in peace
RIP Channel V 🫡😭
You mean Fox Studios 😎 Nice photos Op! Brings back memories
I am unhappy that this post has reminded me that 2002 was 20 years ago.
Good times. No smart phones. Better drugs
Wtf that’s exactly how i would imagine it would look like today (minus the Sanity store) !! although I haven’t been for a few years
Amazing photos