Skip to main content

Changing Newcastle


  Since I came to live in Newcastle NSW (Australia) in 1999, the city has changed... architecture alone has changed the look of Newcastle.  As I walked by the old newspaper building , I was a bit sad to see a crane lifting materials for the apartments being built behind the facade of the original building. It wasn't just that the old building is no longer, it is that the local newspaper has changed too - no local office, printed elsewhere electronically. Yet I felt happy that at least the building will become "home" to many people  and that its history won't be lost. 
Last week, I also captured this shot of an old 1823 building reflected in the new City of Newcastle administration building. While the new building will be spectacular as it is, I really liked the idea of the past being reflected in its shiny glass exterior.  


There are some really amazing buildings which have appeared in Newcastle in the last few years.  The University of Newcastle , City  Campus is a testament to architectural innovations and contemporary design as well as function. It is called NeW Space -  a space to collaborate , and it certainly feels like that. 


In the same  city precinct as NeW Space is perhaps my favourite building in Newcastle, although I never really want to spend time in there. The Law Courts completed in 2015 still resonate with a newness and somehow a distinctive Newcastle feel.  It was built in a difficult triangular space, but somehow seems to spread happily into the block . Local artists' work have been featured for the interior design  with the foyer installation paying homage to the original  indigenous owners of the land. 



And soon, this city streetscape will be visible from the new light rail which will trvel along Hunter Street Newcastle.

Sadly for some ( my grandchildren included) the Queen's Wharf Tower, an icon of  'old ' Newcastle will not be visible  as it was demolished last year. However, there are many people who have rejoiced over the removal of what was considered a rather embarrassing phallic sculptural icon. 
And that is progress... 



Image Credits: 

  • Wilma Simmons 
  • https://www.newcastle.edu.au
  • http://www.coxarchitecture.com.au
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Giveaway - Gifts for You on My Birthday

Giveaway Gifts T his week is blog giveaway time! Last week I celebrated my birthday.  I’ve had far too many to count the candles, but I had a wonderful party on the weekend with my family - with an indulgent birthday cake, favourite foods cooked by my husband and great company. ( In case you were wondering about the writing on the cake , Por Por = Chinese grandmother)     I also got great gifts from  my family and friends. There seemed to be a bit of a theme this year – with many of my gifts and cards depicting matryshoka ( babushka) dolls and tea drinking.   As it is also winter here in Australia ,   it was easy for me to  decide what I could offer as gifts  in this birthday giveaway. All the gifts are handmade by me. Gift 1 - two little fabric matryshoka dolls  Gift 2- a little bag made from colourful teapot and teacup fabric . The design is called a jester bag, but it is suitable for carrying s...
24 comments
Read more

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...
3 comments
Read more

Pink Ribbon Giveaway

Today, 26 October, is Pink Ribbon Day. We started the morning at the community centre with my Rotary club, the Rotary Club of Wallsend-Maryland, and cooked pink pancakes and bacon and eggs (their natural colour) at a fundraising breakfast for Breast Cancer Research. I also bought a couple of items of pink merchandise to support the cause. The pink ribbon and pen are part of this week’s blog giveaway. It’s a pink parcel – a pink fabric bag, made from a Laurel Burch print, a beautiful flower made by my mum, one of our Rotary club’s angels of hope and the pen and ribbon. There may be some other little pink surprises which I may add during the week. All you have to do to win this prize is leave a comment, either about Pink Ribbon Day or one of the photos in this blog post. I will put all the names in a container and draw one next Monday, 2 November, 9am Australian Eastern Summer Time. The photos are of things I’ve finished this week. The beaded doll was started ages ago, before I we...
9 comments
Read more