The Archdiocese of Sydney has established the new Sydney City South Parish that merges Redfern Catholic Church with Rosebery and Waterloo. Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP has created a decree recognising the amalgamation after consultations with various communities.
The new Sydney City South Parish will comprise St Joseph in Rosebery, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Waterloo, and St Vincent de Paul in Redfern with Fr Paul Smither as the parish priest. Fr Paul said that whilst mergers may be difficult, it’s an important step to make the parishes viable.
The churches in Waterloo and Rosebery are within walking distance whilst the Redfern church is around three kilometres away. Fr Paul said that as these small parishes integrate, the community will cover a bigger area as well, allowing the Catholic faithful to participate in various activities of the three churches.
Photo Credit: Sydney City South Parish
Members of the parish might leave as a result of these changes but Fr Paul is also optimistic that new people will be encouraged to join.
Redfern local Ralph Townsend welcomes the change as an Aboriginal Elder because he believes this merger will not only make the new parish the church for Indigenous but the church for all people.
As a long-time parishioner, Mr Townsend said that the Redfern church embraces diversity and a multi-cultural community. The change will reinforce the thrust of the Catholic Church as one big community.
An old watering hole in Redfern will debut its new look and design following a $2 million refurbishment from The People, a new hospitality group. Once The Norfolk Hotel on Cleveland Road re-opens, it’s expected to get people talking, especially the millennials.
The transformation of The Norfolk Hotel will be completed by the end of May 2021 with the pub set to re-open in early June. A few months later, its six rooms will begin accepting accommodations that will appeal to digital natives like YouTubers, podcasters, TikTok users, and young people who value co-working spaces or a good recording space with a refreshing design and cutting edge audio-video facilities.
Paul Schulte and Andrew Taylor, the co-founders of The People, have the millennials in mind when they started redeveloping The Norfolk Hotel, owned by George Confos. The partners said that the younger generation has been looking for an affordable hangout that also ticks all of the boxes when it comes to lifestyle perks and the coolness factor.
The pub itself will have something different as frequent patrons won’t have to use a credit card to open up a tab. Instead, they will have to register for an account that will exclusively run on a new app made for The People. This new system will also be used for the accommodation at The House, the hotel’s upper floor, and the other restaurants under the hospitality group’s management.
Photo Credit: Supplied
The Norfolk Hotel is The People’s first redevelopment. The group is also transforming Camelia Grove Hotel in Alexandria, the Kurrajong Hotel in Erskineville, and The Exchange Hotel in Balmain. The idea is to change these old hotels into boutique accommodations or hang out without the five-star price tag.
Following years of planning, Toga Group’s $200-million Surry Hills Village redevelopment in Redfern is now underway.
In late March 2021, Toga Group and officials of the City of Sydney, along with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, had a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the iconic site’s regeneration. The groundbreaking also signaled the demolition of some existing buildings to make way for a revitalised lifestyle precinct comprising high-end apartments across three structures, retail shops, food and dining sites, commercial spaces, and a boutique hotel.
“I welcome the revitalisation of the old Surry Hills shopping centre as a vibrant, mixed-use development of apartments, supermarket, speciality shops and boutique hotel – bringing new life to the area and better serving the needs of the people who are living here,” the Lord Mayor said.
The new Surry Hills Village will also include a 517-square-meter public park where various community activities can be mounted. The project will see through the extensive and careful modifications of heritage buildings and facades as commercial and communal spaces that were once under-utilised.
SJB Architects was hired as precinct’s designer, paying homage to the history of the neighbourhood. The company’s director, Adam Haddow, said that the locals are passionate about retaining some of their community’s unique features whilst creating a modern and inclusive space for everyone to enjoy in the years to come.
Also behind this redevelopment are some of Sydney’s prestigious creatives — BKH director Iain Halliday, Aspect Studios director Sacha Coles, and Studio Prineas principal and architect Eva-Marie Prineas.
Surry Hills Village, located on Cleveland and Baptist Streets in Redfern, has a 2024 completion date. For tenancy details or residential enquiries visit the official site.
Have you heard of the Redfern Shanty Club? It’s a vibrant community devoted to weekly meetings, with members who sing Australian folk music and sea shanty songs at The Dock on Redfern Street. When the pandemic restrictions got stricter, the group was forced to go on a hiatus. Zoom meetings and Tiktok never quite brought the same vibe but now they’re back at the old haunt!
On Monday, 29 March 2021, Redfern Shanty Club reunited for their first shanty night since the 2020 lockdown as Sydney’s restrictions eased. Needless to say, there were a lot of singing and joyful noises as the members touch-based with each other in person and resumed singing, clapping and playing the bongo. There was a line of curious on-lookers outside The Dock as well.
Photo Credit: The Dock/Facebook
Redfern Shanty Club was established by Sydney comedian Carlo Ritchie in Berlin, after meeting a sailor from Canada and an architect from Australia. Over lamb steaks and booze, the trio talked and sang folk songs they’ve loved from back home. When the night was done, they agreed to meet up again and bond over more songs, booze and food, and this became their weekly get-together.
When Mr Ritchie moved back home in 2014, he continued the tradition at The Dock, which quickly appealed to university students and Redfern locals. Monday nights became shanty nights, with Mr Ritchie leading the crowd in singing songs like “The Shores of Botany Bay,” “Seven Drunken Nights” and other folk classics or hits. Some might call sea shanty songs as “pirate music” but this was created as a working song for seafarers to make manual labour easier aboard a ship.
Photo Credit: The Dock/Facebook
The other guests at The Dock are usually advised beforehand that shanty singing is about to take place when they hear the leader shout, “Ahoy!” a few times. However, non-club members could also join in the singing as someone usually shouts the lyrics, raising everyone’s energy and enthusiasm.
Sarah Willing, one of the organisers of the reunion, said that the feeling of having their very first post-lockdown was hard to put in words so they sang and banged on the bongos as loud as they could to express their happiness.
Redfern Shanty Club has a broad membership. Ms Willing said that they have anyone from the young Tiktok crowd and the shanty “elders” who have shared stories of the complex and intricate history of sea shanty songs.
Meanwhile, to make up for lost time, the group has decided to do two shanting nights a week (Monday and Tuesday) for a limited time. Monday is still reserved for The Dock but the Tuesday meets will take place during the YCK Laneways Block Party at The Duke of Clarence in Sydney CBD from 6 April to 18 May 2021 at 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Here’s wonderful news for art lovers in and around Redfern, especially those who follow and support the Aboriginal fine art niche! Cooee Art Gallery, the oldest exhibit and auction house featuring indigenous Australian culture, has expanded and opened a third outlet on Thurlow Street.
The first is a group exhibit, titled Cooee: Come Here, featuring the masterpieces of well-known First Nation artists like Djon Mundine, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Vincent Namatjira and Queenie McKenzie. The second exhibit features 16 paintings by contemporary artist Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori as loaned from the Mirndiyan Gununa Arts Centre. Ms Gabori started painting at the age of 81 in 2005 until her death in 2015.
Both exhibits will remain on display until 10 April 2021. Digital versions of the artwork may be viewed and ordered online for both Cooee: Come Here and Ms Gabori’s solo feature.
Photo Credit: Facebook
For the last 40 years, Cooee Art Gallery, has been featuring talented Aboriginal artists, who do not often gain commercial gallery opportunities, at its Bondi Beach site. This space will still continue to operate as a collector’s gallery. A second gallery was opened in 2015 at Oxford Street in Paddington.
The Redfern site, spanning 480 square metres, will become its main auction and exhibition space. The very first auction will take place on Tuesday, 8 June 2021, at 7:00 p.m.
Photo Credit: Facebook
Ken Done owns the property in Redfern, which used to be his own art and clothing studio. During the official opening day, Done was also there to welcome the artists and their guests to his workspace.
Cooee Art Gallery Redfern is open from Tuesday to Saturday between 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sydney locals who frequent market food stalls know the name Rosa Cienfuegos very well. After opening a tamaleria and Mexican deli in Dulwich Hill, the city’s ultimate expert in Mexican cuisine is expanding to a larger eatery in Redfern.
The Redfern site will be the second store for Rosa Cienfuegos’ growing Mexican food empire in Australia. Set for an April 2021 opening, the Tamales Queen chose the site after conducting a survey from her store’s loyal customers in 2020.
“Our second place we will have more tables and you will be able to celebrate your birthdays there,” Rosa said.
The new site will offer the same deli bestsellers. However, with a bigger place, diners could expect a more extensive menu as Rosa plans to introduce breakfast and food-on-the-go (comida corrida). The food showcased in her new cookbook, Comida Mexicana, will form part of the new menu as well.
Rosa Cienfuegos opened her first tamaleria in late 2018 as the authentic place to get hot tamales and other Mexican food fares like pulled pork or beef brisket tacos, burritos, lamb barbacoa, chicken with mole sauce, or rajas con queso.
Photo Credit: FacebookPhoto Credit: Facebook
A native of Mexico City, Rosa’s tamales are made Oaxaca-style but from time to time, she also serves different versions of the popular street food, such as those wrapped in banana leaf or enhanced with sweet and spicy flavours.
The new tamaleria will also have ingredients for people who’d like to try their hand at Mexican cooking at home. Since Rosa plans to be at both shops regularly, she’ll give advice on how to cook the dishes the right way.
Follow the Facebook page for updates about the new store.
One year after its assessment with the City of Sydney, the planned social housing development on Elizabeth Street in Redfern has still not moved forward.
Council said that it has assessed the planning proposal “in less than three and a half months” following the submission from NSW Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) in February 2020. However, public consultation and community engagement for this Redfern site have not yet started.
But the Council’s website for their housing project stated that it is still under assessment and “will be reported to Council and the Central Sydney Planning Committee for consideration.” The page also did not have any timeframes for the release of the assessment report.
NSW Housing Minister Melinda Pavey said that the project has been stalled because Council prioritises “politics before people.” Ms Pavey also enumerated delays in the development of the Waterloo and Glebe housing projects.
Photo Credit: City of Sydney
LAHC planned to develop 600-660 Elizabeth Street, a state-owned land, into a residential precinct with 4-storeys, 8-storeys and 16-storeys buildings. The block also surrounds Phillip, Walker and Kettle Streets.
The agency took over the development after the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces announced a new approach to the Redfern development in 2019. This project supposed to be the first state-supported build-to-rent residential development in the country and would be undertaken closely with the City of Sydney.
The Elizabeth Street housing development was primed for 351 dwellings with 70 percent of the units set as build-to-own homes for low-income families.
The State Government increased the budget for social housing to $812 million due to the pandemic. The move was aimed at economic recovery and to help the most vulnerable sectors.
No one has lived in this three-bedroom terrace house in Redfern for the last 30 years and it has recently been put up in the market, commanding a price of over $1 million.
The house on 31 George Street sits on a 164 square metre block. It has peeling paint, rotting wood, rusting metal and some dusty old furniture and appliances.
It’s been described as a general mess and could be “completely unliveable” but the realtors said it is a house filled with “extraordinary prospects” once it undergoes a major transformation. The new owner may also acquire the old furniture to do as they please.
The owner of the house has been living in aged care since 1989 when his wife passed away. The terrace home has been with his family for 80 years and was originally bought at the value of $109,000 in the 1920s.
Photo Credit: Domain.com.au
Today, the value of the land itself is about a million as it is in a sought-after Sydney location. Domain.com.au estimates the whole property’s median price at $1.48 million. In 2019, a small terrace on the same street sold for $2.5 million though it wasn’t as broken-down as this house.
Belle Property Surry Hill principal Mark Foy said that there has been a lot of interest in the abandoned home as soon as it went up the market because the new owners could rebuild from the ground. It went into the auction on 20 Feb and the family has been waiting on a four-week settlement period.
Enthusiasm for old and dilapidated terraces in Sydney remains in vogue. In 2020, a terrace house without a bathroom and a missing ceiling sold for $1.01 million in Waterloo whilst a grand but deteriorating Darlinghurst terrace fetched $4.6 million.
Last year, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia on Cleveland Street in Redfern, unveiled its massive renovation plan for the restoration of the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady. One year later, the Archdiocese is still waiting to go forward with the five-stage redevelopment plan.
With an initial budget of $2 million, the specific historical building’s renovation will entail some alterations and the inclusion of new features for functionality, aside from the repair of deteriorating structures.
Designed and built in 1848 by Edmund Blacket as the St Paul’s Anglican Church, the gothic architectural building was reconsecrated for the Orthodox faith in the 1970s. It became a heritage-listed site in 2012 whilst the church community has been recognised for establishing and sustaining the religious practices of Greek-Australians in New South Wales.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
The next stages of the renovation will cover work for a new St Andrew’s Theological College. The old building will be demolished and replaced by a new structure designed by Angelo Candalepas, a Greek-Australian architect who has worked on projects like St Mary’s Cathedral and the Punchbowl Mosque.
The college’s site will also house the new administration office for the Archdiocese, a new Library and Museum, and a basement level crypt.
Photo Credit: City of Sydney Development Application
Mr Candalepas ensured that his ideas for the overhaul of the buildings will deliver what the community and the next generations need, whilst preserving some of the building’s cultural and historical significance.
The first stage is expected to be completed by March 2024, when the Archdiocese celebrates 100 years. However, the whole renovation plan is expected to be completed within two decades with a total budget of $15 million.
Following the conclusion of the public exhibition of the development application (DA D/2020/1361) on 9 Feb 2021, the Archdiocese is now awaiting approval from Council to start construction work.
Upgrades are in progress at the Redfern Station, one of New South Wales’ busiest transport hubs, to improve accessibility and enhance commuters’ experience.
Per Transport for NSW, the upgrades will include the addition of a six-metre concourse at the southern section to connect to the east and west sides of the train station. This path will be on Lawson Street, stretching between Little Eveleigh and Main Streets.
Access for people with a disability, limited mobility, parents/carers with prams and customers with luggage will be improved as well with the addition of new lifts and stairs. The existing lift currently serves just two platforms but this project will provide easy access to all 10 platforms once finished.
Photo Credit: Transport for NSW
“The upgrade will not only mean easier access to the sixth busiest station on the network, but it will also future-proof Redfern station as the area grows,” Transport Minister Andrew Constance said. “The upgrade will also include new and improved shared zones on Little Eveleigh and Marian Streets, and increased bike parking.”
This $100 million project, funded by the NSW’s transport access program, took more than 18 months of planning with an expected completion date for 2022. It will ensure that the Redfern station will be able to handle more passengers and comply with the accessibility standards.
The construction, excavation, installation of necessary materials and equipment will impact traffic and pedestrian access. For concerns about this project, phone 1800 684 490.
Redfern Station stands near Tech Central, Sydney’s Silicon Valley.
