The Sydney Rail Bus

In 1937 the NSW Department of Railways introduced six rail buses to its fleet as an economical form of passenger transport on small branch lines.
The concept derived from passenger rail motors, introduced in 1919, which used a traditional timber railway carriage mounted on a converted road truck chassis and drive train. Rail buses took the concept one step further and adapted road vehicle styling, coach-building and technology for rail use. Within a year of their introduction, they were withdrawn for economic reasons, having failed to attract sufficient passenger numbers to make the services viable.

By June 1939, five of the rail buses had been relaunched as mobile pay cars, while the sixth remained a rail bus until some time later.

For almost fifty years, the vehicles were used to move cash on NSW rail lines to pay employees at stations and maintenance gangs working on the tracks. The vehicles were a familiar sight on the network as they made the fortnightly pay runs and were affectionately known as 'pay buses'.

Today, they are no longer in operation, having been replaced by electronic banking. The sole survivor of the first fleet of pay buses, FP1, is today recognised as a significant item of rail heritage.

Modern Walsh Bay

Breathtaking early 20th Century Walsh Bay Finger Wharves, a family of timber wharves and shore sheds that extend out into Sydney's harbour. They are the largest timber structures in the world, romantic symbols of Sydney's maritime history and the first structures in Australia to be nominated as a World Heritage Site. Over the last few years the wharves and shore sheds have been reworked into a modern residential and cultural precinct by Bates Smart, Australia's oldest architectural firm with the help of renowned French architect Phillipe Robert. Now one of Sydney’s most exclusive harbourside addresses.

QVB

The Queen Victoria Building, now affectionately known as the QVB, was designed by George McRae and completed in 1898, replacing the original Sydney markets on the site. Built as a monument to the long reigning monarch, construction took place in dire times, as Sydney was in a severe recession. The elaborate Romanesque architecture was specially planned for the grand building so the Government could employ many out-of-work craftsmen - stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window artists - in a worthwhile project. Originally, a concert hall, offices, showrooms, warehouses and a wide variety of tradespeople were accommodated, Now QVB contains mostly upmarket boutiques, coffee shops and "brand-name" shops.

Interior of Queen Victoria Building

World Cup Celebration in Sydney

The Sydney International FIFA Fan Fest has been a great success with hundreds of thousands of fans coming to Darling Harbour to celebrate and support their team in the 2010 World Cup! While 32 nations played in the World Cup in South Africa, Sydney has joined London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City to host this fest.
More than 500,000 people celebrated football festival 2010 in Darling Harbour. During the month long event the public was entertained by numerous cultural performances, kids football clinics, roving street entertainment, visits by the official mascot Zakumi, Community Street Soccer National Championships & multiple live performances from national and international artists.

Macquarie Visions *3

Governor Macquarie was passionate about horses and commissioned convict architect, Francis Greenway to design the extravagant stables for Government House. The neo-gothic style building is now the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.