Sydney/Inner West

From Wikitravel

The Inner West is an extensive district of inner Sydney, stretching from the small inner city suburb of Chippendale (south of Central Railway Station) to the railway hub and business-retail centre of Strathfield, some x to the west of the city and close to the Olympic Park. Areas of greatest potential interest to the traveller include the suburbs of Newtown and Glebe (heavily student-oriented and somewhat "alternative", owing to their position north and west of the massive University of Sydney Main Campus), the once-working class-now-fashionable Balmain peninsula and the Italian chic of Leichhardt.

Table of contents

1 Understand

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Understand

The Inner West suburbs are amongst the oldest parts of Sydney. They have grown up along the line of the Parramatta Road, a road that links the City of Sydney with Parramatta, at the end of the Parramatta River. The architecture of the district - ranging from terraced houses to small mansions - reflects its era of main development in the Victorian (1840-1900) and Federation (1901-1914) periods.

The area is exceedingly diverse: its proximity to central Sydney makes it ideal for city commuters, it's an alternative base for business, the University of Sydney lends a "student" feel to the suburbs closest to the city centre and other suburbs are sleepily residential.

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Get in

The main form of public transport to this district from the city is bus, with numerous and frequent Sydney Buses routes leading to the Inner West. Route numbers in this area of Sydney begin with 4; useful routes include the 431-434 to Glebe/Balmain, the 436-440 to Leichhardt, 422-428 to Newtown and the 480-483 to Strathfield Station.

Ferries from the city provide a scenic route to the area via the inner harbour and Parramatta River, stopping at various wharves along the way. The most useful for travellers are the wharves at Balmain. Access to the ferry services is from Circular Quay.

Another possible means of access to the Inner West is on the Metro light rail service, which travels from Central station via Darling Harbour to Glebe and Lilyfield (near Leichhardt). This is an expensive but interesting way to travel, as it follows the old goods lines which serviced Sydney's ports.

The Cityrail Inner West line passes through this district, but services are infrequent and do not go to most of the areas mentioned here, with the exception of Newtown (three stops from Central station).

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See

The Enmore Theatre, 130 Enmore Road, Newtown. ph 02 9550 3666. fax 02 9550 2990. email boxoffice@enmoretheatre.com.au. The Enmore Theatre is one of Sydney's premier smaller live venues. International acts who have performed here include Ani Difranco, Flaming Lips, Eels, the White Stripes and Asian Dub Foundation. http://www.enmoretheatre.com.au/
The Annandale Hotel Corner Parramatta and Nelson Roads, Annandale ph. 02 9550 1078 is another of Sydney's best pub venues. Hosts many of Australia's best known indie bands and international acts. Cult Movie night ('Sounds of Sinema') on Tuesdays.

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Do

Newtown Festival http://www.newtowncentre.org/festival/ is held annually in November and features local bands, crafts, food and cultural activities.

Newtown and Enmore are also home to Reclaim the Streets, Under the Blue Moon http://sydneygothic.com/bluemoon/ , Zine and comic fairs, and other alternative festivals and activist events during the year.

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Buy

The regular markets in Glebe and Rozelle (near Balmain) are a great place to shop with the locals and look for unusual bargains. The markets are usually held every weekend in the grounds of the local public primary schools.
For booklovers, Gleebooks on Glebe Point Road is Sydney's premier independent bookshop catering for a wide variety of readers.
The shopping complex at Birkenhead Point contains a large number of designer factory outlets for fashion on the cheap. It can be accessed by ferry or buses along Victoria Road.
Gould's Book Arcade http://www.gouldsbooks.com.au/ 32 King Street Newtown, is likely the most chaotic used bookshop in the world. Specialties include Marxism, Labour history, magazines, and Australian history. Open until Midnight daily.

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Eat

The inner west has a number of different suburbs that have excellent eating: Glebe Point Road in Glebe has a variety of restaurants; King Street in Newtown also has variety, although it is slowly being taken over by Thai food; and Norton Street in Leichhardt is the home of Italian food in Sydney. Try also the Portuguese bakeries of Petersham for their famed custard tarts.

Green Gourmet, 115 King Street Newtown. ph 02 9519 5330. This is a specialist vegetarian/vegan restaurant.

Inferno, Broadway Shopping Centre, 2 Bay St, Broadway. ph 02 9211 4141. fax 02 9211 8044. This Inferno is one of a small chain of family friendly gourmet wood-fired pizza joints. Favourites include the Inferno pizza and the Rising Sun pizza. They have a nice brucshetta too. Keep an eye on them when they open wine for you: they're a bit cavalier about the cork. Mains $15-$20.

Kilimanjaro, 280 King Street, Newtown. ph 02 9557 4565. This African restaurant has good tasty meat dishes. Be prepared to squint a bit at the chalkboard menu when you go in, and be sure to order side-dishes: the mains are not very large. They don't really cater to vegetarians. Mains approx $15, sides $5.

Thai La-Long, 89 King Street, Newtown. ph 02 9550 5866. Thai La-Long has some of the spicier dishes among Newtown's many Thai restaurants. Their yellow curry is worth a special mention. The restaurant is not airconditioned and can be a bit uncomfortable on hot Sydney summer nights. Mains approx $10.

Crispy Inn, 203 King Street, Newtown. ph 02 9557 3910. Across the road from yet another 7-11, and much more interesting. This bakery is open 24 hours, a fact many locals take advantage of. They're always baking, so there's always something fresh. They have a variety of pies, cakes, rolls, and loaves.

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Drink

The Ancient Briton, 225 Glebe Point Road, Glebe. ph 02 9660 1417. The Ancient Briton claims to have Sydney's coldest beer on tap. It's a large and not terribly crowded local pub. Cajun food is served daily, about $15 mains including Jambalaya, fried chicken, fish cakes and sweet potato pie.

The Bank Hotel, 324 King Street, Newtown. ph 02 9557 1692. This is an enormous pub only 2 minutes walk from Newtown train station. It has a Thai restaurant as well as a bar. Wednesday night is lesbians' night.

The Town Hall Hotel, 326 King St Newtown. ph 02 9557 1206. Dirty, noisy and seedy, this pub is otherwise known as The Townie and is the best place in Newtown. Older residents of Newtown and horse race punters drink downstairs, everyone else heads upstairs to Platform 8. Home to most of Sydney's indie band scene at one time or another.

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Sleep

Glebe Point YHA, 262-264 Glebe Point Road, Glebe. ph 02 9692 8418. fax 02 9660 0431. email glebe@yhansw.org.au. A backpacker hostel located on the major Glebe Point Road food area. Dorm beds $24-$28 per night. $68 per night per double or twin room. http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/details.cfm?hostelid=30

Dulwich Hill YHA, 407 Marrickville Rd, Dulwich Hill. ph 02 9550 0054 or 1800 671 795 (free call within Australia). fax 02 9550 0570. email dulwichhillyha@oranalodge.com.au. A hotel/hostel in the outer suburbs of the Inner West. Dorm beds $20-$27 per night; twin rooms $70 per night, $80 per night with ensuite. http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/details.cfm?hostelid=181

Broadway University Motor Inn, 25 Arundel Street, Glebe. ph 02 9660 5777. fax 02 9660 2929. This motel has basic rooms in the usual motel style: double beds, television, small private bathrooms. It is within easy walking distance of Glebe Point Road, and is also on several major western bus routes. It is located about 10 minutes bus ride from the city. Double room $140 per night for two people.

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Contact

Kinkos, 134-138 Broadway, Chippendale. ph 02 9281 3799. fax 02 9281 9177. email sydney4@kinkos.net.au. Provides use of PCs and Macs with internet access and office applications, together with printing services. Internet access $6.50 per hour. Open 7:30am - 10pm (Monday to Friday), 10am - 5pm (Saturday) and 12pm - 7pm (Sunday).

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