Suburb No 54, Mt Druitt

Well, you know. There's only so much desk-ing a restless roamer can take. So where, I wondered, if I gave
myself leave from my desk, would I wander? For reasons not necessarily known to me, Mount Druitt
popped into mind. 

I think I chose it because, let's be honest, it doesn't get the best rap. Far from it in fact. But seeing as
I've never clapped eyes on the place, how different would it be to the (not good) image I have of it in
my mind's eye?

Hence why on a nondescript Thursday last week I found myself making the 43 km trek west.

Some facts. A Major George Druitt was given the place in the 1800s by Governor Macquarie and duly named
it after his good self. Has one historic house called The Manse (missed it), a large, sprawling shopping
mall/Westfield (can't miss it if you tried) and a handful of religious houses (found two). In 1966 they built
the first housing commission homes and more recently, masses of carbon copy blond brick 'villas'. Almost half
of the people living here were born overseas, double the national average.

So what did I find? Well, I'll let the pictures tell the story. But in a nutshell, it was perhaps one of the best
examples of how a few headlines can ruin a suburb's reputation. Mt Druitt is not without its issues but it
isn't nearly as bleak as you might imagine.

Let's go Mt Druitt!


Part 1: The mall

I have to admit, I did drive around for a bit before I decided to commit to Mt Druitt. It reminded me of
Blacktown and Granville - at first glance, it's hard to see what you'd actually photograph. But seeing as I'd
just spent close to an hour getting here, coupled with the fact I don't like giving in, I finally stopped my 
kerbside crawl, parked and started to walk - to the outside mall area. If I wasn't going to find any 
architectural gems, I'd at least find people.

Starting with a delightful (true) bunch of hair and beauty Tafe students.



spot the hair and beauty students








colourful bunch







Brendan







Beth







vintage






So, I asked one of the students, is Mt Druitt as bad as they say it is. "Nup", she said, "I can hang out here at
11 o'clock at night and I won't get jumped."

Leaving the budding beauty artists I discovered they weren't the only ones hanging out on the mall who
like to spend time on their tresses. There are a large number of Africans living in the area, and all of them
have the best, most interesting, photogenic hair.




 
salvation in a bottle of dye






 
Tausi







five going on fifteen







Acakue from Sudan







back to cheeky







repeat patterns







same idea





Then I met Kamissa ("you can call me Lana") and her mum. In Australia for just one year from Sudan, how did
they find Mt Druitt? "Love it!" they said. It's all relative isn't it?



Kamissa, all the way from across the seas








flowers







"call me Lana"






Part 2: Religion

More unprepared and unresearched than ever, I stumbled across just two of the suburb's holy houses -
a mosque and a Maronite church.




 
good neighbours





 
residents of Mt Druitt







sun and stars







liberty or death





Part 3: House and Garden, Mt Druitt style

Was driving past when I spotted Ron and his whipper snipper. Been in the area for 40 years, "quite quiet really".



Ron and the whipper snipper







home sweet home at No 10 for 40 years









random old






After Ron, I was told by another local that I should check out 'Old Mt Druitt' on the other side of the railway.
It didn't take long to work out why people who live here never drop the 'Old' when they're asked where they
live - it's almost another world, with well-tended gardens on large quarter acre blocks and a mix of tidy fibro
and brick homes.

I did my first double-take when I spotted David mowing his pristine lawn, set around a centerpiece of old
machinery he inherited from his great-great-great someone or other.



 
neat is an understatement




David's five kids were home because they'd all just got back from a six week holiday in Malta, visiting relatives.
Lovely man, lovely wife, gorgeous kids and a respect for family history, no matter how rusty. Living on a 
quarter acre with a garage big enough to fit a truck (literally - David's a truck driver). Mt Druitt?



Montana, Bryson, Seaton, Chelsea and Dean







Seaton and Bryson





A couple of streets away I met another truck-driver, Gary, and his lovely wife. I asked if I could take a few
shots of their lovely rose bush and they produced a vase filled with yesterday's pruning. 





 
Gary and his garden :: 1







Gary and his garden :: 2






Just as I was beginning to wonder if I'd find anything remotely sinister about Mt Druitt I stumbled across
Kathleen. 89 years old, she was born a few streets away and had been here all her long life. Surely she
must have seen the place 'change' in that time. "Well, yes, but I've never had any trouble." Not surprising
though really - her little dog, Trixie, would frighten the living daylights out of anyone who dared come near
Kathleen - lots of gnashing of teeth and deep growling accompanied by Kathleen's warning, "He'll bite."

Finally I'd found a sinister element in Mt Druitt - small, fat and goes by the name of Trixie.



Kathleen on her quarter acre







Trixie the tyrant







 
flowers everywhere





 
hanging gardens of Mt Druitt







bougainvillea buttons






Is there beauty in Mt Druitt? The place isn't flash and of course it has its problems. But it was so much more
normal than I expected. And colourful, from the bright locks of the hair and beauty students to the
multitude of flowers. But perhaps the biggest surprise of all were those quarter acre blocks with well-tended
gardens, tidy homes and nice people. You never hear about that in the 6 o'clock news.

Suburb No 51: Alexandria

The penultimate suburb is... Alexandria, four km south of the CBD. In contrast to last week when
I took the dartboard approach, this week was a very conscious choice. After a reader suggested
Alexandria I did five seconds of research and came across a compelling reason to include the suburb
- it was here that many of the bricks were made that built the suburbs that I've just spent 50 weeks
exploring (in the former brickworks, now part of Alexandria's Sydney Park). How could I not?

While I have visited Sydney Park before, it's always been at marching pace, delivering a child to
a party or on a mission to find people for the Art & About Banner Gallery. I'd never wandered
aimlessly, just for the hell of it. Never made the trek over to the wetlands area. And I've certainly
never nosed around the former brick kilns or chimneys that played such a starring role in building
Sydney. Here was my chance.

Aside from that, I didn't have high expectations. There was the Mitchell Road Antique and Design
Gallery and I'd probably find some nice old industrial bits in the suburb too. That would be about
it I thought. To my great delight, I was wrong (see Part 2 and 3 for example).

Okay, some history. No doubt the Cadigal people enjoyed the forest of turpentine and ironbark
trees in the area until 1788 rolled around. Their home was then renamed Alexandria after Princess A,
wife of King Edward VII. By 1943, the suburb was the largest industrial district in Australia, churning
out everything from bricks to aeroplanes in the 550 factories. Industrial with a healthy dose of Chinese
market gardens to keep people in greens.

Today Alexandria is still largely industrial with pockets of surprisingly quiet residential. Having said
that, you can almost see the place changing before your eyes. Warehouses morphing into trendy business
complexes. Chic apartments springing up all over the joint. And at least three excellent cafes who
wouldn't be caught dead offering a sticky bun or lamington. The price of progress I guess.

Let's stroll.


Part 1: Sydney Park, birthplace of bricks that built the burbs

After being planted with fruit trees and grain crops by a First Fleeter, the area now known as Sydney Park
became a mix of brickworks, manufacturing, warehousing and gas storage. Over a period of 100 years,
from the 1870s until 1970, the brickworks gouged out huge pits in the ground, using the clay to
make bricks - bricks that ended up being mortared into the buildings around Sydney's suburbs.

When the brickworks closed down, the enormous clay pits were filled in with rubbish. Then around
20 years ago the enormous rubbish tip was covered over with rubble and soil - and voila, Sydney
Park, 44 hectares of rolling hillocks, kiddy areas and wetlands to lose yourself in. Even the loos are
an unexpected and inspiring space. Don't you love it when a city gets it so right?


bricks r us










the bricks that made the bricks that made the burbs :: 1









the bricks that made the bricks that made the burbs :: 2








After inspecting the chimneys and kilns (and cursing the fact I missed out on seeing/hearing
Stephen Vitiello's 'The Sound of Red Earth' fill three of the former kilns with life in August this year)
I went exploring. 





 
cruising at altitude :: 1







 
cruising at altitude :: 2











taking the dogs for a cycle









hat on a hill









Tony and weary Hamish









best mates









gets windy on the hillock (Michael Snape's 'The Trail')










another world - wetlands :: 1









another world - wetlands :: 2











Not everyone I met was just lounging around. There was a whole world of pain unfolding on one of
the hillocks with women doing boot camp. And then there was Charles, taking advantage of the wooden
walkways over the wetlands - to tap. Hard. Without annoying the neighbours. 



world of pain












tap tap











After that I wandered back to the kiosk and loo area on my way to the playground. All three spaces are
filled with inspiration and ideas. Most wonderful.



k is for vandal proof kiosk












bathroom with a view












baby Mable, three weeks new












hands up who loves walking in Sydney Park?












after one beer ... after ten












child friendly with an edge









Part 2: 19th century China in 21st century Alexandria

What the? was my first reaction. On a busy street somewhere in Alexandria I looked up to see just
the very top of a temple-ish looking building behind a brick wall. Scooted around the corner
to investigate. Whoa. As I walked through the red gate on aptly named Retreat Street I crossed
from 2010 Sydney into a small 19th century village complex somewhere in China. A clump of plain
white buildings with Chinese kids playing on a road maybe 50 metres long, while old Chinese
sat chatting outside their homes. And that temple-ish looking building? The Yiu Ming Temple,
the only one dedicated to Hung Shing in Australia, tucked away in a corner down the end
of the street.

What makes it such a surreal, time-travel trip is that this isn't just a temple for occasional worshippers
to pop into. This is a temple in a 'village' where Chinese people live as they once did 130 years ago,
give or take a few modern conveniences. In fact, I read somewhere that "as many village temples
in China no longer exist, this intact example is considered to be of both local and international
significance".

Built in the 1870s by Sydney's Chinese community, and restored in 1998 after fire, the temple is
also unusual in itself, combining Cantonese design with Federation era Australian details.

Now here's the thing. If I had engaged in serious research - beyond Wikipedia, for example - I may have
'discovered' the Yiu Ming Temple and village in a guide book. How much more exciting to discover
it in the way I did, to come across it completely by surprise and to see it for the first time 'in the flesh'.
It doesn't matter that millions of people may have already explored it - just stumbling on it, I felt
like the first person to discover it.

So maybe a spoiler alert is appropriate at this point - avert your gaze for the next section if you'd rather
see this fascinating little pocket of Sydney for the first time under your own steam.



19th century life in 21st century Alexandria :: 1












19th century life in 21st century Alexandria :: 2









Eric, Maisy, Emily and Baby X









19th century life in 21st century Alexandria :: 3










 
Emily








 
19th century life in 21st century Alexandria :: 4










 
19th century life in 21st century Alexandria :: 5










 
19th century life in 21st century Alexandria :: 6










 
19th century life in 21st century Alexandria :: 7









eat your greens or you won't grow big and strong









Emily on a toddler's bike









happy in anyone's language









Eric and Maisy, after the rain









smile at the lady with the big camera








Part 3: Piazza Belmonte

A few days later I came across another surprising corner of Alexandria. From 19th century China I
travelled across the seas and forward in time to 20th century New Orleans - as brought to life in
a small cul-de-sac in Alexandria on Belmont Street, or as the locals like to think of it, Piazza
Belmonte.

Unlike Yiu Ming Temple, this wasn't an altogether stumble upon. Friends who recently moved
to Alexandria told me about the cul-de-sac in Belmont Street where the locals often congregate
for mini-shin digs. As it happened, there was going to be one when I was 'in town' and maybe we
should go see. So we did. Fun. Very fun. We left with a new appreciation of the power of cul-de-sacs
to create community. Not to mention hell awful hangovers (not me, them - the party finished at
6am the next morning).



a colourful corner









hussies









freaky









no neck is safe on Piazza Belmonte









er, jelly shot Mr Ku Klux Clown?









South Sydney belle










 
Ben and Ella








 
Ella, Ben and cousin Lucas









hey Jacob, come on outside, it's not as scary as it looks









Danielle








Now remember the vampire dude?


a dentist's dream


When he's not vampiring, he's John, artist and resident of the old butchers on Piazza Belmonte. 



John






Unfortunately it was too dark to shoot inside the rooms where many of his impressive portraits hang.
But here's a few glimpses inside a home filled with whimsy and not a single hint of IKEA.



ma, he's gone a little nuts with the ceiling don't you think?









empties









artist in residence










Part 4: Two cafes and a pub

I tortured my gluten-free self by stepping inside the Bourke Street Bakery and La Cachette Coffehouse
and Bakery (they each offer just one GF cake and if you're after savoury, there's zip). 



frilly tarts








 
Damien and Jean, Bourke Street Bakery











urban jungle









 
the French quarter






There's a handful of pubs to choose from - I chose The Alexandria where I met lovely security man,
James, born and bred in Fiji with an Indian dad and a mum part Samoan, part Irish.



amber liquid :: 1









James









if Paris Hilton disguised as Che walked in, would James throw her out?









amber liquid :: 2









neighbouring walls, worlds apart










Part 5: Random ambles



changes









alphabet house









light, there are so many ways to love you









mail and letters









a nod to Alexandria's canal









surviving, just









Casa di Mario, casa di mystery









regal red









Alisha and Dave in the Regal






Beauty in Alexandria? There's brick loads of it in Sydney Park. I had expected to find beauty in the
industrial side of the suburb too but I got side-tracked by my 'trips' to China and New Orleans
(and to Mitchell Road Antique and Design Gallery, a deadly place if you like fossicking around
for hours on end and have a penchant for desirable knick-knacks).

See you next week for the 52nd Suburb!