Hickson Road, 2000 - Walkabout 2

Head-on collisions at sickening speeds, mountains of twisted metal and cackling joy-riders turning old ladies into strawberry jam. That was the grim forecast for Hickson Road following the release of Project Gotham Racing 2. The Xbox computer game presented a Sydney backdrop modelled around The Rocks area. Gamers were challenged to hoon along Hickson Road at kamikaze speeds while picking up bonus points for “spinning 360s”. Labor MP Paul Gibson wanted to ban the game for encouraging dangerous driving. “It is clearly an inappropriate depiction of speed behaviour,” he warned, presumably before trying to boycott Tomb Raider for endangering the lives of buxom female archaeologists.

Frankly, it’d take more than one piddling computer game to bring down Hickson Road. This, after all, is the proud Sydney area that survived the bubonic plague in the early 1900s. The rats were followed by long years of grinding poverty. During the Depression, the stretch became known as the Hungry Mile after the desperate labourers who trudged from wharf to wharf looking for work.

Since then, Hickson Road has enjoyed a makeover of Cinderella proportions. It’s evolved into a cultural precinct with international theatres, fancy-pants restaurants and slick, urban apartments. And this culture clash between past and present is what makes it such a rewarding muddle to explore.

Starting from the Millers Point end, stop to have a look at 30 The Bond. Built over the old contaminated gasworks, this modern architectural landmark was Australia’s first commercial building to make genuine strides in environmental sustainability, slashing emissions to not only meet the industry benchmark but reduce it by a further 20 per cent.  It’s a starkly different story to the medieval conditions the wharfies endured down the road. “We worked in asbestos so thick it was like it was snow,” Tom Orchard, a former wharfie told The Maritime Workers Journal.  “You ended up chewing the bloody stuff.”

The Walsh Bay Wharves where Tom once laboured are now barely recognisable. Revitalised by a $650 million residential project in the 1990s, there are now lines of shiny apartment blocks, one of which boasts its own underwater car-park. Catering to this metropolitan lifestyle are a handful cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy a meal while gazing out at the water. Head to Ventuno for Italian, Ottoman Cuisine for Turkish, or Firefly if you’re hankering after tapas.

Although the Hungry Mile may be increasingly well-fed, its history hasn’t been totally whitewashed. Relics of the past are scattered throughout the wharves, so much so you might find yourself stumbling over an old jib crane or glorious old pieces of hydraulic machinery. Timber salvaged from the piers has been recycled into benches where, in the late afternoon, actors from the Sydney Theatre Company practise their lines ahead of the evening’s performance.

As the home to the STC, Sydney Dance Company and Bangarra Dance Theatre, Hickson Road is not short on cultural performance. But you can also discover what happens off-stage with the STC’s behind-the-scenes tour that includes a trip to the props department.

If you’re looking to hire, say, a life-size model of an ostrich, then the props department is the place for you. It’s a magnificent junkyard of random old bobbins. On any given day you might unearth a box full of strap-ons, a complete medieval banquet made out of sponge, a robot hand, plus pretty much anything you could possibly imagine. Ever. Pushing on to Hickson Reserve. This patch of grass offers postcard views of the Opera House, the Bridge. As the road steepens, head up past Campbells Storehouse to the Australasian Steam Navigation Co Building with its distinctive Flemish gables and bell tower – home of Ken Done’s fluoro art gallery.

In the ’hood

Ottoman Cuisine Water views meet inspired middle eastern flavours in this Turkish delight.
Pier 2/3, Hickson Road

Ventuno Chic Italian eatery set on Walsh Bay offering great antipasti, pasta and pizza.
21 Hickson Road

STC Props Department Make an appointment to browse the vast range of props for your next play or party.
Pier 4 Hickson Road

Ken Done Gallery Take another look at the artist behind some of Australia’s most colourful images.
1 Hickson Road

Getting there

For Millers Point end of Hickson Road (all routes from Central Station)
Train Hop on to Wynyard station ($2.60).
Bus Take the 433 bus to Millers Point, Argyle St near Kent St ($1.80), Or the 339 to Millers Point, Argyle St near Watson Street ($1.80).

For the Rocks end of Hickson Road:
Train Take the rattler to Circular Quay ($2.60).
Bus Take the 431 or 433 bus to Dawes Point, George Street nr Lower Fort Street ($1.80).

NSW Transport

Parking

There’s a secure carpark in Walsh Bay on the corner of Hickson Road and Towns Place.

Street parking Hickson Rd has metered parking for a maximum of four hours.

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