Exploring Sydney on foot – City´s Culture Gems

Sydneysiders and visitors can explore the city’s cultural gems and historical nooks and crannies while improving their fitness levels with the launch of a free walking tour app.

For the first time, the City of Sydney is unveiling Sydney Culture Walks, an iPhone and Android app that provides 10 virtual walking tours of the streets of Sydney. There are six guided walks highlighting historical landmarks and four showcasing public artworks, compiled by theCity of Sydney’s History & Public Art teams.

The walking tours app brings together information that until now has only been available as separate brochures and printed maps.

• Discover hundreds of fascinating points of interest
• Unearth the stories of over 400+ historical and public art points of interest across Sydney, filterable by       type, location and theme.
• Customise your view for simple discovery
• Choose your map view to suit your personal preference – either standard or satellite view modes, with full rotation & 3D tilt support.

Highlights of Sydney Culture Walks app include:

Youngsters, City Art Tour
Caroline Rothwell’s two diminutive bronze sculptures on George Street are real crowd stoppers. The clothing of the figures are coated with bronze casts of quartz and coal to reflect Australia’s mineral economy and the popular culture of crystals.

Aspire – Under The Freeway, City Art Tour
The idea for an artwork under the freeway was initiated by the people of Pyrmont and Ultimo. A forest of trees rises to support the vast freeway overhead. The glowing trees can be enjoyed at close quarters by pedestrians, and from afar by passing traffic.

Abercrombie Lane, Historical Tour
Walking down Abercrombie Lane, it’s easy to imagine that you are heading for the Tank Stream. When the water supply ran low in colonial Sydney, convicts were set to work digging holding tanks into the watercourse and became known as the Tank Stream. Today, the stream runs silently through a city drain below the pavement.

Skippedy Skip, City Art Tour
This 2.4-metre-high and 80-metre-long metal school fence incorporates highly coloured fence sections in its design. The completion of the work coincided with the 150-year celebrations of Glebe Public school in 2008 and soon after was voted in the top five favourite public artworks by the local community.

Always Was Always Will Be, City Art Tour
Through his art, Reko Rennie explores what it means to be an urban Aboriginal in contemporary Australian society. In this work, a collaboration with architects Cracknell and Lonergan, Rennie uses geometric diamonds, referencing his associations to the north-western NSW and the traditional markings of the Kamilaroi people.

Site of first Government House, Historical Tour
Overlooking Sydney Cove, Sydney’s first Government House was built for Governor Arthur Phillip in 1789. In 1789, Bennelong and another Aboriginal man, Colebee, were captured at Manly under Phillip’s orders and held at Government House. Today it is the site for the Museum of Sydney on Bridge Street in the bustling city centre.

Forgotten Songs, City Art Tour
Commemorates the songs of 50 bird species once heard in central Sydney before they were gradually forced out by European settlement. A soundtrack of birdsong plays as you walk below a canopy of birdcages suspended above Angel Place.

Cast iron urinal, Historical Tour
The last remaining cast iron urinal in the city is on George Street, The Rocks. Public conveniences and urinals (or pissoirs) were common streetscape features in early 20th century Sydney.

The Sydney Culture Walks app is just one of many steps being taken by the City to transform Sydney into a world-class walking capital.

Walking initiatives include:

• Improving the quality and condition of footpaths, including paving, shelter and urban design;
• Creating a Liveable Green Network for walkers and cyclists;
• Decluttering footpaths for easier access and navigation on foot;
• Reducing pedestrian delays and congestion at intersections;
• Improving signage to support walking, including a uniform way-finding system;
• Opening new public walks, such as the Glebe Foreshore Walk;
• Creating pathways for better school access for children; and
• Commissioning public art to enhance the city experience.

The Sydney Culture Walks app can be downloaded for free on the App Store, Google Play or at www.sydneyculturewalksapp.com 

What: Cultural gems.

Where: On your own mobile device.

When: Whenever you up for it.

For an review of the app click here

For more information click here or contact Matthew Moore, City of Sydney, 0431 050 963 or mmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

The City of Sydney – sponsors of Eastside Radio.