They are just a bus ride away from where I live but I don't seem to be interested in visiting them - maybe because they close earlier then all the other markets giving an impression it maybe a smaller market or maybe it could be because they are on twice a month rather then just once a month like many of the other markets I have visited.
I have booked myself into the "Behind the Scenes Market Tour" on 2nd December from 9 am - 10 am - one of 2 market tours running that day (I don't think I can make it to the 7.30 am - 8.30 am tour on a Saturday morning!). These tours are free but don't run very often at the Northside Markets.
I think it is time to start training for the Sydney Running Festival 10 km Bridge Run in mid September - I need the stamina as I have a very busy September!!!! I therefore was thinking of taking up ballet again starting hopefully soon or start off with a fun jazz class.
TBC....
I decided to spend the day at Carriageworks today. If you recall in one of my earlier visits to Carriageworks Markets this year I took some photos of the 1917 The Great Strike Community Day Exhibition that was a work in progress at that point in time. Today, the 5th August 2017, marked it's anniversary and the all day event between 10 am and 4 pm was in full swing at Carriageworks , The Chief Mechanical Engineers Office (down the street) and at Australian Technology Park (all the way on the other side of Redfern Station). A long walk as there is no bridge or tunnel across the venues where the event was being held - a free shuttle bus was in operation between the 3 event venues. I stuck with visiting Carriageworks and The Chief Mechanical Engineers Office.
Although I don't really know much about the Great Strike of 1917 - I enjoyed parts of the exhibitions and performances after I visited the markets at Carriageworks and at the Chief Mechanical Engineers Office.
Photos attached and an extract of my youtube video has been uploaded as photos do not do justice to the amazing a acoustics of the public space area inside the main Carriageworks building.
After listening to the Andrew Byrne & Tom Nicholson's brass band performance "Towards a Monument to the Great Strike" and traditional trade union songs performed by the Sydney Trade Union Choir between 1 pm and 2.45 pm, it was time to decide which behind the scenes tour to go on. Between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm there were 2 choices - Behind the Scenes tour of Carriageworks or Behind the Scenes tour of the Eveleigh Paint Shop.
I had already made up my mind (as I love trains, planes and .....well not so much automobiles (except my curiosity for self driving cars and buses)), that I was going on the Behind the Scenes tour of the Eveleigh Paint Shop. I wasn't 100% convinced but as we split into 2 separate groups in the public area inside Carriageworks main building then walked towards one of the old sheds at the far end of Carriageworks through a galvanised padlocked door I became more convinced about my tour selection and excited to see what was behind this door rarely open to the public.
Upon entering through the door we (pural because it is not just me now but a group of train enthusiasts like myself) are in shed #1 - although this shed is now obsolete, in the past it served many purposes - fire fighting exercises along one length of the shed and this was also the site for filming of "THE MATRIX". The shed is huge - great place for a "RAVE" & a good spruce up it eould make a great exhibition hall or function venue although it was a bit dusty (this tour from the start was not good fir my asthma and allergies cough cough.....). We then enter through an archway to what I called a secret room - WOW! trains trains and more trains of every vintage and size possible! A trainspotters delight!
The old railway logos and flipping indicator boards now replaced with digital ones. Stations thst trains no longer travel to and boxes and boxes of numbered train parts which I was told were for easy identication for volunteers and staff that may not have the technical knowledge of vintage train parts retrieval. (I was advised inventory is computerised in the sheds)
The media were present and on the news that night footage of this rare opportunity to go behind the scenes of the Eveleigh Paint Shop was aired. I was even asked to take a photo of the graffiti on the train with my smart phone so a photographer could take a photo of me from behind doing so.
One more interesting piece of trivia I saw was the original train used on The Matrix was housed in one of the sheds and on one silver carriage you could see the Australian City Rail logo and on the other adjoining silver carriage the American Cityrail logo - very similar.
Towards the end of our tour (which went over time a little) near the exit door, there was a restored Vintage train which we tried to start but was unsucessful. This was one of several trains we were allowed to climb up into or walk through.
Rating : 9/10 Loved this rare tour very much. Brings back so many old memories from my childhood from the 1970's onwards.
Photos attached ( so many photos I may have to upload a youtube slide show)
Courtyard behind restored Chief Mechanical Engineers Office. Exterior restorations have been completed only therefore unable to enter interior of building. Maybe in a few years time.
Old analogue wooden turning train destination indicator boards inside one of the Eveleigh Paint Shop sheds.
Old Cityrail network map circa 1980s??
The extent of graffiti on one of several trains by vandals breaking their way into the Paint Shop sheds
All aboard - one of several restored train carriages where you could climb up into. If I didn't have so much stuff with me from my market purchases I would have climbed as well.
A sculpture in itself - a rack of under train connectors.
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