A Walk Around the Block

Whenever we go travelling around I seem to share photos of the streetscapes of the towns we visit.

One day last week, while on my lunch break, I decided to take some photos of a few of the building as I walked around the block from my work and show some of the streetscape of Bathurst.

I started off by walking through Kings Parade.  This park features beautiful garden beds and blossom trees.  The carillon is a war memorial and last year, finally, after 70 years, had the last part of the workings installed.

The Bathurst Court House is probably the most prominent building in town with its domed tower.  There are matching wings at each side.  When I was a kid the one on the left was the Post Office and the one on the right was the PMG.  Now, the one on the left is the Historical Museum and the one on the right was the Conservatorium of Music up until earlier this year.

The building is undergoing a multi million dollar restoration, repairing the dome, roof, sandstone, the many chimneys and the clock.  The former Conservatorium of Music section will now be a part of the Court House as well.  It seems strange seeing it surrounded in scaffolding, but I am glad that there has been this investment in preserving such a significant building.

Some more of the garden plantings in Kings Parade, looking across to the Court House.  It is wonderful to see flowers in the beds again, as they were bare for a couple of years during the drought.

As I continued on my walk I passed the Presbyterian Church with its lovely spire.

This row of terrace buildings look so good, other than the one that was removed at some time in the past.

This fine old building used to be the Technical College.  My Mum taught dressmaking in this building, I learned typing here and Mick learned his trade in a building at the rear of it.  The building has been vacant for some years.  It is now owned by the local council and there has been quite a bit of debate about its future use.  Just last week, they have announced that they are opening expressions of interest from the public.  We do hope that it can be made use of in a way that complements the building, and is also of value to the community.

Here I am, back in Kings Parade, sitting under one of the spreading flowering cherry trees, eating my lunch.  The structure in front is the Boer War Memorial. 

It was the first day this spring that was nice enough to eat my lunch in the park.  My timing was ideal, as the following few days were wet and back to winter temperatures.

Finally, as I walk back to work, here is the council chambers.  It was built in the 1950s and during the 80s and 90s there was a lot of talk of wanting to tear it down, as it was an eyesore. This was at a time that everything was harping back to earlier times.

When I was a kid, the section on the left was the library, and upstairs was the art gallery.  They were moved to a separate building many years ago.   While Bathurst has a strong colonial history and many significant historical buildings, I'm glad it hasn't been demolished, as it is a fine example of the architecture of its time.  Council is running out of space in the building, so maybe one day they will move to a different site.

By then it was time to go back to work, after a nice little interlude.