Visiting Mascot

The scattegories wheel landed on “M” this week.  There are 18 Sydney train stations starting with M.  

I chose Mascot. 

I still forget that Mascot even has a train station which was built in 2000 when the Airport-City-Wolli Creek line was added to the network. But it's only since 2011 that you no longer have to pay an additional fare to use it.

Coming from the South, I changed at Wolli Creek for the Airport city line (T8 green) to get to Mascot. Coming from the city, any station on the city circle line will get you there and it’s just 2 stops from Central on the City to Macarthur via Airport or Sydenham line.  

Busy place. High rise apartments surround the block, planes fly overhead,(although not as many or as low as I expected), construction goes on all around – on the roads, on buildings, residences and shops; cement mixers, trucks, cars and buses on even busier roads. Being in close proximity to the airport, many hotels are clustered here and travellers are seen dragging their luggage as they head to and from the station.  This was kind of exciting to watch as I wondered where they were from and where they were going and it naturally brought back memories of my own travels.

My first choice of café, based on review ratings, was Coward’s Corner. But it had scaffolding all around it and although it was open, I decided to pass and go to Sugar Baby only to find that it too had been engulfed in some kind of construction with boards encircling it.  Boo. Refusing to settle for a chain café such as The Coffee Club, Michele’s or Oliver Brown, all of which were in easy reach in the retail precinct, I opted for Platform 62.  A wine bar/cross café. What drew me in was the advertised breakfast special promising avo, fetta and an egg on sourdough + coffee for $9. Well, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for….. (sourdough my arse, that was stale bread with the saltiest fetta that contaminated my cap)! Flies buzzed around and there wasn’t much ambience to be had as I sat outside regretting this choice.   

Cowards Corner under scaffolding

choose the precinct instead

Bourke st is the main road on exiting from the station but it isn’t really pedestrian- friendly. Instead, the shops are located in the Mascot Central Retail precinct directly opposite the station. Neat, clean, comfortable and modern but rather soulless. Grey pavements, grey planters, grey seats. There weren’t a whole lot of shops – Woolies, a florist, a Korean novelty shop, medical centre, chain cafes, but it was peaceful and calm. This is what I noticed throughout the residential high rise area, there were landscaped gardens, play equipment and benches throughout and it was surprisingly quiet and peaceful despite all the activity that surrounds it. Little pockets of oases amidst all that concrete.

I noticed there were plenty of restaurants that would shed a different light on the place at night and it definitely had a young person’s vibe. I have recently been to La Bufala for dinner and it was delicious Italian fare with proper light and fluffy pizzas with fewer but gourmet toppings, melt in the mouth eggplant parmigiana -definitely recommended. There were also Japanese, Indonesian and noodle bars seen.  

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The most enjoyable aspect of my visit to Mascot was venturing inside a giant antique warehouse, Lunatiques.  Wow! A vintage/retro/antique lover’s dream!  This place was sooooo big, that I had to take several rest breaks- luckily there were plenty of arm chairs to do so. The stock was beautifully presented and I really did immerse myself in a treasure trove of nostalgia. There was everything you could imagine here. Old stamp presses, chandeliers, tin locomotive toys, cameras, typewriters, butterfly specimens, crates, barrels, textbooks, maps, crockery, cabinets, suitcases, chests, planters and so much more.   

Some of the items reminded me of my parents’ things and had me thinking that the day will come when their things will be handed off to places like this for others to pore over.  Many of these items have become obsolete with progress and fashion and that’s part of our attraction to them, a glimpse into a bygone era, yet these items once belonged to individuals just like us from another time, who have now passed on- that’s kind of sad and touching to contemplate.

I didn’t wonder over to Botany st, which is probably the “real” Mascot, with a proper main street ‘cause quite frankly, my feet were knackered after spending so long in Lunatiques and as mentioned, the roads around Mascot are not really pedestrian friendly. However, from what I could gather on the internet, I don’t think there were any stand out shops there anyhow.

Summary:  Busy place with pockets of tranquillity. Not a whole lot of shops but plenty of restaurants in this airport-transfer suburb. Look out for Lunatiques- an antiques warehouse gem.

Visiting Waverton

Hello and welcome to the first of my weekly outings to a suburban Sydney main street.

Introduction 

I just love a main street (or high street as they’re known in the UK)- the buzz of weaving in and out of boutique clothing stores, cafes, book shops, bakeries, delis, galleries and more. I love that you can still be outdoors, enjoying fresh air and seeing the colours of the sky and street whilst exploring creative little nooks that stimulate the imagination and senses.

Weekly Assignment

As mentioned in my “About Me” page, I am setting myself a weekly excursion to a main street in a Sydney suburb that is accessible by train. I can’t possibly visit all 175 of them, it will take me years but I intend to visit one each week till I get a job, and perhaps even beyond that depending on my new timetable.  This will hopefully fill my excess free time with a purpose and bring me some joy.

Which Sydney suburb to visit?

The process of deciding which suburb to visit is a bit of fun in itself. Using an on line alphabet spinning wheel (I used scattegories wheeldecide spinner), much like a roulette wheel. I had my daughter click to start, and watched the colourful wheel spin quickly then gradually slow down until the black arrow pointed at a random letter.  

For the first spin, the wheel landed on “W”.  That narrowed things down somewhat but I still had 16 stations to choose from!

I decided on Waverton as I had never been there before despite living in Sydney for over 32 years.

Well, what a fantastic choice it turned out to be! 

How to get there 

So easy to get to, just 4 stops from Town Hall on the North Shore line. (T1 orange).  It felt more like a tourist outing than a main street visit. As soon as the train started pulling into Waverton, I saw the landscape of gorgeous Federation homes amongst gums  on a slightly elevated terrain.  The main street is Bay Street which you immediately step on as you exit the station. 

What shops/cafes did I find along the main street ? 

There was a gourmet butcher on the right of the train station on Bay st, with a large bottle shop next door, both enticing. If I'd brought a cooler bag, I would've made some purchases especially the gourmet sausages, they looked amazing.  

Giuseppe's Gourmet Meats

The Botanica Garden Café, directly across the road from the station was particularly eccentric and I had a wander through and took photos. Particularly touching, was a sign out the front that stated they would provide a free cuppa for those in need of one.

This little suburb had a strong community spirit, which became increasingly evident as I moved along Bay St, which became Balls Head Drive as it reached the peninsula. Everywhere in this little suburb, in and outside the shops and cafes, were free book nooks, take one and leave one. (I scored the Birdman's wife, I would happily have paid for but my money was refused).

As I walked down the pretty tree lined streets with its charming period homes and immaculately kept gardens, I caught water glimpses and a few more cafes along the way – of note, The Grumpy Baker and the Waterview café, both enticing with indoor and side walk options.

At Balls Head was the historic site of a Coal Loader that operated from 1920’s till 1992. And on the very same site, occupying the old care taker’s cottage, is now a sustainability centre. I love the irony!  There was also an extensive community garden and posters advertising an upcoming artisan’s market.  There was reference to Aboriginal heritage of the Cammerygal people but unfortunately I didn’t see the rock caving – a good excuse to return!

I had brunch at the Coal Loader Café, poached eggs with a side of bacon and a cap! Its sandstone and corrugated iron walls, in keeping with the former industrial and geographical location. I shared the space with the usual parents of babies, retired folk and some additional sailors from HMAS Waterhen naval base.   

Coal Loader cafe

Great walking opportunities right around the peninsula with stunning views of the harbour, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Cape Don (an old light house maintenance ship), the remains of the grand coal loader wharf, and other water activity. 

In Summary: 

Much more than a high street. An easily accessible tourist destination. Layers of history and a forward looking community in a pretty suburb with great cafes and harbour views.