subject: Sydney Accommodation Darlinghurst - History, Hub & Hype [print this page] If you are looking for Sydney accommodation Darlinghurst is a fashionable area close to the heart of the city. Known affectionately as Darlo, it offers a colourful cafe society and eclectic mix of the modern with the historic, the posh with the punk and the beautiful with the bohemian. Its urban village character is reminiscent of Soho in New York, Covent Garden in London or the Left Bank in Paris.
The area has a flamboyant atmosphere that is attractive to both visitors and locals. Key Sydney attractions such as the Opera House and Harbor Bridge are all within walking distance. Darlo is a small area - only a few square miles - boxed by College William and Oxford Streets as well as Darlinghurst Road. The suburb was originally called Henrietta Town. Governor Darling, changed the name to Darlinghurst after his wife in 1831.
At the very core of Darlinghurst sits Little Italy. This tiny quarter, covering only two or three blocks, was densely populated by migrant Italians for several decades during the 1900s. Today it is an interesting mix of small terrace homes, modern apartments, converted commercial offices, cafes and restaurants. Oxford Street is always pumping with vibrant energy. People are always gathered in its pubs, bars, eateries, stores, fashion boutiques, galleries, salons, and gyms. It is the spiritual heart of the world famous Gay Mardi Gras hosted by Sydney each year. The carnival attracts more than 300,000 spectators, many from overseas. City Gym on Crown (near William) Street is somewhat of a local institution. The fitness conscious and friends go there to see and be-seen. It was the first gym in Australia to hold aerobics classes.
Oxford Street is a non-stop buzz of pubs, bars, cafes, restaurants, stores, galleries, salons, fashion boutiques, gyms and salons. It is the main path for the Gay Mardi Gras that bursts through Darlinghurst every year. The festival attracts over 300,000 visitors, many from other parts of Australia and overseas.
There are literally hundreds of eateries, many open at all hours and offering a delicious range of tempting cuisines. Most streets in Darlo have at least a few cafes or restaurants but most are situated along Darlinghurst Road as well as Oxford, Stanley, Palmer and Victoria Streets. Entertainment is non-stop, dominate by the discos, all-night dance clubs, pubs and cafes along Oxford Street and Darlinghurst Road in Kings Cross.
There are literally hundreds of eateries, many open at all hours and offering a delicious range of tempting cuisines. Most streets in Darlo have at least a few cafes or restaurants but most are situated along Darlinghurst Road as well as Oxford, Stanley, Palmer and Victoria Streets. Entertainment is non-stop, dominated by the discos, all-night dance clubs, pubs and cafes along Oxford Street and Darlinghurst Road in Kings Cross. Historically, the area has had a colourful past associated with both the affluent and the down-and-out. Darlinghurst, along with Kings Cross, was for decades the hangout for gangsters and the home of many brothels, particularly along Palmer and Forbes Streets. Today, those activities have been largely eliminated and the neighbourhood has become a lot safer since the 1980s.
Perhaps the most imposing building is Darlinghurst Goal. This large structure near Taylor Square was established during the 1800s and was controversial from its very beginning. A commission to design the goal was given to architect Francis Greenway about 1820. That mandate was subsequently retracted when it was eventually deemed inappropriate that he, a former convict, should be tasked with the responsibility of designing a jail. The project lay dormant for several years until alternative new plans were secured. They were based on a jail that had been built in Philadelphia. Work on the Darlinghurst goal using those plans recommenced in 1835. By 1840, only the Governor's residence, one cell block for male and one for women prisoners were completed. An adjoining courthouse facing Taylor Square opened in 1842 and still operates today. It took about 50 years before the entire structure was finally completed.
Henry Lawson, a leading Australian writer and poet, spent time in the Darlinghurst goal for drunkenness and non-payment of alimony. He wrote of that experience in his haunting poem titled One Hundred and Three, that being his prisoner number, first published in 1908. That poem refers to the prison as Starvinghurst Goal because of the poor food rations served to inmates. The goal ceased operation in 1912. Its buildings were used as an internment camp during the first world war. The site was transferred to the state department of education in 1921 and converted be the Sydney Accommodation Darlinghurst for a technical college highly regarded for its fashion faculty.
