Georgina Street and Lane on Tuesday, 26 May 2020

It’s the first day with a promise of sunshine after a week of rain and cold. But when I arrive at my destination, the sky turned dark again. It's starting to drizzle. Despite the weather, a toddler is running around in the playground. An unusual sight, first almost like a shock: “Is that safe?” Playgrounds have just opened to the public on the weekend. 

When researching the local history, I read that Georgina Street was the most prestigious address in Newtown. Indeed there is a row of terrace houses, unlike any others I have seen elsewhere. They have another storey, rising above the filigree balconies or winter garden encasements. Each building has its individual ornaments and decorations. Some are run down, with peeling paint and crumbling tiles in the front yard. A couple of them are derelict and deserted. Others are renovated and freshly painted.

The houses adjacent to Warren Ball Avenue, facing Hollis Park, are particularly well-kept and elegant. There are two old stone pillars guarding the end of the street. On one of them, it says L’Avenue in chiselled letters. Beyond is Fitzroy Street. It looks like the poor cousin of Georgina, lined with low, dark terraces. Paradise ends here.

The grand houses were built by Magistrate John Kettle around 1880 when he had purchased that piece of land. Georgina Street is named after his daughter, so it says in the Newtown History Project pages. It also says it was a planned development unusual for Sydney and inspired by the planned squares in London and Brighton.

I try to peer through a downstairs window framed by dark green curtains. The room is quite large. Then I notice two dogs, only their heads visible above the window sill. They are hard to recognise through the reflection of trees and the sky. When I look at the photo later, taken with a flashlight, there are only two pairs of green glowing eyes. 

I am particularly attracted to this house. It has a mix of neglect and care.

A bit further down is a funny repetition of a dog in a window. This one is a deserted house. The dog is a picture on a poster. 

The area was and is home to a substantial Jewish community. I don’t know exactly when this began. At least since around 1918 when the Synagogue was built.

Georgina Lane shows the backside of places, as lanes often do, and speaks of a simpler life.