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exploring taste—santa margherita gruppo vinicolo places—the creative city of sydney

City Guide 3. WICKS SURF SHOP

Sydney 1103 Pittwater Road, Collaroy, Sydney

North of Sydney at Collaroy Beach, there is a
store for all surfers. Wicks Surf opened in 1975
and quickly became a hot spot for all lovers of the
sport. Locals who know the beach and surf have
always worked here and can give precious advice
to newcomers. Anthony Hardwick, aka “Wicka” 5. KATE SWINSON
photography Toby Burrows photography Lisa Maree Williams/Stringer photography © Batsv Coy, a famous Australian surfboard designer. A Designer & Director at Native Swinson
opened the shop after working with Geoff Mc-

few years later, Hardwick hired his friend Steve
Kate Swinson is the artist behind Native Swinson,
“Slackey” Ross, now business partner, while Pe-

you can find surfboards, wetsuits, clothing and
pers. The leitmotif of her work is nature in a double
1. 2. ter “Spud” Thomson is the current owner. Here a brand that produces artisan textiles and wallpa-
accessories, and if before hitting Collaroy Beach
sense – it serves as inspiration, with leaves, plants,
you want to know what the surf is like, just give
them a call: they will tell you where they just went floral patterns, birds and koalas decorating the
prints that recall the artist’s childhood memories,
and how the waves were. and as the ultimate goal, for which all products are
1. CHINESE GARDEN OF FRIENDSHIP • www.wickssurf.com.au made in an attempt to “tread lightly” on the planet.
Pier Street, Darling Harbor, Sydney • www.nativeswinson.com.au

Just south of Darling Harbor, within walking
distance from Chinatown, there is a secret gar-
den surrounded by skyscrapers, with waterfalls,
ponds and exotic plants. The Chinese Garden
of Friendship was created in 1988 as a symbol of
friendship between Sydney and Guangzhou, the
city where the first Chinese immigrants t o Aus- photography Nigel Howe
tralia were from. Opened during the Bicentennial 4. ROSE SEIDLER HOUSE
kind in the Southwest Pacific after the fall of Singapore during World War II. the Art Gallery of New South Wales, built in 1874 near the Royal Botanic celebrations (commemorating the two-hundredth 71 Clissold Road, Wahroonga, Sydney
The shipyard closed in 1992, the machinery sold off, many of the buildings Gardens, into a new twenty-first century museum. The works planned anniversary since the arrival of the first fleet of
demolished, and the island remained inactive for almost ten years until the by Japanese architects from the firm SANAA (the same that designed the British convicts in 1788), the park is designed by n 1950, Harry Seidler finished building a house
Harbor Federation Trust decided to redevelop the area. Since its reopening Serpentine Gallery in London, among others) should be completed in time landscape architects and Chinese gardeners, fol- for his parents, Rose and Max. The Bauhaus-style
in 2007, Cockatoo Island has become a picnic spot thanks to the open green for the building’s 150th anniversary in 2021, and aims not only to create new lowing the Taoist principles of Yin-Yang. The area home received much attention, since it was some-
spaces where you can play tennis or with the giant chess set, enjoy concerts exhibition spaces and green areas but also to revitalize existing structures, is a one-hectare oasis of peace, with bridges cross- thing radically new in Australia at the time. “Peo-
and festivals (like the All Tomorrow’s parties organized by Nick Cave in 2011), returning to use natural lighting in the halls dating back to the nineteenth ing lakes where koi carp swim, hidden paths and a ple would stand around the window to get a look 6. BUNGAN BEACH
visit film shoots (such as that used for Wolverine) or take a “haunted” night century, giving more space to Australian art, organizing events that involve teahouse that serves tea and dim sum. inside,” said Seidler, perhaps one of the reasons Bungan Beach, Newport, Sydney
tour to discover the mysteries and history of the island through tunnels, dry local communities and tourists, and using the most advanced technology • www.darlingharbour.com why in 1991 he decided to open it up to the public
docks and the Biloela House – the former correctional facility rumored to be to achieve maximum environmental sustainability. The new spaces will on Sundays. The house can still be visited today Six hundred meters long, this beach located
inhabited by ghosts. occupy a practically unused area just north of the current museum, taking and all indoor furnishings were either purchased around 35 km north of Sydney is one of the few
But Cockatoo Island is not alone. Back on the mainland, a great point of advantage of the platforms over the Cahill Expressway (the country’s first!) by Harry Seifler from New York showrooms or areas that still preserves the wild and unspoiled
interest is the Carriageworks in Redfern, the neighborhood that has long and disused storage tanks from the Second World War. 2. PADDINGTON MARKETS designed and manufactured in Australia based on charm of nature. Surfers can enjoy the waves with-
been subject to migration now brings Aboriginals and young artists together Just as the Sydney Modern Project is an important initiative for culture and 395 Oxford St, Paddington, Sydney custom designs for the house. out the crowds of more touristic areas, while the
among murals, crumbling buildings and new exhibition spaces. As part the most touristic part of the city, the Sydenham project wants to improve a • www.sydneylivingmuseums.com.au bush bordering the dunes and the beach make
of this requalification, the Carriageworks has been transformed from an district located a little further out, near the airport, which could nevertheless At ten in the morning every Sunday since 1973, sure that busy streets do not disturb the peace for
old railway workshop into the largest multi-arts center in Australia. It has become a popular nightlife destination. If the project is approved, the suburb the stands at Paddington Markets open. Initially beachgoers. Here and at the two adjacent reserves,
become a venue for exhibitions, dance performances, concerts and events, located eight kilometers from the CBD will become a major hub for music and intended to support and encourage local artisans, Bungan Head and Morrison Reserve, there are
including the Farmers Market held every Sunday, fashion shows and even concerts, taking advantage of the highly adaptable industrial warehouses, and over the years it has managed to involve more than rare oaks and plants. The whole area has often been
some events from the Sydney Festival. Other projects are still in progress; a home for artists, with short-term tenancy agreements designed especially to 150 artists, who sell everything from accessories a discovery point for ancient fossils and the rocky
the Sydney Modern Project, for example, is a huge initiative that will turn attract creative professionals and start-up founders. and jewelry to scented candles and paintings. In platforms at the end of the beach allow inverte-
the International Food Court you can find local brates to reproduce. It is the perfect spot for rest-
bread and homemade chocolate, while on Satur- ing, sunbathing, fishing and bushwalking, where
1 – 2.
The Elston Room of Carriageworks, and the runway day night there are live music performances. you can indulge in a little peace and quiet away
during the Wang Yutao show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week • www.paddingtonmarkets.com.au from the more famous beaches.

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