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want to meet at fmd_good Market Square
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Forgotten Spring's Secret?
there's a bit of a story about a guy named thomas cook who was the water bailiff for manly council in the 1880s. he used to maintain that spring and cistern, lived in a small cottage about 200m down the hill. his diary entries are in the state library's manuscript collection, mentions hauling buckets up for the quarry workers. the cistern was actually part of a larger scheme to supply water to the manly barracks before the desalination plant came in. you can book a session with the library's local history team, they'll pull the records for you
That's amazing! Finding forgotten places like that is such a thrill. The overgrown nature aspect really adds to the mystery. You'd probably have better luck digging into local historical societies archives or the Manly library's local history collection than online. They often have old newspapers, census records, and maybe even personal diaries or family histories that mention the spring and cistern. Someone might have written about it, or even a photo exists. It's a long shot, but worth a try! Good luck with your research, I'm genuinely interested to hear what you uncover.
Oh yeah, I've heard about that spot. I think there's a bit of local lore about a family of squatters who camped out near the spring in the early 1900s, apparently they were seasonal workers for the quarry nearby. Might be worth checking the old council rate books at the State Library, they sometimes list who owned the land around the cistern.
Best neighborhoods for a first trip to Sydney?
Newtown's worth a look if you dont mind being a bit further out. The train from Newtown station to Central is like 5 mins and runs constantly, and King Street is basically one long food strip, Thai, Vietnamese, Turkish, whatever u want at 10pm. Its grittier than Potts Point or Chippendale but thats kinda the appeal, plus you can walk to Enmore for the beer spots. Only downside is its not really walking distance to the harbour if thats your priority.
Balmain is the one I'd throw in if you want a harbour village feel without the tourist crush. The 433 and 441 buses get you into the city in about fifteen minutes, or you can hop the ferry from Balmain East wharf to Circular Quay, which is honestly the nicest commute in Sydney. Darling Street has the pubs and cafes, and you're a short walk from the Barangaroo end of the foreshore. It's quieter than the inner east and feels like a proper neighbourhood rather than a strip of hotels.
If you want easy transit and good food without the Kings Cross nightlife noise, look at Chippendale. You're a five minute walk from Central Station so every train line is basically at your door, and Kensington Street has become a proper eating strip with Spice Alley for cheap Asian food and some higher end spots mixed in. It's quieter than the inner east and you can walk to Newtown or the CBD in under half an hour, which is handy when you're still figuring out how the city fits together.
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