The native eels that throng in Sydney’s waterways, including the ponds of Centennial Park, the Botanic Gardens and Victoria Park, compete eagerly for any scrap of food. But did you also know that there comes a time in every eel’s life when it feels the call to, well, mate. Then, it slithers out of the [...]

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ROOFTOP CITY Could Sydney save itself, solve affordability, generate density, combat climate change, maintain heritage and create a whole new way of living just by adding a storey or two on top? Warren Livesey thinks so, and his argument is compelling.  Livesey is founder of ARAD, the Association for Rooftop and Airspace Development with 15,000 members internationally and 75 rooftop developments [...]

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In NSW, unlike Queensland, Victoria and the ACT, there is no right to protest, protests must be approved by police and you can be jailed for climbing on ‘a structure.’ On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast with Elizabeth Farrelly speaks with Professor Simon Rice about our increasingly draconian protest laws in NSW. Are we [...]

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Is Sydney becoming a ghetto for the rich? The Selwyn Street boarding houses have become a test case for affordable inner-city living. Mike Mannix has been leading the fight to save them, and the 30 people they house. Mike joins Elizabeth Farrelly on The Sydneyist podcast to give us the background to this battle for [...]

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At long last New South Wales has a female Government Architect. At the same time, the Government Architect’s role has gone from making buildings, like the GPO on Martin Place, to offering Ministerial advice. As Government Architect, Abbie Galvin has promoted Design with Country, low-rise mixed-use development and is generating the much-debated NSW Pattern Book. Abbie Galvin joins Elizabeth Farrelly on The Sydneyist podcast to [...]

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How desperate are we? Is Sydney ready for the mass rollout of tiny, sunless apartments, as recommended by the Productivity Commissioner? On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast from 2024, Elizabeth Farrelly is joined by Sue Weatherley MPIA (Fellow) and President of the NSW Planning Institute of Australia, about whether sunless apartments will help solve [...]

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Max McRuvie-Burns Sydney’s crime history is endlessly fascinating, not least because it was dominated by women. Hence the nickname, Pussytown. Where were the brothels, speakeasies and hideouts, exactly – and how many were right here in Paddington? On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast Sydney historian and tour guide Max Burns-McRuvie joins Elizabeth Farrelly to [...]

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On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast Elizabeth Farrelly is joined by the erudite and articulate Architect Tone Wheeler. The old three-storey walk-up is one of Sydney’s most despised traditions. But now, as the housing crisis deepens, many are asking whether it is less problem than solution? Architect Tone Wheeler is a big fan and [...]

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Architecture was once a noble profession. Now the Minns government proposes to abolish the Architects Act and make architects into ‘building practitioners.’ Elizabeth Farrelly chats with Australian Institute of Architects President-elect Adam Haddow about what this means for architecture and for Sydney. [...]

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Should you buy an EV? Or maybe a hybrid? If so, which one? What about charging, range, batteries, rare metal mining? Are ev’s as clean as they seem? Inner-west electrification and EV advocate Sarah Aubrey has 71,000 Instagramfollowers and 1.9million views of some of her videos. On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast Sarah joins [...]

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