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Category: Art Gallery

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Carriageworks Eveleigh Sydney

Carriageworks Building and Rail Lines

We have spent a lot of time on the trains into Sydney and always gone past this area, without thinking too much about what it had to offer. Converted from old railway workshops, Carriageworks, located at Eveleigh, is now a huge display centre for artists and engages artistic and audiences with contemporary ideas and issues. This is a cultural facility of NSW government and receives support from Arts NSW and the Australian government.

The industrial heritage of the site has been embraced, with minimal internal removal of cranes and gantries, providing an amazing backdrop to the exhibitions. It feels like you have truly stepped back in time, making it unique.

The closest railway station is Redfern, which is only a 10 to 15 minute walk away. Car parking is also located nearby, if you choose to drive yourself. There is always changing displays and artworks! While there, we watched a photography display by a local artist, and found it interesting.

One of the attractions of Carriageworks is the buildings themselves, as the exterior brickwork and arched windows provide great photographic opportunities. Rail lines are still in place in the roads around the main building and the car park (once another workshop), houses some old machinery.

Entrance to the main workshop is free, but at times there may be a charge to access some of the exhibits. We wandered through the old workspaces , taking photos and looking at the old cranes and winches left in place.

There is a cafe near the main entrance, where you can get drinks and a food.

  • Carriageworks Outside Workshop
    Carriageworks Outside Workshop
  • Carriageworks Building and Rail Lines
    Carriageworks Building and Rail Lines
  • Carriageworks Building
    Building Exterior
  • Carriageworks Building and Rail Lines
    Carriageworks Building and Rail Lines
  • Carriageworks Interior
    Carriageworks Interior
  • Carriageworks Interior
    Interior of Carriageworks
  • Carriageworks Interior
    Old Industrial Interior
  • Carriageworks Interior
    Preserved Industrial Interior
  • Carriageworks Machinery
    Old Machinery
  • Carriageworks Machinery
    Carriageworks Machinery

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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White Rabbit Gallery Ultimo Sydney

Dragonfly Men White Rabbit Gallery Ultimo Sydney Asutralia

White Rabbit Gallery is a great little gallery in the heart of Sydney. Specialising in contemporary Chinese art its three floors are full of amazing works from paintings and sculptures to surrealist works. Entrance is free and with a cafe on site, specialising in Chinese teas and dumplings, there are refreshments available once you finish your tour.

Suspended from the atrium roof is the most stunning work, consisting of life-size people with dragonfly heads and wings. This amazing sight greets you on entering. A great view of this artwork is available from the ramp up to the second level, which is a great perspective.

Access to the second floor is via a ramp which passes close to the dragonfly men. Alternately you can use an elevator which also goes to all floors (it is the only access to floor 3), but we enjoyed the view of the art work while walking up the ramp..

During our visit there was a great  variety of paintings on display on  the first two floors and floor three was filled with a single, large sculpture.

There are also small rooms on the first two floors where audio visual displays are running.

Dragonfly Men in the Atrium White Rabbit Gallery Ultimo Sydney Asutralia
Dragonfly Men in the Atrium of the White Rabbit Gallery
Second Floor View of Dragonfly Men White Rabbit Gallery Ultimo Sydney Asutralia
Dragonfly Men From the Second Floor
Second Floor Art White Rabbit Gallery Ultimo Sydney Asutralia
Dystopian Second Floor Art
Second Floor Art White Rabbit Gallery Ultimo Sydney Asutralia
Second Floor Art
Second Floor Art White Rabbit Gallery Ultimo Sydney Asutralia
Second Floor Art
Third Floor Art White Rabbit Gallery Ultimo Sydney Asutralia
Third Floor
Third Floor Art White Rabbit Gallery Ultimo Sydney Asutralia
Third Floor Art

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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Vatican City and Saint Peter’s Basilica

St Peter's Basilica Vatican City

Vatican City

While visiting Rome we wanted to go to the Vatican City to see the great artworks there as well as Saint Peter’s Basilica. Research showed that the crowds in the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel could become overwhelming, so we chose to do an early entry tour with limited participants.

St Peter's Basilica Vatican City
St Peter’s Basilica
Fontana della Pigna Vatican City
Fontana della Pigna

We met our guide and other tourists at the Vatican Museum Entrance. She
provided us with earphones so that we could hear her commentary and followed her inside and past the huge queues already waiting to enter. This was where we discovered that although this tour had limited members and we did indeed enter before the general entrants, there were dozens of other priority groups going in with us.

Vatican Museums

We slowly walked through the Vatican Museums, which are magnificent. If what we did was considered not crowded, general entry must be unbearable. We were able to see everything, from the sculptures to the ornate ceilings and the guide provided a fantastic commentary that we really enjoyed.

Bramante Staircase Vatican City
Bramante Staircase
Vatican Museum Ceiling Vatican City
Vatican Museum Ceiling
Statue of Artemis, The Fertility Goddess Vatican City
Statue of Artemis, the Fertility Goddess

Raphael Rooms

Our next stop was the Raphael Rooms which were as amazing as we expected them to be and here we were able to take time to contemplate the artworks.

Raphael Rooms Vatican City
Raphael Rooms
Raphael Rooms Vatican City
Raphael Rooms

Sistine Chapel

The highlight of the tour, as expected was Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. No photographs are permitted here, and silence is expected. There are guards that enforce these rules. We spent 15 minutes admiring this cultural marvel before we had to leave.

Saint Peter’s Basilica

Saint Peter’s Basilica is even larger than we expected. To demonstrate its size, the central aisle has the other great Cathedrals marked out for comparison. Sydney’s St Mary’s is tiny compared to Saint Peter’s. There are artworks, sculptures and tombs on display that would take days to appreciate fully. After showing us the highlights of the Basilica, our guide left us here. We spent hours looking here and down in the crypt where many past popes are interred.

St Peter's Basilica Vatican City
St Peter’s Basilica
St Peter's Basilica Vatican City
St Peter’s Basilica

As with many places, there is a gift shop and a dedicated post office to send cards from the Vatican City.

Vatican City Crypts
Vatican City Crypts

What Did We Think?

The Vatican City is an amazing place to visit, even if you are not religious. The volumes of artworks and the historical significance make it a fascinating place to visit. The guide provided an amazing insight into the history and workings of the Vatican that we would otherwise not have had. A fantastic half day that we really enjoyed.