La Renaissance, The Rocks, Sydney
La Rennaissance Patisserie and Cafe,
47 Argyle St, The Rocks NSW 2000
I’ve been in Sydney for the National Conference of the Medical Surgical Assistants Society of Australia (MSASA), and now I’m finally free to head home, I can’t resist stopping off at one of Australia’s iconic areas, The Rocks.
It’s a cool early spring day, with the sun forcing its way between the broken clouds - ideal for exploring on foot.
When Australians talk of historic buildings, Europeans laugh.
[They’re not the only ones laughing mind you. Why the English establishment of the late 18th century would choose to send the scum of their society to colonise paradise, while the well-to-do stayed in the dreary miserableness of England is anyone’s guess. Nowadays of course, the smart ones are choosing to leave and follow the convicts down here.].
If you’re going to find historic buildings anywhere on this wide brown continent, The Rocks district on fair Sydney Harbour is about the best place to start. Cadman’s Cottage for instance is one of the oldest structures still in existence, built in 1816. It’s the former dwelling of John Cadman, one of the longest serving Superintendents of Government Boats in the early 1800s.
Cadman’s Cottage, The Rocks, Sydney
He was lucky to be here at all. A victim of the incredible poverty of the age, Cadman stole a horse and was initially sentenced to “hang by the neck until he is dead” before he was evicted from the northern hemisphere as a convict in 1797. After being granted his freedom, he continued maritime work until his death in 1848.
The contrast between old and new is somewhat discombobulating. The modern city skyline towers over quaint dwellings built from hand-quarried stone. As you wander, every now and then the grandure of the harbour bridge pops up into view, like a 10 year old trying to photo bomb a family portrait.
It’s time to get in from the September chill, so I check out the pie options. Eventually I settle on “La Renaissance” bakery, which I find a curious paradox, and order their World Famous Boeuf Bourguignon pie. The filling is absolutely scrumptious, tender chunks of meat in a spicy tomato-and-wine gravy. The crust is a bit limp, so I can’t give it higher than a 4.25 on the Osler Pie Scale.
I have the unsettling feeling I don’t know exactly where my car is, which isn’t ideal as the rain intensifies. The cobbled alleyways are a throwback to the days before cars, and finding my way back is a challenge.
I stumble across Nurses Walk, and soon after Surgeons Square. Of obvious interest to me, I start exploring. This area was the site of Australia’s first ever hospital, constructed shortly after Governor Phillip led his party ashore in 1788. With barely a vegetable grown for the first couple of years, the facility was quickly overrun with customers and was expanded on multiple occasions. With remarkable foresight, when the Second Fleet of convicts arrived in 1790, it carried with it a pre-fabricated hospital built from wood and copper, and was erected with all haste to relieve the burden. The hospital continued to operate (and operate) until 1816 when the original Sydney Hospital was constructed.
In Nurses Walk there’s a plaque dedicated to the memory of Lucy Osburn, the first superintendent of nursing at Sydney Hospital. Together with 5 colleagues from London, Lucy travelled to the other side of the world to establish Australia’s first nursing program. Nurses Walk itself never existed back then, and was established as part of the restoration of the Rocks precinct in the late 20th Century
I’m now damp and convinced I’m lost. Suddenly the scene opens up, revealing the famous “Coat Hanger” in all its glory. It’s an imposing sight, towering above the harbour, a monument to the 16 lives lost during its 8 year construction.
While it’s tempting to pop in to The Australia pub for a pint, it’s time to head back to our northern base to warm up again.
