Editor's Note
Hey Glebe,
As promised, the poll results are below. Over 50 of you weighed in (results below), thank you for taking the time! Your votes will help steer what I go looking into next. For those who voted for neighbours' stories, the first interview is coming next week :)
You can help me out, too. If you're a long-time resident or have a bit of history with Glebe, I'd love to hear from you. Send me an old photo, a tidbit or a story worth sharing. For instance, I met Helen in Mudgee (hello, if you're reading!) a few weeks ago. She lived in Glebe back when weekly rent was just $13.50. I'd love to know what else we might uncover.
If you have a bit of room in your social calendar, there's plenty happening this weekend, including a new exhibition at the Shop Gallery and various Glebe Music Festival performances (see the What's On section).
Until next week,
Dru
This Week in Glebe
It's a tie between old and new
Glebe history and new openings finished neck and neck at the top of last week’s poll. So it's old Glebe and new Glebe, side by side. I've included some of your comments in the letters below.
A fiery week in Rozelle Bay
Fire and Rescue NSW sent 20 firefighters and five trucks to a barge fire in Rozelle Bay, near the Glebe foreshore walk on 7 November, and a Port Authority boat and NSW Police helped crews put it out. Nobody was hurt, and the barge's occupant was away at the time. Crews had also tackled another barge fire in the bay on the afternoon of 1 November, again with no injuries, and reporting said the two fires did not appear linked.
255 Glebe Point Road wins a prize
In October I mentioned the Glebe Society's $500 Character of Glebe Prize at the Glebe Art Show. Well, the winner is Temenos - Glebe Point Road by Peter Scrivener. In the painting, the building on the right of Marlborough Street is 255 Glebe Point Road, which a wall plaque names the Temenos Centre. Peter's statement explains a temenos was an Ancient Greek space set apart for the gods. Today the house is home to Sally Swain's Art and Soul Space, with workshops and community artworks. See here for the full artist statement and other winners. (Source: The Glebe Society)
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New art lands at The Shop Gallery tonight
The Shop Gallery is opening an exhibition 7pm tonight by George Alexander and Denis Mizzir. Writer and artist Anna Couani and Glebe sculptor Hilik Mirankar own and run the place, both keeping studios in the building, and artists run their own shows with no commission taken on sales. The gallery welcomes experimental and traditional work alike, from installations to performance. (Source: The Shop Gallery Blog)
Glebe's birds after a decade of counting: more turkeys
A reader asked for a piece on “bush turkeys and their successful colonisation of the bay”. As it happens, ten years of the Glebe Society’s spring bird survey have turned up just that story: more king parrots, brush turkeys, galahs and little corellas, and fewer starlings, spotted doves, raptors and pelicans. Dr Holly Parsons from BirdLife Australia shared the findings at the Society’s Biodiversity Lecture in September, to a record crowd of 67 at Glebe Town Hall. The constructed mangroves in our bays have proven productive for water birds, and even for small birds like blue wrens. Her tips for the garden: improve bird habitat, look after insects and skip the rat poison. The full write-up is a lovely read. (Source: The Glebe Society)
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Figs, wetlands and a skate park?
Fresh from council's backing of temporary creative uses at the old Wentworth Park greyhound track, talk has turned to the park's long-term future. Balmain MP Kobi Shetty held a town hall meeting on the park, and says she will work with City of Sydney councillors so locals "get a real say" in the plans. Ideas raised include more green space, wetlands, native planting and sports facilities. Shetty called it a first meeting and invites ideas from anyone who missed it at [email protected]. (Source: Kobi Shetty FB Page)
Garage Sale Trail's last hurrah is this weekend
Garage Sale Trail is back for one last round this weekend, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November. Organisers say 2026 is the final Trail after 16 years. It all started in 2010, when a Bondi event hoped for 30 sales and got 130. Check the map below and let me know if you find anything quirky. I can see one around the corner from me I might check out! (Source: Garage Sale Trail)
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Council Watch
Last week I mentioned the City's work on local share bike rules. Quick update, now there's a proposed change: City staff recommend capping the fleet at 7,000 bikes and two operators, down from around 12,000. Councillors should see the proposal in December, and Transport for NSW will set fleet sizes after hearing from councils. Fewer bikes skinny dipping in the bay but also potentially harder to find a ride, there are always two sides. You can see people's hot takes in the comments on Clover Moore's post. (Source: Lord Mayor Clover Moore FB Page)
DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS
| Address | Proposal | Application # |
|---|---|---|
| 2J Wentworth Park Rd Glebe NSW 2037 | The application seeks to modify consent to allow use of the gym’s ground-floor external terrace. | D/2019/720 |
| 61A St Johns Rd Glebe NSW 2037 | The proposal would change the existing building’s use to a single dwelling. | - |
Real Estate
JUST SOLD
| Address | Price | Beds | Baths | Garages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/30 Norton St | $1.5M | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 29/13 Greek St | $775K | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Letters to the Rag
Here are some of the suggestions that came in with your votes last week:
Write, draw, photograph, or make things? Send me (hit reply) something original you’d like me to share and I'll do my best to include it (credited of course).
Photo of the Week
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What's On
Friday 13 November
Camperdown Culture The Inner Landscape - 57 Denison St. Ten Sydney artists host a free three-day exhibition of painting, printmaking, photography and mixed media, with opportunities to meet the artists and purchase works. 6:30pm - 9:30pm. Free Entry.
Ultimo Culture Alana Hunt: To the Owner - UTS Gallery. Alana Hunt’s first institutional solo exhibition in Gadigal Nura/Sydney explores property ownership, housing insecurity and ongoing colonialism through film, photography, print and text. 11:00am - 4:00pm. Free Entry.
Chippendale Culture Hanako Murakami: Radiant Force - The Japan Foundation. Hanako Murakami’s first Australian exhibition explores photography’s origins through film, installation, scent and photographic objects, presenting recent and new works. 10:00am - 6:00pm. Free Entry.
Saturday 14 November
Camperdown Culture Francesca Raft | Between Worlds | Solo exhibition - Artsite Contemporary. Francesca Raft’s new paintings reflect on her return to Greece and its ancestral landscapes of light, memory and myth. 11:00am - 5:00pm. Free Entry.
Glebe Music “No Other” songs of Gene Clark rock concert 2026 - Glebe Town Hall. James Dixon, friends and special guests celebrate Gene Clark’s music, from his early days with The Byrds through his solo and collaborative work, including songs from ‘No Other’. 7:00pm - 9:00pm.
Chippendale Music Flux State - Seymour Centre. Experience the definitive voices of Sydney’s jazz and neo-soul underground. 6:00pm - 9:00pm. Free Entry.
Camperdown Music Excelsia Graduate Final Recitals - Church Street Studios. Excelsia’s graduating musicians present two afternoons of live music reflecting their musical influences, creativity and developing artistic voices. 1:30pm.
Glebe Books Tom Molomby - Highs, Lows and Fast Corners - Gleebooks. Tom Molomby in conversation with David Marr 6:00pm - 7:30pm. Free Entry.
Ultimo Music Dojo Live 3: Taikoz Celebrates! Experience Taikoz’s raw power, energy and emotion up close in their warehouse dojo. 7:00pm - 8:15pm.
Chippendale Culture Hanako Murakami: Radiant Force - The Japan Foundation. Hanako Murakami’s first Australian exhibition explores photography’s origins through film, installation, scent and photographic objects, presenting recent and new works. 11:00am - 4:00pm. Free Entry.
Camperdown Culture The Inner Landscape - 57 Denison St. Ten Sydney artists host a free three-day exhibition of painting, printmaking, photography and mixed media, with opportunities to meet the artists and purchase works. 9:00am - 5:00pm. Free Entry.
Annandale Music VGmates LIVE - Just Between Us - ARTemple. VGmates bring original folk, rock and world music, unusual instruments and musical surprises to an intimate candlelit concert in a former church. 6:00pm - 10:00pm.
Glebe Kids Ballet classes: Ages 5-8 years (Glebe) - Glebe Town Hall. Your child will learn the fundamentals of ballet technique in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. 11:30am - 1:00pm.
Sunday 15 November
Camperdown Music Dom Roche Quartet - Church Street Studios. Dom Roche joins Freddie Stafford, Alex Young and Phil Stack for American Songbook tunes, jazz compositions and originals rooted in bebop and swing. 7:30pm.
Camperdown Culture Francesca Raft | Between Worlds | Solo exhibition - Artsite Contemporary. Francesca Raft’s new paintings reflect on her return to Greece and its ancestral landscapes of light, memory and myth. 11:00am - 5:00pm. Free Entry.
Glebe Books Nick McKenzie and Ben Schneiders - Building Bad - Gleebooks. Nick McKenzie and Ben Schneiders discuss corruption, violence and organised crime inside the CMFEU 6:00pm - 7:30pm.
Camperdown Culture The Inner Landscape - 57 Denison St. Ten Sydney artists host a free three-day exhibition of painting, printmaking, photography and mixed media, with opportunities to meet the artists and purchase works. 9:00am - 5:00pm. Free Entry.
Glebe Music Acacia String Quartet 2026 - Glebe Town Hall. Lisa Stewart, Doreen Cumming, Stefan Duwe and Anna Martin-Scrase perform string quartets by Mozart, Chloé Charody and Brahms. 6:00pm - 7:30pm.
Camperdown Music Piano & Flute Recital - Church Street Studios. Jessica Scott and Nathaniel Kong explore flute repertoire from 20th-century French music to modern Australian works and Piazzolla’s tango. 3:00pm.
Tuesday 17 November
Chippendale Culture From prehistoric qubits to building useful quantum computer - Seymour Centre. A public lecture with 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Professor John M. Martinis. 6:00pm - 7:30pm. Free Entry.
Glebe Books James Boyce - Origins - Gleebooks. James Boyce in conversation with Rachel Perkins 6:00pm - 7:30pm.
Ultimo Culture Alana Hunt: To the Owner - UTS Gallery. Alana Hunt’s first institutional solo exhibition in Gadigal Nura/Sydney explores property ownership, housing insecurity and ongoing colonialism through film, photography, print and text. 11:00am - 4:00pm. Free Entry.
Ultimo Community Social group for Chinese speaking seniors - Ultimo Community Centre. Older people meet each week for coffee and conversations. 10:00am - 12:00pm. Free Entry.
Wednesday 18 November
Camperdown Culture 2026 Murray Lecture - University of Sydney. Professor Marti Anderson explains how statistical modelling tracks changes in species abundance and distributions in response to climate change. 6:00pm - 8:15pm. Free Entry.
Thursday 19 November
Glebe Kids Youth comics and graphic novel club for ages 12 to 17 - Benledi House. A safe space in Glebe for young people to share their interest in comics and graphic novels. 3:30pm - 5:00pm. Free Entry.
Saturday 21 November
Glebe Music SYLVAN GLADES & CRYSTAL FOUNTAINS Austral Harmony - Margaretta Cottage. Melodies from Handel’s Acis & Galatea and chamber music from his early days in England evoke an Arcadian idyll. 3:00pm. $20.