Balmain: Birthplace of the Australian Labor Party

Last Saturday, the NSW Liberal Party trounced Labor in a convincing victory that ended 16 years of Labor rule. Only five seats remain "too close to call" and one of those hotly contested seats is the seat of Balmain. Incumbant Labor member Verity Firth has seen a considerable swing against her and her Party, while her rivals, Leichhardt Mayor Jamie Parker and Liberal candiate James Falk had votes go their way. The State Electorial commision still has the seat as too close to call with 70% of the vote counted.

Since it is a relevant time for political talk, I thought I'd talk about the influence Balmain has had on the Labor Party. Many people know that Balmain has a strong working-class history, but it is also credited as the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party in NSW.
In April 1891, a group of unionised workers, mainly maritime workers and shearers gathered at the Unity Hall in Darling Street and formed the Labor Electoral League adopting the recent constitution of the NSW Trades and Labor Council. This was the first ever meeting of what was to become the Australian Labor Party in NSW. A few months later, "Labor" as their members were calling themselves, won 35 seats in the NSW Assembly to establish themselves as a new governing force within Australian colonial politics.

Over then next 10 years, the universal appeal of leftist political thought grew the popularity of the League - socialists, women suffergists and rural communities all found representation within the Labor Electoral League. In 1901, the year of Federation, the Labor representatives of the four colonies of NSW, QLD, Victoria and South Australia met at the inagural Federational Conference and hastly joined together to form the Australian Labor Party, ready to contest in the first Federal Elections. And the rest is history

Historically, Balmain has been a working-class seat and very safe for Labor; however in recent years a demographic change has led to a rise in the Greens vote, transforming it into a maginal seat. April 2011 will be the 120th Anniversary of the founding of the NSW Labor Party in Balmain but it may very well be a quiet celebration if Verity Firth looses her seat.

Mysterious French mansion frozen in time for 100yrs, opens it's doors

In Moulins, France sits a lone house lurking in the shadow of the town's cathedral. An eccentric bachelor by the name of Louis Mantin who was obsessed with death and the passing of time, wrote in his will that the house, known as Maison Mantin, was to open as a museum a century after his death. He died 6 months later in 1905. "He wanted the house to remain unchanged , like a time-capsule for future generations, so they would know how a bourgeois gentleman lived at the turn of the 20th Century" Maud Leyoudec, assistant curator of Maison Mantin told CNN.

Surviving two world wars including a German occupation in the 1940's, the townsfolk of Moulins respected the will and left the Mansion's doors closed for 100 years. Rumours circulated that there were skeletons in side and it became part of the town's lore.

When a house remains untouched for long periods of time, they tend to become decrepit and fall apart. The Maison Mantin was no exception. Mantin's great-niece opened it in 2005, highlighting the urgent need for restoration. "There was woodworm and damp caused by the house not being heated, and many of the elaborate wall coverings were torn," Leyoudec said, "There were insects everywhere in the house - it was really awful."

A team of 30 specialists set to work on the restoration which took over 4 years and cost nearly $5 million. The Mansion, reopened as a museum in October 2010 and displayed many modern comforts for the time including electric lighting, flushing toilets and under-floor heating. It also contained some unique artifacts such as two frogs sword-fighting and a stuffed puffer fish. It is thought that the Maison Mantin is a unique entity, having been the only home of its kind to have been deliberately left in its original state for 100 years - a snapshot of early 20th century life.

Balmain Pubs: Dick's Hotel & Exchange Hotel

Dick's Hotel:
Named after publican John Dick who built this pub in 1874, the hotel has stood on the corner of Beattie & Montague Sts for over 140 years with little change. For a brief period between 1886 to 1898, Dick's was also known as "Lean's Hotel" after it's second licensee Jabez Lean. It is known as "the People's Pub" not only for its cozy and conscience lack of bombastic flare, but because of it's history with the Balmain Union movement. Dick's Hotel had a verandah overlooking the street that was the scene of an accident in 1904 when a 7 year old child fell from the balcony and landed onto the road below. She sustained a broken arm and fractured wrist but was treated back to health. The verandah was removed around 1924 but the popular beer garden remains a favourite with the locals.

Exchange Hotel:
Heritage listed for its wonderful architecture, the imposing Exchange Hotel was the last and largest pub to be built in the 1880s. Rising up three levels, the Exchange Hotel, along with Dick's Hotel, were instrumental houses for the Balmain Labours Union that would later develop into today's Australian Labour Party. Politicians and speakers would take advantage of the height of the balconies to address crowds of the Beattie Street Push on the street below. It is unknown when the top balcony of the Exchange Hotel was removed but the balcony at Dick's Hotel was also dismantled. The Exchange Hotel recently underwent a $2 million renovation that restored it's old charm, but gave it a modern feel. The Safari Bar that, in the past, was adorned with hunting busts has now been given a face-lift to look like a 1930s Moroccan gin bar. Today the Exchange remains one of the most iconic buildings on the peninsula.

World's Most Expensive Dog Kennel

One of the reasons why Balmain is popular with European ex-pats is that the peninsula feels like a European town. When I was in Paris, I couldn't help but notice that welcoming acceptance of dogs into places such as bars and cafes. Balmain in this sense is a little bit like Paris and the friendly pooches we see on Darling Street all look well groomed and well fed. But despite our love affair with our four legged friends, I doubt that any of us would spend one quarter of our homes value on a dog house!

This is exactly what has been done by a home owner in Gloucester shire, England. Built to house two Great Danes, the kennel has some luxury features that most people don't have in their homes. To gain access, the dogs must enter via a retinal scanner that prevents nosey canine neighbours from enjoying the facilities! Once inside, the pampered pooches can relax in their own 18 inch saline spa while listening to Baha Mens - Who Let The Dogs Out on a $230,000 stereo system. Their beds are lined with sheepskin and are temperature controlled for comfort, while the two "bedrooms" offer views across the countryside. The "kitchen" contains automated food dispensers that self clean, while the water is purified and chilled. If this is not enough to make Rover happy, there is also a 52-inch Plasma television for the dogs to unwind after a hard day's bone burying. The dog's favourite films? Air Bud and Beethoven!

At a cost of nearly $400,000, you can put me in dog house anytime!

Sustainability & Space: Future trends in Australian Housing

With the GFC nearly over, tighter bank lending, climate change and an ever increasing population constantly on the minds of Australians, the question can be asked - Where is the future of housing headed? This is more difficult to answer than first thought. For many people, especially those of a younger generation, achieving the Australian dream of owning your own home with a Hills Hoist in the backyard is quickly becoming a product of fantasy. It seems prevalent now, more than ever, that the notion of the Australian dream is just that - a dream. The reality is an accumulation of a life long debt for a minimal dwelling that is often 5 storeys off the ground and no outdoor space. Not wanting to loose that sense of home ownership embedded in our culture, the younger generation are turning to architects to combat the lack of affordability and rising utility bills.

Sustainability and Space seem to be the new focus on housing. How can we make an eco-friendly dwelling that draws in light, originality and comfort? "I think the drift to big McMansions has come to an end," says Melbourne architect Norman Day. "We're coming to the realisation that we don't need a castle. I think the public is a little more ahead of politicians on this. There's a real interest in harvesting water, solar power and trying to get off the electricity grid." Sydney Architect James Stockwell agrees on the utilities "... given the way energy bills are just going up, I reckon a fair bit of thought needs to be given by home buyers so they don't end up spending a fortune running their place." Yet while having a home that can convert your pets bodily functions into running the kettle is a nice thought, the problem boils down to space.

Australia is a large country, but our infrastructure is relatively minuscule and relies too heavily on our coast to sustain our population. Sometimes there just isn't enough affordable land to allow population growth and sometimes that land must be preserved for environmental sustainability or to combat urban sprawl. Sydney's issue with urban sprawl puts large amounts of strain on our infrastructure - the further west we go, the further west our pipes, cables and roads must go. A solution has been touted quite publicly by our former Prime Minister Paul Keating: Build large tenement blocks in the city. People must embrace unit living. The problem with this is that it goes against our national psych of landownership. People want a home with a backyard, not to live in communal cages. However, reality tells us that a compromise has to be achieved and this responsibility falls on the architects and builders - Peter Cotton, National Practice Director of Mirvac Design says the trick is to make "smaller feel bigger, ensuring every space is utilised". A big focus for Mirvac is promoting social interaction through its design of major estates -- apartments that engage the street scape rather than looking inward, and building community areas where people can mingle with plenty of easily accessed open spaces.

However, units have not been all that popular in Balmain. The latest figures from Ashton & Rowe have recorded that while unit capital growth is up 17% in 3 years, the demand for them has recorded lower yeilds than those in other parts of Sydney. On par with this, the same report shows a 61% increase in 3 bedroom homes coming on for sale (and not yet sold) while 4 bedroom homes are estimated to decline in demand over 2011. These stats point to a popularity spike in smaller 2 bedroom homes - semis and terraces. People seem content to live with less space as long as it is on land.

So one can speculate an extreme attitude for the future; in order for affordability and sustainability to be achieved, the average Australian must let go of their dream and be content to build their home within the confined walls of a unit.

The World's Most Expensive Floor Tiles

Home renovations have long been a popular pastime on the Balmain peninsula. Through my time in real estate I have seen some amazing renovations that have wow'd me from the moment I've stepped into the door. Quite often the purpose of renovating a home is to achieve a visual and lifestyle improvement that will increase the re-sale value of your home. However, the cost of just one of these tiles would probably blow the entire renovation budget for the average DIY investor!

Pietra Firma’s LuxTouch is considered to be the most expensive tile in the world. Built from black marble, each tile is inlaid with 95 brilliant cut diamonds in a flower petal arrangement surrounding a rich, black agate circle. Abalone shell and pearl inlay are handcrafted to perfectly fit into each corner.

The diamonds in the tiles are raised so as to create a sensation in your feet as you walk over them. For roughly $1 million per square foot, you'd want to be reassured that you are literally walking on diamonds!

Pubs of Balmain - part 1

Today Balmain has become a peninsula of contrasting identity - we think of the suburb as a hip, cafe and art gallery loving place where expression of thought and creativity are unionised with a new found wealth in property. However, the heritage of the area as a working class, pub loving town still holds tight in defining the identity of its residents. The pennisula has always had a deep love affair with the working class and the public house and there are currently 24 trading pubs on the penninsula, some of them being of the oldest ilke in Australia.

The Captain Cook Inn: Nicholson St, Balmain East. The very first hotel on the pennisula, built in 1842. It was only trading for 3 years before it became a private residence for Captain Nicholson (of whom Nicholson Street is named after). It later became Durham House but the building no longer stands.

Rob Roy Hotel: 25 Adolphus St, Balmain - was a pub for 101 years until 1958. It has a reputation for harbouring unsavory characters and was known to the locals as the "Bloodhouse". Its location serviced the men working on the schooners docked in White Bay and a story goes that when these men, intoxicated, spilled out onto the street and found themselves on Shannon Grove, a private residence (now Ewenton St), a father and son team known as "The Ward Boys" would eject them using a revolver. The Rob Roy also had a reputation for selling liquor on Sundays, which at the time was prohibited. The building is now a boarding house.

Dry Dock Hotel : Cnr College & Cameron Sts Balmain - Is the oldest hotel still trading today. It opened in 1867 and has been servicing partons for the past 142 years. Its success has been due to its close proximity to Mort's Dock. It was the first pub have a beer garden and host live entertainment in Balmain.