Sydney Culture Trails: Chippendale & surrounds

Chau Chak Wing Museum

Free entry

Buses from Central Station will take you to the award-wining Chau Chak Wing Museum at The University of Sydney in Camperdown, which is a marvel both inside and out. The purpose-built museum houses collections from the university’s vaults encompassing everything from antiquities such as mummies, to art from the ages including Indigenous Australian works, and even a LEGO model of Pompei. The four-level gallery space set inside a seemingly floating cube is free to explore and while the space isn’t enormous, you’ll want to set aside a couple of hours to absorb its wonders before walking down Broadway.

The Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney. Image Credit: The University of Sydney Chau Chak Wing Museum

Fuel Stop:

Be sure to slip down Spice Alley for deliciously fragrant hawker-style fare. Whether you’re craving Cantonese congee, Malaysian char kuey teow, or silky Shanghainese dumplings, you’ll be well catered for at this street vendor hub.

Spice Alley in Chippendale

Chippendale Green

(Map Point B)

Stretch out on the shaded grass at Chippendale Green for a moment’s pause before you hit the nearby galleries. The towering, vertical garden at One Central Park’s apartment complex will draw your gaze upwards while you enjoy this tranquil inner-city space. The adjacent Central Park Mall offers more sustenance, should you require a snack, and a spot of shopping.

Chippendale Green in Central Park, Chippendale

Fuel Stop:

Refresh with a deliciously chewy tea at Bubble Nini, where each tapioca ball-filled drink looks almost too pretty to consume.

White Rabbit Gallery

(Map Point C)

Free entry

From Chippendale Green, you’re just steps away from one of the city’s most fascinating and engaging galleries. Established by philanthropist Dr Judith Neilson, the White Rabbit collection showcases Chinese contemporary works from beyond the year 2000, serving to document China’s social and artistic change this century. Once you’ve absorbed the exhibition space, enjoy a restorative cuppa in the on-site Tea House.

Exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale

Harrington Street Gallery

(Map Point D)

Free entry

Just two minutes away you’ll find another important Sydney gallery, Harrington Street Gallery. Initially established in 1973 by artist John Ogburn in Harrington Street, The Rocks, this artists’ cooperative moved to its Chippendale location in 1987. Conceived as a way to showcase work by both established and up-and-coming artists, the now 48-year-old gallery remains a must-visit destination for art enthusiasts.

Harrington Street Gallery, Redfern

Fuel stop:

With your cultural appetite well on the way to being thoroughly sated, it’s time to satisfy your physical hunger with a baked goodie at Brickfields. Grab a croissant, focaccia or robustly flavoured sandwich and be your way.

VANDAL

(Map Point E)

Free entry

Encompassing all visual art mediums from photography and filmmaking to design, illustration and virtually anything creative, Vandal is a veritable explosion of talent. An offshoot from the Vandal creative agency, responsible for many digital installations around Sydney, the gallery pulls in talent from across disciplines for their rotating schedule of exhibitions.

VANDAL. Image Credit: VANDAL

Carriageworks

(Map Point F)

Free entry

With a history dating back to 1800, it’s doubtful the thousands of people who once worked at this former railway workshop could have conceived it being transformed into a multi-arts cultural precinct. But more than 200 years since the first brick was laid at the Eveleigh site, Carriageworks is a significant complex known for turning the spotlight on ambitious and profound talent. Apart from hosting shows, exhibitions, events, and fairs, you’ll also find the weekly farmers market every Saturday, where you can grab a coffee, a treat, and peruse the freshest goods from local and artisan producers.

Women enjoying a day out at Carriageworks Markets in Eveleigh

Carriageworks Farmers Markets, Eveleigh

Fuel stop:

Jump on the train at Redfern back to Central to pop into The Old Clare Hotel. Not only one of the most stylish places to rest your buzzing head after a day of cultural exploration, but it’s also a welcoming spot for a post-walk tipple at the beautiful ground-floor bar. The bones of this inter-war, functionalist-style hotel hark back to 1939, when Margaret Molony of County Clare built the pub and named it after her Irish hometown. Today, The Old Clare is one of Sydney’s most elegant design-led establishments. Whether you stay for a night or just a drink, take a moment to absorb the legacy of this grandly curvaceous building.