The History of Chippendale Green

The beautiful Chippendale green located in the heart of Sydney's CBD, two minutes away from central station, has a deep and enriching history that dates back all the way to the early 1800s. This project delves into that rich history while only focusing on the beautiful and distinctive sounds that represent all the generational change that Chippendale Park has experienced. For this walk you are able to visually explore the surroundings of chippendale park while having the total history of chippendale park; from before humans inhabited it, to its modern day contemporary state. You will travel on an immersive journey and will be able to perceive Chippendale Green's lengthy history through the sounds I have introduced, as well as the historical signs set up around the park presenting factual historical information for individuals to read. I suggest that you follow the path as its audioscape is in an ascending order, going from generation to generation and ending in modern day Chippendale green. The walk does not include dialogue, only sounds, which was my intention as I want you to create a story within your minds through the sounds of history I have introduced. My intent for you as a listener is to immerse yourself fully into the walk, turn your sound up as loud as is safe for your ears so you don’t hear any outside sound, and discover how through only sounds you can learn a whole green's history and its existence before even you were born.

Echo 1: The walk starts at the entrance of Chippendale green, from parramatta road, where tall buildings surround and there is a long pathway into the park. Here you will hear nothing but the pure sounds of nature; birds chirping, wind blowing, anything that would have been heard prior to the urbanscape being built and noise pollution becoming prevalent. This represents chippendale park before human civilization, all you can hear is the birds, the wind, the ocean and rain, it represents a more peaceful time where the green wasn't called chippendale green, it was just called earth. You’ll be able to see this past life of the green through the waterfall near the start of the walk.

Echo 2: Listeners are then advised to turn to the right when they reach the end of the pathway and are standing right in front of the green. If you look to your left you'll see a sign with information on the breweries that existed before chippendale green. After that, turn on your sounds and listen to the brewery ambience. This part of the walk presents chippendale green in the early 1900s; when it was the home to a popular brewing company Carlton and United breweries. Throughout this period of the walk you will be able to apprehend the sounds of a thriving brewery; with people conversing and glasses clinking together as well as music being played. This area of chippendale green has come a long way since the breweries, but still has echoes of its past through signage and its commercial growth.

Echo 3: The last part of this walk is Chippendale green in its modern state, which the listeners see is the green surrounded by buildings. It is filled with people sitting down or playing with their children or walking their dogs. Although it has become the only big piece of nature in an urban construction filled area, it has given residents of Sydney's bustling CBD a place to go to get their daily dose of greenage. We also can hear the faint noise of nature, when not listening to the background sounds of parramatta road as well as birds chirping in the trees all around the green. Ultimately this is chippendale green today, as is and as it will be for the future, and if it changes i guess i have another echo to make.

Overall I hope this walk enlightens you as a listener and attracts you to the different eras of this beautiful green and everything that surrounds it. I hope this has helped you discover how through only sounds and not reading or having someone talk to you, you can learn something about history and how something like a park or green can have many forms, whether commercialised or in its pure natural state. Thank you for listening!! Juliette Triccas

References NSW Department of Customer Service, T. for N. (2023, February 23). Chippendale Green | NSW Government. Www.nsw.gov.au. https://www.nsw.gov.au/visiting-and-exploring-nsw/locations-and-attractions/chippendale-green Background music: Jude Price, Durham Mcnamara, Daniel Osbourne