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Bent Street, c.1880

Bent Street in the mid-late 19th century. The streets are lit with gas. Bligh Street can be seen going off to the left in the foreground, as can O’Connell Street. The three storied building with verandahs, on the corner of O’Connell Street, is the Australian Club. The Creswick Hotel is on the corner of Bligh.
Today Bent Street is a narrow wind tunnel, dominated by high rise office towers. The onion-domed clock tower of the Lands Department building is a reminder of Sydney’s former height limits.

(image “Then” : SPF/512, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales; image “Now”: City of Sydney)