The Annandale Troll Edition 51

Editor's Note

The Troll's own census is open

The Troll just turned one and to mark the occasion there's a quick 3min 'census' for readers. It covers who's reading, how you're finding life in Annandale, and where the newsletter goes next. Most of it is just single-tap ... I tried to make it easy and a bit cheeky!

Take the census (3 mins)

Finish it and you're in the draw for $100 to spend at the Vic. Your responses stay anonymous and only show up as totals. Let's see what the Troll turns up, I'll share results next Friday.

P.S. For anyone with an old school wristwatch, clocks forward an hour this Sunday (I can not wait for some extra light in the eve!)

Village News

Bogong moths are back in the bottlebrush

Spring has brought the Bogong moths back through Annandale which we haven't seen in years. One resident counted hundreds in the bottlebrush trees on Reserve St and spotted more on Catherine St. Others saw big numbers feeding on bottlebrush along Ferris St too. No need to worry if one finds its way inside. They only feed on nectar and won't touch your clothes (that's a different moth entirely). Just help it back outside to continue on its way.

Live music is coming to your local pool

Sunday Sessions are kicking off this month, with live music every weekend at Inner West pools. The sessions will rotate across the five pools, so each one gets a visit roughly every five weeks. Darcy Byrne described it as a couple of hours of guitar at each pool. Swimming and a bit of live music on a sunny arvo? That's a pretty good pitch for spring. (Source: Darcy Byrne FB Page)

Heritage wins...or does it?

Last weeks poll received 114 votes. Many came down hard against the state's housing density plans, but the picture is far from simple. "No - Protect heritage" drew the most votes, but when combined, the "Yes" and "Kinda" camps drew even more. Even among those who voted no, many said they wanted more housing but objected to where and how tall. Twenty comments came in, including plenty of hot takes, see them below.

Council draws a line on smart glasses

Inner West Council has banned AI smart glasses and wearable recording devices in council venues. The ban covers pools, change rooms, childcare centres and public toilets, with an exemption for people who need the devices for accessibility.The glasses are an example of AI's trade-offs: They offer new ways of navigating the world, but their ability to record HD video and livestream without making it obvious cause obvious privacy concerns. Council is developing a broader AI strategy, making room for useful technology while setting limits to protect privacy. (Source: Darcy Byrne FB Page)

Algal bloom lingers at Whites Creek wetlands

Warning signs have gone up at the Whites Creek wetlands flagging a non-toxic algal bloom in the water. A local reported sludge sitting over several ponds, though others spotted turtles, frogs and fish still active through the week. If you walk past, let us know how it's looking.

Local Business Spotlight

Council Watch

DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS

Address	Proposal	Application #
30 Annandale St Annandale NSW 2038	The application proposes demolishing existing structures and building a two-storey dwelling with a rear garage and studio, pool and associated works.	-

Real Estate

Ben’s Wrap

Ben Southwell · sponsored

Cobden Hayson

With weather like this, Sydney is pretty hard to beat. A walk along the water towards the Fish Markets is about as good as it gets.

A quick property download. The rental market remains incredibly tight, with limited choice and plenty of competition. Sales are tougher, as most are now well aware, but good homes are still finding their people. Last week we quietly matched an Annandale Street home with its new owners, without going to market or making too much fuss. Another reminder of just how fortunate we are to live in such a desirable little village.

For the families, enjoy the break. It feels like Zooper Dooper weather has arrived early. See you out and about. Ben

Get in touch with Ben →

JUST SOLD

Address	Price	Beds	Baths	Garages
73 Ferris St	-	3	2	2
4 Reserve St	$1.98M	3	2	-
176 Annandale St	-	5	3	2

Events

Friday 4 September

Rozelle Culture Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Genesian Theatre. On a Greek island during World War II, occupying forces alter villagers’ lives as an unlikely romance blossoms between a local woman and an Italian. 7:30pm - 10:00pm.

Friday 2 October

Glebe Culture Club De Tango: La Milonga - Glebe Town Hall. Sydney’s original milonga features golden age tango music, an award-winning DJ and classes for beginners to advanced dancers. 7:30pm - 11:45pm. $25.

Glebe Kids Ballet Class: Dance With Me 1.5-3 yrs (Glebe) - Glebe Town Hall. Children and their grown-ups dance together in themed classes that encourage creativity, confidence, coordination and socialisation in a safe, fun setting. 9:15am - 9:50am. $24.

Glebe Culture Exhibition of artwork - 112 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe NSW 2037, Australia. Photography, prints, collage, painting and everyday objects are displayed, with opening night drinks on Friday, October 2. 11:00am - 4:00pm. Free Entry.

Leichhardt Music Aenima - The Ultimate Tool Tribute Show | "Aenima" Album Tribute - Crowbar Sydney. AENIMA return to NSW to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Tool's 1996 album “Ænima”. 8:00pm - 11:30pm.

Glebe Kids Ballet Class: Little Ballet 3-5 years (Glebe) - Glebe Town Hall. Children follow changing stories through movement, voice and music while learning ballet fundamentals in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. 9:50am - 11:30am. $29.

Saturday 3 October

Glebe Community Glebe Anxiety Support Groups - Glebe Town Hall. A free, safe and supportive space for community members experiencing anxiety to connect, share experiences and access peer support. 3:00pm - 5:00pm. Free Entry.

Camperdown Music Spyral Trio - Church Street Studios. SPYRAL performs original compositions and lesser-known jazz standards with collective interaction, melodic improvisation and musical conversation. 8:00pm.

Sunday 4 October

Monday 5 October

Camperdown Music Monday Night Confessions - Church Street Studios. Original jazz and improvised music every Monday night in an intimate, personal setting. 8:00pm.

Annandale Workshop Salsa classes for beginners at Tropical Soul Dance Studio - Tropical Soul Dance Studio. Learn to dance Salsa, meet new people and make new friends. 7:30pm - 8:30pm. $20.

Tuesday 6 October

Annandale Workshop Bachata classes for beginners at Tropical Soul Dance Studio - Tropical Soul Dance Studio. Learn the basics, fundamentals, connection, flow and feeling of Bachata from experienced Australian Dance Champion instructors. 6:30pm - 7:30pm. $20.

Wednesday 7 October

Camperdown Community Greenups Spring. In The Garden - Camperdown Commons + Pocket City Farms. Meet people, share drinks and ideas, tour the farm, and enjoy music and food at a kid-friendly venue. 5:00pm - 9:00pm. Free Entry.

Camperdown Culture Student talks on art & architecture - Chau Chak Wing Museum. Explore artworks and architectural projects in our new exhibitions with these talks by university students. 2:30pm - 3:30pm. Free Entry.

Annandale Workshop Salsa classes for beginners at Tropical Soul Dance Studio - Tropical Soul Dance Studio. Learn to dance Salsa, meet new people and make new friends. 7:30pm - 8:30pm. $20.

Thursday 8 October

Rozelle Community Organic Buyers Group Hub: Rozelle - Rozelle Public School. Locals buy certified organic fruit and vegetables at supermarket prices and help divvy boxes when collecting them. 5:00pm - 5:45pm.

Annandale Community Annandale Craft Group - Annandale Neighbourhood Centre. Bring your current project and spend time with like-minded crafty folk doing sewing, knitting, crochet, embroidery, patchwork, beading and more; not suitable for children. 11:00am - 4:00pm. Free Entry.

Glebe Community Men's connection program - St Helen’s Community Centre. A relaxed space for men to connect over a chat and weekly activities including games, creative projects, guest speakers, walks and table tennis. 11:30am - 12:00pm. Free Entry.

Trusted Tradie List

Letters to the Troll

We asked where you land on the state's push for more housing in the Inner West. Here is what you said.

No - protect heritage

"Plans for 8 story hi rise around the heritage Annandale Post Office are not sympathetic to the local architecture"

"Love the old homes and the village"

"There is so much land mass on this continent, why are these moron politicians pushing to put us on top of each other. Here is an idea, stop wasting our money, build a future plan that involves increasing public transport that connects everyone from far and wide and embrace the urban sprawl."

"Want to increase housing supply but without transport and infrastructure families need, and much better building standards than currently exist for apartment buildings the inner west will become a slum"

"No one can trust this government"

"Should all be on top of or next to metro/train stations. Heavy rail can handle the increased people but along paramatta road or booth street will do nothing but create absolute gridlock plus being run over on the pedestrian paths by lime bikes. Bikes are not properly included in traffic modelling. McDonaldtown is underused."

"Established heritage areas should not be ruined. Governments need to develop new areas well that people want to live and travel to. Not everyone can live in old established areas. If we ruin what is beautiful and do not build with good urban design and infrastructure we just make everything worse. It is established areas that tourists want to visit and if we ruin them what do we have to offer as a destination."

"Some of us have invested significantly and stretched ourselves to get into the Annandale pocket. It's such a beautiful suburb. It would be a shame to overly populate and remove some of the beautiful history."

"Once heritage is gone, it will be erased and forgotten. Yes, we need more affordable housing, no argument with that. There needs to be a balance between preservation and new developments..."

"Don't want the suburbs to become getto's of high rise buildings."

Kinda - there's nuance to this

"We need the housing, that is obvious. Good planning required, including improved public transport. (Will Parra Rod never get rapid transport? I thought it was a tradeoff promise for WestConnex.) Other infrastructure and heritage considerations need to be made. There are ample places where appropriate medium high rise housing can be built."

"Hmm... leaning towards "No... protect heritage" however understand affordable housing for say, healthcare workers."

"I'm all for extra housing. My concern is height and placement outside of the main traffic corridors. The 21 story at joinery is good, but I hope this doesn't set the precedent and allow taller and deeper into suburbs outside of parramatta road."

"Not at the expense of knocking down our low density heritage houses. Like the proposal currently is for the parramatta road rezoning. Or having huge blocks of apartments overshadowing low density. Our area has a lovely look and feel. These plans spoil it."

"We need well built housing that people can afford, and leave some park and mature tree to cool down the precinct and keep our beautiful biodiversity"

Yes - we need the homes

"Appropriate locations must be on main roads, near public transport & not suburban streets Green space must accompany any high rise buildings & local amenities need to be updated to accommodate the surge in residents"

"It's time the inner west community put their money where their mouths are and support the delivery of more dwellings and density in Sydney. The housing crisis will not solve itself..."

"We can't expect the rest of Sydney to have accept more homes being built and Annandale not to. I think the plan to limit development around the transport corridors is logical and reasonable. Hopefully there will be significant height restrictions so the beauty of the area is retained."

"Heritage can still be maintained with excellent planning and architecture. That is key."

"Parramatta Road need revitalization. I support development along that road as I assume it will go hand in hand with a nicer Parramatta Rd."

Share the Troll, bring back community

We are building a closer Annandale community, so please invite your neighbour. Just forward this email or share our website link via message: annandaletroll.com.au

Cheers,

Mark :)

Builders → 2 listings	Plumbers → 3 listings
Gardeners → 1 listing	Pest Control → Building the list
Handymen & Handywomen → 1 listing	Electricians → 3 listings
Painters → 2 listings	Mechanics → Building the list
Solar & EV → 1 listing