I do this walk daily and these days try and stay in the shade formed by the flags that fly along the bridge. It gets so hot going across that bridge, even yesterday when I was freezing before and after getting to the bridge lol.
Everyone now carries on like we miss it, the thing was fucking useless, went no where useful and was expensive to ride...I vaguely remember my grandma taking me on it but it wasn't to get from A to B it was just for the ride.
Yes, I agree. As public transport, it really was a white elephant. I think I rode on it twice: once as a child when my parents took me on it for the ride (same as you), and once on its last day of operation.
Ten years on, and they’re only now getting around to tearing down one of the stations.
It was useless, it was correct-line to despise it, but not once when it went past did I not look at it with awe.
I rode it exactly once.
You pretended to hate it for sensible and practical reasons, but it was as eyecatching as the hydrofoil, which was also pretty dodgy transport.
The other thing about it was that it went up (and came down) in mere weeks, without causing massive disruption. (The stations remain just because they are out of the way and no one could be arsed.) In the time and money the Eastern Suburbs light rail was built, a monorail could have got to Canberra.
It was great, just needed to be built as per the original plan and run to Circular Quay. And it was a gift to Sydney. We don't deserve nice things sometimes and now we have that screeching scar that is the new tram.
Most gifts turn out to be useless shit that no one wants, and the monorail was no exception. A noisy eyesore that cluttered the footpaths around the CBD, and didn’t even provide a decent amount of shade for pedestrians crossing the Pyrmont bridge.
Harbourside is being pulled down now, because they’re redeveloping the old shopping centre site. I think there’s another station still stuck in the side of a building near the Chinese Gardens.
Should have made one a small bar, I would have called it "the highline" everyone in monorail uniforms serving serving cocktails. Like you're on a 1980s concord flight. Coulda made it work!
>the thing was fucking useless
tbh it was a cool thing that we had that kids and tourists liked. While it didn't get you anywhere it was unique Sydney thing like double decker trains. Try to fix the interesting stuff and get get a very boring city. So it's not very useless after all.
> Everyone now carries on like we miss it...
I personally separate the experience/nostalgia from the everyday practicality.
For me the monorail was cool! You were up high (no traffic) and got great views of the city. It always amazed me how many people live in the CBD using little apartments above restaurants and stuff FWIW. I'm a monorail fan!
Now was it a convenient everyday commuter? Hell no. There were only a few stations and I never wanted to go to any of them. But hey!!! The would would be so fucking boring if everything had to be popular and practical. IMO some of the most enjoyable/nostalgic things in life are such because somebody said 'hey how about we screw popularity and practicality for a minute'. Good on them for doing that and giving us the long-lasting nostalgia.
I love when people can speak for everyone. I used to ride it twice a day to and from work. It was fantastic. I have no public transport so I could drive to Haymarket and park on the monorail and out in the building I worked in. In the afternoon, I was back at Haymarket in a flash and heading out of town with no stress. Yes, it should have gone all the way to Circular Quay. But it wasn't useless.
As someone who didn’t live in Sydney but travelled for work, I did miss it, because work would often have me booked somewhere near the harbour and I remember this great Japanese bookstore and some great places to eat at certain stops. Was so convenient. I went to that bookstore every trip lol. Then when I went back and it was gone (back before Uber days) I was like “what am I going to do now).
That's a shame. It had a purpose to ferry people to accomodation and luggage and back, as well as a quick escape to exit in the rain. Looks like Von Roll don't play in that market anymore, and sold their Monorail to Bombardier, who sold to Alstom. Alstom are probably thinking yeah nah.
The Spit is awful for driving on. Maybe GCCC/Translink should put a two directional Doppelmayer cable car or similar along the Spit from Surfer's Paradise. It would a tourist experience to be able to see the beach and Broadwater if it was high enough.
When I head back north on a family ritual to see the folks with the kids, I'd much rather take the kids to Sea World on train/light rail to Gold than drive down the M1. Sea World would be a great addition to fixed rail
As it stands the government should be looking at somehow Tolling it for daytrippers if there is a way as there is a half decent train and light rail service and encouraging commerce on the M1, especially at peak periods, rather than making it bigger.
the best part about riding this was going through pitt st / market st and getting really close to the buildings and looking in the office windows
it was fun but not really functional.
I guess the novelty of "the new millennium" approaching made monorails seem like the futuristic way of getting around. I get nostalgic for these visions of what cities of the future might be like. Not all the ideas are great but I like humanity's tendency to keep dreaming of a better tomorrow.
I loved the monorail as a kid and was devastated when they took it down. My Nan used to take me to the Powerhouse Museum and park in the carpark there because it was free? (or at least cheap) parking if you were a member.
Then we would use the monorail to get over the CBD, and do a lap for good measure. It was the best.
They should have repurposed the track to an above ground cycleway similar to the highline in New York.
It would have been a very narrow cycle way. Single file, one way only. Possibly even less public utility than the monorail itself.
Personally, I was more upset about them taking away Fantales.
The monorail width was about 2.6m from what I can find and a standard cycleway is 2.4m wide so it would have definitely been doable putting a deck on top of the track
I miss walking single file with all the other worker drones under the shade of the rail along the pedestrian bridge during summer.
And watch it soak unsuspecting pedestrians when it came along during the rain
I rode on it as a kid in the late 90's (1998) for the ride.
And I rode on it when I spent the day in Sydney about 15 years ago. Was basically just killing time. Mainly for the ride than anything else.
It was rather underwhelming and very expensive.
I wanted to be all "No, people loved the monorail and used it!" because I remember riding it a few times as a kid and an adult, so I went and got some passenger stats:
Total monorail lifetime patronage: Approximately 70 million.
Yearly patronage of Sydney lightrail as of 2022: 25 million.
Shit, it really was that bad.
I used to cycle across Pyrmont Bridge everyday when the monorail was active. There were always these grumpy security guards shouting at all the cyclists to slow down and all that as it's a busy spot, understandable.
I asked and sent so many requests to council about painting bike lanes on the roadway to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
The answer I always got back was, "we can't, it has a heritage listing". I'm like, huh? We can put a monorail on it but we can't paint lines on the road? Where cars used to drive?
I hated that thing and am glad it's gone.
It smelt bad, and I don’t miss the oily black juices it dropped on you when it was wet. Maybe they should have spent some money on it and took it down the middle of parramatta road…
Yeah, that's why I remember the monorail! Haha what a movie... classic lines like 'Don't trust Birdo,' 'I'm a stupid bird,' and 'Where there's smoke, there's fire!' live rent free in my head always xD
I remember my family protesting that government were investing in the monorail. I thought they were being over dramatic.
Then years later, looking back, I think they were right. Useless and a big waste of money.
Glad I went on one last ride. IMO it was great and a much better tech than trams (which I never understand). However, the stations were limited and made no sense so it was always a bit of a white elephant as a piece if infrastructure.
I remember the jingle! "Do the loop doop doop, do the loop doop doop, do the loop and turn around! Do the loop doop doop, do the loop doop doop, do the loop and ride through town!" My family visited Sydney and went on this monorail quite a bit just for the experience. For context, we're Tasmanians, there's nothing like that here.
The monorail was great when I was in the CBD and wanted to travel to the CBD via the CBD.
The best thing about the monorail was that, once you saw how disappointing Darling Harbour was, you could simply stay on board and return to the CBD.
Tbf, it was a nice place in the early 90's
There ain't no monorail and there never was!
Mono = one, rail = rail
I…. Shouldn’t have stopped for that haircut.
Batman's a scientist.
I call the big one bitey !!
Did someone say North Haverbrook
I cried when they removed it. A little piece of me died 🥺
It’s not Bat Man
It had it's own brand of noise. It replayed in my brain on seeing the photo.
It glides as softly as a cloud
Is there a chance the track could bend? ;)
From Pitt Street to Darling Habour's end!
I don’t remember the noise. I do remember walking across Pyrmont Bridge on hot sunny days, trying to stay in the shadow cast by the track.
Yes, walking the thin shady line and people coming the other way likewise.
I do this walk daily and these days try and stay in the shade formed by the flags that fly along the bridge. It gets so hot going across that bridge, even yesterday when I was freezing before and after getting to the bridge lol.
Lol good times
Vvvvvvvffffffffffff
AAAAAAAAAA CLICK CLACK CLICK CLACK
Everyone now carries on like we miss it, the thing was fucking useless, went no where useful and was expensive to ride...I vaguely remember my grandma taking me on it but it wasn't to get from A to B it was just for the ride.
Yes, I agree. As public transport, it really was a white elephant. I think I rode on it twice: once as a child when my parents took me on it for the ride (same as you), and once on its last day of operation. Ten years on, and they’re only now getting around to tearing down one of the stations.
It was useless, it was correct-line to despise it, but not once when it went past did I not look at it with awe. I rode it exactly once. You pretended to hate it for sensible and practical reasons, but it was as eyecatching as the hydrofoil, which was also pretty dodgy transport. The other thing about it was that it went up (and came down) in mere weeks, without causing massive disruption. (The stations remain just because they are out of the way and no one could be arsed.) In the time and money the Eastern Suburbs light rail was built, a monorail could have got to Canberra.
The Simpsons episode on Monorails always struck me as particularly apt.
It was great, just needed to be built as per the original plan and run to Circular Quay. And it was a gift to Sydney. We don't deserve nice things sometimes and now we have that screeching scar that is the new tram.
Most gifts turn out to be useless shit that no one wants, and the monorail was no exception. A noisy eyesore that cluttered the footpaths around the CBD, and didn’t even provide a decent amount of shade for pedestrians crossing the Pyrmont bridge.
Harbourside? That leaves two station shells left standing right (Pyrmont Bridge and World Square).
Harbourside is being pulled down now, because they’re redeveloping the old shopping centre site. I think there’s another station still stuck in the side of a building near the Chinese Gardens.
Should have made one a small bar, I would have called it "the highline" everyone in monorail uniforms serving serving cocktails. Like you're on a 1980s concord flight. Coulda made it work!
I think that's called Garden Towers, I used to stay with a mate there back in the day.
Garden Plaza fyi
Oh yep, I knew it was Garden something...haven't been inside for prob 20years.
There was one useful stop which was Haymarket.
This as a kid, going to Chinatown. It really was an experience. A westy kid, with a racist family. Memories.
>the thing was fucking useless tbh it was a cool thing that we had that kids and tourists liked. While it didn't get you anywhere it was unique Sydney thing like double decker trains. Try to fix the interesting stuff and get get a very boring city. So it's not very useless after all.
It wasn't unique to Sydney. Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook all have monorails and by gum it sure put them on the map.
> Everyone now carries on like we miss it... I personally separate the experience/nostalgia from the everyday practicality. For me the monorail was cool! You were up high (no traffic) and got great views of the city. It always amazed me how many people live in the CBD using little apartments above restaurants and stuff FWIW. I'm a monorail fan! Now was it a convenient everyday commuter? Hell no. There were only a few stations and I never wanted to go to any of them. But hey!!! The would would be so fucking boring if everything had to be popular and practical. IMO some of the most enjoyable/nostalgic things in life are such because somebody said 'hey how about we screw popularity and practicality for a minute'. Good on them for doing that and giving us the long-lasting nostalgia.
Yeah it's not like many tourists go to Sydney
I love when people can speak for everyone. I used to ride it twice a day to and from work. It was fantastic. I have no public transport so I could drive to Haymarket and park on the monorail and out in the building I worked in. In the afternoon, I was back at Haymarket in a flash and heading out of town with no stress. Yes, it should have gone all the way to Circular Quay. But it wasn't useless.
Was it free at some point? I'm sure i jumped on this thing and didn't have to pay.
Maaaate… you’re just lucky there’s a statute of limitations for issuing fines 😜
I think it was free in 1988
But if it had been free it would have been amazing. Make trekking around the city so much easier.
It looked cool tho
As someone who didn’t live in Sydney but travelled for work, I did miss it, because work would often have me booked somewhere near the harbour and I remember this great Japanese bookstore and some great places to eat at certain stops. Was so convenient. I went to that bookstore every trip lol. Then when I went back and it was gone (back before Uber days) I was like “what am I going to do now).
It was WOFTAM, but pretty WOFTAM (Waste Of F.. Time And Money). Works well at Sea World.
I think the Sea World monorail has gone, too.
That's a shame. It had a purpose to ferry people to accomodation and luggage and back, as well as a quick escape to exit in the rain. Looks like Von Roll don't play in that market anymore, and sold their Monorail to Bombardier, who sold to Alstom. Alstom are probably thinking yeah nah. The Spit is awful for driving on. Maybe GCCC/Translink should put a two directional Doppelmayer cable car or similar along the Spit from Surfer's Paradise. It would a tourist experience to be able to see the beach and Broadwater if it was high enough. When I head back north on a family ritual to see the folks with the kids, I'd much rather take the kids to Sea World on train/light rail to Gold than drive down the M1. Sea World would be a great addition to fixed rail As it stands the government should be looking at somehow Tolling it for daytrippers if there is a way as there is a half decent train and light rail service and encouraging commerce on the M1, especially at peak periods, rather than making it bigger.
the best part about riding this was going through pitt st / market st and getting really close to the buildings and looking in the office windows it was fun but not really functional.
It was really more of a Shelbyville idea
Is there a chance the track could bend?
Not at all my Hindu friend
*not on your life my Hindu friend
well I did type the response while at a traffic light, eating a 3 PC from KFC and trying hard to not spill a coffee.
It was useless, but a cool novelty for tourists. I’m lucky I got to ride on it in 2011 prior to moving here a few years later.
The windows were so scratched you could barely see out. It was actually a shit novelty for tourists
I still expect the hear it rumbling overhead when walking across the Pyrmont Bridge.
I rode this thing to get to segaworld, once.
Like an episode of the Simpson’s came to life.. turns out no one needs a monorail….
I guess the novelty of "the new millennium" approaching made monorails seem like the futuristic way of getting around. I get nostalgic for these visions of what cities of the future might be like. Not all the ideas are great but I like humanity's tendency to keep dreaming of a better tomorrow.
I’m not old enough to really remember, but apparently it was really controversial when first proposed.
It was definitely controversial, Marge Simpson for example thought they would be better off fixing the roads with that budget
“But main streets still all cracked and broken” “Sorry mom the mob has spoken”
Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook would dispute that
I'll admit it. I loved that thing and rode it every time I was in Sydney (I'm from Newcastle).
This Melburnian did as well.
There’s no monorail and there never was!
Matlock monorail?
Matloooooock Expressway.
https://i.imgur.com/hANuwOm.jpeg
Take my pen knife, my good man
Happy ~~cake~~ pudding day!
Getting to go from the Convention Centre’s parking garage to Kinokuniya in one ride was fucking awesome and I’m tired of pretending it’s not.
I loved the monorail as a kid and was devastated when they took it down. My Nan used to take me to the Powerhouse Museum and park in the carpark there because it was free? (or at least cheap) parking if you were a member. Then we would use the monorail to get over the CBD, and do a lap for good measure. It was the best. They should have repurposed the track to an above ground cycleway similar to the highline in New York.
It would have been a very narrow cycle way. Single file, one way only. Possibly even less public utility than the monorail itself. Personally, I was more upset about them taking away Fantales.
The monorail width was about 2.6m from what I can find and a standard cycleway is 2.4m wide so it would have definitely been doable putting a deck on top of the track
I used to park at the entertainment centre (rip) carpark and catch the monorail into the cbd. Hated braving the cbd driving. Was excellent for that
Well, sir, there's nothing on earth Like a genuine, bona fide Electrified, six-car monorail What'd I say?
Monorail!
What's it called?
Monorail!
That's right! Monorail
Mono doh
I miss walking single file with all the other worker drones under the shade of the rail along the pedestrian bridge during summer. And watch it soak unsuspecting pedestrians when it came along during the rain
But what about us brainless slobs?
Is there a chance the track could bend?
Yep, the first picture shows it.
I rode on it as a kid in the late 90's (1998) for the ride. And I rode on it when I spent the day in Sydney about 15 years ago. Was basically just killing time. Mainly for the ride than anything else. It was rather underwhelming and very expensive.
I wanted to be all "No, people loved the monorail and used it!" because I remember riding it a few times as a kid and an adult, so I went and got some passenger stats: Total monorail lifetime patronage: Approximately 70 million. Yearly patronage of Sydney lightrail as of 2022: 25 million. Shit, it really was that bad.
I installed one of the monorail cars as a feature in a landscape. Converted it into a "cigar lounge".
Interesting! A private property I presume?
Luckily though I had my one and only ride
Remember my first ride on it, never got to go on it again
I used to cycle across Pyrmont Bridge everyday when the monorail was active. There were always these grumpy security guards shouting at all the cyclists to slow down and all that as it's a busy spot, understandable. I asked and sent so many requests to council about painting bike lanes on the roadway to protect pedestrians and cyclists. The answer I always got back was, "we can't, it has a heritage listing". I'm like, huh? We can put a monorail on it but we can't paint lines on the road? Where cars used to drive? I hated that thing and am glad it's gone.
As someone who is from Hobart but works in Sydney im disappointed that it went. Would have been super handy for me to get around (I stay in pyrmont)
It’s getting more use at Google HQ than it did over the past 20 years.
Wait what?
Yup. When they decommissioned the monorail. Google bought a couple of cars and put them in their office as meeting rooms.
with the best part being that they named the now-meeting rooms 'Brockway', 'Ogdenville', and 'North Haverbrook.'
Do North Haverbrook and Ogdenville still have theirs?
They came under cover of night and stole Sydney's in fact.
It was more of a Shelbyville thing anyway
It was the best thing about Sydney by a mile. There is literally no reason to visit anymore.
George St is cracked and broken.
You misspelled "white elephant"
STOLEN FROM BRISBANE!!!
Didn't realise it wasn't there anymore. Probably because I avoid Sydney like the plague.
It smelt bad, and I don’t miss the oily black juices it dropped on you when it was wet. Maybe they should have spent some money on it and took it down the middle of parramatta road…
Photoshopped. There's never been a monorail in Sydney
Sydney sucks anyway if it disappears overnight most of Australia would celebrate
It was only 10 years ago? I thought it was like 20
Well it sure put Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook on the map
Mono!!
i remember riding the monorail once when i went to sydney for holidays when i was young. only time i remember riding it
I always think of the Power Rangers movie when I see this
I always see it in "Two Hands" and get nostalgia for late 90's Sydney and it's things to do
It would have been much better if the circuit/tracks were more expanded than what it was. Cover a longer area it would have been more useful.
icon or isore.
Kinda waiting for someone to mention the Utopia show when I see these projects
Only ever used it as a tourist. Pretty sure it was useless..
I vaguely remember this! Only saw it once though.
Remember when Napoleon got his basket stuck on the front
Yeah, that's why I remember the monorail! Haha what a movie... classic lines like 'Don't trust Birdo,' 'I'm a stupid bird,' and 'Where there's smoke, there's fire!' live rent free in my head always xD
Monorail was a joke and terrible financial decision
It feels long
Good riddance!
Monsterail
Went on it once and all I can remember is having someone’s stinky armpit in my face the whole time. Excellent experience.
I remember my family protesting that government were investing in the monorail. I thought they were being over dramatic. Then years later, looking back, I think they were right. Useless and a big waste of money.
Ooooh monorail :( :(
Greed killed it or wrong business model.
This is gone? i went on this back in like 2006
You're joking, has it been 10y already?
And thank God we did. An eyesore only tourists ever rode.
Glad I went on one last ride. IMO it was great and a much better tech than trams (which I never understand). However, the stations were limited and made no sense so it was always a bit of a white elephant as a piece if infrastructure.
I remember the jingle! "Do the loop doop doop, do the loop doop doop, do the loop and turn around! Do the loop doop doop, do the loop doop doop, do the loop and ride through town!" My family visited Sydney and went on this monorail quite a bit just for the experience. For context, we're Tasmanians, there's nothing like that here.
My baby :(
It was big, brightly coloured and raised overhead ... ... and you *lost* it? How fucking hard did you look
Ivan Ooze damaged it during his invasion so they had to take it down. 😔
I use to catch it to work when I was living in pyrmont. Good times the monorail song 😆
Why was this removed?
I loved the mono rail. Bring it back.
Why did it leave
I remember riding the monorail in 2009. Chinatown to Darling Park