Crane Count September 2018

Crane Count, 22nd September 2018

The best way to look at this map is on your computer at home but I know many of you can enbiggen it on your mobiles and cell phones anyway.

12 cranes counted on the 22nd of September 2018. Last count was 15 on the 14th of August 2018.


GREEN DOT - site is 100% finished
GREEN STRIPED DOT - site topped out but not yet 100% finished
BLUE DOT - site is not yet finished
RED CIRCLE - site not previously included on Crane Count maps


Today's red-circled sites are:

 1. the lower red circle at The Albany, a long-finished site at the corner of York Street and Albany Street at Point Frederick
 2. a new site on Frederick Street, also at Point Frederick, another apartment block overlooking Fagans Bay and Brisbane Water in general. No crane at this site yet.


I've turned 2 sites brown, for broken ground but no foundations yet:

 1. the Apex site, on Donnison Street East between Baker and the railway line, a quite small site, no crane yet
 2. the golden cage of sandstone (scroll down in link) on Henry Parry Drive where it comes closest to John Whiteway Drive, no crane yet.

Below are 2 crane photos:

 1. 32 Mann Street crane being dismantled on Saturday 22nd September 2018
 2. Pinnacle site's black Y-shaped crane has been put up
 3. triple treat of 2 cranes in the foreground & 1 hidden away in the background

Crane at 32 Mann Street being dismantled, 22nd September 2018

It was a fairly still day down at ground level so it probably wasn't too blowy up there. You wouldn't want to be dismantling a crane on that very windy day we had last week.

Crane up on the Pinnacle site on Mann Street, 22nd September 2018

As you can see in the background, the Pinnacle site on Mann Street is opposite the 32 Mann Street/Finance Building site. The access lane is off Mann Street but I have to take my photos from Henry Parry Drive just to be able to see into the site. It's tucked away behind the old Telstra and Post Office buildings.

Left to right: 32 Mann St, Kendall St, Pinnacle, 22nd September 2018

Cranes from left to right:

Left - 32 Mann Street, being dismantled
Yellow, against Presidents Hill in background - Kendall Street, probably Icon, the upper site
Right - the new crane at the Pinnacle site

Okay, that's it for this Crane Count. I'm supposed to be working right now. If I've left anything out, or you have anything to add or to ask, click on the comments thingy below.

Sunday Round-up (part 2)

Aqua on the corner of St George & Wilhelmina Streets, 16th September 2018

In alphabetical order this time, the photos I didn't have time to put up earlier this week.
 
A silent sunny Sunday morning at the Aqua site on St George Street in West Gosford. The crane has not long gone up and things are going pretty well here, despite the site being pretty much all sandstone.

Looking up Wilhelmina Street to Harbour View & Batley Street's crane, 16th September 2018

This photo shows just how close the Aqua, Harbour View (centre) and the Batley Street sites are, with Batley Street's crane visible behind Harbour View. The residential bit of West Gosford is quite small.

A closer view at the Aqua site, 16th September 2018

Complete with toppled old sign and witch's hats in the foreground, the Aqua site, looking roughly west.


 Faunce Street West

Faunce Street West & its sister site in the background, 9th September 2018

Struts and supports in cheery colours at the Faunce Street West, a block from the back of the hospital. In the left background is Presidents Hill and in the right background its completed sister site.

Materials stacked neatly on the site, 9th September 2018

All materials have to be stacked on site at this site. The road past it, Faunce Street West, is 2 lanes and has plenty of traffic and the site fence is very very close to the curb. That makes access to this site minimal for deliveries and concrete trucks. When a truck has to back in, the traffic is stopped going both ways. One of the issues with building in a town like Gosford, which sits in the narrow mouth of the lovely Narara Valley.

The site's front fence is almost on the curb, 9th September 2018

This photo, taken from across the road from the site, shows that the fence is mere inches from the curb. We can also see dusty tyre tracks on the road from materials and concrete trucks.
 


Fielder Street 

Fielder Street site's materials stacks, 16th September 2018

Fielder Street has much better access, despite being on the corner of narrow Fielder Street and even narrower Fielder Lane.

Fielder Street going gangbusters, 16th September 2018

Supports for the ground floor going up now. Is there a basement carpark at this site? Memory fails me. I'll have to check next time I'm there.


 Golf Heights

Golf Heights in Cape Street North, 9th September 2018

Golf Heights is behind the hospital, on the corner of Racecourse Road and Cape Street North. There are still units left unsold at this site. In the left background of this photo, we can see the crane and sister site at Faunce Street West.

Golf Heights crane from Faunce Street West, 9th September 2018

Part of the lovely view north from Faunce Street West and, when it too is finished, from Golf Heights.


 Extra 

"The Castle" in West Gosford, 16th September 2018

Workers at the Bately Street and Harbour View/Wilhelmina Street sites can see this house while they work. 

It's an iconic building known to locals and spotted by some sharp-eyed tourists. It was in the newspaper too.

It was built in the late 1990's by a migrant who was heavily into European Medieval times. It's certainly very different from the 1950's house on its right.

That's it for this week. Back next week with a Crane Count, including the crane going up at the Pinnacle site on Mann Street, as I was whizzing by on Henry Parry Drive.

Sunday Round-up

A very quick update today. Too much work going on in the rest of my life to get to the sites on Saturdays. Will have to work something out there.

Old quarry site at John Whiteway Drive, 16th September 2018

This is what remains of the old Gosford quarry. It sits atop the hill encircled by the upper and lower parts of John Whiteway Drive. You can get there from the easternmost end of Donnison Street. There's also a map showing it in Kibble Park, on the side of that little kiosk thing. Put "old quarry on gosford hill" into Google for lots of images of this and the other active and inactive Gosford Quarry sites around the Gosford area.

This site has been fenced for as long as I can remember and I've lived in Gosford for 20 years. But the materials and equipment on the site now suggest something is finally going to happen in the way of building. Whatever it is, the views from this site will be magnificent.

Riou Street, opposite the railway station, 16th September 2018

A hard to photograph site, on Riou Street opposite Gosford railway station. They're going ahead gangbusters with digging down and getting the cage in. Why does this site need bracing in the corner? Anonymous explanations welcome in the comments box below.

Risen up fast on the big hospital site at Beane Street West, 16th September 2018

My white whale is getting much easier to photograph now its building have risen so far up. This is the site that covers Beane Street West. Its bottom edge is on Showground Road (shown here) and its top edge in on Holden Street, right across the road from the currently blocked-off emergency entrance to the hospital.

Beane Street East site, seen from Riou Street, 9th September 2018

The Beane Street East site, opposite the Beane Street West site, has been going ahead well. It's gained another 4 stories and is nearly the same height as the other new apartment buildings in Hills Street. (It's on the corner of Beane Street East and Hills Street.)

Movement at last on Henry Parry Drive, 16th September 2018

This site on Henry Parry Drive has been at this stage for about 12 years. Its inactivity has been one of the great mysteries of 21st century Gosford.

In that 12 years, a small forest has grown on site, 16th September 2018

In that 12+ years, a small forest of casuarina (she-oaks) has grown up on the site.

Pipes & tracks as seen from Henry Parry Drive, 16th September 2018

Pipes sticking out of the ground, tracks of the tamper-downer vehicle and, in the foreground, a bit of the casuarina forest.

Tamper-downer on site & Henry Parry Drive behind, 16th September 2018

The tamping-down machine, the gate open and a ute parked in the access driveway (could not see the site visitor) and, in the background, Sunday afternoon traffic on Henry Parry Drive.

Frederick Street site, 16th September 2018

A new site that opened on Frederick Street in East Gosford. The view from here, when the building is finished, will be of Kariong Ridge (visible in distance) and Fagans Bay and the Gosford foreshore. From Frederick Street to the main street of Gosford is a 20 - 30 minute walk up and down the little hills of Henry Parry Drive. Very good for strong, shapely legs.


That will have to do for today. It's back to the grindstone for me. More round-up later this week and a Crane Count too, with cranes going up and cranes going down.

Topped Out - Bonython Tower

Topped out & towering over Gosford's green heart, 7th September 2018

Singo's tower AKA Bonython Tower topped out and towering over Gosford's green heart.

Congratulations, gentlemen :)

From the Imperial Centre's rooftop carpark, 7th September 2018

The residential tower, seen from the rooftop carpark of the Imperial Centre, the shopping centre next door. I asked how many storeys it ended up being but then I promptly forgot. Was it 15, including the penthouses?

In the left bottom background, we can see the other tallest building in Gosford, the local council building. It went up in the 1970's and there's been nothing else than tall until this 21st century building boom. And this is just the beginning.

Work still going on to make it move-in ready, 7th September 2018

Topping out means the last concrete pour on the height of the building is done. There's still plenty of work to do inside and out to make the whole thing move-in-ready for residents in the narrower part of the tower and office workers and restaurant runners in the bottom part.

Pumping & packaging down in Paul Lane, 7th September 2018

It was all hands on deck down in Paul Lane, as more pumping went on in the inside of the building (pump line fixed to wall) black rubber things were being unpackaged and a big bin was being lined with black plastic for some reason that is unfathomable to this blogger.

More building site photos next week and a new Crane Count later this month.


 Extra

Tricked out Ford in Woy Woy, 25th March 2018

It says "Ford" across the front and its shape suggests its the real deal rather than a kit car. I prefer my veteran cars to look original but this is nice all the same.

Painted up pretty, 25th March 2018

Painted up pretty with blue flames down the sides too, an extra chrome something along the side and even the old fluffy dice hanging from the rear-view mirror.

"Fordomatic", 25th March 2018

That chrome lettering near the front wheel says "Fordomatic". "Ford-O-Matic" automatic transmission was introduced in 1951 models. There were apparently some issues with the transmisson in the beginning then things improved with the Cruise-O-Matic transmission introduced in 1958 and the FMX transmissions in 1968.

Chromefest 2018 will be held on October 26th - 28th at the usual place: Memorial Park at The Entrance on Tuggerah Lake. It's 20 - 30 minutes drive from Gosford. The cars come from near and far and you can dress up in your fifties gear and dance to the live music. It's fun.

Dear Usain Bolt

Good luck with the Mariners, mate. We'd love to have you as a local and Gosford is a lovely town to live in. Whatever happens, best wishes :)

Harbour View in West Gosford

Both Harbour View (left) & the Batley Street tower are nearly finished, 1st September 2018

Harbour View on the left, part of the Batley Street tower on the right side, between them, part of their water views.

The back side of Harbour View, 1st September 2018

Half of Harbour View is still covered in the blue mesh but the other half is so close to being finished we can see landscaping in this photo, little bushes in the external window gardens.

Behind Harbour View is the fenced off area, between two houses, where the workers have been storing materials and other construction things. It will be interesting to see what is constructed on that site, if anything, when Harbour View is all done and dusted.

Men at work up in the westside penthouse, 1st September 2018

Workers hard at it, installing either big picture windows or big sliding doors out onto that nice big balcony. From there, the view will be north-north-west along Peats Ridge Road and on towards the Mangrove Creek Dam and Bucketty, west over the Kariong Ridge and the Glenworth Valley and towards Wisemans Ferry and south down the western side of the Brisbane Water and over the Woy Woy Peninsula and, I think I remember rightly, to the hypnotic nightly flashing of the lighthouse on Barrenjoey Head above Palm Beach. Not too shabby.

Materials lift slowly rising to the penthouses, 1st September 2018

We can see here the blue and white box, behind a tree branch, that it the materials lift slowly rising up its track on the Batley Street side of the site, delivering building and finishing materials as it goes. Behind it, to its right, we can see the steel staircase the workers use. Very good for the legs.

Two helmeted workers hard at it near the materials lift, 1st September 2018

There was no sign of winding up for the day when I left at midday. Perhaps this site works all day on Saturdays. That's hard yakka bit I imagine it's par for the course in building boom times.

The front of Harbour View on Wilhelmina Street, 1st September 2018

There's still lots of blue mesh on the front of the building but, looking up at the top corners, we can see they are rounded and the front of the whole building has a gentle curve to it. We can also see part of the penthouse roof in the centre of the top of the building.

And I've just realised there's no crane on this site any more, so I'll have to do another Crane Count very soon.


 Extra

Gosford from Yattalunga, August 2018

Afternoon sun sparkling on the water off Yattalunga, on the eastern side of the Brisbane Water.

Gosford can be seen between the two yacht masts on the right. And, with none of the cranes visble at this distance, Gosford looks much as it looked before this current building boom started in April 2017.

Donnison Street in West Gosford

Scaff, crane load & gum trees, 1st September 2018

From front to back, scaffolding puter-upperers putting up the next level up at the top of the site, crane load of materials sailing across the middle of the site, and immediately behind the site, gum trees on Presidents Hill.

Residents in this building will get, as well as those lovely trees out of their back windows, views over West Gosford to Brisbane Water. And it's only 10 minutes walk to Gosford Station.

Railings & their wrangler, 1st September 2018

I assume these are balcony railings being wrangled at the bottom of the site. If I'm wrong, gentlemen please let me know in the comments section at the bottom of this post. I like to get things right when I can.

Packing up for the day, 1st September 2018

Packing up for the day, on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The front fence is being put back into place at the bottom of the site, the scaff erectors are still hard at work at the top of the site and the plumber's ute parked at the curb suggests there's a plumber still hard at work too, somewhere on site. No rest for the wicked.


 Extra

Studebaker Silver Hawk at Ocean Beach, Lion Island top left corner, 30th August 2018

The Studebaker Silver Hawk was made from 1957 to 1959. There were also other Hawks: Flight Hawk, Power Hawk, Sky Hawk and Golden Hawk.

I think this model might be the 1959 because the "Silver Hawk" script is on the fin instead of on the boot and "Studebaker" is across the back of the boot in capitals.

The Australian TV series Jack Irish, set in Melbourne, has a Hawk in it, driven by Jack Irish himself.

Lovely red interior & impatient dog, 30th August 2018

This sweet little dog was very keen for his owners to come out of the restaurant and bring him some of their lunch.

If this is your car and I have any of the details wrong, please let me know in the comments at the end of this article.

Aqua in West Gosford

Retaining walls still climbing at Aqua, 1st September 2018

Foundation work needs to be done right so it often seems to go quite slowly. This site, on the corner of St George Street and Wilhelmina West Gosford, is sloping and was full of sandstone so it's a bit of a tricky one.

(But, for big tricky sandstone holes, Harbour View on Wilhelmina Street continues to take the biscuit.)

Super scooper at Aqua, 1st September 2018

Big boys' toy, at rest on a sunny Saturday afternoon.


 Extra

New site in Frederick Street Point Frederick, August 2018

A new site has popped up in Frederick Street in Point Frederick, right on the border with East Gosford.

The new site's views, August 2018

The Frederick Street site has nice views over the northernmost part of the Brisbane Water, over Fagans Bay (the upper strip of water) and across to the trees of Kariong Ridge. How tall this tower is when it's finished will tell us if its residents will be able to see over Kariong Ridge and over the lovely Glenworth Valley.

Singo's tower AKA Bonython Tower



On 16th July 2018, the penthouse was not yet visible

On 16th July 2018, the penthouse was not yet visible but the kids enjoying the ice rink in Kibble Park didn't care.

Look at the size of it now, 18th August 2018

Look at the size of it compared to the little old shops of quiet old Gosford. (British readers should note that by 'old' I mean Gosford was founded by white people in the 1830's. So it's not really very old.)

This has to be the penthouse appearing, 18th August 2018

This narrower part at the top of the residential part of Bonython Tower must be the penthouse and its nice big terrace veranda. What else could it be, right up there? It's too big to be the elevator super-structure. Gentlemen, I'll come and get the answer from you some time over the next week, when my current blizzard of work allows me the leisure.

Penthouse not visible from Paul Lane, 18th August 2018

No, the penthouse is not visible from the William Street end of Paul Lane.

Work goes on inside despite the gusty wind's we've had recently, 18th August 2018



The wind's work & an interior worker just visible, 18th August 2018



I used to be able to get such lovely images of the workers at this site, back when the tower was low enough that I could photograph from the roof carpark of the Imperial Centre. Now I have to stand further and further away and hope I don't get too much camera shake when I zoom right in.

The good news for those who visit this site just to see Gosford grow is that I can still get lovely clear photos of workers on some of the other sites and new sites will be breaking ground for a few years yet.

 Extra

7 cranes visible from the West Gosford lights, 18th August 2018

As I waited at the West Gosford lights, taken on the 18th of August 2018, I could see 7 of Gosford's 14 cranes. 2 of the cranes are only partly visible so finding them all will give you a warm glow of satisfaction. (If the photo won't enlarge on your mobile, you'll be able to see the partial cranes on a home computer.)

From left to right, the cranes are at: Fielder Street (red & white) Kendall Street, Batley Street (red & white) Donnison Street West, Mann Street (Singo's tower) uncertain location and Wilhelmina Street (Harbour View).

I'm going to have to track down that uncertain location on foot on the weekend. I'll put the location in the comments below.

More sites soon.