Surry Hills and Redfern News

05/06/2026

A giant abandoned tram depot beside Newtown Station could finally be getting a second life 👀

The heritage-listed Newtown Tram Depot has sat empty since 1957, but remediation works are now under way as plans emerge for possible markets, creative spaces, studios and community uses.

After decades behind fences and falling apart, locals are now being asked what should happen to one of King Street’s most recognisable buildings.

What would YOU love to see inside the old depot? Tell us 👇
Find out more on REDFERN NEWS. Link in comments below 👇

02/06/2026

Sydney is one step closer to getting its FIRST fully electric ferry ⚡⛴️

The battery-powered vessel will eventually run between Barangaroo and the new Sydney Fish Market at Blackwattle Bay — quietly gliding across the harbour without diesel fumes or engine noise.

There’s just one catch…

Passengers won’t actually be riding it until 2029 👀

Still, the idea of catching a near-silent electric ferry across Sydney Harbour feels very “future Sydney.”

⚡ Would you choose an electric ferry over driving into the city?

Read more on SURRY HILLS NEWS. Link below 👇


📸NSW Gov

27/05/2026

Doctors at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney are treating a growing number of young people with serious head injuries, broken bones and internal trauma after e-bike crashes, with medical staff reporting that nearly half of the hospital’s major trauma cases over one recent long weekend involved riders thrown from the fast-moving devices.

Tell us what you think about this here.

Read more on SURRY HILLS NEWS
https://surryhillsnews.com.au/sydney-doctors-treat-record-number-of-serious-e-bike-trauma-cases-at-st-vincents/

St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney reports a sharp rise in severe e-bike injuries among young riders, prompting renewed safety concerns.

25/05/2026

The future queen of Norway spent the morning of Norway’s Constitution Day walking through Harmony Park in Surry Hills beside schoolchildren, families and community groups. Princess Ingrid Alexandra made her first official public appearance in Australia since moving to Sydney for university last year.

Read more on SURRY HILL NEWS
https://surryhillsnews.com.au/norways-future-queen-steps-into-public-view-in-surry-hills/

Norway’s Princess Ingrid Alexandra made her first official Australian appearance in Surry Hills during Sydney’s Constitution Day celebrations.

19/05/2026

Did you know that more than 3,300 new homes could rise across Waterloo South under plans now on public exhibition, marking the next stage of what planning documents describe as Australia’s largest housing redevelopment project?

Tell us what you think about this here.

Read more on REDFERN NEWS
https://redfernnews.com.au/have-your-say-new-parks-and-3300-homes-proposed-for-waterloo-south/

As construction planning for Waterloo South nears, residents are asked to weigh in on the redevelopment and the future of their community.

12/05/2026

Walk down any of Paddington’s characteristically hilly streets and you’ll see the terrace house in its full glory — the cast-iron lacework, the painted rendered facades, the narrow blocks tumbling down toward the harbour.

For many locals, these are simply the sights they've always called home.

For NSW’s housing planners right now, they may also be the homes of the future.

Read more on SURRY HILLS NEWS
https://surryhillsnews.com.au/the-terrace-is-back-and-may-be-the-future-of-nsw-housing/

Walk down any of Paddington's characteristically hilly streets and you'll see the terrace house in its full glory. Housing planners say they may be the future.

05/05/2026

Dozens of public housing tenants in Waterloo have been given six-month relocation notices, months before any replacement housing is ready, as planned redevelopment moves from planning into active relocation. Demolition is expected to begin around mid-2026 and will take place over six to nine months as part of a staged program.

Tell us what you think about this here. Read more on REDFERN NEWS
https://redfernnews.com.au/waterloo-tenants-told-to-move-before-new-homes-are-built/

Waterloo tenants are being asked to relocate before new housing is built, raising concerns about timing, community ties and access to local homes.

30/04/2026

A previously approved development on Bourke Street in Waterloo has been pushed to a much larger scale, adding 233 more apartments and towers rising to 18 storeys higher than first planned, reshaping expectations for the former industrial site.

Tell us what you think about this here. Read more on REDFERN NEWS
https://redfernnews.com.au/bourke-street-site-expands-to-580-apartments-under-new-plan/

A Waterloo project along Bourke Street grows to 580 apartments, with towers up to 18 storeys higher as revised plan shifts to NSW.

28/04/2026

For three generations, the Ventouris family has run Diethnes, Sydney’s original Greek restaurant, in a subterranean dining room that feels more like a relative’s kitchen than a city restaurant. It has been a place where the moussaka arrives the same way it always has; where owner John Ventouris greets regulars by name from the bar; and where the décor has never needed to chase a trend because it never stopped feeling right.

After 74 years in the city, the family-run restaurant on Pitt Street will close this May, to give way to a multi-tower redevelopment and retail precinct planned the block.

Tell us about your fave Diethnes dish or memory here.

Read more on SURRY HILLS NEWS
https://surryhillsnews.com.au/diethnes-to-close-after-74-years-taking-a-piece-of-sydney-with-it/

Diethnes, Sydney's original Greek restaurant at 336 Pitt Street, closes on 30 May after 74 years, forced out by a major CBD redevelopment after three generations of family hospitality.

22/04/2026

The iconic stretch of Oxford Street that winds through Surry Hills and continues towards Anzac Parade has been officially added to the National Heritage List, recognising the profound significance of the Mardi Gras Parade route to Australia’s national identity.

Read more on SURRY HILLS NEWS
https://surryhillsnews.com.au/oxford-streets-mardi-gras-route-added-to-national-heritage-list/

The iconic stretch of Oxford Street that winds through Surry Hills and continues towards Anzac Parade has been officially added to the National Heritage List, recognising the profound significance of the Sydney Gay and Le***an Mardi Gras Parade route to Australia's national identity.