iS 4 AUSTRALASIA ILLUSTRATED. 



As far as the passenger traffic is concerned the position of the Railway Station, 

 just beyond the point where Pitt and George Streets converge, is not inconvenient for 

 travellers from the country, who, encumbered by luggage, take cabs to their hotels, or 

 to any of the suburbs to which they may be bound. But the city and suburban traffic 

 has increased, and the inconvenience of the railway terminating a mile short of the 

 business centre has been more and more complained of. Many yea.rs ago a tram-way worked 

 by horse-power, which proved a decided convenience, was laid down in Pitt Street by 

 George Francis Train. The tram-service, however, being a great interruption to the 

 ordinary traffic of a street so narrow and so busy, and the complaints being so loud 

 and general, the Government was forced to take up the line, and daily travellers had 

 once more to have recourse to omnibuses until the revival of the tram-way experiment 

 in 1879, to meet the needs of the International Exhibition. Since then the tram-way 

 has acted as the last link of the railway-service. But even this does not satisfy the 

 demands of the rapidly-increasing number of suburban travellers, and an extension of 

 the railway itself into the city has recently been proposed, and is now under consideration. 



The suburban business did not at all enter into the plans of the early projectors 

 of the railway, who were thinking only of opening up the interior and bringing clown 

 the produce of the country indeed, for some years after the railway had been at work 

 there was but little addition to the number of residents along the line. The localities 

 served by the Harbour steam-boats, and those accessible by a short omnibus ride, were 

 the favourite places of residence. But owing to the increase of population, and to the 

 desire of many people to get away from the relaxing influence of the sea air, the 

 railway was more and more used by those whose business took them daily to the city. 

 During the last ten years the development of the suburban traffic has been unexpectedly 

 great. Stations have been multiplied, and now all the way from Sydney to Parramatta 

 there is one continuous series of townships, the population as far as Homebush being 

 thickly settled. 



The country passed through by this line is for the most part gently undulating, 

 but with no great variety of scenery. The most elevated ground along the route lies 

 pretty close to the city, the country beyond Petersham falling gradually to the west. 

 In laying out the railway suburbs no general plan has been followed, every proprietor 

 subdividing his land according to his own fancy or interest. The separate municipalities 

 have accordingly had to deal with the problems of streets and sewerage as best they 

 could, and have found the task rather difficult. When each house stood in its own 

 ground sanitary questions did not arise ; but the increase in the value of land, causing 

 subdivision into small allotments, has so altered this state oi things, that owing to 

 imperfect drainage the death-rate is now greater outside the city than within its 

 boundaries. The older western suburbs lie along the road to Parramatta, and these 

 have now grown greatly in consequence of their being served by tram-ways such as 

 the Glebe, Forest Lodge, Camperdown, Leichhardt and Annandale. 



At a point beyond Homebush, about eight miles from the city, the Corporation has 

 constructed large yards, where sales of cattle and sheep are held, most of the live-stock 

 being now brought into Sydney by railway. The Abattoirs are at Glebe Island, on the 

 eastern shore of the Balmain Peninsula, five miles distant from the yards. This is 



