HISTORICAL NOTES

The painting dipicts two steam trams about to pass each other at the entrance to Moore Park. The tram on the left which has arrived at the park gates is heading for Bridge Street yard near Circular Quay while the tram in Flinders Street approaching the park is probably heading for Coogee Beach.

This stretch of tramline was laid in 1880 and originally terminated at Randwick racecourse about 2km down the line from this location. It was extended to Coogee Beach three years later in 1883. This line also served as a connecting line to Randwick Workshops, located not far from Randwick Racecourse.

The line dipicted in the painting remained in use until the closure of the Sydney Tramway System in 1961. After the tramway system closed, the tramlines were removed and the road bed paved for a buses.

Very few photos exist of this area in the days of the steam trams and none exist of an actual steam tram in this location that I know of. The use of photographs from this location in the time of electric trams were used for reference for this painting with the trees suitably back dated to a younger shorter growth. The tree in front of the steam tram on the left actually exists today although is more than twice the size and 120 years older.