Heart of Surry Hills
Crime and cocktails tour.
There was a time when inner Sydney was ruled by crime gangs led by two women, and now a night tour of notorious locales is bringing their escapades back to life, mixed with pitstops at drink stops and eateries.
The Local Sauce tour run by Justin Steele commences at Sydney’s famous Taylor Square on Oxford Street, with members of the group handed a postcard of a crime figure of the 1920s and 30s.
My card was the Queen of Surry Hills, Kate Leigh - an underworld figure ‘madam’ whose vices included trading in alcohol or cocaine and running gambling syndicates from her home.
She was the archrival of Tilly Devine. The two of them ran the razor wars of the time. Razors became the weapon of choice because the NSW Government had banned the possession of firearms.
During the tour, participants get to read famous quotes from their character. Kate’s quote was “seven years for stickin’ to a man. I’ll swing before I stick to another.”
The first stop for drinks and nibblies was the Rosie Campbell bar, which is a cosy Caribbean restaurant and cocktail bar. It had a great vibe and tasty treats.
The small windy streets of Surry Hills are already on the spooky side at night, and so when mixed with tales of murder and mayhem the experience is immersive.
The tales of old are mixed with the atmosphere of the present. The walk goes past one of Sydney’s largest brothels, being visited by food delivery cyclists feeding the troops inside.
The next pitstop was the Bar Conte in Surry Hills, which is a 30 seat Negroni aperitivo bar. This is a beautiful new venue and the owner gave us a sample of an exquisite brew that he had infused with charcoal.
On the home stretch we looked at a park, which was once Sydney’s most notorious slums, before ending at Kate Leigh’s last home and a visit to the Shakespeare Hotel.
Justin Steele was a generous and informative leader of what was a fascinating and scrumptious walking tour.
The Heart of Surry Hills Festival is running till the end of November.
https://www.heartofsurryhills.com.au/
https://localsaucetours.com.au/tour/surry-hills-crawl/
David Spicer