While we were in QLD Mum organised for us to take a tour of the Walter Taylor Bridge. This was an awesome experience for us, as this is where Mum grew up and we (myself and my siblings) have many memories of our Grandparents living in this bridge. Here are my pictures...
Posing on the stairs - the first flight leading from the entry up to the first level.
Looking out the window at the top of the stairs near where the laundry used to sit.
A closer look out of that window.
Erica listening to the tour guide. Standing near the window in the lounge room.
Looking out of the same window.
David multitasking.
The old.
The new. Taken from the balcony.
My Grandfather.
My Great-Grandfather and his sister (I believe - please correct me if I have that wrong). Look at how low that ledge is. I am amazed that nobody fell over the side - particularly given seven children were raised there!
Looking up from down on the street.
Some cool things we learnt from the tour...
* Granddad was very honest. When he totaled the money at the end of the day he would make up any shortfall out of his own money. If there was too much money, he would flick the extra coins out the window. My Mum and her siblings used to search around underneath the window to find the flicked coins.
* The thick cables are left-overs from the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Very deep holes were dug to anchor the cables into the ground. During this process gold was discovered. Walter Taylor bought up all of the mining rights to the area, because he didn't want construction of the bridge to be interfered with. The discovered ball of gold sits on top of the spire of a Church in Graceville (or maybe it is Sherwood?).
* One that I already knew but still find amusing - because the roofline is so high most of the walls in the bridge don't reach to the ceiling. They are of normal room height and then there is a big gap up to the ceiling. When my Mum and her siblings were young they would use this to their advantage when playing hide and seek. They would climb over the walls (from on top of bookshelves, cupboards etc) to avoid being detected.
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