User:Wcp07/sandbox

The station opened on 28 February 1932, although originally only four of the platforms were in use: platforms 1, 2 and 3 on the upper level and platform 6, served by escalators, on the lower level. The other two platforms were built in preparation for a yet to be constructed western suburbs line from the city to Gladesville, as envisaged under the Bradfield scheme. When this plan fell through, the platforms (4 and 5) became disused, and were later utilised as platforms for the Eastern Suburbs line when it was constructed in the 1970s.



The Phoenician Club is a former entertainment venue in Sydney, Australia. It was located in Ultimo, New South Wales at the corner of Broadway and Mountain Street, opposite St Barnabas Church. The venue itself had gone through various uses and had had different names before it became the Phoenician Club, a meeting place for Sydney's Maltese community, in 1980. Before then, the building and the club had existed separately (the Phoenician Club had existed as a social organisation since 1963; before being taken over by this organisation, the building had been a cinema and television studio, among other functions). The Phoenician Club became well known for hosting rock concerts, which provided its organisers with a steady source of income for running community activities. It was a popular venue for both Australian and overseas groups and many concerts took place at the club during its history. Following the death of Anna Wood at the premises, significant restrictions were imposed on the club, eventually leading to its closure in 1998.

History
The premises opened as a cinema in 1911 where silent films were initially screened. It was later rewired for sound when talking movies became widespread. Until its redevelopment in 2001, the building had been one of the oldest surviving purpose-built cinemas in Sydney. The building operated as a cinema until 1960.

The premises were run as a discothèque called Jonathan's Disco in the early 1970s and is notable in the history of the Australian pop band Sherbet, who played a formative eight-month residency there during 1970; it was here that they were first seen by their future manager Roger Davies. Sherbet shared residency at the venue with the group Fraternity. AC/DC also played at the venue during this period. Following a fire at the premises, the building was re-opened as a ballroom for a short period in 1976. In 1980, Sydney City Council granted consent for the Maltese community to take over the premises as the Phoenician Club. By becoming a licensed venue, the premises' role as a major music venue in Sydney significantly expanded. This gave the club a reliable source of revenue for its community activities.

The Phoenician Club became a popular rock venue in the 1980s, hosting many concerts by both local and overseas groups. Simulations of Manchester techno dance parties were held at the club in 1991. In January 1992, Nirvana played their first Australian show there. It became the focus of a major public controversy in 1995 following the death of Sydney teenager Anna Wood, who died from a cerebral oedema after taking the drug ecstasy while attending a rave dance party at the venue. The club survived calls for it to be closed down in the ensuing public fall–out over Wood's death. Fines and restrictions imposed on it by the courts significantly reduced its role as a major music venue, however. The club eventually closed down in 1998, and it has since been redeveloped into residential and commercial premises.

Six O'Clock Swill
Recent research has indicated that early hotel closing times did indeed reduce alcohol consumption levels initially with consequent improvements in national health indicators. The Great Depression and the Second World War contributed to these trends by lowering disposable income levels, which reduced demand for alcohol. After the Second World War, with the rise in disposable income and expansion in eating at restaurants and purchases of takeaway liquor, the effects of early hotel closing became less clear-cut. By the 1950s, Australia's alcohol consumption levels had returned to pre-First Word War levels.

Category:Sydney culture Category:Defunct nightclubs Category:Defunct clubs and societies of Australia Category:Community-based organizations Category:Buildings and structures in Sydney Category:Organisations based in Sydney Category:Nightclubs in Australia Category:Drinking establishments in Australia Category:Pubs in Sydney