BY ROBERT CATTO

Sydney’s a city.

Sure, there’s a harbour, there are beaches, there’s the Opera House - but there’s also all the things that come with a large population trying to coexist on a small amount of land.

Traffic, construction, development - history getting plowed under for renewal and development, with little pockets saved by determined campaigning that, once in a while, succeeds in protecting the past.

Don’t get me wrong, I like a well-designed modern building as much as the next person; it’s the badly designed, quickly-thrown-together ones I object to.

So, like most cities, there’s a mix of both to be found - glimpses of history, as often as not eclipsed by giant development beside, behind, and above. A brand new convention centre, a wall of glass and light, faces off against a tranquil Chinese garden.

I do enjoy the mix. I like spotting the signs of what came before - sometimes, literally, they’re the signs. But once in a while, it’s a merry-go-round. Just like the city, really.

Stay in one place for too long, and sooner or later, the tow truck will come…