An intriguing throwback has been discovered on Google Maps, featuring a section of a Sydney street that has not seen updated images for over 15 years. The Street View navigation tool showcased the historic Sydney monorail traversing Pitt Street, last photographed in December 2009, complete with a banner promoting New Year’s Eve celebrations from that year.
Interestingly, while the other locations in the surrounding area have received recent updates, this particular snapshot remains unchanged. A Reddit user brought this finding to light, generating excitement among Sydney residents, with one commenting that it should remain accessible as a piece of history.
The Sydney Monorail, operational from July 1988 until its closure in June 2013, ran a 3.6-kilometre loop connecting Darling Harbour, Chinatown, and the CBD. It featured eight stations and could accommodate up to six trains concurrently. Because it primarily catered to tourists and ticket prices were relatively high, it was less favoured by local commuters. Although most stations have been dismantled, some remnants can still be seen around the city.
Notably, not all aspects of the monorail were lost to history; in 2013, 60 steel beams were preserved and refurbished for use in the Sydney Metro Northwest project, giving a second life to the materials of the once-popular transit system. This nostalgic glimpse into Sydney’s past has sparked fond memories and reflections on the city’s evolving landscape.