This is one of those maps where I’m not entirely sure if it’s the brainchild of a genius or the work of a madman. It’s an insanely detailed map-slash-diagram of tram routes in Sydney from 1921 by an unknown author that also attempts to indicate almost every major cross-street along the way. Intersections that are also designated as tram stops get a marker and increasingly larger labels to indicate their relative importance. Five different line styles attempt to make some sort of sense of where lines run between, but it’s all a bit messy and incoherent on the page. Throw in the main line railways and ferry routes, and this map is trying to do an awful lot of work.

The map is relatively geographically accurate in the city and in the eastern suburbs, but everything outside of that is crammed into increasingly small spaces, leading to everything from Ashfield westwards to Parramatta and Castle Hill being jammed into the first column of the map’s grid. Castle Hill also ends up looking like it’s roughly level with Gladesville, when it’s much further north in reality. All the edges of the map are like this, with everything jammed in however it will fit, causing massive distortions to river courses and the coastline.

Despite this, the rich detail of the map makes it fascinating. Of particular note is how divided the city is at this point in its history: no Harbour Bridge or Spit Bridge means travellers had to transfer from trams or trains to ferries to continue their journey at these points.

Our rating: A glorious mess, but an invaluable resource for anyone researching the history of trams in Sydney. I definitely recommend heading over to the National Library of Australia’s website and checking out the full high-res version of this one. Five stars!

Source: National Library of Australia