15 February 2011

Kings Cross, a Sydney tourism institution since the 1950's.

Late last year a council assessment on anti-social behaviour claimed that on an average Friday night in Kings Cross there are 80 fights per hour. No wonder given there are 300 licensed premises within 500 square metres. Yet on any Saturday night that I have been dragged, reluctantly, to the Cross, I have witnessed very little violence. Don't get me wrong, there is always an undercurrent of menace on the streets as the outer suburban wankers travel to town to make their presence felt.

The usual, at least once a night on Friday and Saturday...
Last weekend I saw two young fellas, they must have been mates, both obligatorily shirtless. One struggled to return to a fight as the other restrained him. From up the street three *huge* guys appeared, also clubbers, also shirtless, spotted the first two and broke into a sprint. They barrelled into them, dropping them both straight to the ground and proceeded with boots and fists to make lasting acquaintances. A cop car was right there in traffic and triggered the siren, sending the hit squad scampering off in different directions. A few minutes later around the block I watched them regroup to catch their breath, before heading back towards the nightclub strip.
Rule #1 for all gutter punks and weekend warriors pushing their luck: avoid any situation where enraged body builders find reason to want to jump up and down on you. You will definitely go down, and maybe never get up.

...and the aftermath
Also last weekend, I saw some cabbies get their fight on. It started with the usual Kings Cross junkie, railing against the world, threatening and challenging everyone he saw. His mistake was to kick the smallest cabbie, who was surrounded by a handful of his (much, much bigger) mates. They responded magnificently in self defence, causing an instant 180° change in demeanor from the idiot as he beat a hasty retreat.
More common than outright fighting are the scuffles and shouting matches between punters and bouncers at places like Central railway, Star City casino, and most of George Street. Basically drunken fools (the public) Vs. shaved apes on speed (the security). All show and no go. If you prefer the popular cage fighting style, and you're in Sydney, then head to Kings Cross on a Friday night. It’s a zoo.

1 comment:

  1. sounds like fun to me, if i ever get down there i'd check it out.

    ReplyDelete