There’s a surprising little block of land tucked behind Oxford Street, near Taylor Square.

It’s a garden, but quite a different one. This one, at 306 Palmer Street, has been owned by the council for years. It used to be called the Darlinghurst Children’s Garden.

Here’s a pic from the late ’70s from Sydney council’s archives, and another taken this week.

It’s hard to tell what the garden was like for the three children in that photo. Between the picket fence, the flares and the black and white picture, there’s not much green. But whatever the case, it’s not as friendly now.

The council’s been wondering what to do with the patch of land for years. Seven years ago, before South Sydney Council was amalgamated into the City of Sydney Council, they deliberated on the garden at Erskineville Town Hall.

Now it’s fenced in, but seemingly well maintained – couldn’t it be a garden in the meantime?

Walking through Taylor Square on Sunday afternoon, we noticed this.

Denise Litchfield, of Newtown, had descended on the old below-ground toilet the night before with a cast of “lavatory assistants, urban knitters and crocheters.”

It’s Sydney’s last surviving underground toilet (not including those in train stations) – it’s a convenience that’s not that convenient, because it’s not open – though it gets a last gasp every now and again via an art project like this.

Denise, who also blogs here, knitted this as part of Sydney Design 09.