Parliament on King

Newtown & the Inner West


Somehow or other this teeny bohemian cafe squeezes in live music, spoken word, life drawing (7pm Thursday, $25) and eclectic events – witchcraft salon anyone? But the big news here is that refugees and asylum seekers are trained in hospitality skills to increase their employment options. The book- and plant-lined space is also a cosy place to catch up on email.

It feels like a lounge room because that’s what it is. Owner Ravi Prasad ditched his corporate job to convert his 18 sq metre front room into this social enterprise that’s now trained over 450 people.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Newtown & the Inner West attractions

1. Sydney Park

0.4 MILES

Full of dog walkers, kite flyers and stragglers from last night’s party, 40-hectare Sydney Park is a great place to chill out. From the bald hilltop you…

2. Camperdown Cemetery

0.74 MILES

Take a self-guided tour beyond the monstrous 1848 fig tree into this dark, eerily unkempt cemetery next to St Stephens Church. Famous Australians buried…

3. Carriageworks

0.99 MILES

Built between 1880 and 1889, this intriguing group of huge Victorian-era workshops was part of the Eveleigh Railyards. The rail workers chugged out in…

4. Verge Gallery

1.27 MILES

Part of the University of Sydney, this gallery has two exhibition spaces that show challenging, often avant-garde exhibitions by contemporary artists…

5. Nicholson Museum

1.38 MILES

Within the University of Sydney's quadrangle, this is a great under-the-radar attraction. Combining modern ideas with ancient artefacts, it's an…

6. University of Sydney

1.41 MILES

Australia’s oldest tertiary institution (1850) has around 50,000 students and boasts its own postcode. You don’t need a PhD to grab a free campus map and…

7. Victoria Park

1.43 MILES

The green gateway to the Inner West and the University of Sydney, Victoria Park is a 9-hectare grassy wedge revolving around pondlike Lake Northam and…

8. Chau Chak Wing Museum

1.48 MILES

This new museum at the University of Sydney is scheduled to open in mid-2020. It will combine the three former university museums and greatly expand the…