Kings Cross, Sydney 1970-71

Rennie Ellis, MC at the Paradise Club, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Peace, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Pad with a View, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Martin Sharp's Yellow House, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Red Baron regulars, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Hare Krishnas, Kings Cross, Sydney, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Golden Orchid, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Folk and Blues, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Between Strips, Kings Cross, 1970-71.




Rennie Ellis, Auntie Mame, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, R & R Servicemen, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Carlotta and Electra, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Midnight Show, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, US Servicemen and Girls, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Black Dude, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, The Bee Gees, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Generation Gap, Kings Cross, 1970-71.



Rennie Ellis, Snake Woman, Kings Cross, 1970-71.

In 1970 the Kings Cross neighbourhood in Sydney, the city's red light district, became a frequent visiting spot for American servicemen off on R & R leave from Vietnam. Eager to take advantage of their dollars, a culture of even greater licentiousness developed in the area, which when combined with the hippie subculture that had settled there in continuance of Kings Cross' history as a bohemian stronghold, made for a heady mix of free love and love for hire. Rennie Ellis, then a 30 year old advertising executive turned freelance photographer, spent six months (late 1970 to early 1971) photographing the goings-on in Kings Cross. This era came to define the area, and Ellis believed his photos examined "the surface glitter and underground guts of the Cross."