Saturday 30th January


Every time I am amazed by this beautiful country something even more stunning is revealed.

The Blue Mountains, so called because of the blue tint given off by the eucalyptus (and it really is visible in the air) are only a couple of hours drive from Sydney but another world altogether . Part of the Great Dividing Range, they were, at the time of the first settlers, deemed to be insurmountable as the early expeditions followed the rivers until coming up against these huge barriers of limestone.
The mountains are actually a series of canyons and were only conquered by following the ridges rather than the valleys.

 

We left our little camp site this morning and started by taking the Prince Henry Cliff Walk around the top of the ridge and were soon staggered by the sight before us. The clouds  hung around the mountains, some wispy , some more substantial partly hiding Mount Solitary in the distance.

 

 

 

I couldn't put it any better so took a photo of the sign.

 

Although I could have stayed for days gazing at the gorge beneath us, we followed the path past the waterfall

towards the famous Three Sisters. They get their name from an  Aboriginal legend in which the leader of the Kedumba people , rather then lose his daughters after a battle with the Nepean people, turned them to stone. The access to the rocks themselves was quite challenging so was proud to have made it!

Our next trip was on the steepest railway in the world, down into the valley floor. The almost vertical descent only takes about ninety seconds but is very scary, so was glad to get to the bottom where we did a walk centred round some of the remaining artefacts from the days when coal was mined there.
We returned via the cable car and went to Blackheath to Govert's Leap, Grose Valley and the Bridal Veil falls.

The walk to Pulpit Rock saw the clouds rolling in and soon it was raining heavily and we made for Katoomba, one of the first places in the area to become popular as resorts extolling the virtues of the eucalyptus infused mountain air. The Carrington Hotel in the town is a great example of bygone elegance.

 

Wednesday January 27th

Rest day today after all the rushing around on Australia Day. My new b and b is really lovely, a huge room and a sitting room , the house built into the hillside and overlooking the harbour. My host is a retired music teacher, keen golfer and bridge player and we got on like the proverbial house right from the start. I went out on a short orienteering trip but otherwise have been catching up with some paperwork and generally sorting things out.

Thursday January 28th

I went on a challenging 10 km walk ; the Spit - Manly scenic walk.  On the way from the house saw some wonderful houses, all built into the cliffs.

The blue line on this one is actually the glass side of the pool, I could see the pool robot at work!

Finding the path I went under the Spit bridge, then started on the walk.

With the sea twenty metres down on one side and the bush 20metres up the hill on the other it is very, very beautiful. It was also very hot! There were lots of steps but it had been carefully constructed to take advantage of the rocky terrain as well as the views. After some time I couldn't take any more photos, each vista seemed more lovely than the last. There were some lovely bays, some sandy, some rocky and I discovered a perfect barbecue beach.

When I arrived in Manly I was somewhat weary but pleased with myself (and my knee) for making it. Including walking to the beginning and back when I got off the bus at the wrong stop, it was ten miles.

 Diana, my host had invited Charles for a barbecue so we had a good evening Aussie style.

Friday 29th January

Lost again today! I went for a walk in the morning down to the water, came back up a different set of steps and had no idea how to get back home. Unfortunately the heavens opened, the thunder cracked above my head and the lightening made me hurriedly lower my umbrella! I knocked on someone's door and asked for directions and a really kind young bloke took me home in his car!

This afternoon we left Sydney early for a weekend in the Blue Mountains, another stunning drive.
The campsite was ......different. It was attached to a hostel and all the hostel facilities were open to campers so ended the day with a multicultural group of backpackers, playing Jenga!

Monday January 25th

We left our 37th floor b and b

 

 and, whilst Charles did some more sightseeing, I went straight to Melbourne Park for my second day at the Australian Open.

I was there in time to see the ball boys and girls warming up, Serena Williams training and to take my fantastic seat, only four rows from the front.

The first match was a ladies doubles match against the French couple Caroline Garcia and Kristina Miladenovic, who unfortunately lost to Georges and Piskova despite being seeded above them.  Then Monfils beat Andrei Kuznetsov in a highly entertaining game, and Martina Hingis showed she still has the touch as she and her partner Sania Mirza beat Kuznetsova and  and Vinci in two sets. Great excitement next as the British player (Sydney born!!) took on Makarova of Russia. This was the saddest part of the day as ẃ had to leave before the end in order to catch our train back to Sydney. But a brilliant day-I didn't move from my seat for eight hours!

Tuesday January 26th

We arrived back in Sydney to all the Australia Day celebrations. We started off at The Rocks market, listened to some moving sing of both We are Australian and the National Anthem, following a 21gun salute and an Aboriginal burning ceremony. The tall ships race was spoiled by all the cruise ships following alongside but the ships themselves  were a beautiful sight sailing up to the Harbour Bridge.

At Darling Harbour we watched a variety of dance troupes including an Aboriginal group and a very strange Brazilian dance, almost more martial arts than dance.

then we went to Glebe to an Aboriginal alternative celebration. Of course it is not a day of celebration for indigenous people, instead they celebrate it as Invasion Day. The dances here were more professional and it was a delight to see that the children were learning all the traditional dances , just by joining in.

We ate a really good meal in Chinatown  and , exhausted ,made our way home.
 

Saturday January 3rd

I still can't believe how lucky I am to have been in the Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open!
We had fantastic seats thanks to Tristram and Sara, exactly the view one sees on TV. In fact the cameras were just below us.

 

The first game was a women singles match between Strycova and Muguruzu, won by Strycova against the 3rd seed. Azarenko , seeded 14 then beat Osaka and Stan Wawrinka beat Lucas Rosol. Wawrinka was wearing vivid orange and yellow which I remarked looked like a high vis outfit. Funnily enough he then remarked on it in his after match interview. There was a funny moment in Azarenko's interview when the commentator alluded to her listening to country and western music which she hotly denied. Instead of leaving it the interview went on to insist that she liked country and western which she had to deny again. It was very amateur stuff from the interviewer and made everyone laugh. He was not to be bowed though and insisted on his point. All very odd. 

 

It was all well organised with free buses from town and plenty of places to eat (and buy expensive merchandise!) As usual there were empty seats where blocks had been sold for corporate hospitality; all very necessary perhaps but still annoying for fans who then cannot get seats.

 

After our stint on  Rod Laver we went to watch some doubles. We saw Heather Watson and Jamie Murray, (so fast!) and went to see Ivanovic but the match was suspended following the collapse of her coach. (Now recovering) and we had time for a glimpse of Andy Murray who seemed , as usual, to be making heavy weather of his match.

 

In between matches the hoover the court! Everything sounds so much louder, the twang on the strings, echoes on the court , exhaled breath, everything. The atmosphere really is electric.  A wonderful day!

 

Sunday 24th

 

Today we went to see some of Melbourne's highlights, starting with breakfast in the popular café district. Despite a grey start to the day the pavement cafés were full, and there was a lively, noisy atmosphere. Melbourne is apparently well known for its café culture and Charles really enjoyed it but  I'm not convinced. I prefer my Sunday breakfast to be more leisurely and less visible!

 

We then walked to the lovely Botanic Gardens, where we had a very late lunch

 

 

and Charles went off to explore whilst I sat in Federation Square and watched the Djokavic game on the big screen with a very participative crowd!

 

The Melbourne Centre for Contemporary Art has a wonderful exhibition of modern furniture, and a stunning sculpture garden. The entrance hall has an exhibit made entirely from bicycle frames.

 

 

  In the evening we visited the food stalls on the south bank of the river and watched the entertainers and the tennis. (Every few hundred yards the pubs, cafés and even restaurants were playing the singles match with the new Aussie favourite; Daria Gavrilova).

 

Friday January 22nd

Spent the morning at the Olympic pool just beside the harbour bridge. This looks like an ancient municipal pool with the roof taken off (although there is an indoor pool too.)

The water is salt and not at all cold and there is a lovely sun terrace on which to dry off. Not much sunbathing as the weather is cloudy. Finished reading the Clive James book Unreliable Memoirs about a Sydney childhood; just so appropriate.

In the afternoon I  treated  myself to a relaxing time on the terrace watching the harbour traffic. There are craft of all shapes and sizes, catamarans, ferries large and small, speedboats, yachts, sunseekers, and many others I wouldn't know by name. They all perform an intricate and clever ballet choreographed by  an unseen hand. However they miss each other I do not know, and yet the tiny boats dart in and out with singular disdain.  Minutes pass before the effect of their wake is felt on the harbour wall and the gentle splash becomes almost a roar. And then, of course, there are the mighty cruise ships; and I am learning to tell the difference between luxury and economy at sea! I couldn't agree more with Clive James on cruises " Even a luxury liner is just a bad play surrounded by water. It is a means of inducing hatred  for your fellow men by trapping you in a confined space with too few of them to provide variety and too many to allow solitude."

Eventually had to tear myself away from the terrace, say farewell to my host and make my way to the station for the night train to Melbourne.

 

Thursday January 21st

Today I went to Canberra. It's a three hour drive from Sydney along the Great Dividing Range and, once out of Sydney the landscape changes quite quickly. Lots of flat open field with sheep and goats, yellow grass and the odd olive plantation. Canberra sits in a bowl so the first intimation we had of arriving was the familiar blue and yellow of the local IKEA!

I spent an interesting few hours in the National Museum of Australia which is a brilliant museum, very well organised with some fascinating displays. Coincidentally  their main exhibition at the moment is artefacts from early settlements on loan from  the British Museum.

 

This notice at the end of the exhibition called Encounters was particularly noteworthy.

 

There were many interesting exhibits from the early days of Australia , such as this saw doctor's wagon; a mobile repair shop for farmers,

 

 

and the bicycle le used by Eric Old, who, in his 70s challenged himself to cycle to ever state capital from his home in Melbourne. He achieved his aim by his 76th birthday and his last marathon ride was at the age of 86 when he rode from Melbourne to Bendigo

.

 

The Garden of Australian Dreams is in the middle of this very modern building.

 

 

This is a symbolic landscape based on a slice of central Australia. A concrete surface makes a map of the area, one step equals 100kms. The words on the surface say home in 100 different languages nd the lines which cross it represent surveyors' references, road maps, the dingo fence, and indigenous nation and language boundaries. The  Uluru line begins at the entrance to the museum, swoops up into a loop then continues as a wide, red footpath and ends in a curled concrete ramp conceptually continuing north west to Uluru.

 

Unfortunately Parliament was not sitting but we were able to wander around the buildings (even parking underground!). The building is dug into Capital Hill and has a grass roof so that the first thing immediately visible is the 81m high flagpole.

 

 

 

 Opened in 1988 it is a very modern building, very different from our own Houses of Parliament.

 

 

The House of Representatives

                                                          The Senate

 

The view from Parliament House was somewhat spoiled by the staging being assembled for Australia Day, and by the heavy rain which followed us all the way back to Sydney.

 

 

 



Tuesday January 19th

Started the day with a visit to the fascinating Susannah Place Museum. These terraced houses were built in 1844 and inhabited until as recently as 1985.

 

 

They have been acquired by a museum trust and now stand as a picture of life  in Sydney through the ages. They are decorated to reflect different eras and are wildly evocative of times past. In the corner shop this theme is continued with all the forgotten (and not so forgotten )items on sale.

 

 

 

 

Some of the history was so recent as to bring back memories and the guided tour was one of the best I have ever been on. Really worth a visit.

 

 

Cadman's Cottage was built in 1816 for the government's coxswain and is the inner city's oldest house. The Sydney Water Police held criminals here and it later became a home for retired sea captains. Exactly opposite was the current cruise liner in dock.

 

 

 

I was fortunate in the Museum of Contemporary Art in that I was invited to join a group of people who were beige led by an artist who helped to explain some of the more complicated pieces!

 

I was keen to see Parliament House, the home to the NSW parliament since 1829 but, sadly for my photos, it is under restoration!

 

 

 

St Mary's RC Cathedral was built in an era when much larger congregations were order of the day. It is 106m long and was begun in 1868 although the spires were not added until 2000.

 



 

It is always surprising when walking round this very modern city when one comes across some of the older houses. These were in my present home in the area known as Kirribilli and are the only  ones left of their age.

 

 

Ended the day by watching Leyton Hewitt in his 20th and final Open.

 

Wednesday January 20th.

 

Brilliant start to the day when I saw that Portsmouth have beaten Ipswich and got through to the next round of the FA Cup!

 

Having given my knee rather too much to do over the last couple of days I decided to take a rest day so travelled by train to Cronulla to see one of the best surf beaches (according to my guide book!) Cronulla itself was unimpressive but spent a relaxed couple of hours reading Clive James Unreliable Memories set not too far away. The photo shows Cronulla looking down the beach to the infamous Botany Bay.

 

 





Monday January 18th

Taken from the terrace of my air bnb!!

Woke up to a lovely sunny Sydney morning and went to explore the local area. There are several little gardens leading down to the harbour and most seem to have been created by wives of former governors. This one is very near Admiralty House and was commissioned by Lady Gowrie whose husband was Governor General from 1936-44,and who was8 renowned for her tireless work raising money for the war effort.

 

Then it was time to cross the bridge to The Rocks , close to the harbour and an area very much changed by the building of the bridge. There was a big outcry about the demolition of so many homes and, although the demolition went ahead, the outcry resulted in some of the older houses being preserved.  The old and the new,

 

 

The Discovery Museum has many artefacts from the times when this area was heavily populated (mostly with Irish immigrants) and some very good video displays about the people who originally owned this land, the Gadigal people.

 

Crossing Circular Quay I went into the beautiful Botanic Gardens,

 

to Mrs Macquarie's Chair, a favourite spot on the point where another Governor's wife used to enjoy sitting and had a chair carved out of the rock.

Passing the Opera House I was able to spot my temporary home,

the third right from the white building.

 

Spent the later part of the evening watching the Australian hopeful, Kyrgios  play in the Open. It seems odd having this Australian slant on it and am very surprised at the number of betting ads.

 

Saturday January 16th

After a night of wind and torrential rain we were lucky enough to pack up our camp before the next shower. Our first stop was the fantastic Dip café where we had a celebratory last day breakfast then headed back on the road to Red Rock. It is a small village set between the sea and a river inlet and gets its name  (Blood Rock to the local Gumbainggir people) from the slaughter of an Aboriginal camp in the 1880s. We hoped to go to the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Centre nearby and to the bush tucker café but found them closed for upgrading.

From here we went to Bellingen, the setting for Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda. This lovely old town has many old buildings, evocative of its more prosperous past. River craft reached here until the 1940s when dredging was discontinued, and it was the most important town in the area until tourism boomed at Coff's Harbour in the 1960s.

 

 

The guide book calls it "hippie without the dippy"

From Bellingen we followed the Waterfall Way, with some spectacular scenery on the way.

We called at Ebor Falls in the Guy Fawkes River National Park, the New England National Park and finally the Wollomombi Falls. By this time we had climbed to quite a height and our last campsite was at Arnidale which claims to be the highest city in Australia .A n interesting place and one we wished we had time to explore but it was very cold! Charles cooked the last barbecue of the trip, another great meal.

 

Sunday January17th

 

 

We left early in the morning with the goal of reaching Sydney by 4 o'clock and we managed to do just that!. Our stops along the way were very brief and the weather at times not good, but our way was through the mountains and national parks so very picturesque. As we came down onto the plains there were signs of much drier and warmer temperatures. It was definitely horse country, passing several studs and ranches and some beautiful looking horses. Eventually we arrived at the Hunter Valley which is the  oldest wine region in Australia, famous for Semillon and shiraz.  To be visited later...

 

Arriving in Sydney I could not believe my luck! My Airbnb is situated directly opposite the Opera House and I was just in time to see a departing liner turn round not 50 yards away!