Friday March 11th
Chose today to finish off all the things in the city which I haven't done yet.
I started off at the State Library of New South Wales
and could have spent all day amongst these fantastic books. The bookshop in particular was a huge temptation but had to keep on reminding myself about my luggage allowance.
Just round the corner was Parliament House, still undergoing renovation.
Built as part of the Rum Hospital of 1816 , this is the world's oldest continually operating parliament building. Because of the distances the maps have to travel (that's their story anyway) they only sit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, so there was no debate to watch. I did manage to get into the higher chamber and was surprised how old fashioned it was.
It was very casual, it seemed that I could wander at will so I asked one of the staff a few questions and then she became very chatty and told me all about its history, how it worked etc. She explained that there was a group of school children in the lower chamber taking part in a mock debate. What a great idea to get them involved! (nb the politically correct exclamation mark.) There were also some really interesting paintings on show. The back of the building has been massively extended in order to provide improved facilities whilst keeping the historic frontage.
Next to the Parliament building was the old Mint and next to that Hyde Park Barack Museum.
Convict architect Francis Greenway designed this as convict quarters. Between 1819 and1848 50,000 men and boys spent some time here. It later became an immigration depot, a women's asylum and law courts. Now it is used as a museum.
Opposite the museum is St James' church is Sydney's oldest church -1819-and was also designed by Greenway, but as a courthouse. It is built from bricks made by convict labour, and the interior has lots of dark wood and a copper dome.
This ancient anchor came from the Sirius which conveyed the first fleet sailing from the Isle of Wight in May 1787, arriving in Botany Bay in January 1788.
The Customs House, just behind Circular Quay is a three storey building with a great selection of international newspapers and magazines, internet access and temporary exhibitions. (Currently Indian railways.) Under the glass floor is an amazing model of Sydney, apologies for the photo.
The swastikas on the floor of the entrance hall are thought to be a symbol of good luck in many cultures, but have, of course been the source of controversy.
I went to the Botanic Gardens for some rest before the evening's performance of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia at the Opera House theatre. It was an engrossing performance, quite difficult to follow in parts but plenty of food for thought on the way home. Going outside in the interval we were just in time to see the Queen Mary 2 leaving the harbour.(photo taken earlier in the day!)
Chose today to finish off all the things in the city which I haven't done yet.
I started off at the State Library of New South Wales
and could have spent all day amongst these fantastic books. The bookshop in particular was a huge temptation but had to keep on reminding myself about my luggage allowance.
Just round the corner was Parliament House, still undergoing renovation.
Built as part of the Rum Hospital of 1816 , this is the world's oldest continually operating parliament building. Because of the distances the maps have to travel (that's their story anyway) they only sit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, so there was no debate to watch. I did manage to get into the higher chamber and was surprised how old fashioned it was.
It was very casual, it seemed that I could wander at will so I asked one of the staff a few questions and then she became very chatty and told me all about its history, how it worked etc. She explained that there was a group of school children in the lower chamber taking part in a mock debate. What a great idea to get them involved! (nb the politically correct exclamation mark.) There were also some really interesting paintings on show. The back of the building has been massively extended in order to provide improved facilities whilst keeping the historic frontage.
Next to the Parliament building was the old Mint and next to that Hyde Park Barack Museum.
Opposite the museum is St James' church is Sydney's oldest church -1819-and was also designed by Greenway, but as a courthouse. It is built from bricks made by convict labour, and the interior has lots of dark wood and a copper dome.
This ancient anchor came from the Sirius which conveyed the first fleet sailing from the Isle of Wight in May 1787, arriving in Botany Bay in January 1788.
The swastikas on the floor of the entrance hall are thought to be a symbol of good luck in many cultures, but have, of course been the source of controversy.
I went to the Botanic Gardens for some rest before the evening's performance of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia at the Opera House theatre. It was an engrossing performance, quite difficult to follow in parts but plenty of food for thought on the way home. Going outside in the interval we were just in time to see the Queen Mary 2 leaving the harbour.(photo taken earlier in the day!)
No comments:
Post a Comment