Vivid Sydney: A festival of light you shouldn't miss!
I love festivals. Even so, it took me a while to get into Vivid. 'Lights shining on buildings' - how exciting could that be? As it turns out - really exciting, especially when one of those buildings is the spectacular Sydney Opera House! Vivid Sydney is in its ninth year. For the first five or so of those years I couldn't be bothered making the effort to drag myself into town to see it. It is only a twenty minute train trip from where I live, but Vivid is on in late autumn. It is cold and dark! I am not a great fan of either. A few years ago a family event forced me into the city purely by chance during the Vivid festival. Since I was there anyway I dragged David into town too, organised dinner in the city with number one son, dug my overcoat and winter boots out of the back of the wardrobe and set off to find out what all the Vivid fuss was about.
The Huts of the High Country
Scattered throughout the Australian Alps are more than a hundred historic huts. They date back as far as the 1860s. Many were built as shelters by stockmen grazing their cattle on high country pastures. Others housed fishermen, gold prospectors, foresters, workers on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, skiers and bushwalkers. Today they are used as emergency shelters for skiers and bushwalkers caught out in the changeable mountain weather.
The huts are the antithesis of luxury. Most are simple corrugated iron or wood constructions. Very few are easy to get to. They are tucked away in the back country, far from roads and other services. Over many years of skiing, bushwalking and mountain biking David and I have come across a half dozen or so of these huts. With a few exceptions they are a challenge to find and it is always fun when we come across one. We have never camped out overnight so all the huts in this post can be reached in a day's bushwalk or mountain bike ride from the nearest road.
Scattered throughout the Australian Alps are more than a hundred historic huts. They date back as far as the 1860s. Many were built as shelters by stockmen grazing their cattle on high country pastures. Others housed fishermen, gold prospectors, foresters, workers on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, skiers and bushwalkers. Today they are used as emergency shelters for skiers and bushwalkers caught out in the changeable mountain weather.
The huts are the antithesis of luxury. Most are simple corrugated iron or wood constructions. Very few are easy to get to. They are tucked away in the back country, far from roads and other services. Over many years of skiing, bushwalking and mountain biking David and I have come across a half dozen or so of these huts. With a few exceptions they are a challenge to find and it is always fun when we come across one. We have never camped out overnight so all the huts in this post can be reached in a day's bushwalk or mountain bike ride from the nearest road.
Q Station Manly: A unique place in Sydney's history.
On Thursday 18 May 1882, 25 year old Thomas Frost, his wife Evelina, 23 and their three children Clara 5, Florence 3 and Christina 1, set sail on the ship Orontes from Plymouth in England en route to Sydney, Australia.
Clara was my great grandmother.
Two months later, on 19 July the Orontes arrived in Sydney Harbour. It was a migrant ship and my forbears and their fellow passengers came to Australia to begin a new life. However before they were allowed to disembark, the Orontes like all other migrant ships arriving in Sydney had to be declared free of contagious diseases.
Clara was my great grandmother.
Two months later, on 19 July the Orontes arrived in Sydney Harbour. It was a migrant ship and my forbears and their fellow passengers came to Australia to begin a new life. However before they were allowed to disembark, the Orontes like all other migrant ships arriving in Sydney had to be declared free of contagious diseases.
Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney
Sculpture by the Sea is 20 years old. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, Sydney's Sculpture by the Sea is the largest annual sculpture exhibition in the world. David and I try to go every year and this year turned out to be a lot more dramatic than most. As we watched from the safety of the cliffs, a king tide combined with huge waves sent one sculpture into oblivion and damaged several others. It was as though mother nature was determined to put her mark on the exhibition.
Not really being the artistic type there isn't a lot I can say about sculpture, so sit back and enjoy the photos of some of my favourites. I have included the prices in the captions just in case you have a bit of spare change laying around and fancy a bit of modern art for the front garden.
A Ghost Tour at Q Station, Manly
It is well after dark. We have had a long, enjoyable dinner at the Boilerhouse Restaurant where, under the guidance of chef Matt Kemp, the food is nothing short of spectacular. Bob, our ghost hunting guide, meets us below the giant stairway which leads to the upper levels of Q Station. Earlier today we were told contestants on The Biggest Loser run up and down these stairs as part of their weight-loss regimes. I wonder how many don't make it - no wonder they say the place is haunted.
Street Art in Sydney, Australia
Each year Sydney's Inner West Council hosts a celebration of street art called Perfect Match. The council matches up owners of walls in need of beautifying with artists who express themselves through the use of spray paint and brushes.
As well as brightening up the neighbourhood, Perfect Match hosts free walking, bicycle and bus tours allowing onlookers to view the art as it is being created, meet the artists while they work and see some of the finished works. David and I were due to join a bicycle tour to do just that last weekend. However living in a city with one of the world's best climates we tend to be very fickle about the weather. If the temperature drops a few degrees lower than perfect, or there are a couple of clouds on the horizon, David declares the day ruined. With wind and rain forecast on the day of our street art cycling tour, we abandoned the idea and stayed home. As it turned out, the sun came out around midday and the afternoon weather was lovely but how we were to know that.
Sydney, Australia - The top 5 things tourists do which locals avoid.
Mention Sydney and 'Things to do' to any tourist and I can almost guarantee which activity will be the top of their list. It has become so popular it is almost synonymous with the city. Yet I haven't done it, nor has David, our adult children, or most of our friends. I am sure you can guess what I am talking about: if you have been a tourist in Sydney you have probably done it yourself.
Skiing in NSW, Australia - Thredbo, Perisher, Charlotte Pass and Mt Selwyn.
UPDATED: July 2016
'Winter is here!' Australia may not be the first place people think of when it comes to snow but last year's ski season was one of the best we have ever had. This year only needs to be half as good to be stunning.
Lots of Australians head overseas each year to ski in America and Europe giving up a chunk of summer in search of snow, ice and wintery weather. Hey guys, I've got news for you - it snows in Australia too.
UPDATED: July 2016 'Winter is here!' Australia may not be the first place people think of when it comes to snow but last year's ski season was one of the best we have ever had. This year only needs to be half as good to be stunning.
Lots of Australians head overseas each year to ski in America and Europe giving up a chunk of summer in search of snow, ice and wintery weather. Hey guys, I've got news for you - it snows in Australia too.
The Snowy Mountains in Summer: where to go, where to stay and what to do.
With only a few weeks to go before the Christmas school holidays I thought I might post a guide to Summer in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains. David and I have spent many summer holidays at Thredbo, a couple at Jindabyne and even one at Perisher. This is my take on where to go, where to stay and what to do. I hope you find it helpful. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
The Fernleigh Track Rail Trail
Ride - The Fernleigh Track Rail Trail.
Distance - 30 km (return).
Terrain - Sealed for the full distance.
Difficulty - Easy - a perfect family cycle. The track slopes gently uphill from both ends with the high point at Whitebridge.
Highlights - Hearing the bell-birds sing.
Website and map - Click here.
Floriade and Tulip Top Gardens
The Dutch literally went crazy over tulips and the crazier they went the higher prices for tulip bulbs became. In about 1624 an Amsterdam man declined an offer of 3,000 guilders for one bulb. It is said that not long afterwards, Rembrandt received about half that sum for his now famous painting The Nightwatch.
Griffith, Narrandera, koalas and the destruction of David's bike (Part 1)
We started the morning innocently enough. We are at Griffith, the first stop on our much delayed trip to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. This is third time lucky territory, if we don't make it this time we will give up forever.
Griffith and its neighbours Leeton and Narrandera are the three large towns of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (the 'MIA'). The MIA extends across 1,600,000 acres of land in central New South Wales and has made the area green and fertile - a welcome change from the barren countryside and red dirt of so much of central and western New South Wales. This is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the ...
We started the morning innocently enough. We are at Griffith, the first stop on our much delayed trip to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. This is third time lucky territory, if we don't make it this time we will give up forever.
Griffith and its neighbours Leeton and Narrandera are the three large towns of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (the 'MIA'). The MIA extends across 1,600,000 acres of land in central New South Wales and has made the area green and fertile - a welcome change from the barren countryside and red dirt of so much of central and western New South Wales. This is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the ...
How to wreck a bike! (part 2).
You might remember from my last post (click - here to read it):-
- We went looking for koalas,
- cycled through a patch of devil thorns,
- got four flat tyres in rapid succession, and
- struggled to get David's rear wheel seated back into it's cradle.
Tired and stressed and finally back at our hotel, we decided to deal with the flat tyres the next day. In the morning we woke to discover my rear tyre had joined the party and also gone flat. This brought our puncture count to five.
- We went looking for koalas,
- cycled through a patch of devil thorns,
- got four flat tyres in rapid succession, and
- struggled to get David's rear wheel seated back into it's cradle.
Charlestown Executive Apartments, Newcastle.
We have come to Newcastle to cycle the Fernleigh Track rail trail and explore one of Australia's most beautiful and under-rated cities. From our home in Sydney, Newcastle is less than two hours by road - the perfect destination for a couple of nights away.
Perisher Valley, Skiing - 'Big Brother' Is Watching You?
At Thredbo Alpine Village he can drive the car up to the lodge, park and unload outside the door, walk to restaurants and shops and stay in a self-contained apartment owned by our ski club. At Perisher he has to park the car 10 km away at Bullock's Flat, load our luggage onto the Alpine Railway, unload it all again at Perisher Valley terminal and then pay the equivalent of our combined weight in gold bars to .....
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Sydney to Adelaide - Meandering along the Murray.
One thousand, three hundred and seventy-six kilometres - according to Google Maps that's how far it is from Sydney to Adelaide. It feels like more. If you allow for the odd wrong turn, occasional side trip and following the scenic route, it is more - but even in a straight unwavering line it is a long way. If Australians have a national obsession, it has to be travel. At any given moment half the country is out roaming the world in a vast inter-national diaspora. D and I try to do our bit ....
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How did this happen? What were we thinking?
We are at Thredbo again!
David is not an enthusiastic skier. He has only two topics of conversation while we are on the slopes - 'What time should we stop for lunch/morning tea/afternoon tea?' and 'How early should we call it a day and head back to the lodge?'. For us to go skiing twice in one season is almost unheard of. I don't know how it happened. I think it has something to do with the fact that No. 1 son bought a yearly lift ticket for 2013 at the end of last year. In between trips to the
David is not an enthusiastic skier. He has only two topics of conversation while we are on the slopes - 'What time should we stop for lunch/morning tea/afternoon tea?' and 'How early should we call it a day and head back to the lodge?'. For us to go skiing twice in one season is almost unheard of. I don't know how it happened. I think it has something to do with the fact that No. 1 son bought a yearly lift ticket for 2013 at the end of last year. In between trips to the
Into the abyss!
We did it! We skied three days in a row.
Quite an achievement for a couple of fifty-somethings who aren't really that fit. By day three we found aches where we didn't know we had muscles. More of an issue was that we started to fall. When I start to fall it's time to go in - a broken shoulder many years ago drove home the fact that you don't necessarily just get up again. I'd like to say that I have been a cautious skier ever since but in truth I think I was always cautious.
Thredbo Village - without the snow!
It is that time of year again - D and I are in Thredbo. David is a total ski-wuss (see my post 'Skiing, not cycling' - 12 August 2012 for details).
We come for a week each year and I have to wonder why we bother. I'm flat out getting him to hit the slopes for more than three days. He absolutely refuses to ski two days in a row. I'm sure this isn't the man I married!
Thredbo NSW: Skiing not cycling
Ride - Skiing, not cycling
Where - Thredbo Village, Australia
Terrain - All downhill
Difficulty - Variable - not so easy when you fall and have to get up again.
Highlights - Having lunch in the sunshine, clocking up some easy 'on-snow' time.
Where - Thredbo Village, Australia
Terrain - All downhill
Difficulty - Variable - not so easy when you fall and have to get up again.
Highlights - Having lunch in the sunshine, clocking up some easy 'on-snow' time.
Cycling at Port Macquarie
Ride - Port Macquarie
Distance - 34.5 km
Terrain - Mostly on road, very light traffic.
Difficulty - Easy.
Highlights - The ferry ride across the Hastings River.
Distance - 34.5 km
Terrain - Mostly on road, very light traffic.
Difficulty - Easy.
Highlights - The ferry ride across the Hastings River.