Of course the Bridge had to be walked over, what an amazing structure it is too. Slightly concerned by the cracking and water stains in the non-metal support structures. Patch jobs will only last so long, I wonder if the public purse will stretch wide enough for repairs… Also noticed a few similar problems in the concrete underbelly of the Opera House. Not that I’m an expert of course

At the start of the pedestrian part of Sydney Harbour Bridge which you get to from The Rocks, behind the fence and inside the support pylon, is the NSW Railway Institute, complete with table and chairs out the front. Their website says they’re based in Petersham so I’ve no idea what this little spot is all about.

working the bridge

Took a leisurely stroll through Kirribilli and found a real gem – the gorgeous and marvelous Kirribilli Wharf Cafe. A little group local ladies were reading cook books aloud to each other and I had the best carrot cake of my life. Around the corner it’s worth popping down to Lady Gowrie Lookout where you can climb the rocks over to the iron fence that keeps us plebs away from the Prime Minister’s residence Kirribilli House and wave at the security camera. Once upon a time boats would have pulled up there I imagine.

At 6.30pm on Monday 2 November, as the sun dropped low in the sky, the massive Amsterdam simply began to move away from the dock, without any external assistance. I thought there’d be at least one tug, but no! What a feat of mechanics. Before it took off it blew its horn lots, to let its passengers know the time had come. Talk about *loud*. It echoed off the city’s skyscrapers as if 5 horns blew instead of one. Fantastic.

Decided to get out of town while Melbourne goes horse crazy… to another big town. Go figure. Something to do with frequent flyer points and leaving things to the last minute, again.

Good to be here though, where there’s a sense of distance and contour that’s lacking in flat old Melbourne, bless her. Tourists of Circular Quay aside, it does seem somewhat quiet here though, surprisingly. Perhaps they’ve moved to Melbourne…

huge cruise ship like a side on sky scraper called "Amsterdam", and the Opera House

10 out of 10 to Sydneysiders for last night’s Halloween efforts. 70 percent out and about were elaborately and colourfully costumed, with full makeup, and often bewigged. Largely unrelated to the general theme of ghosts and witches on the whole, which was oddly comforting and confusing at the same time. At one point I found myself in a venue with a large number of hens nights. Or was it just more Halloween make-believe? I didn’t stick around to ask.

Nearly carted off by a security guard for taking photos in a back alley of The Rocks near midnight. Police state this country we live in, police state.

Large amounts of walking today, after the Brett Whiteley Studio, culminating at the Royal Botanic Gardens where bats have taken up residence in large numbers. Contrary to popular belief they do wake up during the day. So furry and cute, kind of like winged foxes, but small.

Very happy to recommend my temporary abode The Russell, conveniently located a stone’s throw from Circular Quay and delightfully old fashioned. Kind of makes me feel like I’m in France.

This morning I packed the camera, feeling overly salsafied and underly photographic of late. Post-work I found myself amidst the opening night of Interventionist (NB the ‘r’ and ’s’ are supposed to be back to front ) at Platform in the Degraves Subway where they have the artist installation windows. Two charming and very cheery men in grotty white baggy underwear who comprise the roarawar feartata collective were taping pieces of paper with questions on them into one of the windows – but only after someone picked up a piece and asked them the question. The question I picked up was “Do you need anything?”. A cup of tea was the answer, but he already had one so I guess he didn’t really need one did he. Too confronting a question perhaps?

The accompanying blurb was predictably obtuse in typical Melbourne art-wanker fashion, but I suspect this was part of the joke. Their statement of intent is “Performance to effect public discourse” and I’m sure they’ve achieved that aim.

I took a trip to Far North Queensland to see friends near Port Douglas and take a look at the Daintree Rainforest, staying at Cape Tribulation where the sealed road ends. Somehow there ended up being too many photos…

Enduring question: Why do some beaches up there have a sign saying don’t swim there’s crocs but also another sign warning against lethal jellyfish in summer, providing a handy bottle of vinegar in case you get stung? At least if one doesn’t get the idiots the other will!

animals

flowers, fruit, funghi

panoramas

reef

scenes and mangroves

boats and curios

from the plane – Cairns to Melbourne

Today I purchased a new macro lens and it’s marvellous! You can even see dust on the lens cap that’s practically invisible to the naked eye. Fabulous. Looking forward to seeing the results in better lighting conditions.

I love to visit the bush in the winter. Sure it’s cold, but everything grows so profusely and the damp wetness brings colours into sharp relief.

I’ve just spent a reasonably disastrous long weekend in the Lorne area, but fortunately nature saved it from being a total write-off. Erskine Falls is a short drive from Lorne and one of my favourite places. So peaceful and calm and it’s well worth picking your way down the stream to Straw Falls and beyond. Most tourists don’t bother so you have the place to yourself and it’s glorious.

After driving for twice as long as expected, with very curvy, narrow roads in a very foggy Otway Forest Park, we arrived at a very foggy Otway Fly Tree Top Walk. After lunch it lifted a little, then started to rain. Lovely. It was in the end. The trees captured most of the rain and the fog flitted through the very tops of the trees. The Tree Top Walk structure itself deserves a mention – the roofed nodes linking the walkways act as sound chambers which amplify all the footsteps. Quite fascinating. They also become points of focus for the vibrations of the tourists’ footsteps, and sway quite alarmingly! Don’t let it put you off though, well worth a visit. Due to the rain there wasn’t much scope for photographing the impressive tree ferns, mosses and massive mountain ash trees. Must return soon!

…and they’re up to no good.

On Sunday a week ago the mushrooms pushed up through the ground. By Monday they looked like this – huge classic red mushrooms with little white spots!

And this is how they’re looking today. I think the fairies might have moved out.

Sea Fever – John Masefield

Fishing’s a serious business down at Frankston pier. Windy day today, and do I mean windy (gorgeous wind-swept effect on the hairdo daahling). Plus some hardcore clouds with imminence about them. There was a crowd down the pier though, wet weather gear on, settled in for the afternoon. AND – catching fish so I guess they know what they’re doing. Nice to see there’s a stencil artist all the way down in Frankston too.