The Chattering Crowd
Trip Start
Nov 16, 2007
1
18
40
Trip End
Aug 2008
Sydney,
Australia
Monday, January 28, 2008
To reach the enormous building, I first have to negotiate the barriers and fences associated with tonight's Australia Day concert. Canberra is laid out along a central axis, with the War Memorial at one end and Parliament House at the other. In between lies a military parade ground, a lake, the old Parliament Building and a huge lawn which continues on top of the Parliament roof. It is on this lawn that the concert is taking place. Once through this and a huge front courtyard, I pass through airport style security to enter the actual building
Parliament House
. A very helpful tour guide shows us round the chambers of the senate and the representatives, and also some of the other communal areas. It is a grand building with plenty of room for all the members, unlike back home. Once the tour is finished, I ride a lift up to the roof where you can walk on the lawn and gaze up at the huge flag high above the centre of the building.Heading down the hill, you pass the whitewashed old Parliament Building in use from 1917 to 1988 when they finally finished a building fit for purpose, and then the National Art Gallery. The limit of the walk is the large man-made lake with a fountain commemorating Captain Cook in the middle. From here you cross back over the bridge to the city centre and main shopping areas. Since the town's business is government, there isn't really a CBD like most cities, just a collection of government departments and civil service buildings surrounded by suburbs. I spend the evening watching some cricket and sorting out the blog.
A bright sunny morning gets me out exploring the centre of town. A little disappointing, although very well appointed, the centre is a maze of shopping precincts and restaurants. You could be anywhere, especially Milton Keynes. I settle down in a decent local to watch the final of the ladies in the Aussie Open and then watch the test match
Port Macquarie
. In the evening, I head to the local cinema and watch 'Cloverfield', which is well worth watching if you enjoyed '28 Days' or 'Weeks Later'.The next day I head to the other end of the axis, the imposing War Memorial which houses a large museum underneath. The Memorial is really touching, arranged as two facing plaques running 50m on each side and showing the names of more than 100,000 people who have died in conflicts for Australia. At the far end lies the tomb of an unknown soldier and a moving speech by the former Prime Minister of Australia, Paul Keating, transcribed on the wall by the entrance.
Underneath the memorial lies a treasure trove of artifacts from Australia's wars including a WWII Lancaster bomber (the famed 'G for George' no less that I read about as a boy), a Japanese mini-submarine captured in Sydney Harbour in WWII, and robes worn by Lawrence of Arabia in a temporary exhibition. Also there is the bridge from the HMAS Brisbane, a destroyer scuttled in the 90's that you can now go into. I thought it really showed the history well and tried to give context to more recent conflicts well.
After dinner, I settled down with my dormmates to watch the men's final of the Aussie Open
Parliament House
. An awesome fight between Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Djokovic came out on top, but I think major tennis hasn't seen a final like that for a while. The bus to Sydney awaits, back into the hustle.The route to Sydney is fairly anonymous. A few hills, plenty of farms and some extensive woodlands as you approach the looming towers and harbour that define Sydney. Australia's largest city feels every bit the capital of the South West Pacific, with a hint of New York about the place. I head to the Railway Square YHA, a great conversion of some of the warehouse buildings next to Central Station. The dorm I'm in is in the form of an old sleeper car and looks out onto the station itself, giving the feeling of a golden age of travel.
After settling in, I walk up the length of George Street which leads to the city centre, and ultimately the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Suddenly emerging from the skyscrapers, you see the bridge and famous harbour behind. Climbing up through 'the Rocks', I get a great view over the wide expanse of water with its flotillas of boats and ferries rushing back and forth. Descending down to the Circular Quay, I walk past the startlingly beautiful Opera House, and head back inland through the botanic gardens.
Parliament House
Hanging from all the branches are thousands of fruit bats, cackling and squabbling with each other over branch space and who gets the shade from the burning sun. Every so often, one flies overhead, the flying fox relatives growing to upto 3 feet across make for an amazing sight. Heading back down towards the station, I stop for dinner in Chinatown at a great Vietnamese place called Xic Lo. Well worth it if ever in the area. Then bed after a long day.
After a slow start thanks to a heavy cold, I head off to explore the eastern districts of the city centre, Darlinghurst and Kings Cross. Darlinghurst is a trendy area with lots of tidy streets tucked away on the hill. Kings Cross on the other hand is a more seedy affair, with its mix of backpackers, strip joints and fast food restaurants. Fun all the same in a Soho kind of way.
Wandering back to the centre, I head into the Australian Museum. The highlights are the well constructed Aboriginal culture exhibition, detailing the modern problems as well as the history and culture, and the annual BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year touring exhibition. A lucky treat to have.
The final stop on my path through the centre was to ascend the Sydney Tower, with the highest observation deck in the southern hemisphere
Parliament House
. The view is wonderful and really gives a good perspective of the size of the harbour. Through the buildings below, the Opera House shines out. I finish the day exploring more of Chinatown and go to see the film 'Walk Hard', with John C. Reilly being excellent in a semi-spoof of 'Ray' and 'Walk The Line'.The next morning, still battling the cold, I make my way back to the Circular Quay and onto a ferry bound for Manly. Manly is on the north side of the Harbour, with beaches both on the harbourside and facing the ocean. The ocean beach is beautiful, with golden sand and the crashing waves. I spend some time exploring and then sit in the sun reading. Heading back on the ferry gives the best view of the harbour, with the Opera House standing with the city as its background. We also get to see a submarine heading out on patrol from close quarters, a rare opportunity. Another night in nearby Chinatown and chatting to some of my fellow hostelers.
My final day in Sydney and feeling a lot more chirpy, I head back towards the centre, this time heading west to Darling Harbour. In the centre lies a functioning harbour with a few naval vessels and a large number of private boats. Surrounding this is a large park and many beautifully designed apartment and office blocks
Canberra
. Through all of this runs the monorail which whisks passengers in a circuit from the city centre out to this regenerated area.Set on one side of the harbour, lies the grand white hangar-like building of the Maritime Museum, with its own flotilla moored outside. I visit two of these ships, HMAS Vampire and HMAS Onslow. Vampire is the last Australian gun ship, a destroyer built in Sydney in the 50's to a British design and in service until the late 80's. It served in the Vietnam War and acted as one of Australia's main presences in the southern oceans. It is well worth looking round, with most parts of the ship open to the public.
The other ship, Onslow, is one of six Oberon class (Daring in the UK) submarines that acted as Australia's submarine fleet in the 60's through to the 90's before being replaced by a newer design. As a small, hunter-killer submarine, the inside of the long dark hull is cramped, with no space wasted and bunks lining every wall. The rest of the museum details Australia's long and proud naval tradition, from convict ships to cruises.
In the evening, I meet up with my old friends, Martin and Tania. It's great to catch up with more friends and especially good given the impending arrival of another Cowling. They know the sex, but I am sworn to secrecy. We head off to eat Thai food at a great place near where I am staying and they head off home just after a huge storm pelts the city. Port Macquarie next , northward.
