Hey! I'm back from Australia now. I ran out of money so I came home early. Good to be home actually; a bit disappointed I couldn't stay in Australia for longer but my trip has definitely taught me a few things. I've got a list of things that I like and dislike about the country I spent almost five weeks in.
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Monday, 7 June 2010
Three Weeks in New South Wales
Today I've got a summary of my first three weeks in Australia.
Sydney is a city you could spend a seemingly endless amount of time exploring. I spent my first week walking around the centre of the city and I still feel like I haven't seen all of it. I've done my best though! My second week was spent in a Hostel in The Rocks. I had a great time there, and met some great people!
I'd been dying to come back to Sydney since the first time I visited, in 2005. My first day here I tried to retrace my steps from that first trip. I visited Darling Harbour, The Rocks, Circular Quay, and the Royal Botanic Gardens. I remember all of these places vividly from my first visit and I'm just as fond of them now. Darling Harbour and Circular Quay are still (annoyingly I think) very touristy, but they do also have a very cool atmosphere, and amazing views! If I lived in Sydney I don't think I would ever tire of seeing the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House; two of my favourite pieces of architecture anywhere in the world. The Botanic Gardens have some really interesting views of the city's skyline; you get a very different perspective when you're surrounded by nature. (I know that makes me sound like a massive hippy.)
The first week was rounded off with a gig in Paddington with a friend of my relatives. Australian musicians and bands get almost no press in the UK so it was refreshing to go to a gig knowing that I would hear some new music. The gig was in Paddington United Church and was a great experience. The guy playing was called Whitely, he had some great acoustic tunes which seemed to fit the venue really well. Most of the pews had been removed and people sat on the floor to watch the show. It was excellent; it felt like everyone was mates at a house party, swapping jokes with the bands.
The Rocks are great as well. I spent an evening with some friends from the hostel in The Lord Nelson, the oldest hotel in Sydney. The hotel was established in 1842, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, is very (VERY) English. The interior is covered with naval flags and various Admiral Nelson related paintings, posters etc.
They also have their own brewery on site. I sampled three of the six beers on offer: Three Flags, Quayle Ale and Nelson's Blood. The favourite of the three is Nelson's Blood; a delicious, quite chocolately stout. There were also (amusingly) pork pies and several different cheeses on offer. My friend thought that The Lord Nelson is "more English than England". I'd have to agree!
Sydney is currently holding the Vivid Festival, and also its 17th Biennale. The Vivid Festival is a winter festival held every year in Sydney, and the Biennale's 2010 theme is "The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age". I've tried to enjoy as much of this as I could on my very limited budget; luckily there's plenty of free events and art to enjoy. The Museum of Contemporary Art has a free exhibition for the Biennale. For the Vivid Festival, the curators (Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson) have continued Brian Eno's "Lighting the Sails" from 2009. Every night throughout the festival, artwork is projected onto the Sydney Opera House. I loved this: one of my favourite buildings in the world, and some really interesting art. There's also a poem that is projected across the house. Other buildings in Circular Quay are also bathed in coloured light. I felt like I was in a massive piece of art.
To round off the sightseeing (and retreading my five year-old steps), I went to Bondi Beach, and travelled up the Parramatta River to Parramatta. Bondi is a pretty nice place, but the part I enjoyed most was staring out into the Pacific, and the company I was with. I went with a couple of people I met in the hostel, and we had some fascinating conversations.
Parramatta, on the other hand, is a complete nothing place. I went for the river trip (I love travelling by boat; it's very relaxing), but it could have been anywhere. There were a few (literally a few) old buildings, such as the old Government House, but the rest of the town seemed to be incredibly bland and depressing strips of shops. Finding cheap food was hard too. $12.50 for a bowl of soup?
The first few weeks of my trip have been great. I've met some great people, and done and seen things I didn't think I would ever see (eating kangaroo hot dogs and seeing a leopard-skin Opera House, for example.) Melbourne is next on the agenda; I'm looking forward to seeing some more states!
'Til next time,
Phil.
Sydney is a city you could spend a seemingly endless amount of time exploring. I spent my first week walking around the centre of the city and I still feel like I haven't seen all of it. I've done my best though! My second week was spent in a Hostel in The Rocks. I had a great time there, and met some great people!
I'd been dying to come back to Sydney since the first time I visited, in 2005. My first day here I tried to retrace my steps from that first trip. I visited Darling Harbour, The Rocks, Circular Quay, and the Royal Botanic Gardens. I remember all of these places vividly from my first visit and I'm just as fond of them now. Darling Harbour and Circular Quay are still (annoyingly I think) very touristy, but they do also have a very cool atmosphere, and amazing views! If I lived in Sydney I don't think I would ever tire of seeing the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House; two of my favourite pieces of architecture anywhere in the world. The Botanic Gardens have some really interesting views of the city's skyline; you get a very different perspective when you're surrounded by nature. (I know that makes me sound like a massive hippy.)
The first week was rounded off with a gig in Paddington with a friend of my relatives. Australian musicians and bands get almost no press in the UK so it was refreshing to go to a gig knowing that I would hear some new music. The gig was in Paddington United Church and was a great experience. The guy playing was called Whitely, he had some great acoustic tunes which seemed to fit the venue really well. Most of the pews had been removed and people sat on the floor to watch the show. It was excellent; it felt like everyone was mates at a house party, swapping jokes with the bands.
The Rocks are great as well. I spent an evening with some friends from the hostel in The Lord Nelson, the oldest hotel in Sydney. The hotel was established in 1842, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, is very (VERY) English. The interior is covered with naval flags and various Admiral Nelson related paintings, posters etc.
They also have their own brewery on site. I sampled three of the six beers on offer: Three Flags, Quayle Ale and Nelson's Blood. The favourite of the three is Nelson's Blood; a delicious, quite chocolately stout. There were also (amusingly) pork pies and several different cheeses on offer. My friend thought that The Lord Nelson is "more English than England". I'd have to agree!
Sydney is currently holding the Vivid Festival, and also its 17th Biennale. The Vivid Festival is a winter festival held every year in Sydney, and the Biennale's 2010 theme is "The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age". I've tried to enjoy as much of this as I could on my very limited budget; luckily there's plenty of free events and art to enjoy. The Museum of Contemporary Art has a free exhibition for the Biennale. For the Vivid Festival, the curators (Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson) have continued Brian Eno's "Lighting the Sails" from 2009. Every night throughout the festival, artwork is projected onto the Sydney Opera House. I loved this: one of my favourite buildings in the world, and some really interesting art. There's also a poem that is projected across the house. Other buildings in Circular Quay are also bathed in coloured light. I felt like I was in a massive piece of art.
To round off the sightseeing (and retreading my five year-old steps), I went to Bondi Beach, and travelled up the Parramatta River to Parramatta. Bondi is a pretty nice place, but the part I enjoyed most was staring out into the Pacific, and the company I was with. I went with a couple of people I met in the hostel, and we had some fascinating conversations.
Parramatta, on the other hand, is a complete nothing place. I went for the river trip (I love travelling by boat; it's very relaxing), but it could have been anywhere. There were a few (literally a few) old buildings, such as the old Government House, but the rest of the town seemed to be incredibly bland and depressing strips of shops. Finding cheap food was hard too. $12.50 for a bowl of soup?
The first few weeks of my trip have been great. I've met some great people, and done and seen things I didn't think I would ever see (eating kangaroo hot dogs and seeing a leopard-skin Opera House, for example.) Melbourne is next on the agenda; I'm looking forward to seeing some more states!
'Til next time,
Phil.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
