Thursday, 12/31/09: New Year’s Eve fireworks over Sydney Harbour

Sydney has two fireworks shows on New Year’s Eve: a 6-minute display at 9pm and a 12-minute display at midnight. Since we weren’t sure if the younger girls would make it until midnight, we decided to see the 9pm show. We took the train from Atarmon near Bill and Katrina’s house to Milsons Point, about a 20 minute ride, and arrived right under the bridge.

We had to pass through a security checkpoint to enter Bradfield Park. Bill’s backpack was searched for alcohol. It’s illegal to bring alcohol to the various venues although they do sell it there.

It’s hard to describe how crowded the park was. It seemed like every square inch was taken up by blankets, people or lawn chairs. Many people arrive hours early to secure the best spot. We carefully made our way through the throngs to a spot close to the front of the upper terrace and actually had a terrific view of the bridge, the water, and the downtown skyline and the Opera House across the harbor.

Even though there were thousands of people in the park, crowds generate a tremendous sense of excitement, and being part of this event is something I will never forget.

The fireworks started promptly at 9pm and, WOW, they were spectacular. The fireworks were launched from barges on the harbor, high-rises in downtown and from the bridge itself. There was something to see wherever you looked. I don’t think I will ever spend New Year’s Eve in such a spectacular setting again. It was simply a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I didn’t have a tripod with me so the photos below are hand-held and just a tad shaky but they’ll give you an idea of what it was like.

After the fireworks were over, we walked down to the lower terrace, which is basically a promenade along the water. The views were even more spectacular. The blue pattern on the bridge pillar is from a set of giant projectors. It looked like shimmering water.

This is a view of the underside of the bridge and the downtown high-rises across the water.

After walking around for a bit, we made our way back to the Milsons Point train station. The hordes of people were incredible. This is looking at the people exiting the station (on the left) and entering (on the right). Our train was completely crowded, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like after the midnight fireworks!

We got back to Bill and Katrina’s house at 11pm or so and watched the big fireworks on TV. It was like the 9pm fireworks, except multiplied by 10. Absolutely spectacular! The TV station had cameras in lots of different places, including a helicopter, so the views were out of this world.

Here’s a link to a YouTube video that shows the entire 12-minute display. You should watch it!

Today’s Sydney Morning Herald said that there were 1.5 million spectators out and about, making it the largest New Year’s Eve event anywhere in the world.

This was a New Year’s Eve I will always remember, especially since we got to spend it with such good friends!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYBODY!

Thursday, 12/31/09: Sydney

Postscript to yesterday’s entry: We underestimated the strength of the Sydney sun (seems much stronger than the sun back home). Even though everybody wore water-resistant sunscreen, Laura, Elena, Katrina and I got sunburn in various spots. Elena’s is particular noticeable right under her eyes where her swim goggles must have rubbed off the sunscreen.

Overcast today, warm (mid 70s) and very humid. Went for a “bush walk” to George’s Head this morning, the site of a former Australian navy base. The trail went through a forest overgrown with ferns and all kinds of plants unknown to me. A riot of green wherever you looked.

The concept of “bush” in Australia is different from the stereotype Americans have. It’s not just the outback where the likes of Crocodile Dundee reign supreme, but rather a wooded area, in between shrub land and forest, with thin to thick woody shrubs and bushes, under a sparse canopy of trees (mostly eucalypts). In a more general sense, it can also refer to any natural, undeveloped area either in or around a city.

An interesting synonym of “bush” is “mulga”, after an Australian acacia tree of the same name. This usage was made popular by the famous Australian poem “Mulga Bill’s Bicycle” by A.B. “Banjo” Paterson:

'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that caught the cycling craze;
He turned away the good old horse that served him many days;
He dressed himself in cycling clothes, resplendent to be seen;
He hurried off to town and bought a shining new machine;
And as he wheeled it through the door, with air of lordly pride,
The grinning shop assistant said, `Excuse me, can you ride?'

`See, here, young man,' said Mulga Bill, `from Walgett to the sea,
From Conroy's Gap to Castlereagh, there's none can ride like me.
I'm good all round at everything, as everybody knows,
Although I'm not the one to talk -- I HATE a man that blows.
But riding is my special gift, my chiefest, sole delight;
Just ask a wild duck can it swim, a wild cat can it fight.
There's nothing clothed in hair or hide, or built of flesh or steel,
There's nothing walks or jumps, or runs, on axle, hoof, or wheel,
But what I'll sit, while hide will hold and girths and straps are tight:
I'll ride this here two-wheeled concern right straight away at sight.'

'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that sought his own abode,
That perched above the Dead Man's Creek, beside the mountain road.
He turned the cycle down the hill and mounted for the fray,
But ere he'd gone a dozen yards it bolted clean away.
It left the track, and through the trees, just like a silver streak,
It whistled down the awful slope, towards the Dead Man's Creek.

It shaved a stump by half an inch, it dodged a big white-box:
The very wallaroos in fright went scrambling up the rocks,
The wombats hiding in their caves dug deeper underground,
As Mulga Bill, as white as chalk, sat tight to every bound.
It struck a stone and gave a spring that cleared a fallen tree,
It raced beside a precipice as close as close could be;
And then as Mulga Bill let out one last despairing shriek
It made a leap of twenty feet into the Dead Man's Creek.

'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that slowly swam ashore:
He said, `I've had some narrer shaves and lively rides before;
I've rode a wild bull round a yard to win a five pound bet,
But this was the most awful ride that I've encountered yet.
I'll give that two-wheeled outlaw best; it's shaken all my nerve
To feel it whistle through the air and plunge and buck and swerve.
It's safe at rest in Dead Man's Creek, we'll leave it lying still;
A horse's back is good enough henceforth for Mulga Bill.'

We enjoyed spectacular views of the opening of Sydney Harbor and saw a large tanker exiting the harbor, and a cruise ship entering. Lots of sea planes flying overhead, probably with sightseers on board.

We heard quite a few kookaburras whose call sounds a little like loud, echoing human laughter. The kookaburra is the most iconic Australian bird, and much beloved.

The sky  was pretty gray, with rain clouds threatening to douse us, but I thoroughly enjoyed the cooler air at the Georges Head overlook. This is the view towards downtown Sydney.

Katrina, Heather, Lucy and Elena spent some time exploring the Georges Head Battery, one of three forts in the area that were built for the purpose of defending the outer harbor. Georges Head battery was built in 1871 after the removal of the British forces from Australia in 1870. Georges Head was armed with four 80 pounder rifled muzzle loading guns and two 68 pounder muzzle-loading guns. It took three months and 250 soldiers to roll the gun barrels all the way from North Sydney to the batteries.

Later in the afternoon, Katrina, Bill, Sophie, Laura and I went for a walk to Tunks Park and Middle Harbour. It was basically a continuation of the Flat Rock Gully walk we took on Monday.

 

Heard lots of kookaburras and Eastern whipbirds which produce a very distinctive whip-crack call. In one spot, the cicadas were so loud that I thought my head would explode—I’ve never experienced anything like it before. Australia has very large cicadas; the one I saw on a tree branch was at least 3 inches long. I tried to photograph it but it didn’t like me getting close.

Also saw lots of angophoras (Sydney red gum), which is fast becoming my favorite tree around here. I love the coloration of the trunk, which is often completely devoid of bark. The bark, usually piled at the foot of the tree, is even redder.

Wednesday, 12/30/09: Sydney, Bronte and Bondi Beach

Went to Bronte Beach in the morning. Bronte is one of the eastern suburbs of Sydney and has a small but beautiful beach. The sand is a fantastic yellow color with a tinge of pink. The sand is fine and deep. And the stunning natural beauty of the shoreline is hard to beat.

In the photo below, Bronte Beach is in the distance on the left, with Tamarama Beach in the middle.

Katrina graciously agreed to stay at Bronte Beach with the girls while Bill, Heather and I did the cliff walk to Bondi Beach, about 3 miles roundtrip. The trail follows the coastline and offers stunning views of the ocean, beaches and the fantastic sandstone formations. The trail is much used by walkers and runners and by the scandily clad “beautiful people” that just want to be seen. “Sydney sunny side up--bronzed, beautiful, undressed to thrill,” as one website describes it.

The photo below (taken by HEATHER) is the saltwater pool at Icebergs Winter Swimming Club at the south end of Bondi Beach. Quite a stunning location!

This is Bondi Beach, one of the largest and most popular beaches in Sydney, not to mention a must-see destination for millions of tourists from all over the world.

Pictures of the girls having fun at Bronte Beach.

 
Elena

 
Laura

 
Lucy

  
Sophie and Laura

 
Group shot 

…and a local beach bum for added atmosphere!

Tuesday, 12/29/09: Sydney, Taronga Zoo

Today went went to Taronga Zoo, a world-class zoo on the shores of Sydney Harbor with a stunning view of downtown and the Opera House. The zoo is very large, with more than 2600 animals on 51 acres.

After a few days of rain, the weather today is fantastic, with blue skies and puffy white clouds. This might explain why the crowds at the zoo were huge. Bill and Katrina said they’d never seen so many people there, and they go quite frequently. We had to stand in line for a half an hour to buy our tickets. Luckily, while we were queuing up, a lady gave us free tickets for the kids so we only had to pay for the adults (AUS$ 41 per person, about US$ 36).

The first display we saw were koala bears, all asleep of course (they seem to sleep a lot and pretty much do everything in slow motion). They looked just as cuddly as the pictures we’d seen, although judging from their claws, they’re probably anything but cuddly.

  

Next came a display of wallabies, emus and kangaroos. Talk about icons of Australian wildlife! I had to pinch myself a few times—hard to believe I’m actually here in Sydney and not dreaming this!

 

The girls even got to pet a baby wallaby:

Since Laura is such a huge hedgehog fan, she was very excited to see a pair of echidnas. They look a lot like hedgehogs, quills and all, but are actually relatives of the platypus. Platypus and echidnas are the only mammals that lay eggs (both are Australian natives). It was hard to photograph the echidnas because they were moving so quickly and there were lots of rocks in their enclosure behind which they were hiding. But Laura wanted me to include this photo, so here it is.

We  also saw the usual zoo animals, like elephants, tigers, seals, etc. but they weren’t that different from what we have in our zoos.

The animals weren’t the only attraction. In fact, the vegetation was every bit as stunning. I saw a lot of plants that I’ve been trying to grow in Davis for years, with limited success because of their lack of cold hardiness. Here they are the thriving because the Sydney climate is very close to their native environment. Very large shell gingers, all in bloom. Hedychias. Ferns. And of course bamboos (mostly Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vitatta’ but also Bambusa multiplex and Phyllostachys nigra).

 

 

The icing on the cake were the views. Taronga Zoo is located on the North Shore, on a hill overlooking Sydney Harbor. The views across the harbor to downtown and the Opera House are stunning.

After an exhausting half day at Taronga Zoo we went back to the Ellises, then to the shops to replenish the larder, and now we’re sitting here drinking wine (a wonderful sauvignon blanc and semillon blend from the Margaret River) and planning our outings for the next few days. Could life be any better? 

Monday, 12/28/09: Sydney

It’s Lucy’s 8th birthday today. Happy birthday, Lucy!!!!

It started to rain in the middle of the night. Soft drumming at first, wonderful to hear as I drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the night. At dawn, though, the floodgates opened, and it began to rain so hard that I felt transported to India in the monsoon season (not like I’ve ever been there, but I did see Monsoon Wedding twice). It didn’t really cool down much at night (high 60s), so the rain felt warm and tropical. Lying in bed, listening to the rain and feeling the warm summer air--all the while knowing that I could stay in bed as long as I wanted--was incredibly relaxing.

After coffee and some blogging, Heather, Katrina and I went to the store (“the shops”, as they say here) to buy groceries. The supermarket we went to, Woolworths, is in a small indoor shopping mall. There are quite a few small stores that sell everything from produce, seafood and baked goods to shoes and flowers. I found it very interesting to walk around the aisles and look at the stuff they sell. It’s like a combination of a U.S. and European supermarket.

Had to photograph the Vegemite and milk displays. Nothing says England & the former colonies better than Vegemite. And the milk in the U.S. is typically fresh and in a cooler case, instead of the ultra-pasteurized long-life milk which Europeans (and apparently Australians) like and doesn’t require refrigeration.

Bill’s brother Michael and his wife Fiona came back at around lunchtime. They live in Southern California but are in Sydney for the holidays. We’d met Michael and Fiona at our house in September and had a great time with them, so we were really looking forward to seeing them again. We did a lot of yakking, fueled by a glass or three of wine. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. Later in the afternoon the adults went for a walk to Flat Rock Creek, a local green area, where we saw all kinds of vegetation unknown to me, including paperbark tree and angophora, not to mention tree ferns in their native habitat. Really, really beautiful.

Many houses here in Willoughby have plumeria trees (called “frangipani” by the locals), and they’re all in bloom. The scent is heavenly. I’ve always associated plumerias with Hawaii because the house we rented in Kauai in 2003 had a huge plumeria tree, but they seem to be very common here as well.

 

Sunday, 12/27/09: Arrival in Sydney

The remainder of the flight went very smoothly. All of us slept for at least several hours, Laura and Elena for 8 or more! Immigrations and customs went quickly and efficiently. The officers were actually smiling! Their name badges had their first name and the initial of their last name, opposed to “Office xyz” in the U.S. This simple thing creates a completely different climate while waiting in line than in the U.S. where the mission of the immigration and customs officers seems to be to instill cold naked fear :-).

Bill, Katrina, Sophie and Lucy greeted us as we exited the customs area and there were lots of hugs, smiles and laughs. It was so great to see everybody again! From the warm gentle breeze and the lush tropical vegetation, it was obvious that this was NOT Northern California in the middle of winter!

Before going to Bill and Katrina’s house, we did a quick round of sightseeing. We drove over the Harbor Bridge, stopped for a quick look and photo of the Opera House and then made our way to the suburb of Willoughby on the North Shore where the Ellises live. We unpacked, showered and relaxed for a few hours.

Bocks (and Lucy) in front of Harbor Bridge and Opera House 

Crossing the Harbor Bridge—they do believe in signage, don’t they? 

Then it was off for the Royal Botanic Gardens, a large public green space near the Opera House. For the plant aficionado in me, it was awesome seeing so many plants that I only knew from books.

Queensland bottle tree

The first highlight (aside from the stunning views of downtown, the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge) was coming upon ibises and sulphur-crested cockatoos that wander about much like squirrels would in Capitol Park in Sacramento. It’s clear that the cockatoos get fed by the passers-by because you can get VERY close to them. All they do is look at you with a somewhat cheeky look that says “Feed me!”.

Sulphur-crested cockatoo

The next highlight for me (even though not necessarily for the others) was the Oriental Garden section of the Royal Botanic Gardens. They have lots of mature stands of tropical and subtropical bamboos, including Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vitatta’, Dendrocalamus latiflorus ‘Mei-nung’, Thyrsostachys siamensis, Gigantochloa atroviolacea and Bambusa membranacea. Quite a few species that we could never grow in the Sacramento area, with very thick culms.

Gigantochloa atroviolacea

Lots of people find them attractive, too, apparently—so much that they feel compelled to carve their names, initials and/or messages into them. At first I was upset that these mature bamboos were disfigured like that, but in a way, the sheer volume of these graffiti makes for a very artistic patchwork of lines and shapes.

Timber bamboo with graffiti

After I had photographed all the bamboos I could find, we went home to drink champagne, eat dinner, drink some more. At eight pm or so we went for a nice stroll through the neighborhood and then the Bocks pretty quickly hopped into bed. It had been a long day and a half since we left Davis!