Friday 27 October 2006

Jacaranda at Sydney University


It's jacaranda season and Sydney is a purple carpet in many places. This jacaranda tree grows in the quadrangle of the Gothic main building at Sydney University. There is an expression used at Sydney Uni that "by the time the jacaranda blooms it's too late to start studying for exams", for it's end-of-year exam season now as well. High School kids are sitting their Higher School Ceritifcate, which for some will determine their matriculation to university, and uni exams are in full swing too, in the run-up to the long summer break.

I vaguely remember a story told when I was a student at Sydney Uni in the 1970s about students from the rival University of New South Wales threatening to cut down the jacaranda, but I can't quite remember what it was.

The quadrangle was inspired by the medieval quadrangles of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges.

9 comments:

  1. Gorgeous shot, well framed. Beautiful building.

    ReplyDelete
  2. tres belle photo et les couleurs violettes de l'arbre, superbe

    very beautiful photograph and the colors violets of the tree, superb

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a gorgeous tree and building!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello, Sally,
    enjoyable photo!
    How old this beautiful building is?
    And jacaranda tree is very exotic to me. I would like to see pictures of it , please :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. i was browsing cityphoto portal and this photo attracted me. Everyone said it already..its gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks all - Mimmu, as jac's ar ein full bloom right now I will take some jac shots this weekend and post something soon.

    These days they seem VERY Australian but they are of course imports from South America.

    In the meantime, have a look here:

    http://www.jacarandafestival.org.au/index.htm

    History of Sydney Uni:
    http://www.usyd.edu.au/about/profile/pub/history.shtml

    This section of the main building - with the clock tower was completed by 1862.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love Jacarand, and not only have you shot that well, but you also got lovely architecture, and a frame in the foreground! WELL DONE!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the jacaranda season, these purple trees are absolutely striking. Your photo is a little gem! Combining the old architecture with the beauty of the tree makes for a powerful photo indeed. I hope to post a shot of the jacarandas too but haven't got anything that brilliant to show as yet.

    ReplyDelete