Angels of Waverley Cemetery

Waverley Cemetery opened in 1877.
It sits on a headland just north of Clovelly beach, south of Bronte, and the coast walk goes through it.

The beach in the distance is Bondi.

I just bet the real estate developers would love to get their hands on this piece of prime real estate!

I've posted some more photos here.

The cliff walk between Bondi and Coogee

Winter is a great time for walking in Sydney, and Saturday was perfect - about 21 degrees. I walked part of the coast walk between Bondi and Coogee beaches. It was incredibly hard to choose one photo, but in the end, the texture of the sandstone, the brightness of the boy's board shorts, and the pile of thongs (they're footwear, not underwear!) made this one my favourite.

For some more shots, including a panoramic view of the coastline north of this clifftop perch, click here.

Vanishing Sydney icons number 3

These wooden train destination indicators are due to be scrapped very soon. Most stations have already gone to electronic TV monitor displays. These boards are changed by hand by the station attendant before each train arrives.

When I took this photo the wonderful ticket sellet told me she was glad I was taking a photo, because these ones are going very soon. I asked if I could take her picture with them, but she was quite shy, and also very busy selling tickets - it was morning peak. Maybe if I catch her in a quieter moment??

Previous vanishing icons here and here.

Deno's Diner - for all your fibreglass hot dog needs

You can't go past Deno's Diner for halal hot dogs. What I especially love is the milk crates it is balanced on! A southern Sydney institution, Deno's has for decades sated many a late night going-home munchie attack.

Reflection II

I couldn't resist another one from the reflection pool in Hyde Park.

There's also some more here.

Reflection

This is the ANZAC War memorial in Hyde Park, and the American Express building across the road, reflected in the shallow reflection pool.

You can see a full picture of the buildings and the reflection at Sydney Daily Photo Extra.

Chris in Newcastle showed a terrific reflection on Sunday, and Kim in Seattle showed us her red reflected shoes on Tuesday!

No photo

I have been trying without success to upload a photo. Seems blogspot is running v-e-r-y s-l-o-w and the operation keeps timing out. I am off to bed now, but will try again in the morning before work, if I have time.

In the meantime, errrr....check out some other cities, or why not spend some time looking through my Archives?

We have contact!

As I walk past this house on my way to the station I often wonder whether they have made contact yet. . . they certainly seem to have all possibilities covered!

Sydney's pyramid

Paris has its famous glass pyramid. Here's Sydney's. It is part of the tropical plant house at the Botanic Gardens. More info here.

In Sydney's climate, the glasshouse provides for appropriate light, humidity and ventilation, as well as protection from excessive sunlight, heat and dry winds, rather than protection from cold.

"Stop Killing Lebanon" protest

In central Sydney on Saturday, up to 20 000 people attended the peaceful demonstration against the events in Lebanon.

These posters started appearing on shops and telegraph poles around my area in the past week.
The 2001 census showed that in my suburb, 22.9 percent of the population is Muslim, the largest single religious group, although unlike the various Christian sects it is not broken down into different Muslim groups. People reporting to be Christian comprised 54.7 % (Catholic 22.3%; Orthodox 17.4%; various Protestant denominations 15%). My co non-religionists comprised 7.8 %, and "not stated" was 6.7%. 1.6% reported being Buddhist, and 1.1% Hindu.

Of the Muslims, many are Shiite Muslims from southern Lebanon, and there is a prominent Shiite mosque in the suburb. Most of the Lebanese migrants came to the district as a result of the Lebanese civil war. 8.7 % of the people in my suburb were born in Lebanon. 20.9% of people speak mainly Arabic at home.

I love the multicultural area where I live. Here's the low-down on my suburb.

Mannequin shop

A shop to meet all your store dummy needs!

On the roof at Walsh Bay

This is another shot of the development at Walsh Bay shown yesterday. Now the people on the Harbour Bridge look like they are ants on top of the roof.

(I've been confined to barracks for a few days, so it's pics from the vault at the moment - the blue sky hasn't actually appeared much this week!)

Walsh Bay

The Walsh Bay area of Sydney Harbour contains a series of old finger wharves, no longer used for port activities. They have been converted to theatres, rehearsal spaces and offices for various performing arts companies: Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Dance Company, Australian Theatre for Young People, Bangara Dance Company, Sydney Children's Choir, Sydney Philharmonia Choir.

There's also very expensive apartments and a private marina. It's a fabulous place to stroll around...I'll show a few more pictures in the next couple of days.

If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see people on the Bridge Climb.

Clouds, water, and sky writing

To see what the sky writer was writing, click here.

Botany Bay - Lady Robinson Beach

Late winter afternoon, looking towards the airport and city

Sydney is famous for its surf beaches, but the lovely white sand beaches of Botany Bay are popular with locals for fishing, all sorts of water sports, walking, runnign and bicycling along.

It's true that there is a fair bit of industrial development onits shores, as well as Sydney's major port, Port Botany, and the airport, but in this stretch from Brighton-le-Sands to Dolls Point, recreation is the major activity.

There used to be ladies and men's baths along here, and there still are netted swimming areas. The water is pretty clean, except after storms.

The non-surf bayside beach reminds me of Mediterranean beaches, and it's no accident that Brighton-le-Sands is a gathering point for Greek-Australians, with lots of Greek restaurants, and people promenading.

To see some more pics click here.

Botany Bay exploration

Today was a much nicer day than yesterday, so I decided to go back to Botany Bay. Here some kids are playing on the rocks forming one of the breakwaters along Lady Robinson Beach.

Botany Bay was where Captain James Cook sailed in to "discover" the continent, in May 1770. Well, perhaps to discover the original inhabitants! The British penal colony didn't begin until Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the First Fleet eighteen years later, in January 1778.

Cook originally named it Stingray Bay, but he later changed this to Botany Bay, recording: "The great quantity of plants Mr Banks and Dr Solander found in this place occasioned my giving it the Name of Botany Bay".

In the photo you can see The Heads, the opening to the Pacific, through which Cook and Phillip sailed. I often imagine I am an Aborigine living along the shores here - very rich in plant and sea food - watching those sailing ships come in and trying to imagine what I would have thought was going on.

I'll show some more pics of Botany Bay, one of Sydney's lesser visited waterways - that is, by tourists and people from other parts of Sydney, but very popular with locals.

Kitesurfing, Botany Bay

Saturday was cold and wet, and also windy - perfect for these kitesurfers out on Botany Bay. The two women in the foreground were out walking and, like me, stopped to take a look.

It reminded me of a visit we made once to Tarifa, in Spain, a mecca for wind-propelled water sports of all kinds.

You can see some more shots here.

Friday morning drearies

Some days are just better forgotten ...at least Friday means the weekend! I had to drive in to work in the city yesterday, so here's a shot through the front windscreen in stop-start traffic. And in case you are wondering "I thought people drive on the left in Australia", it's a one-way street!

Dutch inspiration

This building was built 1883-4 and is of Anglo-Dutch design. It's located in The Rocks area of Sydney, where many of Sydney's oldest buildings are located. This is the Australiasian Steam Navigation Building and was a warehouse. Of course, shipping has played a critically important role in Sydney's history. It is now a gallery space and theaterettes. It currently features art works by Nelson Mandela.

Red shoe shadow

One more midday shot; I couldn't resist these passing shoes.

Midday shadows

Following up from yesterday's post of midday sun worshippers, I had great fun snapping the shadows of people as they passed by. The winter sun made it possible to get lots of long shadows in frame, without the actual people. There's a couple more to see HERE.

Midday sun

No, not a disaster simulation, or a bodysnatching sci-fi movie. Just soaking up the winter rays at lunchtime in Hyde Park.

Yesterday Sydney's top temperature was 20 degrees, today 23 is forecast. Sydney is a great place to be in winter.

Norton St, Leichhardt

A second post from me today, seeing as an event of some significance happened in the early hours this morning.

Norton St is the centre of Sydney's Italian community. These Italian fans made no secret of their feelings. Thousands of people woke to watch the World Cup final starting at 4am. At 8.30am as I happened past the bars and coffee shops were still overflowing, and this procession was taking place.

Under The Bridge

Here's a shot from under the bridge yesterday's train was on. Oozy mud! In half an hour after pressing "Publish Post" I'll be on a train crossing here.

I have put up more photos around this bridge HERE

Train to Central

Here's a Sydney suburban train taken from under the railway bridge between Wolli Creek and Tempe stations. There's a cycle and walkway goes under the bridge, and I had a walk along it yesterday in beautiful sunshine. I catch the train along this route to and from work every day.

Does anyone else's city have double-decker trains?

St Marys Cathedral and Hyde Park

Fountain in Hyde Park, with St Mary's Cathedral in the background. This part of Hyde Park is called Sandringham Gardens and it commemorates King George V and VI. It's a beautiful spot to sit and soak up some sun during the winter.

Parking problem solved?

Do Smart cars come with their own compactus garage? I think i'd have to have a coffee at the cafe behind in order to contemplate that.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Here's the arch of Sydney Harbour Bridge. There's a very similar one elsewhere in the world, featured on another city blog. Pick up some clues here

(PS It's not this one in New York I'm thinking of. It's Hell Gate Bridge, a railway bridge spanning the East River)

Peeling paint

To see the "wider view" of this photo - a crack in a door with peeling paint - see Sydney Daily Photo Extra.

No laughing matter!

Secretary of the ACTU, Greg Combet; sacked mine worker, Lorissa Stevens, and NSW Teachers Federation President, Maree O'Halloran at the Teachers Federation Annual Conference today.

Lorissa is a 21 year old mine worker who was allegedly told that her boss would "destroy" her and ensure she never worked in a Hunter Valley mine again unless she signed an Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA).

Lorissa is a resilient and tough-minded young woman who is a former representative soccer player - one of the Matildas - the Australian women's soccer team. In her address today she explained how she had been sacked when she refused to sign one of the Howard government's hated new workplace contracts which strip conditions away from workers. It included a clause which required her to give 12 hours' notice if she was going to be away sick, or lose a day's pay PLUS be fined $200!

Lorissa, who with the support of her own union, is planning to sue, claimed that the employer representative " said stuff to the effect that she would personally go out of her way to destroy me and make sure I never entered onto another Hunter Valley mine site again if I did not sign the AWA."

"Driving a 240 tonne dump truck, if it gets out of control whilst you are feeling fatigued or one bit sick it can do a lot of damage and I didn't want to be responsible for killing people or me getting injured myself."

ACTU secretary Greg Combet said in a statement: "This is an example of the real world pressure that people are put under to sign AWA individual contracts and give up pay and award conditions under the Government's new IR laws."

You can see more at the ABC website.

Curtain Call

Yesterday's picture reminded me I had this one in the vault, and as I've been indoors at a conference all day, it's a good day to bring it out.

This is a sculpture at Darling Harbour, called Curtain Call. The sculptor is Les Kossatz. Here's another one of his sheep sculptures. And another one! And here's some info about the artist.

Baaaaaaaa

I chose this picture just because it made me giggle. It was sitting in the front of a neighbour's house.

Winter camellia

It's been a beautiful winter's day today, sunny with blue, blue sky. I took the oppoprtunity to do a bit of pruning in the backyard and take a snap of this beautiful camellia japonica bloom.