Tempe Recreation Reserve

A scene of tranquility just across the AlexandriaCanal from Sydney airport.  And there goes Flight QF7 to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Welcome to Sydney!

Our friend Ann arrives from Los Angeles

Alexandra Canal

Alexandra Canal along Sydney Airport. More about the canal here.

Transport options

Cyclist on the bike and walking track along Alexandria Canal near Sydney Airport

Coming in to land

Planes line up along the landing path for Sydney Airport.

Storm brewing

A storm gathers over Sydney Airport and allied areas. Links to skies from across the world here.

Sun reflected

Yesterday I was driving home down the Princes Highway at about 5pm when I looked left (eastwards) and saw that the setting sun from the right was hitting these buildings at Sydney airport. They were glowing gold, and reflected in the Cooks River. As well, there were patches of blue sky, and some quite heavy cloud cover, to create a happy convergence of such wonderful colours. I found the next available parking spot and rushed before the sun disappeared (about 10 minutes later).

I had a hard time deciding which picture to post, and decided (with the help of my son) on the one here. But maybe there's another you like better. Have a look here if you want to see the others.

Back on the ground in Sydney

I love flying but I also like being back on the ground. From these little planes a bus takes you the couple of hundred metres to the terminal, I love the little "dust buster" style vaccuum cleaner ready on the ground for cleaning the interiorof the plane.

Meteorological Station, Sydney Airport

The Flying Kangaroo: Qantas Dash-8s

Australians overseas often look for the familiar kangaroo-tailed Qantas planes at foreign airports (usually huge 747s). Here in Sydney is part of the fleet of domestic regional planes - the dehavilland Dash-8, a twin-engined, medium range, turboprop aircraft. I really like flying in them. I've also flown in them in Canada.

Do you have a favourite aircraft?

Domestic

Today I've flown north of Sydney to Coffs harbour, for work. I caught the train to the airport. It's a sparkling new station, completely under-utilised. The reason? It was built as a public-private partnership and costs an exorbitant amount to get off at the station. While the railway line and trains are just a part of the public transport system, the "station access fee" provides a premium payment for the private station owners. If there are more than one of you travelling, it is cheaper to take a taxi. Rather than encouraging people to take the train, it's a real disincentive.

Sydney has several highly unpopular pieces of public-private partnership infrastructure, includign many toll roads and tunnels. All because governments refuse to invest directly for the future, and the obsession with a "private is better" ideology. They have been shown over and over again to be very unpopular and inefficient when they collapse and the government has to buy them out anyway.

I live only two stations from the airport, and when I travel alone for work it is about the same price as a taxi to catch the train. I actually prefer it.

Do you have PPPs in your part of the world? What is public reaction?

Plane spotting, Sydney Airport

Plane spotters are quite well catered for at the perimeter of Sydney Airport. You just have to walk across a beach and through some shrubs to get there.