Bronte 7 - The Curve

Bronte Pool - 23 Jan 2009

Bronte 6 - The crossword

What a great place to sit and contemplate the crossword, after a dip. Friday's cryptic x-word in the Sydney Morning Herald is notoriously difficult!

Out 'n' about at the Australian Open tennis

Top row:
Left: Rod Laver Arena (the main court, named after one of Australia's most famous former players, the only two-times Grand Slam* singles winner, and one of only 2 men to do it) and Garden Square, where fans can sit and watch the action from inside RLA on a huge screen. A Grounds Pass costs as little as $30 a day, which gives you access to matches on the courts other than centre...you can still catch some great tennis.
Middle: A couple of French fans in Garden Square. The atmosphere is wonderful, with people from all over the world. And it's very relaxed and laid back (mostly)
Right: Part of the crowd inside Rod Laver Arena

Centre Row:
Left: French fans inside RLA supporting Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Middle: A new star is born
Right: Margaret Court Arena (aka Margaret Court court) named after another former great and Grand Slam winner - and she won two Mixed Doubles Grand Slams as well! The buildings in the background are in central Melbourne. One of Melbourne's great assets is the proximity of its great sporting venues to the city...just a short tram ride or easy walk.

Bottom Row:
Left: View of Melbourne Park and the Yarra River from the 19th floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Next door to the tennis centre is the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which was the Olympic Stadium in 1956
Middle: Players Box seats before the Tsonga/Blake match. We were sitting right near them, and during the match Tsonga's people occupied them.
Right: Line umpires and ball kids.

To see these photos enlarged, and others I haven't loaded from elsewhere, visit Sydney Daily Photo Extra.

* Grand Slam - winning the Australian, French, US Opens and Wimbeldon in one calendar year. A "Golden Slam" means winning those 4 AND an Olympic Gold. Does anyone know who the only player to achieve that feat was?

Tomorrow: back to Bronte

We interrupt transmission from Bronte....

...to bring you pictures from the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne.
Here's a collage showing some of the players I watched over two days.
Your mission: see if you can name them all - top left to bottom right. Warning: There's an "odd one out" in there!
I may be able to offer a small prize to the first complete entry (eg a postcard.

If you need to see the photos in larger form, click here on Sydney Daily Photo Extra.

Let me tell you about the experience. Back in decemeber I entered a contest on the Qantas Frequent Flyer site - all I had to do was enter my name and details. Mid way through January I was contacted and told that I'd won! Me and three friends would be flown (business class) to melbourne and as guests of Tennis Australia spend two days there. After the initial shock, I . . . well, stayed shocked!

We left Sydney at 8am, flying up the front of the place. For those who haven't done this, let me assure you that it IS better in the pointy end. The seats are more comfortable, there's real lef and foot rests, you do get proper food, and while the toilet is the same cramped space there's a posy of fresh flora to contemplete. And there's still ridiculous plastic knives, which will do nought to prevent a potential terrorist poking your eye out with the metal fork.

We got met in Melbourne by one of the official fleet of cars (KIA) which ferry the seeded players, officials and other Big Wigs back and forth (unseeded players and others have shuttle buses), and taken direct to the tennis centre. Met our Tennis Australia host, a marvellous young man named Karl, who provided us with tickets for the Rod Laver Arena for that day's and night's sessions. Four matches in all, plus there's open access to matches on the outer courts, where we saw part of a few more matches.

We were transferred to the Grand Hyatt hotel for the night, the official player hotel. Didn't rub shoulders with any tennis stars, but we did see mark Woodford setting up an interview.

Second day we were taken back to Melbourne Park, where we were accredited as "Players For The Day", which meant we were able to be accompanied through various areas "backstage". We had to sign a pledge that we wouldn't approach players, ask for autographs or take photos without permission. We got kitted out with racquets (Wilson) and clothing (Nike) and taken to Court 4, where we managed a bit of hit and giggle for an hour. A couple of famous players arrived for their practice session following us. I'd like to report that they showed fascination with our progress, but it was more truthful to suggest that they noticed us not at all! I did ask permission to take photos and that was okay'ed for a couple (they're included in the collage).

After that "humiliation" we retreated to the audience again for a doubles match, with our "practice partners" displaying their skill.

Next was lunch in the Players' Lounge...a lovely retreat into air conditioning as the temperature climbed outside. We ate from the same good selection of food - not at all ostentatious or pretentious either in food or setting - but good, nutritious fare, lots of carbs for those seekign them, and high quality fresh food from salads to sandwiches, wraps, an hot food, and plastic tables and chairs. It was a considerable step up, however, from the plethora of over-priced mainly junk food available to the punters outside.

Thus ended our Player "experience" and we retreated to "Garden Square", the outdoor area with the huge screen of inside Rod Laver Arena, some shady trees, and tables and chairs...and a grassed area to lie or sit on (more of that tomorrow), then transfer back to the airport and home.

So, no skill was required other than the capacity to fill out a form online, and an experience to remember.

So who are the players above??????

Tomorrow - some more scenes around Melbourne Park.

Bronte 5 - Outside the Baths

Not everyone wants to swim in the confines of the baths. There is a ladder enabling access to the ocean from the baths. I'm standing on the edge of the baths looking towards Bronte Beach. Just beyond where the woman is swimming, where you can see a cluster of people in the water, is a "ring of rocks" natural pool called a "bogey hole". The word bogey apparently comes from a local Aboriginal word meaning "to bathe".

Today I'm still in Melbourne at the Australian Open (see previous posts - I won a trip). As I write this on Sunday night, it's predicted to be 35 in Melbourne, and the thought of swimming in the ocean in Sydney will have to suffice to keep me cool!

Bronte 4 - The Leap

This little fella, cute as all get out, took the great leap of faith, into the safe hands of his dad. But not before seeking a little reassurance about where to go.


Today I'm in Melbourne enjoying the Austalian Open tennis (see yesterday's post - I won a trip and tickets!).

Bronte 3 - Hanging on

The turning board was added to the baths after its construction to enable races to be held. It divides the lap swimming area from that used by young children, and provides a convenient resting spot.

Today was much more pleasant in Sydney - max 26.

Tomorrow mornign my son and I are off to Melbourne to see some of the action in the Australian (tennis) Open. I won a competition which provides us with business class airfares, a night's accommodation at the Grand Hyatt, a whole heap of tennis gear and tickets to the Rod Laver Arena.

I'm presetting the blog to publish for the next couple of days (not taking laptop) and hope to get some good tennis pics!

Bronte 2 - The stairs

One way in to the pool at Bronte is down these steep stairs. The pool has lane markings for races; it was pretty frantic when I was there and people were all over the place! I had to wait for some time to get a snap with no people in shot. I was pleased with some of the others, but wanted a contrast, and this one with the simplicity of the white contrasting with the greeny blue water pleased me.

Today it reached 41 degrees in Sydney (that's 105.8 fahrenheit), having not dipped below 27 overnight. At 2am I decamped to a chair in the backyard for a while.

My son and his friends opted to go to a public pool today - the large water slides were a great attraction. Being old enough to look after themselves now, I dropped them and went to explore another rock pool - this time at beach further south - Maroubra. I'll bring some photos from there after the Bronte series.

Hot In The City. Bronte baths - Skywatch Friday

Photos taken 9:33 am today. Air temp 30.4 degrees celsius. Sea temp approx 22 deg.

As I mentioned yesterday, it's hot in Sydney at the moment. At 7am it was 26 degrees. So this morning I took myself off to the eastern suburb of Bronte for a swim in Bronte Baths. Mind you, it was an expensive excursion. There is very limited parking anywhere near the beach - maximum one hour. I overstayed by 15 minutes and got pinged $81 for the privilege. That's the problem with those automatic machines - they send a message to the parking inspector as soon as they expire!

The skies are uninterrupted blue, at least until the afternoon, when, typically, it gets cloudy, and there might be a thunderstorm, as there has been the last couple of days.

I'm going to stick around Bronte for the next few bloggy days at least, and there'll be even more pics on my Swimming blog when I get them uploaded.

It' magical swimming in the cool sea (about 22 deg?) looking at the sandstone overhang above.

Bronte Baths were opened in 1887. In late 1887, after complaints to Council about bathing during prohibited hours, Council adopted regulations for the conduct of the Bondi and Bronte Baths. The Bronte Baths 1887 Regulations stated 'gentlemen could bathe between daylight and 10am and from 4pm 'till dark each day. Ladies were welcomed from 10am to 4pm daily' except on Sundays and Public Holidays, when the baths were reserved exclusively for men 'from daylight to dark' and that 'each person using the baths shall wear an appropriate bathing dress'. Baths entry cost fourpence for adult and tuppence for children. Monthly tickets were available and towels could be hired.

In 2003 Waverley Council refused permission for QANTAS to film an advertisement in its I Still Call Australia Home campaign at the Bronte Pool. Council felt the area, which already attracted five million visitors a year, did not need the international publicity, nor an enforced three-day closure of the pool at the busiest time of the year.

Information from NSW Ocean baths website

Shady play

The only thing missing from this photo is any children playing. It's just too hot! Sydney is having one of its uncomfortably sweltering summer periods - temperatures in the high 30's (celsius), high humidity, and overnights it's only getting down to 23 or so. Horrible to try to sleep in.

This is, of course, a harbinger of the return to school next week - February is traditionally the hottest and stickiest month, and all those kids' bums stick to the plastic chairs in classrooms everywhere.