So, this weekend, we...

Week 51 ~ Y is for Youth

Posted: December 8, 2015 in Inner West
Tags: Sydney, Sydney weekends, Things to do in Sydney, walking inner Sydney, Weekends in Sydney

If you grew up in Sydney like we did, you’ll remember buying 5c paper tickets and catching myriad buses to school and the shops

Sydney’s Bus Museum fell into dis-repair some time ago and Wednesday night was the preview night of the new museum.

Now, let’s get one thing straight here… we are NOT bus officianados or even remotely interested in the actual history of transport in Sydney… I think we were the only ones who weren’t!
Rather, this is what the whole point of this doing something together project is about. To do something together that we wouldn’t normally do.

In the old bus, from Central Station to Leichhardt

I remember these posters!

Ryde local bus

Never too old to play!

Week 50 ~ X is for Xenophobia

Posted: December 7, 2015 in Walking
Tags: beach, Coffee, cronulla, Sydney, Sydney weekends, Weekends in Sydney, what to do in Sydney, What to do in Sydney this weekend

The ugly face of Australian racism.

cronulla_wideweb__470x313,0 The 2005 Cronulla riots were a series of clashes and outbreaks of mob violence in Australia on 11 December 2005 in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla.

Racial tensions were already prevalent between local caucasian and middle eastern Australians due to earlier altercations between groups.

A crowd gathered at Cronulla on the morning of Sunday, 11 December 2005 and, by midday, approximately 5,000 people had gathered near the beach to protest against recent violence towards locals. However, fuelled by alcohol, the crowd turned to violence when a young man of Arab appearance was spotted on the beach. He was surrounded by a crowd outside a local hotel and attacked, along with similar attacks later that day. Retaliatory attacks also took place that night and on subsequent nights, resulting in extensive property damage and several more assaults, including two separate, racially motivated stabbings and even some attacks against ambulance and police officers.

The attacks were widely condemned by local, state and federal members of parliament, police, local community leaders, and residents of Cronulla and adjacent areas. A large number of arrests were made over the subsequent months, from both the initial riot on 11 December and the retaliations over the subsequent nights.

10 years on and a rally was planned to remember the riots.
We thought it might be an opportune time to reflect on the violence and racism surrounding this event, so we went to Cronulla for a swim and a looksee.

Dick heads the lot of them.

Week 49 ~ W is for Wendy Whiteley’s Garden

Posted: December 6, 2015 in Sydney Harbour
Tags: garden, Sydney, sydney harbor, Sydney Harbour, Sydney weekends, Things to do in Sydney, this weekend in Sydney, what to do in Sydney

After the death of her husband (artist Brett Whitely) Wendy Whiteley started to clean up and landscape a large patch of derelict land adjacent to her home in Lavender Bay, owned by the NSW Rail Corporation. It was choked by weeds, overgrown and strewn with old train carriages, abandoned refrigerators, rotting mattresses and broken bottles, and some homeless people sometimes slept there.

The Rail Corporation had no interest in doing anything with it, and they raised no objections to her beautifying the area.

Over 15 years, it has become a coveted spot for those who have heard about or chanced upon it, with random benches in quiet spots, secluded paths, and a spectacular view to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

It’s affectionately known by locals as “Wendy’s Secret Garden”, although the public have always had free access.

In October 2015, the New South Wales Government, which owns the land, agreed to give the North Sydney Council a 30-year renewable lease on it. [so says wikipedia]

So on a beautiful Sydney early summer Saturday evening we headed over to the garden with champagne and nibbles to see it for ourselves. We weren’t disappointed.

The first person we came across, working just below her house, was Wendy Whiteley herself.

Sydney Royalty

This was definitely one of the best things we have done this year.
We’ll be back with interstate and overseas visitors for sure 🙂
The gardens have hidden spots with tables and chairs, views, steps and stairs that just draw you to climbing and exploring.

Lovely statues are dotted around the place. Winner winner.

Beautiful Moreton Bay or Port Jackson Fig, with Whiteley’s house behind

Whiteley’s house

Week 48 ~ V is for Vintage

Posted: November 30, 2015 in Inner West, Markets
Tags: antique, breakfast, cafe, Sydney, Sydney weekends, Things to do in Sydney, vintage, what to do in Sydney, What to do in Sydney this weekend

header

There’s a fine line between vintage and crap – it would seem there are plenty of people who don’t know the difference.

There’s also a MASSIVE difference between vintage/second hand/old//crap/broken and what constitutes a bargain!

$hit! I’m never throwing anything out again EVER!

Deliciopus start to the day at https://www.facebook.com/SubStationCafe, an old electrical substation transformed into a cafe with a snug interior and a cute courtyard. We enjoyed a delicious start to the day at The Substation Cafe , an old electrical substation transformed into a cafe with a snug interior and a cute courtyard. Mediterranean influenced food, great coffee, friendly staff, good service.

We’ll be back 🙂

We went for a walk to the Mitchell Road Antique and Design Centre. It’s a warehouse packed with vintage and retro stuff – not really antiques. It appears to be divided into sections – I imagine that each section is sub-let to a different stall-holder.

This was followed by a short stroll to Lunatiques. Love the name 🙂
Ditto.

I was like a trip back to our grandparents’. We found ourselves at every turn saying either

Oh, look at that, I used to have these (ie remember those roller skates that laced up and the length was adjustable via a wingnut under the sole?)
or
Remember Gran used to have these? (cue the laminated kitchen table) or
Remember throwing that away/giving that to Vinnies?What a trip down memory lane!

Holy Crap! This little anvil, about the size of a rolled up sleeping bag – $1200! What would the one i have in the back yard be worth? No wonder the boys argue about who gets it when i die!!

Desk made from an aeroplane wing, anyone?

Week 47 ~ U is for Underground Bars

Posted: November 22, 2015 in Bars
Tags: small small bars, Sydney, Things to do in Sydney

Sydney’s small bar scene has changed a lot in the past few years as the local council has changed licencing laws to make them more viable.

The result is a really healthy mix of small bars, many of them underground, many of them completely un-advertised. Only through social media would you find a bar like Baxters – up a small alleyway and tucked around under a building in the corner.

We went to 3 underground bars –

Stitch Bar in York St, easily identified by the array of old Singer Sewing machines at street level
The Baxter Inn, a whisky bar in Clarence St, and
The Lobo Plantation, a rum bar in Clarence St

Secret Sydney. Fascinating.

Stitch Bar at street level

Underground

Stitch Bar

Baxters – hell of a whisky selection!

The Lobo – Rum Rum Rum

Week 46 ~ T is for a Train ride

Posted: November 15, 2015 in Transport
Tags: Sydney weekends, this weekend in Sydney, Weekends in Sydney, What to do in Sydney this weekend

Gotta love Sydney’s Opal cards – $2.50 travel all day on a Sunday.

We headed to Hawkesbury River – the train station near Brooklyn just where the road to Gosford crosses the Hawkesbury River.

We had breakfast at the Tuckshop cafe and then went for a walk around Brooklyn.

We had no idea there was so much history there…

Governor Philip was exploring the area within months of arriving in Sydney in 1788
The rail bridge was the final piece in the Trans Continental Railway. Originally built in 1889, it linked Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and was a major engineering feat at the time.
There was an anti aircraft station set up there to protect the rail bridge from any Japanese activity in WWII

It’s also where RW Corkery, the company our daughter Lauren works for in Orange, has an office, so good to see where she works from time to time and put a face to the name.

The train was on time – a good start to the morning!

Brooklyn train station

Another coffee at the marina before we left.

Week 45 ~ S is for a Separated!

Posted: November 15, 2015 in sport

Robyn was at a conference on the Gold Coast at Sea World.
I was home alone, but went to the soccer at Gosford (Thanks Matt Clear for the free tickets!)

separated
Sea World
Soccer

We’ll make it up in the coming weeks!

Central Coast Mariners V Wellington Pheonix

Week 44 ~ R is for a Ride at Rhodes

Posted: November 15, 2015 in bicycle
Tags: bicycle, cycle, Sydney weekends, this weekend in Sydney, Weekends in Sydney, What to do in Sydney this weekend

Threatening skies didn’t deter us from going for a bicycle ride near where we live at Rhodes.

Near where Sydney’s Olympics were staged in 2000, Rhodes was a very industrial area, but proximity to the city, access to trains and being close to the Olympic precinct has seen it undergo a transformation over the past few years into a new urban centre with thousands of people housed in a stack of high rise towers.

Beside the water there’s a terrific wide, flat path for cyclists and walkers alike.

We joined the path at Meadowbank, ride over the old railway bridge down to the Olympic site.

Unfortunately the weather beat us and after sheltering a few times in picnic shelters and under a new pedestrian bridge we made it back to the car without too much drama.

A great ride. We’ll do this again 🙂

Love the way they have kept the old rail bridge over the Parramatta River at Meadowbank and preserved it for cyclists and pedestrians.

Great path beside the river. Don’t drink the water… yet! But it’s getting cleaner.

Waiting out the worst of the downpour.

Week 43 ~ Q is for Suzie Q and The Queen Vic Hotel

Posted: November 15, 2015 in Inner West
Tags: Sydney weekends, this weekend in Sydney, Weekends in Sydney, What to do in Sydney this weekend

Q. An excuse to visit a pub starting with Q, and a coffee and cake.

Unfortunately, a bit of a debacle!

The Queen Victoria Hotel, opposite the Enmore Theatre at Enmore was closed for a renovation (well, actually, the gaming room was still open!) so off to Suzie Q cafe near the SCG – closed at 4pm! Grrrr!

Still, a nice walk around the areas 🙂 Think positive!

Such a shame this wasn’t open for a beer… we’ll be back!

Funky artwork in a factory/foundry/art studio behind the Queen Vic.

Silo conversion

Glassworks

Not quite sure what was happening with this! Decorative telegraph pole

Week 42 ~ P is for Pittwater

Posted: October 17, 2015 in Cafe
Tags: pittwater, Sydney, Things to do in Sydney, this weekend in Sydney, Weekends in Sydney, What to do in Sydney this weekend

As Peter Fitzimons is fond of saying – Gotta love this city!

Less than 25 kilometres as the crow flies from the CBD, Church Point, opposite Scotland Island on Pittwater, north of Sydney.

Just beautiful. Idyllic setting; runabouts doing the Saturday morning shopping and run-around, lanyards slapping against masts, kayaks, fishing, walking, running, cycling.

A beautiful part of Sydney. Breakfast at the The Waterfront Store cafe and then a walk – what a great start to the weekend.

Next door, The Pasadena Motel and Restaurant – closed for the past 6 years after court action regarding its redevelopment – prime site, someone’s losing a lot of money.

The Waterfront Cafe on Pittwater at Church Point

Pittwater, Church Point

Pasadena Motel and Restaurant – closed for the past 6 years

So, this weekend, we…

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