Posts Tagged ‘this weekend in Sydney’

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 🙂

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

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

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Waiting out the worst of the downpour.

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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!

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

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

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Silo conversion

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Silo conversion

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Glassworks

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

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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

The Waterfront Cafe on Pittwater at Church Point

The Waterfront Cafe on Pittwater at Church Point

The Waterfront Cafe on Pittwater at Church Point

Pittwater, Church Point

Pittwater, Church Point

Pittwater, Church Point

Pittwater, Church Point

Pasadena Motel and Restaurant - closed for the past 6 years

Pasadena Motel and Restaurant – closed for the past 6 years

Pasadena Motel and Restaurant - closed for the past 6 years

Pasadena Motel and Restaurant – closed for the past 6 years

Pasadena Motel and Restaurant - closed for the past 6 years

Pasadena Motel and Restaurant – closed for the past 6 years

Yes, I know it’s a complete cop-out… but we had a lovely day in the Blue Mountains staying at my sister’s house at Hazelbrook while she’s away riding Route 66.

We did a few touristy things – morning tea at the Carrington Hotel at Katoomba

Visited the 3 sisters and Evans Lookout before High Tea at the Hydro Majestic at Medlow Bath.

They have done a beautiful job refurbishing this hotel – it’s obvious they’ve spent millions on the renovations and extensions.

Cold beer and champagne, beautiful live piano music in the background and delicious high tea.

Can highly recommend it. A great day out.

Morning Tea at the Carrington at Katoomba

Morning Tea at the Carrington at Katoomba

Views over Megalong Valley

Views over Megalong Valley

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

High Tea at the Hydro Majestic

Back to the letter A again 🙂

Westmead Kids’ Hospital (The Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children Hospital at Westmead, near Parramatta) runs an annual art competition for school children. From the thousands of entries, the best 50 are selected and framed and displayed on the walls of the corridors of the wards.

This has been happening for years, and as a result there’s hundreds of paintings that brighten the walls and corridors for the hundreds of sick kids and their parents, some of whom spend months and months within the confines of the hospital.

Even tough this year’s competition hasn’t been judged, we enjoyed what we saw from previous years.

http://bandagedbear.org.au/schools/operation-art/

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This gorgeous Panda is a collage pasted onto newsprint.

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My Daddy is a lady beetle

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Afterwards, we dropped in to Parramatta Park for a coffee at Lachlan’s Cafe.IMG_0703Crap coffee, nice spot though.

Right at the end of Harris St (no. 1 Harris), by the water at Pyrmont, is the Zebra Lounge.

We had a beautiful breakfast there – delicious food and fantastic presentation. Coffees were a bit slow, but otherwise, can highly recommend it.

This Jackson’s landing area has been really nicely done so it’s a great place to have a wander afterwards.

This site has some history about the area, and its links to CSR, and there’s a fabulous photo gallery as well.

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The last few years we’ve gone to the World Press Photo Exhibition at the State Library in Macquarie St and enjoyed it, so we went again today.

Lots of confronting images of war, death, poverty , illness, mental health, disease and deprivation, as well as sport, science, politics and the like.

Such a reinforcement of how lucky we are to live in Australia, and how important it is to work to maintain the peace and freedom we so often take for granted.

It was also a great opportunity to catch up with Annie and Stephen McRobie after their fabulous Spain and Morocco holiday over breakfast at the Circular Quay Pullman Q Dining

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Great start to the weekend.

Google Best place to watch the sunset in Sydney and one of the suggestions is by the Bridge at Kirribilli.

After a busy week away for me, Robyn and I headed out at about 430 pm and bought some fish and chips before walking down to Jeffrey St Wharf at Kirribilli. There’s a lovely waterfront path heading east from the wharf. It must be a nice spot – we were the only two people there without a bridal party in tow – photographers, brides, grooms and their parties were the order of the day. A beautiful afternoon for their big day 🙂

The city looks gorgeous from here, especially at sunset. It’s a beautiful harbour.

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That really IS Savignon Blanc! You’ll just have to believe me 😉

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We’ve both been really busy with work this past week and needed to continue doing some more work over the weekend, so just a quick breakfast at a great little cafe in Surrey Hills before hitting the office.

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Reuben Hills, a funky little cafe in Surry Hills

A rustic warehouse conversion

A rustic warehouse conversion

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Delicious menu

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missed

Damn! NEXT weekend we are going to Orange.

Orange Grove Public School in the heart of Lilyfield, has fabulous markets every Saturday morning. Every few weeks we have driven past these markets on our way to do something else, and this weekend we eventually got around to going. Beautiful fresh produce. Go there! IMG_0182

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Beautiful fresh flowers

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Markets