Tag: Sydney Harbour Bridge

A love letter to Sydney…

Posted on by SW

So. I’ve moved back to Sydney after living overseas since way back in 2005.

Looks like someone’s god is about to speak

Apart from family and friends, in no particularly order, here are a few things I’ve missed in almost 19 years living away… my Sydney love letter.

*Kookaburras… with the wombat, the kookaburra is a rather underrated Australian icon compared to the kangaroo and koala, but we kind of like it that way.

*The sky… the Sydney/Australian sky is absolutely breathtaking. That blue…

*The Harbour Bridge… although I’ve driven/trained/walked over the Bridge a gazillion times, it always feels like the first time. I often think of my grandmother who walked across the Bridge the day it opened on Saturday March 19, 1932, wearing an outfit she had specially made for the occasion. She even took her shoes off and carried them as her feet were hurting. Unheard of in 1932!

*Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden… but shhhhhh… don’t tell anyone.

*Sandstone… the look and texture. The “Sandstone Precinct” on Bridge St featuring the Lands and Education Department Buildings is one of my favourite parts of the city. The former Education Department building has been transformed into the stunning Capella Sydney hotel. 

*The Australian humour… irony, sarcasm… taking the piss. Love it.

*The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney… Sydney’s magnificent backyard. Though it could do with losing the word “Royal”.

*Rainbow Lorikeets… those random, screeching flashes of colour.

*The beaches… all of them… but I’m looking at you, Balmoral, Whale and Palm. Though I don’t love Balmoral when you hire a car on a scorching summer Saturday, get there at 7.45am, spend 40 minutes trying to find a parking with no luck. Peak Sydney.

*Food, glorious food. Sydney’s dining scene is incredible… from a succulent Chinese meal to any cuisine you can think of.

*The Sydney Cricket Ground… though I do miss the old scoreboard.

*Sydney ferries… the best way to travel. Being on a (Manly) ferry as it cuts its way to Circular Quay, or anywhere in Sydney Harbour is always a wonderful experience. But I do miss the old-school ferries.

*The Opera House… those pristine, sparkling white sails mask the controversy that marred the design and construction. It really is incredible… as are the performances I’ve seen inside.

*Seafood… a veritable smorgasbord. Just don’t come the raw prawn, er, mate.

*Australian wine… I’m rather un-Australian in that I’m not a beer drinker. It’s great living here and not having to pay a billionty dollars for brilliant Australian wine.

*The Elizabeth Street entrance to St. James station… the famed Château Tanunda neon sign has been there since 1926.

*Friendliness… going for an early morning walk and people nodding, saying “Morning”. You miss that.

*Sydney Harbour… absolutely every single thing about it.

*Hyde Park… smack bang in the CBD… the fig tree-lined avenues, the spectacular, mythical Archibald Fountain featuring Apollo, Diana and his mates.

*Taronga Zoo… definitely a zoo with a view.

*The kulcha… art galleries, theatres (special mention to the magnificent State Theatre and the vertigo-inducing Theatre Royal), museums, music venues… etc, etc.

As that old song by Tommy Leonetti goes, “My warm city of Sydney / I’ve never been away.”

©Steve Williams 2023

My city of Sydney – digital zombies, tradies in undies

Posted on by SW

I hadn’t been back to Sydney for a few years. I was recently in town, and in no particular order, here are a few random observations. 

Not quite what Sydney airport needs, but close

It’s the kulcha mate. I heard this enlightening comment from a bloke behind me on the flight to Sydney, “I went to Zurich and f*cking paid 20 bucks for a beer. Then, “I feel pretty cultured though now that I’ve been to Zurich.” Sydney’s gain, Zurich’s loss.

As you walk off the aircraft, those first corridors are soulless. They need something more Australian, more Sydney. I don’t mean an animatronic Paul Hogan offering a shrimp on the barbie, or a Sydney “personality” (Roxie Jacenko?) welcoming you, but something.

The taxi driver from the airport was a nice bloke, sans BO, which is always a bonus. I was watching the meter violently ticking over like a Geiger counter in Chernobyl. It was late on a Sunday night with no traffic and the fare to the CBD was stupid dollars. I’d forgotten how expensive taxis are. 

To misquote Eric Idle, Sydney keeps on expanding and expanding… faster than a Married at First Sight star’s 15 nanoseconds of fame. Why are the motorways a permanent construction zone? Why didn’t they future proof them when they were first built? The boffins behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge got it right. In 1932.

You need a bank loan to buy a simple, garden-variety sandwich, pub meals are now the same price as fancy restaurants… no doubt to pay for the funky hipster light globes you see in every pub.

Speaking of hipsters, on my last visit I noticed every drink was served in a mason jar, and food was served in a pot plant, slab of slate or on a shovel. Thankfully restaurants have rediscovered glasses and plates.

The hipsters still have some influence… new-old-school barber shops have sprung up everywhere in Sydney’s CBD (along with discount chemist shops). I had a haircut at one said barber, and thankfully didn’t emerge with a man bun and Grizzly Adams beard, wearing a flannelette shirt and riding a skateboard. 

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What’s with the buskers in Pitt St Mall? One bloke was playing “My Heart Will Go On” on a violin plugged into a Spinal Tap-style wall of sound cranked up beyond 11. It was so f*cking loud I was hoping an iceberg would do us all a favour.

To mute the Celine Dion wannabe, I should have joined the ever-increasing numbers of Sydney-siders talking to themselves while wearing headphones or AirPods. A woman in my hotel was talking at the top of her voice to herself about KPIs, spreadsheets, working capital and “visual optics.” I’m not sure if she was wearing AirPods or it was a serious mental health issue. I encountered many annoying people on speakerphone calls or watching stuff on their phone. Show some consideration. I’m talking to you, person on the train watching a documentary on rubber trees without headphones. SHUT. THE. F*CK. UP. 

I caught the Sydney Metro a few times, excellent. Though “Tallawong” sounds like a naughty euphemism in a Slim Dusty song.

The spatial awareness of Sydney types was always crap, but it’s worse now. Digital zombies wander aimlessly, heads down, messaging / reading / watching / swiping. It will be natural selection at its best once the trams start running (again) in George Street. Hopefully they will have bull bars or snow ploughs.

I kept seeing ads flogging undies designed for tradies. I’m disappointed they’re not in high-vis, though at least I didn’t see plumber’s crack.

My most profound moment in Sydney… I could understand the guard on the train. Simultaneously great for commuters and rather sad.

Having said all that, you gotta love Sydney *raises a mason jar*.

©Steve Williams 2019

Random Swill Sydney iPhone images

Posted on by SW

A few iPhone images of one of the world’s most spectacular cities shot last week (via CameraBag).

©Steve Williams 2012

 

 

 
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Random Swill Sydney images

Posted on by SW

Some of my random images from Sydney, one of the most world’s most photogenic cities.

©Steve Williams 2012


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