Although I thought the jet lag a was sorted I was awake at 6am this morning but I then had a very productive day. I needed more cash so I went to the bank and lo and behold my card had arrived that morning. A few days earlier I'd picked up a flyer for Strictly Ballroom at the Sydney Lyric, thought I'd give it a go so walked through Darling Harbour to the theatre for a ticket. By now I was getting hungry and after my failed attempt earlier in the week I gave Jamie's Italian a go for lunch. The tagliatelle bolognese is just as good as Jamie's in the UK but unfortunately no delicious pavlova on the menu so I got ice cream from a tasty ice cream parlour in Circular Quay. While I was wandering about getting ice cream round my mouth, there was a HUGE queue outside the Museum of Contemporary Arts. Apparently it was for a Game of Thrones exhibition and some people had queued for several hours to get in - not surprising by the size of the queue! Carnival Spirit was also in the harbour which was an impressive sight.
As you entered the compère was inviting people to sign up for the dance contest and giving various announcements, setting the scene for the show. Overall there was good dancing but very cheesy and it didn't take itself too seriously. Would I see it again? Probably not.
Fri 4th July '14
After a lazy start to the day I wandered through Hyde Park and couldn't resist drawing St Mary's Cathedral again, this time from the side.
It's a magnificent building and I found it inspiring to look closely at. I think cathedrals are one of my favourite things to draw because I love the patterns and symmetry.
Then I looked around the Art Gallery of New South Wales and also ate lunch there. It's an impressive building inside...
...while outside there was a gruelling workout going on.
Weaver Hawkins - Going Round
Frank Hinder - Tram Kaleidoscope
There were several pieces by Grace Cossington Smith including this one:
Oscar Kokoschka - landscape at Ullapool
And Ngupulya Pumani - Maku Inmaku Pakani
After I left the gallery I decided I'd like to draw the town hall and while I was walking through the city centre I came across an awesome drummer. He was using empty plastic paint cans on the pavement and over a drain which in itself created different tones but then he was also lifting them with his feet to create even more tones. Check him out on YouTube - thedrummergordo. When I arrived at the town hall I sat and drew the side.
That evening, after I'd packed my bags, I headed out for dinner with a roommate. We both felt a little too old for the Independence Day party down in the bar (both of us had squeezed our gap year in before we were too old for the visa!) so kept things low key at a very nice pizzeria.
Sat 5th July '14
The day I began my journey up the coast! I was at the bus stop at 6:45am for a 7am departure to Newcastle. After an early start I slept a lot on the coach and when I arrived I was ready to explore.
Trying to find the art gallery, I walked along the prom next to the Hunter river. Near here I found the Newcastle Museum, which focused on local social history, set in 3 old railway workshops and in one of them they recreated the steel works using an experiential light and sound show.
Continuing towards the art gallery I entered Civic Park and was distracted by an interesting memorial with an eagle-like bird on the top. When I turned round I noticed a military band next to an even bigger memorial. There were 4 soldiers with heads bowed, one on each corner of the memorial and older soldiers dressed in old fashioned uniforms. There were also 100-150 current soldiers and while I stood at the edge of the service I discovered they were celebrating Military Reserves Day.
Vera Zulumovski - The Rotunda
Carol Maayatija Goulding - Tjukurrpa Walu
I had lunch at a cute little Mexican place with very funky tables.
I was tempted to sit and draw the patterns but felt self consious as it started to fill up. I spent a relaxing afternoon watching surfers at Newcastle Beach, admiring Nobby's lighthouse...
...and lounging on the leather sofas back at the hostel.
Newcastle was a lovely little town with some interesting arty shops like this one:
Sunday 6th July '14
Today I moved on from Newcastle to Port Macquarie. As we're travelling along the coast we're passing over several inlets so there were lots of views like this:
Port Macquarie was a little eerie with many shops shut as it was Sunday. Having said that I found a bench overlooking Hastings river as the sun went down and sounds of a DJ and saxophonist drifted over. There were people fishing off the end of the pier and a pelican-like creature floating past. Beautiful!
The Ozzie Pozzie YHA is a quirky place with courtyards and outside space. It reminds me of some of the places I stayed in China. I spent the evening chilling in the communal areas, chatting and playing ping pong. By now I had completely lost track of the day and where I was!
Monday 7th July '14
I felt like David Attenbourough today! I started at the mouth of the Hastings river and headed out into the Pacific to go whale watching. We were lucky enough to see a pair and then a single whale. They swam quite close and under the boat!
Guess where I went next?
A koala hospital! The only one in the country I believe. The adrenalin was pumping more here than when we were whale watching because I was so excited to see my first koalas. There were various size koalas with different ailments. Some were there permanently, some were soon to be released. I wasn't disappointed.
On the way back to the hostel I took a walk past the town beach and along the breakwall where the rocks have been brightly painted. It made for a really interesting walk.
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