Part 6 : Farewell Yulara
20 January 2020
"When the sun comes up in the desert, I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the Earth began". Tom Hanks
On this our last morning in Yulara, we set our alarm for 5:15 am and embarked on our final and most emotional desert drive of all.
We set off for our sunrise viewing of Uluru which on that day would be at 6:13 am.
This would be followed by an early morning walk along one of the recommended summer trails in the Uluru / Kata-Tjuta National Park.
When we left our flat at about 5:40 am, the early morning light was just beginning to break through.
It was as beautiful a morning sky as I had ever seen, the crowning glory, just as the sun rose into view was an impromptu dawn chorus of a flock of multicoloured little parrots who landed in several trees all around us.
It was such a splendid thing to see, rendered all the more remarkable as it was completely unexpected.
I discovered later that those little parrots were actually budgerigars which we had seen throughout our lives in cages in homes all over the UK including my parents' who were avid fans.
But we both felt that on that day at that moment, we were seeing them properly for the very first time.
As they chirped and tweeted (that is the correct use of that verb), and flew from one tree to another I felt sad for all the many little budgies condemned by human whim to spend their entire lives in caged environments when their natural habitat should be there; in that most glorious, unspoilt corner of the earth.
Morning sky in the desert
Beautiful morning sky over Uluru
Approaching Uluru at 5:55 am
Sunrise in the desert
Glorious desert sunrise
Flocks of budgies in the Australian desert (photo courtesy of the guardian.com)
Budgies in the wild in the desert (photo courtesy of pininterest)
Uluru sunrise
Hats and nets - essential desert accoutrements
Uluru in the early morning light
Drive to trail walk in Uluru
Early morning walk in the desert
Morning Uluru walk in the desert
An early morning Uluru walk
Morning Uluru
Beautiful Uluru
Early morning walk in Uluru
Morning walk in the desert
Farewell Uluru
Time to say Goodbye
It had been a wonderful early morning in the desert and our 2 hour Uluru walk was amazing but if we wanted to be on that plane in just under three hours time we had to head back to Yulara post haste.
We were more than a little downcast at having to cut short that wonderful morning walk in Uluru, but in all honesty even if we hadn't had a plane to catch, we would not have been able to stay out in the hot desert sun for too much longer.
It was getting hotter and hotter by the minute after sunrise; by 7:00 am it was already over 30c.
Our only regret at not being there during the slightly cooler winter months, is that we may have been able to do more desert walking which we both really enjoyed, in spite of the flies and the risks of stumbling on a poisonous snake or angry, venomous spider..
We certainly did not regret any of things we did do whilst there and we would definitely want to do those same things had we travelled there at any other time of year, but if you are an active, sporty person and are keen on outdoor activities whether just walking, long distance hiking, desert jogging or even desert mountain biking, you may be better off travelling to that area during their winter months.
These activities can all be done in the summer as well of course, we had certainly not been idle in the few days we were there, but you do need to treat the desert climate with the respect it commands.
You certainly wouldn't want to end up as the subject matter of one of the tourist information lady's salutary tales.
We arrived at our flat in Yulara just half an hour before check-out time so we quickly packed, showered and loaded all our luggage into our hire car.
We were totally heartbroken at having to leave our beautiful apartment; we wondered if / when we would stay anywhere quite so comfortable again on our antipodean travels.
As soon as we checked out we went straight to the post office with our wonderful canvases to research possible postage options to the UK as we were concerned that cramming them into our suitcases for the next two months would not improve them in the least.
At the post office we purchased a cardboard tube and were able to roll them all into it quite neatly.
We also bought 10 postcards to send to a few friends back in the UK and even a couple of tea towels which we dispatched with the canvases.
All very efficient you may think, we certainly did, at least until we met the post mistress / shop assistant.
In an earlier entry I mentioned the kindness of the manager at a branch of Specsavers in central Sydney who had gone the extra mile to ensure I had glasses that I could use for the rest of my time in Australia.
This person was definitely not like that.
She was rude, curt, unhelpful, discourteous and uninformed.
(We had to pay a £10 postage surcharge on our package on arrival in the UK, which we managed by the skin of our teeth or it would have been returned to sender).
Fortunately we had enjoyed that desert mini break so much that her curt, unfriendly manner couldn't ruin the overall impact of the trip but it did leave us a little deflated at that moment.
We still had just under an hour before having to leave for the airport so we had a cup of coffee at the Yulata café then I went to say goodbye to my artist friends who were working in the usual spot just off the town square.
Fiona was preparing to go and teach her Art class at the community centre, quite a few had signed up for it on that day it seems, and Anita was looking after a group of children.
I explained to them both that I had had a difficult encounter with a very rude person which was unfortunate as it was our final morning and everything else had been so perfect.
They immediately guessed that we must have gone to the post office.
This lady's temperament was clearly well known.
Such a shame to be fortunate enough to live and work in one of the most extraordinary places on earth and yet to be known by your gracelessness.
I exchanged email addresses with my artist friends and we promised to stay in touch.
Anita said she would definitely visit me in the UK one day;
Fiona insisted that I should return to Yulara as it was better than anywhere else and if I did return I should visit her at home and she would cook me a traditional Anangu meal.
Now that would be a very special treat indeed so I may just have to do that.
As we walked to our car, we turned and had one final nostalgic look at Yulara's compact but perfectly functional town square.
The Aboriginal weapons session was about to start and a group of Anangu children were playing with a ball in the section of desert near where the artists were seated.
As we got into our car, parked opposite Emu Walk apartments, we thought of our lovely, luxurious apartment and how much we would miss it, then we set off on our final drive to Ayers Rock airport.
We had thoroughly enjoyed our time in Yulara. It had been truly wonderful. It was different from anywhere else that we had ever stayed before or would ever stay again.
It should be noted that with all its modern amenities and comfortable accommodation options, life in Yulara is essentially life in the desert but with a few creature comforts.
It has the feel of a modern oasis, if such a thing exists.
In that part of the world, it is the desert, with its heat, its drought and its intense light which is both a disquieting yet bewitching constant presence, in a manner that no other natural environment can be.
As Wilfred Thesiger wrote in Desert, Marsh and Mountain:
"No man can live there and emerge unchanged.
He will carry however faint, the imprint of the desert and he will have within him, weak or insistent, the yearning to return.
For that cruel land can cast a spell no temperate climate can match"
Our final desert drive to Ayers Rock Airport
The desert in Yulara
A desert bug in Yulara
Farewell Northern Territory
Taking off from Ayers Rock Airport
Aerial view of Uluru and the desert
Final view of Uluru and the desert
"Distance not only gives nostalgia, but perspective, and maybe objectivity"
Robert Morgan
It's only when you fly from one location to another anywhere in Australia that you fully appreciate the sheer size of the Australian outback.
Our flight from Ayers Rock to Sydney lasted 3.5 hours and all we flew over for most of that flight was desert and bushland.
It takes less time to fly from London to Athens, and you fly over several countries and quite a few seas on that flight.
The sheer magnitude of Australia really is extremely difficult for any European to fully appreciate.
Although reception on our TV in Yulara wasn't brilliant, we did have access to local TV channels occasionally.
There was one advert in particular that caught our attention.
I can't recall all the details of the ad now, so many months down the line, but it was a health care insurance advertisement I believe and the gist of it was to point out to people living in remote locations, just how far essential medical treatment centres were from them, which is why they needed to ensure that they had the right insurance cover.
Road signs had been adapted as startling visual aids where the name of a town or city was replaced with 'nearest cardiologist', 'nearest dialysis unit', or even 'nearest GP'.
The distances were monumental.
Imagine being nearly 1,000 km from your nearest maternity hospital if you're 7 months pregnant or 800 km fromyour nearest chemo treatment clinic if you're a cancer patient.
When I was a child, a popular drama on UK TV was 'The Flying Doctor'.
I hadn't really thought about it much since then but I can now see why such a service is required.
When your nearest GP or emergency medical facility is further away from your home than London is to quite a few European countries, then to say that the Flying Doctor is an essential service is very much an understatement.
The other thing most of us take for granted are schools.
Local schools are non-existent for children in many remote locations in Australia's heartland.
At our desert banquet evening, the couple from Alice Springs told us about the School of the Air.
Children growing up in remote cattle stations, roadhouses, Aboriginal communities and national parks all over Australia, are able to have daily lessons without ever having to leave their homes.
Extraordinary distance learning facilities manage to provide isolated children as young as 5, not only with a good education but also with an essential link to the rest of the world.
The first school of this kind was the brainchild of a Miss Adelaide Miethke who in 1944, suggested the idea of using two-way radio to give educational talks to isolated children in outback regions of Australia.
In 1950, after a long wait for special communications equipment, a trial program began.
Teachers at Alice Springs Higher Primary School volunteered to teach the radio lessons.
A landline was laid from the Flying Doctor base to the school and teachers took turns to present the specially prepared scripts to the outback children with the help of radio staff at the Flying Doctor base.
In 1993 email was introduced to staff and senior students as a new way to communicate, and computers were made available to all pupils in Years 6 and 7, so the move from radio to internet learning began.
The rest of the world has had to experience remote teaching and learning for the first time in 2020, and many pupils did not find the experience easy but for children in remote locations in Australia, this has been the norm for almost 70 years.
As a teacher myself, what I find totally mind-boggling is the fact that Alice Springs School of the Air has students living in an area covering 1,300.000 square kilometres or 521,000 square miles.
That's ten times the size of England, three and a half times the size of Germany and a little over twice the size of France.
If that isn't global learning then I don't know what is.
https://www.assoa.nt.edu.au/visitors-centre/the-centre/facts/
The Australian outback view as seen from aeroplanes for the duration of most internal flights in Australia
A mini break in Mascot
We arrived in Sydney at approximately 4:30 pm local time but it took over an hour for our luggage to appear on the appropriate belt due to an electrical fault affecting the entire airport.
It was a useful hour however, as we started chatting to a Sydneysider while we were all waiting for our luggage at the same belt.
In response to a question from him, we told him that we would be staying in Mascot for a few days and that our accommodation was opposite the metro station so it should be easy to find.
It was at that point that he advised us to not take the metro to Mascot but the bus.
It appears that if you travel by metro straight to the airport, there is a $17 airport surcharge in addition to the usual fare but if you take the bus to or from the airport, you just pay the standard fare without the surcharge.
You do need to ensure that it is a Transport NSW bus though as there are several private bus companies that do direct airport runs from a variety of locations around Sydney and that would be far more expensive.
As soon as our checked-in bags appeared, we walked to the appropriate bus-stop and within 10 minutes our bus arrived.
Several buses had stopped at that bus-stop before ours though so it is definitely worth asking the driver where the bus is going before you get on.
We had already been in touch with our new landlord who had given us directions on how to find his apartment on arrival in Mascot.
We selected Mascot as it was near the airport which suited us as we would be flying to Perth two days later.
We booked our flights to Perth when we were still in the UK.
Flying from Sydney to Perth made sense to us then as we thought we would be spending almost three weeks house sitting in the Goulburn and Canberra areas, so a night or two back in Sydney would have been a nice treat for us.
When I first booked our Mascot accommodation, I was intrigued by its name, wondering if it had any links with the Ascot racecourse in the UK.
I then read on Wikipedia that the area now called Mascot used to be called North Botany.
When a racecourse was opened there in 1904 it was named Ascot, after its famous counterpart in England.
But residents wanted the area to have its own individual identity so an objection from the postal authorities to the use of 'Ascot' led the council to alter the name to Mascot.
On the website https://sydneysuburbreviews.com/mascot/ it says that Mascot is "mostly known for being home to Sydney Airport".
It is certainly very convenient for the airport which was an advantage for us; it only takes twenty to twenty-five minutes by bus to the domestic airport and slightly to the international one.
It also says on that site that "Mascot has become a hotspot for mass, high-density residential development that has markedly changed its face, both for better and for worse".
It is known for its "wide variance in positive and negative factors: good location, bad traffic, great amenities, plenty of noise,"
It seems that its "appeal as a place to live (and possibly to stay), will likely depend on individual tastes perhaps more than any other suburb in inner Sydney.
These wild contrasts between highs and lows make it nothing if not interesting; it’s a living case-study in rapid Sydney urban planning and development."
Our own experience of our short stay there was a positive one although everything is relative when calculating what is positive and what is negative when you are travelling.
We had just spent a considerable amount on a very full mini break in the Australian desert where we were accommodated in an excellent, super modern apartment which may have been cheaper than any of the main hotels, but could certainly not be categorised as budget.
Before that we stayed in a nasty cheap studio in Bondi which was tired, neglected and dirty - we could definitely not return to anything like that.
So for us this had to be as low-cost as we could bear it, but also clean, comfortable and welcoming.
We booked the Mascot accommodation soon after booking our trip to Yulara, and this time, fortunately, we got it right.
For that two nght stay we had our own large bedroom with private bathroom in someone's 3rd floor luxury apartment in Mascot for just under $50 a night for both of us.
Mascot was both close to the airport and well connected to central Sydney via bus and metro so this seemed to be the perfect choice for us at that time.
The apartment was modern, extremely spacious and welcoming.
The sharing aspect of it worked well for all of us as we were out from mid morning to late evening and returned home after the landlord and his partner had gone to bed.
In the morning they left for work very early, before we even got up so we had this ultra modern Sydney apartment to ourselves for the entire morning.
An added bonus was a fridge full of breakfast options courtesy of our generous landlord, as well as a hot pot of fresh coffee on both mornings we were there.
We were definitely very lucky on that occasion; it was perfect for a mini-break back in Sydney and our landlord couldn't have been kinder or more attentive.
Given the choice again, we would definitely opt for a better accommodation option in a lower cost area like Mascot than a shabby, budget studio in an expensive area like Bondi
Modern, central Mascot
Living / dining area in our lovely ‘shared’ apartment
Kitchen area and balcony in our lovely ‘shared’ apartment
Our private bedroom in our lovely ‘shared’ apartment
Our private bathroom in our lovely ‘shared’ apartment
Wonderful view of Sydney from communal balcony in our shared apartment in Mascot
Happy Hour at Buckley's
By the time we got settled into our new accommodation, freshened up and had a short rest it was already 6:00 pm.
We were hoping to make Happy Hour at Buckley's for aperitivo; sadly that was due to end at 6:30 so our chances of making it were very slim indeed.
Happy Hour in Sydney bars and pubs is definitely worth taking advantage of if you like an early evening drink before dinner.
Buckleys was particularly good at the time as it offered two drinks for the price of one with bar snacks included.
We were sure we had missed it on that occasion as Mascot is further away from Circular Quay than Newtown, but we were lucky; as soon as we got onto the platform at Mascot station a train arrived within seconds; the same thing happened when we changed at Central station a few minutes later so unbelievably we rolled into Circular Quay just 20 minutes after leaving Mascot.
The advantage of Mascot, of course was not having to catch a bus to the station or embarking upon a 25 to 30 minute walk to Bondi Junction station as we did in the Bondi Beach area.
We made it to Buckley's in record time and were served immediately so we ordered two drinks each just as Happy Hour was about to end so all was good.
Although we missed our unforgettable Yulara desert adventure, being back in Sydney watching the ferries chug in and out of that extraordinary harbour felt wonderfully comforting.
In a strange way Sydney was starting to feel like home.
Whilst enjoying our drinks amidst the hustle and bustle of harbourside life, we took our chances on last minute deals at First Table for that evening's meal.
As luck would have it Appetito in the Rocks had a 7:00 pm slot available which is unusual for a late booking.
You are given 15 minutes grace on First Table bookings, so we had till 7:15 to get there and it was only a short walk away from the harbour so that gave us ample time to finish our drinks, chat to our friendly barman and walk to Appetito without having to feel rushed at all.
Back in Sydney Harbour on a glorious summer's evening
View of the harbour from our table
Buon Appetito a tutti
The staff at Appetito were very happy to see us; this was now our third time there in just under four weeks so we were beginning to be seen as regulars.
We were welcomed back warmly by the serving staff and even by one of their Italian chefs who greeted me in Italian and told me about the area of Italy he was from and the fact that his parents and sister would be visiting him in a few months time (though sadly I expect those travel plans had to be cancelled).
To compensate for our recent culinary indulgences, we decided to eat light on that occasion.
We ordered a mozzarella and tomato salad, roasted vegetables plus one starter portion of seafood pasta which we would share.
As it was a Monday evening and it was relatively early, it was not as busy as it would have been at the weekend, so our excellent Italian chef focused his attentions on us far more than he would have been able to on a Friday or Saturday night.
Our order was delivered to us about 20 minutes later with a very generous basket of bread and ample condiments.
Portions are quite abundant in Australia so we had more than enough to eat between us considering we wanted to eat light; but that clearly wasn't destined to happen on this occasion.
Just a few minutes after our order was delivered, our young waitress returned with a substantial portion of fusilli pasta in a truffle cream sauce.
There was clearly enough for four in that very large bowl she placed before us.
"With compliments from our Head Chef Giuseppe" she said as she added it to the other dishes on our table.
At that moment we saw Giuseppe, sporting a white chef's hat waving at us from the kitchen area.
Giuseppe had evidently been troubled by the fact that we had only ordered one starter portion of pasta between us with our vegetables so he sent us this additional mega-bowl to make up the pasta shortfall before us.
I am not a great fan of truffle pasta and my husband is not an avid fan of creamy sauces so although this is not something that we would have ordered ourselves, we could tell that it was excellent.
We would be back in Sydney with a good friend at the end of February who is an avid fan of truffle infused anything so we thought we would book Appetito again at that point as we knew that she would absolutely love Giuseppe's signature dish fusilli alla crema di tartufo; it would be her birthday that day as well, which was perfect, so the booking was made for 15 February 2020.
Giuseppe was very pleased that his excellent fusilli had led to another booking.
To our surprise we did manage to finish the fusilli in addition to everything we had ordered ourselves, so as a reward we were sent even more food: two complimentary mini strawberry tartlets with our coffees which were also absolutely delicious.
We felt very guilty when our First Table discounted bill arrived at the end of the evening, considering everything we had eaten, so we decided to add a generous tip to it for Giuseppe and our excellent young waitress from County Cork in Ireland who was there on her one year working visa.
We met so many young people from all over Europe doing a variety of different jobs on those visas.
They are an excellent idea.
Had we been a few decades younger ourselves, we would definitely have applied for one.
Wonderful seafood 'starter' at Appetito on the Rocks
Delicious mozzarella and tomato salad at Appetito on the Rocks
Perfect strawberry tartlet at Appetito on the Rocks
Walk to Circular Quay station with this harborside view
Stunning Sydney Harbour at night
21 January 2020
"RSPCA receives 13,500 offers to volunteer on Kangaroo Island following bushfire crisis"
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/11909838
The following morning just as I was about to help myself to a second cup of freshly brewed coffee, I noticed an email in my inbox from a lady called Diana who had interviewed me via telephone in early January for one of the many animal volunteering posts that we had applied for at that time.
As most had not replied or turned us down for a variety of different reasons, I was extremely surprised to find that email, even though it had been sent on 18 January while we were in Yulara.
It appeared that the animal rescue team on Kangaroo Island urgently required more volunteers to assist with the rehabilitation of the monumental numbers of fire damaged animals that they were trying desperately to rehabilitate.
Such was the desperation of the situation at that time, that Diana was now contacting everyone that had applied in early January in the hope that at least a few would be able to accept.
After what would be considered an adequate training period, we would be assisting trained staff in any way considered useful but mainly with the laborious task of feeding fire damaged koalas.
We would need to set off for Kangaroo island within 24 hours at the latest and we had to commit to a minimum of three weeks once trained but if we could stay longer that would be appreciated.
This was the most difficult dilemma that we were faced with thus far in Australia.
Potentially it could lead to a schedule change that would impact not just on ourselves but on quite a few others as well, so we had to consider very carefully how to make it work.
Of course there is nothing that we wanted more than to help and support the dedicated team of professionals trying to save as many of these poor injured animals as possible.
Had it just been us then we wouldn't have thought twice about it.
But we didn't want to let others down at the last minute.
Our daughter and her partner were expecting us in Perth the following day,
I was also due to spend a day visiting a school in a suburb of Perth on Friday and a good friend from the UK would be flying straight to Perth from Heathrow the day after.
She would be in Australia for four weeks and planning to travel with us for the first three.
All things considered, there were only two ways that this could work without our letting a vast number of people down:
Option one, would involve one of us travelling to Kangaroo Island immediately as requested, with the other travelling to Perth as originally planned.
The idea was that each of us would take turns volunteering in Kangaroo Island and travelling with our friend (a week each at a time would be good if they accepted that).
Alternatively we could ask our friend to volunteer as well which I am sure would have appealed to her immensely (though the difficulty with that was that she would then see or do virtually nothing else at all whilst in Australia).
We planned to mention it to her and allow her to decide on arrival
On balance we thought the staggered option would be best where we would each do one or two week stints of travelling and volunteering; my husband would do the first stint so I could keep my appointment in Perth and meet my friend at the airport the following day; I would then explain it all to her at that point.
It was a plan that could work so we called Diana with our suggestion and she saw no objection to it at all but she would need to speak to the team first then get back to me later that day.
When she called me back that afternoon she explained that the main volunteer recruitment agencies had been overwhelmed with thousands of applications from potential volunteers not just from all over Australia but also from abroad, who had responded to internet and radio appeals that week and were ready and willing to set off immediately and stay for as long as required.
She was extremely grateful for our efforts and would certainly get back to us if we were needed but for now at least they were appointing volunteers who could commit to a full month or more.
It was such a disappointment for me as I would have loved to have been in a position to spend a month on Kangaroo Island feeding and caring for fire damaged koalas, but sadly we could not commit to the continuity they required.
We were very pleased though that they appeared to have resolved the volunteer shortfall so quickly and efficiently.
It is a testament to the decency of ordinary people everywhere and the commitment most Australians have to preserve and protect indigenous animals when endangered by events of this kind.
It should be noted too that donations in excess of $500 million were made to that summer's Bushfire Appeal fund in Australia.
Questions may have been raised later with how the funds were distributed, but people's generosity and immediate response to that dreadful crisis cannot be faulted in the least 💕
Photo courtesy of "fiveaa.com.au"
Fire damaged koalas receiving care from dedicated volunteers (photo courtesy of desiengine.com.au)
Koala being drip fed water with a syringe by volunteers in Kangaroo Island (photo courtesy of travelandleisure.com)
Fire damaged kangaroo receiving care in Kangaroo island. Photo courtesy of insider.com)
Sculpture and Architecture
'Bonds of Friendship' Sculpture
https://www.cityartsydney.com.au/artwork/bonds-of-friendship/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_Church,_Sydney
Once we had dealt with our Kangaroo Island volunteering dilemma and had spoken to Diana about it on more than one occasion, we decided to leave our comfortable Mascot accommodation and embark on another day's sightseeing.
As it was a gloriously sunny day we decided to go and spend the morning in central Sydney and the afternoon on the beach in Manly.
It dawned on us as we left the flat that this was probably the first completely smoke free day we had experienced in Sydney thus far, so we were looking forward to finally seeing the city at its best.
When we were visiting family in Portsmouth in early December, we spotted the 'Bonds of Friendship' memorial sculpture by British/Australian artist John Robinson in the dockland area of central Portsmouth.
The sculpture, unveiled in 1980 was a memorial to the First Fleet, marking the bicentennial of its arrival in Australia on 26 January 1788. I was told that an identical sculpture by the same artist could be seen in Sydney, somewhere near Central Station so we tried in vain to find it that morning.
Of course had we researched it better in advance we would have learnt that it was originally erected outside Customs House in Circular Quay but now resides in Jesse Street Gardens, just near Macquarie Place.
The sculptures consists of two large bronze rings joined together as in a chain. Symbolically, the chain extends from Portsmouth to Sydney over the route travelled by the First Fleet. The last two links of the chain form the memorial in Jesse Street Gardens and cement the bonds of friendship between Britain and Australia represented by Portsmouth and Sydney.
The surfaces of the sculptures are also rich in symbolism; the Portsmouth one has a dull painted surface to denote the ‘old country’ and the links of the chain in Sydney are highly polished brass to represent the ‘new country’.
Regrettably we did not manage to see the one in Sydney at all as we decided to save it for when we would be back there with our UK friend in February; sadly another last minute schedule change then, meant that we could do very little with her when we eventually did make it back there, which was unfortunate for all three of us.
The Scots Presbyterian Church - old and new
We may not have managed to see the "Bonds of friendship" sculpture that day but we did notice a really interesting old church in Margaret Street which appeared to have its roof and spire removed so a modern glass sky scraper could be erected above it.
It was such an unusual sight that we decided to visit the church and see what it was like on the inside.
It was called the Scots Presbyterian Church and is still a place of worship today.
The original Scots Church was built in 1824 on an adjacent site to this one. It was the first Presbyterian church in Sydney, founded by John Dunmore Lang, which had to be demolished for the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Wynyard railway station, so in 1929 the present church was constructed by Beat Bros with a design by Rosenthal, Rutledge & Beattie.
Since 2005, the 1929 building has supported a high rise apartment building on top of it, which was designed by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer.
We were very impressed with both the church and the architectural concept. We loved the idea of new, modern buildings being added to older ones rather than completely demolishing them.
The amalgamation of old and new works well on so many levels that I am surprised not to see that done in the UK; it would certainly be preferable to do that than to completely destroy beautiful, ancient structures and the valuable historical links they provide.
After our visit of the Scots Church, we decided to pop into the Queen Victoria building as we were right outside it.
The piano on the upper level was free on that day so my husband decided to practise for the two weddings he was due to play at in April and May.
Tourists enjoying a drink and a pastry in the cafés and tea rooms nearby, appeared to appreciate his efforts.
I left him to it, and decided to do a little window shopping on the lower lever at one point.
I even tried on two outfits which might have been ok for our daughter's wedding later that year but it was still that Luisa Spagnoli dress in the designer boutique section, which totally captivated me.
I think it's because it was essentially a very plain black dress with white trim but beautifully finished and very elegant in its simplicity so I could have worn it comfortably on multiple occasions.
I didn't want to spend a small fortune on an outfit I would just wear once.
It was, indeed, still on display in its usual spot and the price tag would have funded a five star mini break for both of us for a week so I beat a hasty retreat and treated myself to a cup of tea instead.
As luck would have it, Haig's chocolatiers were handing out free samples of sublime designer chocolate to random passersby that afternoon.
It was lucky for me that I happened to pass by on more than one occasion when I left the Luisa Spagnoli boutique area.
I then joined the throng of tourists singing along to my husband's rendition of Jerusalem on the upper level which was actually quite a nice thing to do.
Surreal, considering where we were, but definitely not unpleasant.
Bonds of Friendship sculpture by artist John Edward Robinson, unveiled at the port area of Portsmouth on 11 July 1980
Inscription on both statues in Portsmouth and Sydney
Bonds of Friendship sculpture in Sydney now residing in Jesse Street Gardens, near Macquarie Place. (Photo courtesy of: https://www.cityartsydney.com.au/artwork/bonds-of-friendship/)
The original Scots Presbyterian Church built in 1824 on an adjacent site to the present one. (Photo courtesy of: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_Church,_Sydney)
The Scots Church on its present site from 1929 (Photo courtesy of: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_Church,_Sydney)
The Scots Church today with a high rise apartment building on top of it
Scots Chuch with high rise apartment block above it
Masks in Sydney
(theguardian.com)
We were thoroughly enjoying our CBD walk to the harbour on that perfect sunny afternoon, but what struck us more on that day than on any other was exactly how many people were wearing face masks.
We had seen tourists from the cruise ships wearing them before as well as a few others in the CBD area and in Bondi but we always assumed that this was done to avoid the risk of toxic smoke inhalation but as this was a clear smoke free summer's day, we couldn't understand why people were still wearing them.
The focus of the media in Australia from early January onwards was understandably on the raging wildfires which were wreaking havoc all over the country; we were therefore a little out of touch with any other international news at this point and had not read any reports about the virus in China for sometime.
It was the following morning when we tuned the TV onto the international news channel that we heard that on 20 January the Chinese authorities confirmed that the virus could spread from person-to-person in the same manner as cold and flu viruses. Consequently Australia’s chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, had explained that “additional proportionate border measures” were in place, with biosecurity and border security staff to meet passengers from three direct flights a week from Wuhan to Sydney.
Passengers were given information and asked to identify themselves if they had fever, cough or cold symptoms, then New South Wales health officials would be on hand to follow-up with passengers suspected of having the virus. NSW authorities also worked to identify which of the 160 weekly flights from China were likely to contain travellers from Wuhan.
The focus in the media at that time was still on the Wuhan area of China and on anyone who was returning to Australia from China. How the virus functioned was still comparatively unknown and it would be some time before the world realised exactly how contagious and deadly this virus was.
According to abc.net.au on 16 February 2020:
"It is not clear how widespread or deadly the flu-like infection will be, but Australian health officials say there is no need for the general public to wear face masks.....
Given there is no vaccine to prevent the latest strain of coronavirus, the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus.
Instead of worrying about face masks, healthy people should take every precaution they normally would to avoid catching the flu.
As with colds and other seasonal viruses, one of the most important things you can do is wash your hands — and wash them often.
Research shows hand washing significantly helps to prevent illness and the spread of infection. Hand washing shouldn't just follow toilet use. You should also wash your hands: after you cough or sneeze, before you eat and when you prepare food, after you handle animals, when you care for someone unwell.
Your handwashing technique is also important — a quick splash under the tap won't cut it.
To get properly germ-free hands, you need to wash them for at least 20 seconds with soap under clean, running water.
When there's no water, a hand sanitiser or gel that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol is your best bet".
Telling people that they did not need to wear masks, was clearly having the opposite effect.
At that point in our travels, we decided to follow government advice and stock up on hospital grade hand sanitiser whenever it was available.
It is not surprising that after all the media attention it received, it was quite difficult to find it in stock anywhere.
Fortunately I have always carried sanitisers with me whenever I travel anywhere so I still had several small bottles of it which I had purchased in the UK before setting off, so we used those and then stocked up whenever we chanced on it anywhere on our travels.
That, combined with sensible hand washing would be enough to keep us safe.
At least that's what we believed then
Tourists wearing masks in Sydney (photo courtesy of aljazeera.com)
Sidneysiders wearing masks in the CBD area of Sydney - photo courtesy of smh.com.au
View from Circular Quay Station on that gloriously sunny day
Sydney Harbour and Manly
Our arrival at Sydney Harbour on that glorious smoke free day was totally overwhelming.
The sea and sky seemed to merge into a deeper blue than we had ever seen there before and as we sailed past the Opera House in our ferry to Manly, we realised that it didn't matter how many times we would make that journey, it would always feel as spellbinding as the first.
Our return journey from Manly later that day was even more arresting as our ferry had to stop under the Harbour Bridge in order to allow a cruise liner to sail out of the harbour towards the open sea.
It was so wonderful that it suddenly dawned on us that there would come a time in the not too distant future when those dazzling ferry trips from Sydney Harbour would be nothing but a distant memory.
That did sadden me for a few minutes, but whenever thoughts of leaving that wonderful country invaded my mind, I told myself forcefully that I was there then and that's all that mattered, so all was good again.
Our afternoon in Manly was excellent.
We went to an IGA metro at the port on arrival and picked up salad and fruit for our healthy picnic lunch.
We then embarked upon what we called the Penguin trail walk for an hour, before turning back and finding a perfect spot on a bench above a partially secluded coastal alcove for our picnic lunch.
It should be noted that there actually isn't a Penguin trail walk as such in Manly; we just called it that as we followed the path with notices and pictures warning walkers not to disturb the penguins.
After lunch my husband decided to read and rest for a while so I went for a paddle then along the beach itself.
Whilst walking I saw a group of people looking straight across the bay to the open sea.
It appears that a school of dolphins had been seen quite close to the shore just a few moments before, so I decided to join the melee to see if I could spot one as well.
On several occasions different members of the group exclaimed excitedly that they had caught sight of one and in one instance everyone except me gushed with delight at the sight of three dolphins jumping out of the water in perfect unison.
Sadly that wondrous vision totally eluded me.
I then proclaimed rather loudly that I could see one swimming towards us quite fast but no one else could see it so I videoed it avidly, and noticed that it was waving at me.
It suddenly dawned on me that it wasn't a dolphin at all but a middle aged man on a body board.
I knew that I needed an eye test soon but I didn't realise that my eyesight was as bad as that; I put it down to the glare of that hot summer sun reflecting on the rippled water.
Needless to say, I beat a hasty retreat before the body boarder reached the shoreline though I did notice a few puzzled and bemused expressions on the faces of the others on that beach while I was videoing what I claimed was a dolphin.
But although I can't claim to have seen them myself, I will always be able to say that I stood on a beach that day with a group of people who definitely saw dolphins in Manly 🐬
Harts Pub on the Rocks
We booked our First Table meal at the Harts Pub on the Rocks for that evening at our daughter's recommendation.
As is written on the Harts Pub website: https://www.hartspub.com.au/ "Originally a private residence spanning three terraces, Harts Pub survived the post-bubonic plague demolitions in The Rocks to become home to a wide range of characters, including Margaret Fulton - one of Australia’s greatest gourmet pioneers".
It appears that "As from 30 March 2011, Harts Building and site are of State heritage significance for their historical and scientific cultural values.
The site and building are also noteworthy for their contribution to The Rocks area of the city which is of historical significance in its own right".
We were therefore in one of the oldest pubs in one of the most prized heritage areas of Sydney which was certainly a treat.
Our daughter and her partner had highly recommended this pub to us not only for their excellent gastro pub food selection but also for its iconic selection of craft beers.
My husband was very happy with his pint of Hangman Pale Ale and I enjoyed my Governor Golden Ale which though stronger than my usual choices, was nonetheless very good indeed.
For more information on craft beers at this and other pubs in the Sydney area go to : https://sydneybeer.com.au/harts-pub/
Another reason our daughter recommended this pub to us was due to its excellent weekly quiz which she and her partner had participated in on several occasions and which they knew my husband would appreciate.
We happened to be there on quiz night quite by chance that evening but we chose not to take part in it officially as we feared our knowledge of Australian trivia would be seriously lacking.
Hearing the questions being called out in the background definitely confirmed that fact so we were relieved that we had made the right decision and avoided considerable embarrassment, but we did thoroughly enjoy the bonhomie pub vibe that evening which I must say after months of living in lockdown, we looked back on it with more nostalgia than we expected to at the time.
Definitely pop into Hart's Pub for a drink if you're in that area of Sydney and if you do fancy trying your hand at an Australian pub quiz then this is as good a place as any to have a go.
Smoke free, sunny view of Harbour Bridge from our ferry
Beautiful, sunny Sydney
Distant view of Sydney Harbour from our ferry to Manly
Beautiful beach picnic spot in Manly
Attempting to spot dolphins in Manly
Under the Harbour Bridge
Sailing under the Harbour Bridge to allow cruise liner to clear Sydney Harbour
Harts Pub on the Rocks Sydney (photo courtesy of brewsnews.com.au)
Sydney Harbour view at night
Stunning Sydney CBD at night
View from Circular Quay Station on our way home
22 January 2020
Farewell Mascot
Our mini break in Mascot had been exceptional.
This wonderful, brand new, modern apartment which we had entirely to ourselves for as much of the day as we required couldn't have been more perfect for us at that time.
On this our last morning there we had a long lie in, a substantial leisurely breakfast and an admin catch up session prior to packing our bags and clearing our room so the cleaner could come and get it ready for the next guests.
Our extremely kind landlord did not demand a 10:00 am check-out as was stipulated on the Airbnb listing prior to booking; on the contrary he was very happy for us to keep the keys for the day so we could leave our bags in the living room once packed and come and pick them up later when we were ready to set off for the airport; we could then leave the keys on the table at that point.
Although this had been one of our lowest cost accommodation options throughout our travels, it had ended up being one of our best which we totally did not expect as we had booked it as a low cost option after our indulgent mini break in Yulara.
When you rent a room in someone's home you certainly do not presume that it will be anything other than basic, but this was certainly not that.
We had been extremely lucky on this occasion and also very spoilt by our landlord's incredible generosity with regard to breakfast.
We didn't leave the flat that day until early afternoon.
We had a very late, long flight to Perth that evening so we decided not to do too much that day.
We went for a leisurely stroll around the botanical gardens near the Opera House then we had a walk around the Opera House close up which was quite an informative experience as we could see exactly how the sailing boat illusion worked and which sections were attached and which were separate.
We also enjoyed watching the flocks of parrots, cockatoos and ibis all around the gardens as well as several other more unusual birds that we had not seen before and could not identify without our bird identifier app.
But what was particularly special for us on this mini break in Sydney between Yulara and Perth was seeing Sydney without smoke pollution for the very first time.
It was all so bright and blue; almost as if everything glistened under the untainted light of the Australian summer sunshine.
We heard that it had rained while we were in Yulara and that the closure of the airport on our return was due to an electrical storm in Sydney just minutes before our plane landed.
In fact ours was one of the last planes to land in Sydney airport for several hours that day.
But the storm undoubtedly abated the fires for a while and cleared the air even if just for a few days, so we finally saw Sydney at its best: smoke free in glorious, bright sunshine.
We ended our day with Happy Hour at Buckley's (which we had decided was now our local), whilst watching the ferries chug in and out of the harbour.
Then before we knew it, it was time to return to the flat, pick up our bags, drop off the keys and set off for the bus stop to catch our bus to the airport in readiness for our next adventure
Ibis in the Botanical Gardens Sydney
Masked Lapwing at the botanical gardens in Sydney
Koala Mosaiculture information at the botanical gardens in Sydney
The Koala Bear mosaiculture at the entrance to the botanical gardens in Sydney
The Opera House Sydney on a sunny, smoke free day
Our walk around the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House detail
Sydney Opera House detached section
View of Opera House and iconic Sydney ferry
Harbour Bridge view from Buckley's
Dazzling Sydney Harbour in glorious, smoke free summer sunshine