As a child growing up in South Lismore, one of my strongest earliest memories was of the arrival at the nearby railway station of hundreds of people for the Aquarius Festival. Though it’s often described as Australia’s answer to Woodstock, I don’t think there was such a high musical component to it.
But as a youngster, I remember a whole bunch of “odd looking” people arriving, providing quite a spectacle for the residents of South Lismore, as the people made their way to Nimbin. Their ongoing presence has fundamentally transformed the area in which I grew up.
Though it’s worth noting some things have remained the same or similar in South Lismore.
The two houses next to each other where my mum and her family lived during the 30s and 40s, and where my sister lived during the 80s and 90s, are also still there.I do wonder if there’s much of a future for the nearby railway viaduct, where family members once walked upon to escape the food waters, has much of a future, as the railway line which once brought the hippies to Lismore closed many years ago.The house behind the trees was once home to “Double Dutch”, Lismore’s first gay-owned and operated restaurant, and which was very much a home to Lismore’s gay community during the 1980s. Later, the house became a residence for a couple: Les and Russell. Yes, South Lismore really did change! (I later learned my uncle Arthur Dunn used to live in this house).Even the South Lismore Post Office is still there (though it is up for sale). I sincerely would have thought in the days of post office closures, the South Lismore Post Office would have closed many ears ago. But no, it’s still there. Though noticeably the familiar phone boxes which were on the left hand side, and which I remember for the A and B buttons, and for Sunday night phone calls (reverse charge) to family in Brisbane, disappeared many years ago.Another early memory was of my mum and granny getting their hair done by Carol Beddoes. Mum would have a brown perm. Granny would have a blue rinse perm. I remember the smell of the chemicals even today. Though Carol Beddoes (she was always referred to by her full name) is probably long gone, her old salon lives on as “Delly’s Hair Design”.As I walked along Union Street this afternoon, I noticed Bowen’s Cake Shop is now under “the original owners”. I remember being in the same school class as Tracey Bowen, whose parents owned the cake shop. I also remember it was the kind of cake shop where you would buy traditional meat pies, sausage rolls, and a lovely sponge cake with that sickly, faux whipped cream you would associate with 1960s/1970s Australia. If they were in Surry Hills, not South Lismore, they would be raking in the dough, delighting the hipster crowd.
Meanwhile, the Cassagrande family have closed the local supermarket, after decades of being in the area.
The house in Kyogle Street where I was born and raised was moved away to another location many years ago. I think I was 4 or 5 years old when the land was bought to build a “weigh bridge”, and our house was literally transported on the back of a truck to another address not far away. Our plot of land, 21 Kyogle Street, is now home to a service station, and the railway yards across the road from where I played as a child, are now, for the most part also gone.
Growing up in a small Australian country town, ‘doing a blocky’—cruising around the main streets—was the quintessential pastime when you were bored and looking for something exciting to do. Lismore, however, was a step up from those tiny towns with a single main street. It boasted a proper block: four streets enclosing a bustling shopping district.
My childhood memories from the 70s and 80s are filled with the names of shops that have long since disappeared. McLeans, Brown and Jolly, AGR’s, etc… these names would sound as foreign to a young person today as the shops my parents used to reminisce about from the 40s and 50s did to me. Some names, thankfully, remain, like the Star Court Theatre and Brand’s Pharmacy, anchors in a changing landscape.
The catastrophic 2022 floods were a devastating blow to Lismore, leaving the entire CBD submerged. In the aftermath, it was heartbreaking to see so many businesses unable to reopen. But Lismore is resilient. Gradually, new life has been breathed into the town, with unexpected and delightful additions.
Tucked away in the Embassy Arcade, a Scandinavian bakery has emerged, a beacon of deliciousness. My colleagues at the ABC raved about their cinnamon buns, and I was intrigued. The baker, Farid, honed his skills in Denmark and Sweden, and his creations are truly authentic.
Lismore now has a Danish/Swedish bakery, and I’m in heaven! Some friends have joked I should retire to Sweden due to my love of all things Swedish. But now I don’t have to! The cinnamon buns—or “kanelbullar,” as they’re called in Swedish—are incredible. I even got to practice my Swedish with the baker, Farid. He speaks Danish, but Swedish and Danish are fairly mutually intelligible. If you’re craving a taste of Scandinavia in Lismore, visit https://simplysourdough.shop/#ourstory.
Meanwhile, the Lismore Regional Gallery has also reopened, showcasing a remarkable collection of salvaged artworks. Seeing those familiar pieces, restored to their former glory, is a testament to the town’s spirit.
The major exhibition right now features works from the Koori Mail Indigenous Art Prize. The Koori Mail is a national newspaper based in Lismore, and the exhibition includes some powerful pieces. My favorite is by Djon Mundine, a work created specifically for this space.
“We’re still here”, a work by Djon Mundine in the Koori Mail Exhibition, currently at the Lismore Regional Gallery.“Entombed in joy” by Damien Shen, also in the Koori Mail Exhibition.
And next year, the gallery will host a photographic exhibition of images taken by Jacklyn Wagner in the days and weeks after the flood. I saw Jacklyn today while doing my “blocky,” and we chatted at length about the exhibition, which features several of my family members. It originally opened a couple of years ago at the NSW Parliament, and I’m eager to see it again in this new context.
Jack and Sam in the “Sydney Morning Herald” and in the Lismore Flood exhibition Pic: Jacklyn Wagnerhis is the famous recycled Christmas tree, made this year from plastic bottles. The tinny in the front is a reference to the “tinny army” who saved thousands of people’s lives in the 2022 flood which likely would have gone over the top of the tree.
Speaking of the flood’s impact, I caught the 684 bus today from the transit centre. For just a couple of dollars, I was able to visit parts of North and South Lismore that were deeply affected. There are positive signs of recovery: the railway station has been repainted, the Station Hotel has been restored, and a new rail trail (designed for cyclists and pedestrians) now extends all the way to Bentley. It’s somewhat controversial, of course, because for many it symbolizes the likelihood that trains will never return.
This rail trail holds a particular significance for me because it runs along Kyogle Street, where I was born and raised. I remember crossing the railway lines when trains regularly ran through, always keeping an eye out for snakes in the long grass. Now, the trail leads to a boutique brewery housed in the old railway maintenance sheds where my brother-in-law, Jack, worked when I was a child.
During my explorations, I visited the museum and shared my family’s railway history with one of the volunteers. She mentioned an upcoming exhibition about railway history, which I’m looking forward to seeing.
The rail trail leads to many things, including the Two Mates Brewery.
Times have changed. And this is a time of dramatic change for Lismore. Many residents, including my sister and brother-in-law, have relocated from South Lismore to East Lismore, thanks to the government’s buyback scheme. This scheme compensated people impacted by the 2022 flood, giving them the pre-flood price for their homes. These houses will be moved and sold, many ending up in new suburbs under construction. Nearly all the houses near where my sister lived were bought back, and those blocks will soon be vacant. Perhaps they’ll be transformed into parklands or an industrial estate.
Lismore is a town in constant flux, adapting and reinventing itself. While I miss the familiar landmarks of my childhood, I’m excited to see how it continues to evolve.
Getting out and about using my sister’s mobility scooter.
Getting anywhere in Sydney has been a test of patience lately, but today in particular, the city felt like an impossible challenge. With the city rail undergoing work and the light rail out of action, the commute became such an ordeal that I decided to steer clear of the centre entirely, opting for buses or staying put whenever I could. It was such a contrast to step into the local pool a little later. Perhaps it was the timing of the school holidays, but the pool was blissfully empty today, a far cry from the usual crowds.
I have been going to this pool for as long as I have lived in Sydney, but my connection to it has deepened over the last few years as I have started going for hydrotherapy. Not official class, it is hydrotherapy in a personal sense; my physiotherapist provides me with exercises to build body strength, a routine I now commit to at least once a week, sometimes twice depending on what my schedule allows. I truly love the time I spend there.
Cook & Phillip Pool, Sydney
I must admit, I was quite apprehensive about returning to the water after losing my lower right leg. The first two times I went back, I was terrified that I might drown, even though, in truth, I was probably just very weak at the time.
Although I had fond memories of learning to swim at the local pool in Lismore during primary school—I still have a certificate for 50 or 100 metres somewhere—I have never been the kind of swimmer who enjoys doing laps. I simply love going to the pool to enjoy the water, to relax, and to be present.
As part of my Limb Shift podcast, I’ve spoken to quite a few people about the water and how important it is for both relaxation and rehabilitation, but two in particular spring to mind.
Elizabeth Wright, a colleague and Paralympic medal-winning swimmer, talked about how much she loved the pool from a very early age and the weightlessness it gave her, noting, “In water, I feel freedom because the water supports my body so much”.
Another person I spoke to, Mick O’Dowd, is a quad amputee who talked about the role of the pool in his rehabilitation, describing how he progressed from relying on flotation devices to swimming laps. He emphasised that the pool became a true sanctuary for him, explaining, “It felt great to feel weightless”.
My own journey with the pool is currently running parallel to the physical adjustments I am making in my daily life. For the last six months, I have been having issues with my prosthetic not fitting over my stump as well as it used to, which has meant relying on extra thick socks just to keep it from falling off. I recently received NDIS approval for a new leg, and a couple of weeks ago, I went in for a fitting that involved the old-fashioned process of using plaster of Paris.
On Wednesday, I went back to the hospital to try on the new test socket to see if it feels right, and I have been wearing it this week to gauge how it performs. My prosthetist advised that I can wear this one with just a thin sock, and so far, it seems to be going well, though I have another appointment this coming Wednesday to assess my progress.
I am currently in the process of getting a new prosthetic, as my previous one no longer fits properly. A couple of weeks ago, I had a plaster cast taken of my residual limb to ensure a precise fit. In this pic, I’m not getting weighed, but seeing how well balanced things are.
While I do have a long-term goal to get back into the water and actually swim some laps, I am happy to take my time. I have NDIS approval to invest in some swimming classes, but it is important to me that I work with someone who is experienced, someone who can supervise me and collaborate with my physiotherapist to ensure I am doing everything safely. For the next twelve months, that is the plan.
In the meantime, I am content to just go to the pool, enjoy the water, and find that sense of quiet and relaxation that has been so hard to come by in the city today. It is a simple joy, but one that feels more necessary than ever.
This was the third time we’ve been to Becasse, a terrific restaurant on Albion Street, Surry Hills. And it was probably the best.
We started off the night at the newly refurbished, White Horse Inn on Crown Street, Surry Hills. After being closed for about six years, what was once a reasonably dodgy pub has received a $2 million makeover. Following in the footsteps of the refurbishment of The Clock, and with another planned development, Surry Hills is, belatedly, turning into a bona fide yuppie area.
Becasse is a modern Australian restaurant devoted to serious, classically french-inspired food. NZ-born Head chef Justin North gained experience in some of the best restaurants of Sydney and France, before opening up Becasse with maitre’d Georgia a few years ago. Only opening for dinner four nights a week, a highlight is the themed degustation held on the first Sunday of each month. Usually they look at the food and wine of a particular French region; this time, they chose a flying visit of five of the most famous areas in France.
Veloute of Haricot Blanc with a Foie Gras Chantilly: Served in a small teacup, this luke-warm soup was a standout, with flavours of potato and shallot combining well with the dollup of fois gras in the centre. At once elegant and hearty, it set the tone for the meal.
Loire Valley Terrine of Arctic Char and Confit Potato with a Mille-Feuille of Arctic Char Brandade, Fennel and Caper Sauce: a simple and well-executed slice of layered raw Arctic Char (a type of fish with the texture of sashimi and the flavour of trout) and potato, wrapped in vine leaves atop an intense and tasty white sauce. The Arctic Char Brandade turned out to be a spoonful of pink goo similar to salmon pate between two impossibly fine wafer lattices. Both superb. Served with 2002 Domaine Pierre de la Grange Muscadet that let the food take control.
South-West France Ravioli of Scallop and Lemon with a Ragout of Spiced Pork Cheeks: a salty dish that got saltier as we kept eating (the crispy proscuitto on top no doubt contributed), however it was perfectly offset by the aromatic dryness of the wine. The closest approximation of the 2002 Chateau Lafitte-Ceston Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec in Australian terms is viognier, a great white food wine that is rapidly gaining popularity down under.
Burgundy Salad of Pressed, Caramelised Confit of Castricum Lamb Leg with Soubise Puree and Black Olive Vinaigrette served with 2002 Domaine Metrat et Fils “La Roilette”, Beaujolais: sounds more extravagant than it was – we couldn’t escape the fact that the lamb tasted like kebab meat. But excellent nonetheless, the soubise puree (a rich onion sauce) and vinaigrette offering great flavour. The wine was superb – I’d definitely try good beaujolais again.
Rhone ValleyBallottine of Oxtail with Caramelised Calves Tongue, Sweet Corn Veloute and Red Wine Jus served with 2001 Duclaux, Cote Rotie: the heaviest of the courses, and one of the highlights. Don’t be put off by the offal: oxtail is a richly decadent meat and the calf’s tongue was like thick bacon. As usual, the Cote Rotie (a classic shiraz-based appellation in the northern Rhone) was fantastic.
Poached Nectarines in Jelly with Champagne and Vanilla Granita: great palate cleanser.
Bordeaux Tart Tatin of Anjou Pear with Clove Ice Cream and Poire William Anglaise served with 2001 Chateau Doisy Daene, Barsac: never thought I like clove ice cream, but there you go. One of the best desserts we’d ever had, all the better for not relying on super-sweetness to impress. The wine was a good match, sweet yet with a smoky finish that never cloyed.
“It must be really nice to go out for lunch mid-week”, the taxi driver said to me when I told him where I was going today. “A rare treat”, I told him, as we made our way towards Becasse on Clarence Street for a Producer’s Lunch.
They’ve been doing these lunches for a while now, Chef and Owner, Justin North told us over the public address system. “Nothing too regular, but generally every 6 to 8 weeks, sometimes at the beginning of a season, sometimes at the end”, he added when trying to make some sense of how they’ve approached these lunches.
In essence, though, he explained it was all about getting some really great produce, working a meal around them, and then inviting some of the producers to come along, to meet patrons, and to talk about their produce.
Becasse Producer’s Lunch
I ended up on a table of people with an interest in coffee. I met two of the most passionate people about coffee I’ve ever met, Dion and Gavin from Single Origin Roasters. They’re based in Reservoir Street, Surry Hills and supply to restaurants around the country, including a couple of local favourites in Bird Cow Fish and The Book Kitchen. Although I can pick the difference between good and bad coffee, my knowledge of it comes nowhere near my knowledge of wine, for example. After spending lunch with these guys, I know a hell of a lot more, particularly about how coffee is graded. They also explained a little a bit about their approach to blending, which involves roasting the beans individually, and then blending, as opposed to blending first and then roasting which, apparently, lots of other people do.
Also, at our table was a bloke called Andrew from Mountain Top Coffee. “Do you know where Nimbin is?”, he asked me at one point. “Do I know where Nimbin is?”, I replied. “I’m a bloody local, born and bred”, I told him, and so for a while we “bonded” about life on the North Coast. And there was a bloke from Selector Magazine, though I didn’t really have much of a chance to chat with him.
So what was good about the lunch? First, there was the aspect of taking a mid-week break in what has, so far, been quite an interesting and exciting week at work.
But second, and most important, the food, wine and beer were excellent. Highlights for me included the locally made (Five Dock) proscuitto which was absolutely beautiful, the Coffin Bay Oysters, the Lake’s Folly Chardonnay, the prawn and mussel ravioli, and the desert. Oh, and the beer. Actually that covers just about everything. The meal, as you might imagine, was excellent.
The service was also excellent. Being at the table closest to the kitchen, it was great to be able to see what was happening behind the scenes. A better run kitchen I’ve never observed so closely before.
Anyway, they do these lunches every couple of months, and they’re $65 each. They also do a Producer’s Lunch every day at $35 which includes a glass of wine. Although Becasse seems terribly up-market these days, especially with compared to their old days in Surry Hills when Damien and I used to go there a bit, they seemed to have “kept it real”. Overall, a terrific way to spend a lunch-time on a Wednesday.
I would have gone to the pub tonight to catch up with the usual crew, but I’m a bit tired to be honest. I came home from work today and hit the couch and fell asleep.
At eight-thirty the phone rang, waking me from the couch. It was Sue calling from Melbourne for a bit of a chat. I fell asleep again until about 9.30 when Jacqui called from Melbourne.
A bit more of a sleep. And now it’s midnight and I’m wide awake. I’m pretty bloody exhausted at the moment. I’m hoping for a few days off soon just for a rest up.
Though I have another catch-up planned for tomorrow night with Mark who is back from Perth.
I never thought I’d ever find much interest in silk embroidery images of the Mona Lisa and Chairman Mao, but somehow today I did. We’re spending the night in Suzhou, the silk capital of China (apparently) located about ninety minutes by bus from the centre of Shanghai.
The day started early. Really early. A four-thirty wake-up call for a five-thirty departure for the airport. I think it’s fair to say there was a degree of scepticism in the group about the need to leave so early. But by the time we got to the airport, got our boarding passes, and finally made through the longest and slowest security lanes I’ve ever experienced, we only had short time to sit down before our nine o’clock flight from Beijing to Shanghai.
My friend Kate has also been in Shanghai, and anticipating that we might be at the airport at around the same time, I dropped her an email, asking about her plans. In a strange twist of fate, just as we were arriving, she was catching the fast train to Beijing.
The flight from Beijing to Shanghai was pleasant enough, though I know the meal on the China Eastern flight was a little challenging for some of the tour group. Despite being fairly adventurous with food, I’ve never been much of fan of the “typical” Chinese breakfast which today consisted of congee, pickled vegetables and tubers, and a red bean paste bun. You can imagine, then, the reaction of some of the other members of the tour group who are, let’s say, a little less adventurous than I am. But many of the people I chatted to laughed it off to experience.
In stark contrast, Sue and I loved the Hong Kong BBQ Pork we enjoyed for lunch at Shanghai Airport.
From Shanghai, we headed directly to Suzhou, a city of about eight-million people.
In contrast to the thoughtful, witty and dry “Eddie”, our tour guide for Suzhou is “Jessica” (I’m using their self-defined English names by the way) who was vivacious, funny, and who is knowledgeable and passionate about the city in which she lives.
Our first stop was “The Lingering Garden”, which was absolutely lovely, with lots of ponds, bonsai, and some beautiful mahogany timber furniture. From there was took a cruise along the canals which have earned Suzhou that common epithet “The Venice of The… East/North/West/South”. The cruise was really fascinating, as it took us into the water backyards of people who live along the river which, thankfully for them is heavily regulated, which means they enjoy the benefits of a water lifestyle without the risk of flooding.
Finally, we made our way to for a bite to eat and to view the silk embroidery works at at local art gallery. That’s where we saw the embroidered images of the Mona Lisa and Chairman Mao. The craftsmanship involved in the works we saw was truly amazing, even if sometimes thematically they were a little boring. “The younger artists like to push the boundaries a little” I was told by the tour guide when I asked her. I ended up buying a piece by one of the students. At about $40, it was an absolute bargain, and I really liked the work, even if one of my major criteria was that it should be small enough to fit in my hand luggage. There were lots of other, more major works I really liked, and were within my price range. Just the whole thing of getting a major art work (made of silk) back through Australian Customs was too much to contemplate, though.
So here we are, spending a night (and then tomorrow morning for further activity) in Suzhou. We’re staying in some very nice accommodation, the kind of accommodation I doubt I could normally afford if I was travelling in a country like Australia. So after a swim and a bit of poolside chat, I put on my clothes and wandered for a look around the neighbourhood. The shops were still open at about ten thirty at night, though the neighbourhood was fairly “sleepy”. Nonetheless, I popped into a local bar called “The Deep Breath Bar”.
Though I couldn’t imagine doing it myself, I found inspiration in the life story of “Morgana Muses”, as featured in the documentary, “Morgana”.
There was only a handful of people at Dendy Newtown for the Saturday morning screening this weekend.
I quite like early Saturday screenings. They remind me of going to “the pictures” as a child, and there’s never more than a few people around for those early screenings.
Nonetheless, as a 55-year old single man, seeing a movie about a middle-aged Australian woman who launches a career in pornography, I was slightly worried what other people in the cinema might think of me. Ridiculous I know. It was at Dendy Newtown, a cinema and suburb known for its hipness. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious.
According to her website biography…
As a first generation Australian female born to European parents, my upbringing focused strongly on how a ‘good woman’ should behave in private and in public. Becoming a wife and mother was considered to be the ultimate achievement for a woman. Sex and all related pleasures were never discussed. It was expected that those ‘matters’ would be taught in the confines of a marriage. Things did not work out that way for me. In 2012 at the age of 47, 2 years after leaving my sexless marriage, I decided to embark on my journey of sexual exploration and learning.
Aside from the fact she embarked on a career making art-house porn, there’s a lot to relate to in her story. And as she had spent much of her life living in Albury around the same time I was living in Wagga, I thought that was doubly so.
And then there was something about her physicality and her attitude that reminded me of so many women I’ve met in my life. I’ve always been attracted to women who naturally display the authenticity displayed by Morgana in the documentary.
There are also moments of vulnerability, as she talks about her experiences with suicidal thoughts.
Most films these days are about 20 minutes too long, but at 70 minutes in duration, I was left wanting more, not less.
Highly recommended.
Aside from going to the movies, the last fortnight or so has been reasonably social with a number of catch-ups over dinner, including a visit to one of my new “favourite places”, Bar Vincent.
“It’s really hard to get rabbit in NSW, most of it comes from Victoria”, we were told by the waiter there. My friend and I have been there a few times, and we really respect her opinions. And so when we asked about the rabbit, and she endorsed it, we knew we were onto the right thing. It was super-tasty.
The yummiest pasta dish with rabbit at Bar Vincent, SydneySharing a steak at Bar Vincent, Darlinghurst.
So my recommendations this week : a documentary about porn and an excellent restaurant. That’s enough, surely?
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Update: Apparently it’s Sue Bowen who has taken over the bakery
Update: Apparently it’s Sue Bowen who has taken over the bakery