If you live in Sydney, or you’re visiting Sydney, here’s why you should get up early and visit Circular Quay.
Circular Quay offers the harbour, the bridge, the Opera House and so much more.
And if you don’t especially like crowds, you can always get up early (before dawn) and head down. Aside from a few eager photographers and a handful of people exercising, there’s no one around.
“Sunsets are for crowds, sunrises are for individuals”, a friend commented. Meaning you can have a truly wonderful individual experience if you bother to get up early.
Even though I live fairly close to Redfern in Sydney, I’ve never really socialised much in the area. Sure, I’ve been to a few pubs. I’ve been to Railz. I’m a member of South Sydney Rugby Leagues Club. I’ve also been to the uber-hip Freda’s. But aside from that, I’ve never really experienced much of the emerging small bar culture in the area. Partly, it’s because this small bar culture has developed only in the last few years, and now being in my late forties, friends and I tend to socialise in places which are little less-hip, a little less noisy.
And that’s the one thing you have to remember about small bars: they can be quite noisy. Like us ten years ago, these bars are full of younger types out for a night on the town with their friends. They’re probably out for a pick-up too. But that wasn’t the case for two friends of mine and I on Thursday night: we were just out for a few drinks and a catchup. We had previously called ourselves “The Boozehounds”, reflective of a time when we were all a bit younger, single, and thus able to be fairly spontaneous about our social lives. But when partners and young babies come along, you need to plan such events.
That said, it was a fairly spontaneous night. We started off at Arcadia which is a nice enough bar, though really very noisy. From there we wandered to The Beardedtit, a bar which we all really loved. The bar had a great vibe about it : there was a hip young crowd, but there was also room for 40-somethings like ourselves. On the walls there was art for sale, including one piece I almost made an impulse purchase of. You could also order take-in food from nearby restaurants : we had some really fantastic Chinese. We also chatted to the woman who runs the bar, and she was really lovely. We ended up the night at The Dock. An intimately small bar, we even had a dance to a band playing just a few feet away from us. So yeah, a night of great spontaneity, and great to get “The Boozehounds” back together.
It’s amazing how quickly you start to tense up, as I did last night (and this morning, and this afternoon), when I got a couple of those “I’m sick and can’t make it” phone calls.
That was the case last night, in particular, as I had just spent the afternoon out of mobile phone range relaxing by a creek not far from Canberra.
“What’s the water like”, my friend Pat, asked me. “Cold”, I told him. “And what’s it’s like under your feet”, he continued, having never experienced what it was like to swim in an inland river.
It was then I remembered the first time I’d swum in an inland river while living at Bourke in Western NSW. I remembered jumping off the rope into the Darling River and discovering mud. Thick mud on the river bed. For a boy who had been raised on the NSW North Coast, it was initially an odd sensation.
And then moving to South Australia – while I don’t ever remember swimming in the Murray – I remembered the sensation of swimming in Lake Bonney at Barmera. Once again, it was mud.
But then, moving to Wagga Wagga, I remembered how wonderful it was to swim in the Murrumbidgee, with its fast flowing water and sand beneath my feet. Yes, sand. It was a great experience and totally relaxing.
I went down to Canberra this weekend for the annual Bush Dance at the Yarralumla Woolshed. I had a great experience last year, and so when Pat offered the invitation I said yes instantly. It wasn’t as busy, though, this year, due to the inclement weather and another, competing activity on the Canberra foreshore.
Gay Bushdance in Canberra – held annually in Canberra at the Yarralumla Woolshed
But unlike last year, we managed a trip into town to Cube Nightclub. We also enjoyed a terrific meal at the Griffith Vietnamese Restaurant which, apparently is one of the must do restaurants in Canberra. All over the wall there were signed notes from significant politicians of both sides of politics. The food was excellent.
Actually, just about everywhere we went politics were in the air, as we listened in to a number of conversations. As we dined on Sunday breakfast at Tilleys, we listened in to a number of conversations with people discussing how the new Labor Government would act on range of issues. “Is that Therese over there?”, one of my friends asked, as a woman who bore a resemblance to Kevin Rudd’s wife came into the cafe. Unfortunately it wasn’t, as I was keen to see if she looked as much like Bette Midler in real life as she did on election night. My strongest memory, however, of Tilley’s was how long it took for our meals to arrive. Grrr…
Aside from that, it was a really great weekend catching up with a couple of mates which I really enjoyed. Arriving back tonight I feel totally relaxed (despite the work-related phone calls), and feel I can face the world again. It’s amazing what a weekend away can do.
“There’ll be a new book, a fourth one at the end of August”, we were told today by Carin, our tour group leader for the “(Stieg Larsson) Millenium Tour” run by the Stockholm City Museum, Stockholm Stadsmeet. “We don’t know very much about it”, she went on to say, “except that it hasn’t been written by Stieg Larsson”. The author of the new book was a surprise to me. He is David Lagercrantz, who wrote the best selling book about Swedish footballer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and for whom, Carin told us, there was “sport” in writing a new book with the Millenium characters, more than about making money. She also told us there was a fourth unfinished manuscript, and that Larsson had scoped out several other books.
Millenium Tour Group
Having watched the three Swedish films, and the American one, having read all through books in English, and having slowly started the first in Swedish, I was really interested in undertaking the tour. My friend, Grant, had also been on the tour a couple of years ago, and had highly recommended it. I would recommend it too.
Bellmansgatan 1, the apartment where Mikael Blomqvist lived
Over two hours, as you walk around the streets of Södermalm, you get a really strong sense of the physicality of the places mentioned in the books. Our tour guide, Carin, was also really knowledgeable about the films, and about the places that made it into the films, and those which didn’t. Often the changes were made for practical reasons, such as the inability of a film crew to actually fit into a small one-way street. Other times they were made for artistic and aesthetic reasons, such as finding another location which illustrated a thematic point better.
One of the restaurants featured in the book, though it never featured in the moviesKaffee, a shop which features in the American movie, though not in the Swedish movies.,
Carin has also had some lovely anecdotes about the film. For example, for the American film they needed to recreate a winter scene in Stockholm in the middle of May, and so brought in a great deal of man-made snow. There is, however, a continuity error, as in some of the scenes, you’ll actually see snow mixed with trees with their leaves on, and pot plants in full-bloom.
The tour begins with the home of Mikael Blomqvist, and ends with the home of Lisbeth Salander, which we were told was actually owned by a family who doesn’t actually live in the house, except for their annual New Years Eve Party. What a waste! It has great views.
The top two floors of the apartment block where Lisbeth Salander lived, though also not featured in the movies.
The tour guide, Carin, was excellent. She was clearly knowledgable about the books, and with many interesting insights I’d never considered previously. For example, she notes all of the “good” characters live on Södermalm, Kungsholmen is “neutral ground”, and all of the bad characters live in other parts of Stockholm. She also mentioned the connection with Astrid Lindgren’s work, which I’d never previously knew about. Carin brought a lovely sense of humour to the tour as well, and so it was a really enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon in Stockholm. Highly recommended.
“What do you think the inside of a radio station would look like…?”, Terrence asked. We were standing on the footpath, admiring the facade of Koori Radio, as part of a tour of Sydney’s Redfern by the Architectural Association. It’s the kind of question a large group would, undoubtedly, have had a multitude of answers, based largely on what they’ve seen on television and film. The difference this time was there was no “large group” to answer the question: there was just me.
When I first turned up at Redfern Post Office, the starting point for the the tour, and soon noticed there was no one else hanging around, I thought I’d made a mistake. I thought maybe I had the wrong address. I thought I’d put the wrong date in my calendar. Then I thought they might have cancelled the tour and I’d missed the email notification. But right on time, Terrence turned up, introduced himself and confirmed I was indeed the only person on the tour.
Koori Radio – although the design looks complex and random, there’s actually only three different “panels” which makes them easier to replace, Terrence explained.
I’ve been on a few of these walking tours organised by the Architecture Association previously, including walks around Middle Cove and Surry Hills and remembered them fondly. I actually recognised Terrence from the tour of Surry Hills in 2007. That was quite a big group, as I recall, and so it was great to have something a little more personalised.
National Centre for Indigenous Excellence – the scale of the building is minimised for the pedestrian walking along, as all you really notice is the Mondrian styling.
There were a few things I really liked about the tour, aside from the personalised nature of it all, and the obvious passion Terrence has for both architecture and the area itself. I really loved the way the tour gave me a better understanding about some of the principles underlying design in Sydney. I really loved how it opened my eyes to the types of buildings which I would otherwise see as ugly or incongruous. And I really loved the way I got to see parts of a nearby suburb I don’t otherwise usually see.
A really nice house.
“The main difference between Melbourne and Sydney architecture is the way Sydney architects try to design with context in mind”, Terrence said, as he pointed to a large white building. He talked about how the lines were in keeping with the other terrace houses. He also pointed it out in the design of the gym at the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence, a large building on a residential street, but designed so it didn’t feel so large for the pedestrians walking along side it.
White. Minimalist. Industrial. But in keeping with the lines/styling of a terrace house.
“I don’t think I could live in the white house”, I told him, as he showed me photographs of the internals. Minimalist. White. There was, however, a nearby house which I quite liked the look of with a timber facade, neighbouring a small park. Not that I could afford either, as Redfern is definitely a suburb “on the way up”, and already out of the price range of most people I know.
We both laughed when I mentioned to Terrence the reason I couldn’t answer the radio studio design question in the way he would have otherwise expected.
Architecture Association tour of Redfern
It was a really enjoyable tour that was supposed to go for two hours, but which we completed in ninety minutes due to the more personalised service, and because there were no “stragglers”. These tours are regularly advertised on the Architecture Association website, and I’d recommend this one if you, like me, have a passion/interest in architecture and in Redfern.
It’s quite funny to find yourself captured on screen, isn’t it? Although you know you’re in a public place, and there’s always the chance of being captured, it’s always a surprise when you actually find yourself on Youtube, isn’t it?
Anyway, I found this rather amusing image of myself tonight as I was search for information about Radio Days Europe. It was a conference I attended last year, and was fortunate enough to be invited to participate on a panel at. I wrote about my experiences at the conference here and here. I enjoyed the conference very much, and I’ve been following a few of the participants ever since.
I’d dearly love to go back again this year, but circumstances prevent that. Maybe next year? Still, I’m keen to follow what happens at the conference and spent a bit of time tonight searching for what’s online already. And that’s when I found this video on Youtube which features a brief image of me walking along with a cup of tea in the background.
Captured on video at Radio Days Europe
Could have been worse, though I guess.
Aside from that, it was a productive day at work and a sleepy day at home tonight. Aside from the Youtubin, the only other thing I’ve done is leave messages for some friends and doing some searchin’ for a new internet provider. Although I’ve been happyish with my provider, I think I’m paying too much for them. As I’ve researched, I’ve been surprised to discover The Big T actually offers quite a good, reasonably priced service, and may be quite suitable. Who would have thought?
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I hadn’t realised I’d never seen an L2/3 tram in the dark. Impressive as it approached. A few years ago I had an 8.30 appointment in the city. It felt quite surreal to be out among those going to work. I should make the occasional effort as you did to get up and out early.
Hello James, Thanks for the lovely tour of Circular Quay. Can’t wait to visit again. Hopefully soon. Never been so early in the morning. I guess it’s something that should be experienced once, but I am not an early riser. I actually don’t mind the hustle and bustle – it’s a great place for people watching. I always love to visit the MCA. I’ll take on board some of your tips although not breakfast at McDonald’s thank you very much. I might prefer City Extra, especially when there’s no tourists (like me 😉).
I hadn’t realised I’d never seen an L2/3 tram in the dark. Impressive as it approached. A few years ago I had an 8.30 appointment in the city. It felt quite surreal to be out among those going to work. I should make the occasional effort as you did to get up and out early.
I KNEW you would like the tram!
Hello James, Thanks for the lovely tour of Circular Quay. Can’t wait to visit again. Hopefully soon. Never been so early in the morning. I guess it’s something that should be experienced once, but I am not an early riser. I actually don’t mind the hustle and bustle – it’s a great place for people watching. I always love to visit the MCA. I’ll take on board some of your tips although not breakfast at McDonald’s thank you very much. I might prefer City Extra, especially when there’s no tourists (like me 😉).
Hi Rod, good to hear from you. City Extra is good, though I prefer Rossini, especially since you can get a coffee there from 5.30am.