Australia’s Oldest Fishing Village

Just on the south side of Sydney’s harbor lies Watson’s Bay, which is recognized as the country’s oldest fishing village established in 1788. It’s not surprising then that the most well-known seafood restaurant is perched right at the water’s edge, drawing everyone in with smells of fried goodness drifting downwind. I’m speaking from experience here. I got right off the ferry and jumped straight into line at the Doyles fish n’ chip outlet on the wharf. 

Watson’s Bay sits on the end of the South Head peninsula, where Port Jackson (containing the Sydney Harbor) extends into the Pacific Ocean. The “Gap” is this ocean cliff you see below where the two actually converge. There were several defensive fortifications placed here (such as the one you see in the photo dating to 1876) which served to protect the entrance to Sydney Harbour in the event of seaborn attack. The Gap was difficult to navigate through by vessel, making it a legendary spot for shipwrecks. The Hornby Lighthouse was erected to guide ships safely through the treacherous passageway. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along the footpath, I stumbled upon Rose Bay (a nude beach with lots of old men) and then found my own little paradise. I spent the rest of my Sunday lounging on this small bit of sand and watching scuba divers. 

And here is a shot of Sydney’s skyline in the distance aboard a ferry taking me back after my day in the southern suburbs. 

 

 

A Short Bushwalk Away

This past weekend I took a day trip with a few friends to the Blue Mountains region, about a 90 minute drive from Sydney. The Blue Mountains are so-called because oil produced by its Eucalyptus trees mixes with dust particles and water vapor in the atmosphere. This combination scatters short-wave length rays of light which are predominantly blue in color. 

The biggest attraction to the area is the mountain formation known as the “Three Sisters.” Together, the limestone triplets rise over 3,000 feet above sea level! Legend has it that they were three beautiful young women who fell in love with three men from a foothills Aboriginal tribe. Tribal lore prohibited the union, and a battle ensued between the tribes. A witchdoctor turned the women to stone so they wouldn’t be harmed, but he was killed so no one could undo the spell. 

Australian Aborigines were the first to inhabit the Blue Mountains. This Aboriginal man plays his Didjeridu, which I have seen in touristy areas of Sydney. The person playing the “du” breaks up the constant deep drone by using his tongue and cheeks, making it rhythmic sounding.

Katoomba and Leura are the two small towns we passed through in the mountains. Both quaint and peaceful, they are perfect stops to grab a good lunch, do some antique shopping and have some afternoon tea. They are also havens for backpackers coming through the region, so of course there are outdoor options, such as abseiling, 4WB tours, caving, horse riding, etc.

We stopped in Leura to grab a bite to eat before we went bushwalking. On the left is rostini, which is like a huge hash brown filled with different veggies … on the right is a standard veggie panini. And below, my new favorite new drink – Ginger Beer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove a little ways out of the main village in Leura to find our bushwalking trail. The hike took us about 3 hours total and I documented some of nature’s beauties along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We heard and saw (from a distance) magpies, wattle birds and kookaburras. And, for those of you who have never heard them, kookaburras in fact do have the most annoying sounding laugh I think I’ve ever heard! I even ran across a snake along our nature path … I’m pretty sure it was an Eastern Brown Snake, which you definitely want to avoid.

On the way out of Leura, we stopped for some Devonshire tea – traditional English tea served with scones, fresh whipped cream and homemade strawberry jam. Yum.

Back in Business

I’m alive, I promise!

Since I now have Internet set up in my place, I can finally resume the blogging and catch you all up to speed. First off, here is my home base – 2 Bond Street. 

So, my apartment is growing on me. Once you look past the bathtub issue and the thumping of the night club below on certain nights of the week, its really quite charming :) Plus, it’s in a great location … close to my bus stop and right in the heart of the central business district. And, check out the rooftop!

Here is an inside view of what the apartment looks like:

I’m just a 5 minute walk from the central harbor area and the historical area of downtown, called the Rocks. I played tourist on Saturday morning and took some pictures down by the water.

I have to cross the harbor bridge in the mornings to get to work, which takes me into North Sydney. My bus is packed by the time it arrives at my stop, so I stand for the 30 minute ride amidst the other city-to-suburb commuters. Lesson learned: Coffee on board (or any hot drink for that matter) is not the smartest idea!

So, today I took some pictures of the Foxtel office building here, where the Nat Geo Channel operates out of. Foxtel is one of the big Australian cable providers, so there are about 20 other television channels that are housed within the same building. It’s a bit out in the boonies, in an area called North Ryde. The business park is nice though and I was excited to see that Canon has its Australian headquarters right across the road.

A 24-hour news service, Sky News Australia, has its newsroom located on the first floor of the building, so live broadcasts are always going on. 

The Nat Geo office is really small, especially compared to HQ – there are only about 15 of us. Here are some office buddies, Jamie and Pete.

 

I conquered the Pacific!

Hi Everyone,

Whew! I made it safe and sound – but let me just say that it hasn’t been as seamless as I had hoped or believed it would be getting acclimated … given, there are always unforeseen obstacles when traveling … I just for some reason thought this time I had it all together.

I felt completely disoriented all day long yesterday after my 6 am arrival. I’m pretty sure that it had something to do with the following equation:

a frazzled trip to the wrong DC airport + an initial 5 hours in the sky + 11 hours in the LA airport + 2 shampoo spillage incidents + 15 goodbye phone calls + 4 movies + red wine and a sleeping pill + 3 hours “plane” sleep + 2 hours in customs + 1 hour in line to catch a taxi 

It’s a good thing I dressed warm for the plane, since it was raining, windy and oh only about 50 degrees in Syndey when I landed. My nice Bangladeshi taxi driver cheered me up when he assured me that the weather would get better in the coming week. While chatting independently about US and Bangladeshi politics, before I knew it we were pulled up to my apartment building – 2 Bond Street – which is in actuality a hotel, where my room is rented out by a property owner. This means that the hotel staff has absolutely no obligation to answer any of my questions or concerns. Great. 

A bell hop helped me with all my things to the seventh floor. Apartment #701 is very chic … newly re-furnished yet cozy at the same time. Despite its charm, there are a few things I’d like fixed: my shower which leaks onto the bathroom floor and the land line phones, which have no dial tone. I wanted to call the leasing agency, but how do you do that with neither a working home or cell phone? I’m still trying to get in touch with them …

In my frustration, to make myself feel more at home, I went grocery shopping to stock the kitchen. The closest Coles (Australia’s premier supermarket) is just across the street on the basement floor of a “train station” (aka metro stop). The store reminds me of French markets, where the yogurt section takes up more space than the meat section. Convenience-wise, I’m glad that I am so close; although I still haven’t decided how I feel about shopping in the basement of a metro-mall. 

I decided that I couldn’t bring myself to go back outside after my food trip, given that I was drenched from running just across the street. So, confined to my new little space, I entertained myself by watching Freaky Friday and Pretty Woman  which thank God were playing on one of the three channels I get in the building. At around 10, I decided I should probably get some sleep. Imagining I’d sleep like a baby, I was surprised that I actually tossed and turned all night long. Was it that I hadn’t figured out my thermostat yet or was it the Aussie shouting from the rowdy night club below? 

So, today – Sunday – is my second day in Sydney. I woke up at 6 am … clearly I’m still off-track … and went on a run down to the harbor (which is only 5 minutes from my apt!) and around the central business district area. The temperature is still a bit cool – about 65 – but, not cool enough to break out the Ugg boots or fur sweatshirts that I’ve seen Sydneyers sporting. I’m one of the the ONLY people I’ve seen wearing sandals. Come on people, I thought we were at the beach?! 

That brings us to right now – I’m seeking solace in Starbucks. Yes, I know, lame. But, I really needed Internet. I feel very disconnected after just three days of no computer, no phone. I’m experiencing technical difficulties with my borrowed soon-to-be international cell phone. After purchasing an Australian SIM card and getting my new number, I realized I don’t have a European adapter to charge it. It doesn’t help that hardly any stores are open here on Saturdays or Sundays. Soo, I hope to find one at some point tomorrow and jump back into the 21st century world of tele-communication.

I’m catching a ferry in an hour which will take me down the harbor to an area called Belmain, where one of my co-workers has invited me to her house. I will be very thankful for human interaction :) Hopefully she can help me figure out the best route to work from my place – I’m expecting it to take around 45 mins since it’s pretty far removed from the city center. Tomorrow is my first day of work and I”m super excited to meet everyone in the office. Will have updates later on …

Miss you all! 

A plus tard,

Danielle