Tamarama

Sculpture by the Sea

We like to visit Sculpture by the Sea each year because it gives us a chance to visit the coastal Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. Living in the Mountains we do not have many opportunities to see the ocean, so it is always nice when we do get a chance to be beside the sea.  I am posting some photos of the seaside taken at Tamarama and also along the Coastal Path between Tamarama and Bondi.  Three years' ago I wrote a poem about Sculpture by the Sea and I shall print it here beside the photos as it is still relevant.   

People walking along the Coastal Path

Sculpture by the Sea
There is a path upon cliffs high,
from Tamarama to Bondi,
where each year there's a show, that's free,
amazing Sculpture by the Sea.

These works of art are on display
in vantage spots along the way,
with stunning views of sea and sand
on Sydney's Coastal Wonderland.

The artists come from far and wide,
to show their sculptures, with great pride,
each is unique in shape and size
and all compete to win a prize.

Looking towards Bondi Beach

The visitors just gaze and stare
at works of bold, artistic flair,
a masterpiece in bronze or steel
is sure to have a wide appeal.


A driftwood sculpture looks supreme,
in keeping with the beachside theme,
it's clear that people love to be
in Bondi, where they're near the sea.

It is uplifting to behold
the talents of these Sculptors bold,
imagination is the key,
producing such diversity.

The sea is fresh, just like the art,
the landscape plays a vital part
creating mood and empathy
when viewing Sculpture by the Sea.




                                                                             

Some pigface growing along the Path.

Tamarama Beach and Bondi Beach, Sydney

Sculpture by the Sea

Yesterday we caught the train down to Sydney to visit the annual exhibition of Sculpture by the Sea on the Coastal Path between Tamarama Beach and Bondi Beach.  After leaving the train at Bondi Junction, we caught a bus to Tamarama where we started our walk.  There were many sculptures on the beach and it was nice to feel the sand beneath our feet as we walked around to view them.  After that we joined the Coastal Walk to view more sculptures on the cliff face and ended up in Mark's Park where we saw many more.  We also had lunch here, buying a sandwich from a local food outlet and sitting at a picnic table and bench in the Park.  As the sun was now getting very hot, we were lucky to find a spot in the shade to enjoy our lunch. 

"Damien Hirst Looking for Sharks" by Cool Shit 

 (UK) made of PVC tarpaulin, ripstop nylon.

This was a large inflatable sculpture paying homage to one of Damien Hirst's most important works.  "The Physical Impossibility Of Death in The Mind Of Somebody Living".







                                                                             

"The Butterfly Dream" by Jiang Jie (China) made of stainless steel and copper.  A 4th Century Philosopher had a dream about becoming a butterfly and when he awoke he was surprised he was still a man.  Did he become the butterfly in his dream or did the butterfly become him in its' dream?

 "Windows and Doors" by Paul Selwood (NSW) made of painted steel. 

A new variation of the cut and fold technique.  The sculpture admits the viewer into its space, both conceptually and physically.

"Buddy" by Marc Walter (Canada).  Creating site-specific monumental sculptures and spaces since 2004 with natural material. 

Buddy invites visitors to reflect and rediscover their surroundings.

"Byobu" by Stephen Hogan (NSW) made of forged steel, soft steel and wire. 

Taking the elements of (Byobu) Japanese screen art,  a delicately painted interior artform and reimagining it as an exterior screen.  A focal point for reflection and as a window to the soul of its surroundings.

Winmalee

Mist in the Mountains

We woke up early on Sunday morning to see our backyard shrouded in mist.  The valley beyond was invisible and all our trees looked ghostly and mysterious as parts of trunks and branches were concealed in a thick blanket of fog.  The edges of trees and gardens were blurry and everything looked soft and grey and outlines fuzzy. The colour green, in the leaves and grass, was rather muted and the white Azaleas, flowering in the middle of the yard, can barely be seen.  Little droplets of water are dripping from the fronds of the tree fern.  Mountain mists are rather special and a reminder of our altitude, even here in the lower Mountains.  They were certainly not experienced by us when we were living in the suburbs of western Sydney.  By the time we left for Church, the mist had practically lifted!

Only the top half of our backyard is visible, while the lower
half is blanketed in mist.

Springwood

Christ Church

Holy Communion at Christ Church this morning.   I love this beautiful old sandstone church on the Great Western Highway at Springwood.  We have been attending this church for the last fifteen years and are part of the 8 am Traditional Anglican congregation.

I took this photo this morning on a rather dull overcast day.  It is an example of  a Victorian Academic Gothic Style Church designed by Sir John Sulman and built in 1889

This is the rear of the Church.  In 1961 a Transept and Tower were added, in accordance with the original plans and these are sensitive additions to the original Church.

Inside the church.  The Communion Table and the beautiful stained glass window above it.  There are many beautiful stained glass windows throughout the Church and the Transept.

To-day we were encouraged to exercise compassion for the lost, the needy and each other.  At morning tea afterwards in the hall, we picked up these Red Hearts and were asked to complete and return them at the end of November listing ways in which we have shown compassion. Examples of compassion would be praying, make new friends at church, make a meal for the church freezer, fill an Operation Christmas Child box, telephone calls, etc.




I think I am going to have some trouble completing my Red Heart as I cannot  think of many ways in which I can contribute towards compassion.  I think I shall try and make new friends, which might be hard as hardly any new people turn up these days.  Perhaps I could make a meal for the freezer and, of course, I can always pray for the many sick people in our Parish.  It will be interesting to see my completed Red Heart at the end of November!

Maroota - conclusion

Tobruk - Sheep Station - conclusion.

After the demonstration of shearing, we had a delicious barbecue lunch back in the Drover's Camp undercover shed.  Lunch was barbecued chicken and sausages with baked potatoes, hot pasta and a lettuce and tomato salad followed by lamingtons and a hot cup of tea.  During the afternoon we had a tour of the farm in a tractor trailer.   This trailer could comfortably seat about 20 people on old church pews placed back to back down the middle of the trailer.  Nick was our driver and he drove us to different vantage points around the farm where we were able to look at stunning views around the countryside as far as the Blue Mountains, which by the way, looked quite blue that day!

A Windmill and tank by one of the dams on the property.  All the water helps to keep the paddocks irrigated so the sheep have plenty of grass to graze on.

After the demonstration of mustering, the sheep are returned to one of the paddocks.

I am patting one of the sheepdogs on the verandah of one of the farm stay buildings.  I think his name was Ted and he did a great job in rounding up the sheep!

Here is the Avid group gathered for a group photograph.  Ken took this photo after the official photo had been taken and you can only see Nick's back, as he had turned around to talk to us after he thought all the photos had been taken!

Maroota - continued

Tobruk - Sheep Station - cont.

After our morning tea break, we watched the mustering of the sheep.  The sheepdogs did a good job of rounding them up and bringing them into the pens in front of the Shearing Shed.  They only have a small flock at this Station, but they are all very well fed and in good condition, despite the drought affecting most of New South Wales.

The flock of sheep are now ready to be led into the pens.

The flock of sheep entering the pens.  This was done only for demonstration purposes and they were afterwards led back into the paddock to continue grazing.

Nick, in his role of  Shearer, shearing one of the sheep.  Nick is multi-talented and seemed to be the main person doing the work.  There were also kitchen staff preparing all the food.  Even though Nick is a farmer, he said he enjoyed his role of entertaining the tourists.

The fleece neatly spread out after shearing.  The next stage is scouring.

Maroota

Tobruk - Sheep Station

Yesterday we went with the Avid Travel Club to Tobruk Sheep Station and had a wonderful day out on the farm for a true-blue, dinky-di "Australian Experience".   We had morning tea in the undercover Drover's Camp, complete with bush camp fire where the water was ready and boiling for our "cuppa" and the camp ovens were baking our damper.  Afterwards, Nick entertained us with his whip-cracking skills and some traditional Aboriginal Boomerang throwing.  Miraculously his boomerang returned to his hand on the first throw, so rather than risk failure with any further attempts, he quit while he was ahead so we had a once-only demonstration of boomerang throwing.

Here is Nick, the Stockman, waiting to greet us as we stepped off the bus.  Tobruk is a real working farm, but they also supplement their income with farm stays and day visits.

Billy cans of water boiling on the camp fire ready to make the billy tea.  Sprigs of  Eucalypt leaves were added to the boiling water to give it extra flavour.

Here is the damper after it comes out of the camp oven, cut and ready for us to eat.











Here is my small piece, complete with golden syrup added to give it a sweet flavour.  I did have a second helping as it was so delicious!

Kingsford - continued

While we were in the cafe on Central Station yesterday,  I took this photo from the inside looking out and had a chance to admire the beautiful windows.

I think these windows are probably the original windows from the time when the station was first built.

This is the light rail tram to Dulwich Hill which was ready to depart as we walked from the main Concourse through to a tunnel leading to the tram station and then we walked down the escalator into Eddy Avenue.









 Here are two pigeons, amongst many, feeding on the grass in the Park opposite the Station.

Kingsford

 

To day we went down on the train on one of our regular trips to Sydney as we had a medical appointment in Kingsford.  We had a bite to eat in the new eatery on the Concourse at  Central Station and were very impressed with it.  I'm so glad they have finally opened up this area of the Station and provided customers with some good food options.

Here is the outside of the new cafe and eating area.  Plenty of seats both inside the cafe and here outside on the Concourse.

This is part of the outside of Central Station taken in Eddy Avenue as we were waiting for the bus out to Kingsford.  I love the beautiful stone work.

Here is Anzac Parade, Kingsford and the mess in the middle of the road caused by the construction of the new light rail.  I'll be glad when we can finally catch a tram out to Kingsford!

South Coast Trip - conclusion

The Jervis Bay Maritime Museum 

After the whale watch, Ken and I had a light lunch at Salty Joes in the main street of Huskisson.   In the afternoon Nathan drove us to The Jervis Bay Maritime Museum which features a collection of maritime artefacts and navigational and surveying instruments and other nautical equipment, models, photographs and works of art.  There was also a nice little gift shop to browse in.  It is home to the historic Lady Denman,  housed inside the Museum, which is located in a beautiful bush setting, complete with native gardens and mangrove boardwalk, in a waterfront location on Currambene Creek. 

The Lady Denman was a wooden Sydney Harbour Ferry, the hull of which was built in Huskisson in 1911 from local timber.  She was retired from service in 1979 and returned home to Huskisson in 1980. 

Lady Gertrude Denman was the wife of Australia's Governor-General, Thomas Denman 1911-1914.

Farewell South Coast

Bombo viewed here along the Princes Highway
near Kiama

South Coast Trip - continued

Whale Watching

While in Huskisson we went on a whale watching cruise    We saw many dolphins and seals at the beginning of the cruise before finally reaching a place, further out in the Bay, where we saw the humpback whales breaching.    I was disappointed with my photo attempts.   The boat was rocking quite a bit, so it was hard to hang on to something and, at the same time, try and photograph the whales, as they generally disappeared beneath the water before I had a chance to get them in focus!   I gave up in the end and just sat back and enjoyed the ride. 

Our boat was the "Spirit of Jervis Bay" a triple deck catamaran specifically designed for dolphin and whale watching on the pristine waters of Jervis Bay Marine Park.

Here is the Captain at the wheel and on the phone, getting instructions as to where the whales would next appear.  We were seated in the captain's cabin on a very comfortable cushioned bench at the rear of his cabin.  We were lucky to secure this good possy!

 Here is the best I could do!  Juggling the camera whilst hanging on to that rope in the photo above was not an ideal setting for a good photo!!

  

Back on dry land.  Here is the Marine Rescue building facing Jervis Bay on the waterfront.

South Coast Trip - continued

Huskisson

Huskisson is one of my favourite places on the South Coast.  It is situated on the shores of the spectacular Jervis Bay, 24 kms south-east of Nowra.  Huskisson is named after William Huskisson, the Secretary of the Colonies and Leader of the British House of Commons from 1827-28.

The main street is full of cafes, takeaway shops, boutiques, dive shops and places where cruises can be booked and, central to everything, is a large waterfront hotel - the Husky Pub.

The crystal blue waters of Jervis Bay are home to abundant marine life, including bottle nose dolphins, fur seals, little penguins and, of course, the humpback whales on their migratory trips up and down the coast.  The mother whales like to bring their young calves into the calm waters of the bay so they can spend some time building up their strength, before they continue on their journey.

Boats on Currambene Creek at the entrance to Jervis Bay.

 Houses lining the shore of Currambene Creek and on the waterfront of Huskisson.

Dolphin Watch Cruises, where you can book your tickets for the cruises on Jervis Bay.

Quaint and cosy theatre, formerly a Community Hall, built in
1913.

South Coast Trip - continued

Nowra

We drove into Nowra later in the afternoon to spend the night at the Parkhaven Motel.  Nowra is the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven. Nowra holds many memories for me as we spent many holidays, when the children were young, passing through Nowra on our way to Culburra.  We also would often drive into Nowra from Culburra to do shopping or continue on further down the coast to visit other beaches.

Here's the bridge over the Shoalhaven River marking the approach to Nowra.

The Iroquois Helicopter perched up on a pole at the corner of Pleasant Way and the Princes Highway which can be seen as you come off the bridge.  It is quite an iconic part of Nowra and signifies there is a naval base located close by in Jervis Bay HMAS Albatross.









Here's the turnoff to Culburra.

The Parkhaven Motel where we spent the night. We enjoyed a spa bath in our room that night a great way to ease away those aches and pains. 

South Coast Trip - continued

Coolangatta Estate

We left Berry after lunch and continued on to the historic Coolangatta Estate.  The Estate is situated on the site of the first European Settlement on the South Coast of New South Wales.  It was settled in 1822 and was originally a convict built settlement owned by Alexander Berry and Edward Wollstonecraft and ran as a working farm.  Many of the original buildings on the Estate have been restored and converted into accommodation.  All the rooms now have modern facilities with ensuite bathrooms.

This Monster Bus "Big Foot" was our transport, up the steep grade, to the summit of Mt. Coolangatta - a thrilling 1 hour ride.  From the top we had sweeping views over the Shoalhaven area.

 Here we are inside Big Foot at the start of our climb.  The track was very muddy and slippery from the recent rain and the ride was scary.

Coolangatta Estate re-established vines on this historic site in 1988 and to-day 9 varieties are grown on 25 acres.  The wines are vinified at Tyrrells Winery in the Hunter Valley.  We had a cellar door wine and cheese tasting after our ride.

View from the summit of Mt. Coolangatta - a distant view to Seven Mile Beach at Gerroa.

Some of the accommodation on the Estate.

Function room where weddings and parties take place.