Affair Sydney is a blog about the city I love. I am passionate about Sydney, its checkered past and its inspiring present. This blog is for locals who want to get to know their city more intimately. It is for travellers who may want to glimpse aspects of Sydney that they did not not know exists. Most places I visit you will see through my eyes and I will also shine a light on some of the mysteries, stories that these places hide. Enjoy..........
I know Australia is generally not a tipping culture, but sometimes the message is compelling. This little Girrafe can be found at Cafe Newton, Mezze Bar. They are located at the intersection of Enmore Rd and King Street, Newtown. The barista is great and she even remembers your order.
After you have been walking around Newtown grab a cappuccino at the Varga Bar. It is well placed on the corner of Wilson Street and Erskineville Road at Newtown. It serves coffee from a hole in the wall or you can sit down and have breakfast. The sit down service is prompt and attentive. The eggs were delicious and light. The barista makes an excellent cup of coffee, my Wife's skinny cap was so good she it thought it was the real deal.
A couple of weeks ago I walked past the Newtown Mission on King Street, Newtown. I have walked past it for years but never been in. I wanted to specifically see the revelation ceiling. I didn't have a camera but a sourced a great photo from flickr (thanks Newtown Graffiti).
Revelation Ceiling, Newtown Mission
This morning I dropped in for the Sunday Worship at 9.30 am. I walked in and there appeared to be a real cross section of the community young families lots of kids, from all different backgrounds.. The community appeared to be relaxed and informal and Pastor led the service in his jeans. Yes, there was a band Vocals, drums and electric guitar. The words for the song could be viewed on a light pro behind the dais. I have to say I thought they were quite good. I found it rather pleasant, friendly relaxed and the congregation did not appear to be aggressively seeking conversions.
The Revelation Ceiling based on the last book of the bible; Revelation. It was painted by one of the Newtown Mission parishioners, Kon Parris. The mural spans the entire ceiling and took him seven years to complete. It is considered to be the largest 'religious artwork in Australia.
Opening: The Revelation Ceiling is open for viewing on the first Friday & Sunday of each month or by appointment.
Gettting There: By train you can get off at Macdonaldtown or Newtown Railway Station.
I was reading the Newtown Jets Website and the following words grabbed by attention," a Newtown home game at Henson Park on a wintry Saturday afternoon is a definitive cultural experience." Although it was not actually mid winter there was a bit of a chill in the air. I went with a friend and his two little boys, it is never too early to be tribal. It was game 1 of the Frank Hyde (read about Frank Hyde) trophy. We used the entrance on the south west via Centennial Avenue, Marrickville and drove right into the ground and we were able to find a park. There was plenty of parking even though we arrived about 3.05pm.
Norths about to score
We took up our positions on the hill where all the crowd action was heating up. Newtown was already ahead by 10 points so I was anticipating a white wash. The sun started to get a bit of a bite and didn't have a hat. I gravitated towards the merchandise stall positioned at the top of the 'hill' on the western side of the ground. I pulled out my credit card and $25 later I was the proud owner of a Newtown Jets supporters cap. My friend Brendan went to get the beers and the 'cultural icon' of Saturday arvo 'footy' the meat pie. I had just had my tofu salad and as my body is a temple I decided to have a Resch's Draught. My eyes began to well with tears of nostalgia.
Meat Pie
The supporters of both sides were excited and vocal. We were seated directly in front of some passionate North supporters and they dispensed sage advice like a monk to his disciple. "Keep hold of him, good stuff." "Muscle up Bears, Muscle up." "Why don't you kick it for him ref?" They must have been listening because by half time Norths had scored a couple of trys and were leading 16-10. As the half time whistle blew, the kids and Dads were on the field kicking footballs, wrestling it was more violent than the actual game.
The Dispensers of Wisdom
Once the game recommenced I walked around to the Western side of the ground over to the "King George the V" Memorial Grandstand". The photography was better as I was not taking photos into the sun. Besides by this stage although Newtown had evened the score they had given it a way with an intercept try to Norths. In order to get some equilibrium I decided to distract myself by taking photos. The final score 26-22 the Bears victorious. Although I felt a winner and part of something larger than my self.
Norths waving flags after scoring try.
Cost: Ground entry is $10. Concession $5. Kids under $16 free.
Getting There: Henson Park is at the end of Centennial Street, Marrickville- just off Sydenham Road. You can park your car in the ground for an additional $5.
This morning I felt like I was stuck in an episode of the Twilight zone. A year ago I could not imagine saying to Maria, “Where is my wetsuit?" She was quite distracted as she was looking at the beach camera positioned on top of North Bondi RSL. We were debating the surf conditions like seasoned pros. I thought it looked a little choppy however Maria being the more experienced ocean swimmer authoritatively stated that it was fine.
We are members of BondFit triathlon club and on Saturday mornings they offer rookie open water swimming. This was my third time and I felt quite intimidated by the waves. Mermaid, our effervescent coach enthusiasm was contagious. I noticed there were more experienced swimmers and I said to her, “Is this for the big kids or the little kids?" She laughed and said, “Both". She could sense that I was full of trepidation and she paired us beginners with the more experienced swimmers. I was paired up with her and I've always wanted to swim with a 'mermaid'. She literally held my hand and dragged me out. She wasn't a bad sort and I thought can't we just stand here and hold hands. We took it slowly and the main thing that she kept repeating like a mantra was to stay relaxed. I found that I was in oxygen debt before I could get through the breakers. It was not so much my fitness but because of my anxiety about drowning. Once I was able to relax myself I had no issues going out to the calmer water beyond the breakers. Towards the end of the session, we practised some body surfing and I felt like I was eight years old again. Maria and I were swapping war stories, "It threw me under and held me down." "Yeah, they were at least 8 metres high." We must have sounded like we were on speed.
Bondi Beach this morning.
It was great fun had by all and remember kids always swim between the flags.
Getting There:
Parking is expensive however if you arrive in plenty of time quite often you may get a park in some of the back streets. Buses are frequent and depart from the Bondi Junction bus interchange.
On Tuesday I went for a rather pleasant walk around Camperdown Cemetery. Camperdown Cemetery which is situated on the southern end of Church Street about 80 metres from King Street. St Stephen's Anglican Church located at the entrance of the Cemetery is reminiscent of a parish church in England. This building is one of Australia's best Gothic Revival churches on this scale and its unique and historic surroundings render it a building of the highest importance.
The church is in a prominent position on the crest of a rise, approximately three miles south west of the city of Sydney. The spire is notable for miles. The cemetery forms a unique close to the Church; it contains numerous fine trees including a large Moreton Fig Tree. (Lucas 1975, Office of Environment & Heritage).
Camperdown Cemetery 2012
The church was consecrated on Tuesday the 9th of September 1845 by the Bishop of Australia. Nearly 17,530 persons have been laid to rest there. Many of these persons were famous both in Australia and overseas. One of these is little known story of celebrated musician, Nicholas Charles Boscha. Boscha was one of the most celebrated harpists of the day. He was for some years harpist to the Emperor Napoleon. The following is an article contained in the Sydney Morning Herald written in 1927. Napleon Harpist
Getting There
By train you can get off at Macdonaldtown or Newtown Railway Station walking along King Street until you get to Church Street. The church is about 80 m north of King Street.
1845 'PARDONS.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 10 September, p. 3, viewed 4 May, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12882077
1927 'NAPOLEON'S HARPIST.', The Sydney Morning Herald(NSW : 1842 - 1954), 2 July, p. 11, viewed 4 May, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16378269
1938 'HISTORIC CEMETERY.',The Sydney Morning Herald(NSW : 1842 - 1954), 2 November, p. 17, viewed 4 May, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17533590
When we visited our friends who live in Tauranga, New Zealand they took us to their local Fish & Chip shop. On their recent visit to Sydney we were eager to return the favour. We decided to take them to Kirribilli Seafoods at Kirribilli. This is an old favourite and the fish and chips are some of the best in Sydney.
Selection of Fish- Kirribilli Seafoods
Oysters & Prawns- Kirribilli Seafoods
They have a great selection of fish Atlantic Salmon, Australian Barramundi, Ocean Trout, Flat Head, Snapper and Deep Sea Perch. We had the fish of the day which was a NZ Dory with chips for $9.50. We took our 'catch' to Bradfield Park and sat at some well placed picnic tables in the shade. kirribillseafoods
How to Get There: The easiest way is to take the train and get off at Milsons Point Railway Station and turn left when you are in the main concourse heading out the eastern side of the station. There is meter parking under the bridge if you are driving.
I had some friends from New Zealand visiting, they have been to Sydney many times. My dilemma was to take them to a part of Sydney they had not visited before. I haven't walked the Cremorne Foreshore walk for about 12 years. It is a gorgeous walk and one of my favourite harbour walks in all of Sydney. "In this special reserve you can find places to sit and contemplate and an array of outstanding panoramas of Sydney Harbour and its foreshores, from the soaring city skyline and dramatic bridges on the west to quiet bays and wooded slopes on the east." (North City Council) (See Flyer)
Mansion and Garden
Foreshore Walk- Eastern Side
The reserve is a strip of land that is only 30 metre wide but it stretches around the entire shoreline of Cremorne Point. It is a skirt of bush, ornamental gardens, cliffs and tumbled chunks of sandstone providing exceptional access to the harbour foreshore.
Harnett Park view
Getting There
Ferry from Circular Quay Wharf No. 4 to
Cremorne Point Wharf. Bus from either
Wynyard or Northern Beaches Line, change
buses at Neutral Bay Junction and catch the
Cremorne Wharf bus No. 225 at Hayes and
Lower Wycombe Streets, Neutral Bay.
I caught the bus into Circular Quay this morning to take some photos of the Harbour at Dawn. I love the light of the city in the morning. Circular Quay is a must for all visitors for Sydney however as a local it is beautiful to visit when the tourists are nowhere to be seen.
I was looking for an interesting story about Circular Quay and I found the following story about an 'Out of Control Ferry'
