Last Week's Touristing

I said this once, and I'll say it again... Time is flying.  Perhaps in Australia time moves faster than it does in Canada.  Another week has passed and it's time to let you know what I did.  Starting with my trip to Cockatoo Island.  Last Monday, I took the ferry over on a somewhat gloomy day.  I'm not sure whether it was my choice of day or whether it is just not a very popular tourist spot, but there was very few people on the island.  I was the only one to disembark the boat and was primarily walking along the paths on my own, which was fine by me because it matched the eerie past of the island.  I picked up my free audio tour (I found a coupon in one of the tourism brochures I picked up) and set off.  Most people are familiar with the island being a place for prisoners in the 1800s, but it was also an industrial school for girls (they slept in the same dorms that the prisoners had previously - crazy) and a shipyard to repair/make merchant vessels, warships and submarines.  The tour started off with the history of the prisoners and the tiny area that they were held and the horrible conditions that they lived in.  There were also a number of tales from former prisoners and local Australians about what they saw or heard during that time.  Interestingly, there were several escape attempts through the shark-infested waters.  But, only one known success case, Australian cowboy 'Thunderbolt' Fred Ward.  Although, he was only successful because of his wife, Mary Bugg, who swam to the island first to give him the tools he needed to escape.  

Fun fact: Cockatoo Island is the only island in the harbour on which you can camp overnight. 

After that, toward the end of the 1800s, it was an industrial school for girls.  The students were orphans and delinquent girls, and they were more or less treated like the prisoners that came before them.  The island didn't last very long as an industrial school because of the corruption and inhumane treatment.  On a funnier note, I accidentally had a photo shoot in solitary confinement.  As I mentioned, there were very few other tourists, and by this time a few drops of rain had dropped.  So I took the opportunity to set my camera down and get a picture of me on the island, without shame of other people watching me.  And thank goodness there was no one around because not only did I set the timer to wait 10 seconds before taking, I also managed to set it to take 10 pictures at a time.  I only realized this when the second shot sounded.  It was too late to turn back, so I photo-shooted in full effect, with different poses and everything.  Here is one of those pictures:

Just off camera there were very aggressive, angry seagulls squawking at me to move along.

 Then the tour took me through the different workshops and machinery used in the naval yard throughout the 1900s. The warehouses were extensive and there was an interesting divide, almost rivalry it seemed, between all of the different departments. That's all I can remember from my tour.  If you had the urge to learn more check out the Cockatoo Island website.

On Wednesday, I went for a quick trip to the Art Gallery of New South Wales.  Art galleries in Sydney are usually free so I popped in for a visit.  The building was a really neat old building and there were some good collections there.  I liked seeing the scenes of the city in the paintings from Australian artists, plus there was a really pretty exhibition of Japanese art.  But, I did find that there was a lot more contemporary/abstract art than I would have liked.  One of my favourite areas was the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art collection.  They use a lot of lines and dots to make designs that are optical illusions jumping from the canvas.

19th Century (I think)

Fruit Bats -  Lin Onus

This was in the modern Australian art collection looking out to the park.
 Captain Cook - Michael Parekowhai

Then on Friday I went on a hike with my friend Elsa from Spit Bridge to Manly Wharf.  The scenic walkway is almost 10km and took us about four and a half hours total because we had to stop to take pictures at every turn because, much like my last trip to Manly, the views were spectacular.  The trail goes through some wooded areas, along beaches, residential roads, and park pathways, which makes for a good mix of scenery. 

Along the way made a couple of key stops.  We took a break at a tiny little beach off of the path because I felt the need to dip my feet in the water.  It was a pretty warm day, though not warm enough to swim.  The water was ice cold, but it was utterly worth numb toes to say that I have been in the ocean off the Australian coast.  

  

We also took a small detour to see the Grotto lighthouse.  We thought we were a little lost because surely you are supposed to see a lighthouse from far away.  But, we only saw it when we were right next to it because it was just a cute little one.

We made it to Manly before it was too dark, and had a quick peek of Manly Beach before all the light was gone.  There was a full moon and some brave surfers continuing to rip the waves just by the moonlight.  To end the night, we went to the New Brighton Hotel to have a cold beer and a bite to eat on their rooftop patio (with gas heaters to keep us warm).

It was a really great way to end a great day.   Then, we took the ferry back.  I didn't do any more touristing after that trip, and just spent my time lazing about and going out with friends.  I also cleaned my room preparing for the parental visit.  On that note, mom and dad made it here safely this morning.  They even miraculously drove to my residence without a map and on the wrong side of the road.  I will post soon about what the three of us get up to!