Deliriously Happy Holidays

The shorts are on, the flies are out and the smell of bushfires can only be around the corner. Christmas down under!

May I take this opportunity to wish my regular reader a very merry Christmas. And do not fret about the lack of recent activity on this blog, as 'tis the season to drive to Queensland and back with camera attached to hip.

Love,
Neilio

Counting down the days

It’s December and it doesn’t bloody well feel like it! Somehow Christmas parties in shorts don’t seem right. I can cope with the sun and the light evenings though, getting dark after eight means time after work to do stuff, including an ever regular walk around Red Hill. I went there in the week and it was as relaxing as ever… I even explored a new bit just a bit further south to vary it up.





It was a tough old week at work cramming everything in to four days, as Friday was our all day Christmas party. Apart from a torrential storm for an hour just as we were about to have a BBQ, it was a great day. In the end we had our barbie, just a little later than planned and undercover. Here’s the family shot!

Day soon turned into night and night into the next day and somehow on Saturday I was a bit tired. However, a lunch of BBQ leftovers gave me enough energy to go chill out beside the Murrumbidgee River, just on the western outskirts of Canberra. There are a few pools and swimming holes here and, despite looking very brown, the water’s quite nice to cool off in. That evening and it was another BBQ, for which there were more leftovers for Sunday lunch. Sunday dinnertime is now approaching and I’m just gonna have a nice salad or something, no more barbies!!

The rest of Sunday was generally a day doing chores but also arranging my Christmas holiday and a road trip up to Queensland and back down to Sydney for New Year. Christmas on the beach and New Year on the harbour. Worth counting down the days!

Water Falls

Elton John was in Canberra on Friday night. An open air concert. It was chucking it down, thunder claps and lightning, very very frightening. I was safely tucked away at home avoiding the Rocket Man, plotting my escape, stroking my mo for the final time.

Saturday dawned overcast but I was adamant that today was an escape from Canberra day and, picking up my friend Jodie, whizzed up the boring Federal Highway to Hungry Jacks at Marulan. The burgers are better there. Luckily it is not much further before the turn off takes you to a mystical world of giant ferns and waterfalls, sandstone cliffs and sqwawks of black cockatoos. Good old Morton National Park, probably about the size of Wales and not a sheep in site.

Instead of heading to the easily accessible Fitzroy Falls (again), we pushed on towards Belmore Falls, which looks very much like Fitzroy Falls, reached by a dirt road a bit muddy in parts but very fun to drive. The highlight was the river crossing, which sounds more dramatic than it was (about 2 inches of water) yet it was very scenic and so so so Australian bush… the windows wound down, the sounds of the tyres splashing their way through the water, and the amazingly fresh scent of the forest pouring in. There were a few lookouts here, taking in the misty expanse of green gums clogging up the valleys and lining the ridges, down to Kangaroo Valley and of course across to the white streak of the falls themselves.

Like a waterfall plunging off the escarpment, the road winds down several hundred metres to Kangaroo Valley, a beautiful green expanse sweeping along until it hits the barrier of the escarpment. It’s an idyllic spot and like so many idyllic spots attracts its share of crafte stores and lolly shoppes. It also has Hampton Bridge crossing the Kangaroo River which, yes, could have been shipped straight from London.

From down here the way forward looks impenetrable yet somehow the road climbs with 25 kph hairpins and it’s not long until you are back on high ground at Fitzroy Falls. The Falls were pretty much the same as the last time I saw them but nonetheless staggering. We walked along the west rim for a bit, taking in the views and lookdowns to the valley as well as other falls which had emerged following the rain.

And so it was that I took one last gaze down the valley at thousands of trees winding their way into the horizon, coming to an abrupt halt at the foot of sheer cliff faces, took in a few deep breaths of the freshest air and returned to the real world.

A Momentous Moment

This weekend has been rather momentous in world history, with the appointment of the first ever national leader called Kevin. It’s been interesting I suppose watching an election unfold in which you can’t vote. So what’s different to elections around the world? Not much really… millions spent on advertising and dissing the opposition, convoluted voting systems and even more convoluted presentation of the results and promises promises promises. Friday night looking down on Parliament House and all was serene.

Saturday was polling day and I didn’t really see much of what was going on but am told the polling stations are like little industries in themselves – cake stalls, sausage sizzles, book stalls. It’s compulsory to vote here, unless you happen to be from overseas yet still pay considerable taxes. I got my chance to participate in an alternative ballot down at the M16 artspace, which is run by a friend of mine. Plenty of people were drawing pictures and alternative ballot papers and scary union bosses. Democracy in action.

Election coverage is bewildering at the best of times, but the Australian networks report the votes from each polling station as they come in…rather than adding them all up and giving the result at the end. This means the TV networks are calling winners after 1% of the electorate have voted. As it turns out, a day later we still don’t really know if John Howard has lost his seat or not. Canberra had its little place in the sun though, as the networks broadcast from the National Tally Room, a noisy hub of numbers and swings and Chaser generated mayhem.

Come Sunday, new leadership, future thinking blah blah blah. But all was pretty much the same, Canberra was warm, the flies were out, the Canberra Centre was busy with Christmas shoppers and Australian Idol was on TV. That one had a winner too, and I daresay more people voted for that than the election!

MOrdor

This week I have mostly been busy grooming my moustache, pictures of which can be found by clicking here. I dunno if it's exacerbated by the extra hair, but it has felt pretty hot in the last few days - sunny but muggy days followed by late afternoon storms... we may as well be in Darwin! On Sunday eve, I drove up to Mount Ainslie where the views were Tolkienesque... heavy brooding clouds, lightning crackling over the distant ranges and the sky glowing where the sun seeks to penetrate the darkness.

Back across the Molonglo

Returning from my day trip to the coast (see below), the clouds had formed over Canberra bringing spots of rain and a glorious sunset over the lake. This was the perfect end to a great day.

Motoring to Moruya

After a pleasant Saturday perusing the National Gallery, having coffee in Kingston and throwing some meat on the BBQ, my itchy get-out-of-Canberra feet were increasingly taking a hold of me, walking me to the car and putting the foot on the accelerator and driving me east to the coast. It was a beautiful day after somewhat cool and damp weather lately, perfect to cross the escarpment and dip my feet in the ocean. After the twists and turns of the descent of Clyde Mountain it was nice to be on the flat, lush farmland of the Moruya region.

I headed to Moruya Heads, which presented the archetypal South Coast scenes of sparsely populated beaches, beautiful blue water and bush. After a little wander round I settled for a read of the papers, a dip in the water, a bit more of a read, another dip and another wander around the rocks. Not a bad spot to relax on a Sunday afternoon and worth the two hour drive.



I couldn’t sit on the beach and read the papers all day (well, actually I could), so headed around the coastline for another wander through part of Eurobodalla National Park to admire more of the views and the ambience of being beside the seaside.

I clearly wasn't going to leave the coast without eating fish and chips, especially after talking about it at length on Friday, and so headed back to Moruya where, frankly, I was disappointed. The fish and chips were distinctly average and I had to share it with the flies and seagulls. Never mind, at least Santa Claus is coming to town.

The fish and chips and sea air left me feeling a little fatigued and not really looking forward to the hike back but in the end I really enjoyed the drive. I cranked up some sing-a-long-oasis which I hadn’t listened to for some time, sang along loudly and cruised the quiet roads. Before the climb up the mountain I veered off onto a dirt road to check out the view.

The sun lowering in the sky, with storm clouds brewing over the interior, cast dramatic light over the golden plains and rolling hills of the tablelands, making the journey back a pleasure and providing one final encore beside the lake in Canberra. Bar the slightly disappointing fish and chips it was an excellent day and it’s good to know the South Coast can be a reasonable day trip. I returned home glowing from the day by the sea… I guess the only other downside of the day will be the white un-tanned moustachioed part of my face come December!

An average weekend

If all had gone to plan I shouldn’t even be sitting here writing this now. I should be strolling along a beach on the NSW-VIC border, contemplating a meal of fish and chips before returning to my tent. However, despite all the talk of shorts recently the weather took a lousy turn for the worse and I cancelled the trip – I didn’t come all this way to get soaked and cold in a tent beside the seaside! It comes as bit more of a shock to have to change plans based on the weather here, but I still had a decent time based around Canberra and was heartened to hear of the 50mm of rain overnight in Merimbula. Canberra itself had spits and spots of rain, mostly overnight, which meant I was still able to get out and expose my unkempt face to the elements…in fact it turned into a pretty average weekend really – shopping, washing, walking, cooking and taking in a national attraction.

I consoled myself with the cancelled plans by eating the very last of the treasured fudge from Cornwall – my last ties to the summer holiday – before hitting the shops to buy many birthday and Christmas cards. I often go the same place in the food court when in the Canberra Centre and get a small dish of butter chicken with a veggie samosa. To be radical this time I had an onion bhaji instead of a samosa. It was that wild a weekend!

In the late afternoon the weather was generally OK, bright but humid, so the car and I got together again and ventured to Googong Dam, which is about 20 minutes away. It’s fairly extensive and quite pretty in places…almost a bit Lake Districty in parts.

One of the rivers flowing from the dam forms a number of rock pools and cascades, which would’ve been really calm and peaceful bar the odd bogan or two from nearby Queanbeyan diving into the pools. Plus all the flies, which are getting increasingly annoying as the seasons progress.

If I really wanted peace and quiet and seclusion, then it was easy to find, driving a few more kilometres down the road to a deserted car park which was the starting point of a number of trails. I walked amongst the scrubby meadows, gum trees and rather large mobs of kangaroos towards a viewpoint (gotta love the viewpoints!) which is at the head of Googong Dam.

As you can see I also didn’t use a razor over the weekend (more of that in a minute).

The walk was fairly pleasant and I managed to stay dry, returning to Canberra just before the storm clouds rolled in and gave the garden a bit of a soaking. The tomatoes have really benefited from recent rains and have shot up. In fact, all the plants (and weeds) are rapidly growing, flowering, attracting spiders and huge ants…it’s becoming a bit of a jungle out there. There’s even some nice TNS pink flowering bog brushes in the front. One of the plants I bought should look like this someday…but whether I’ll be around to see it come to fruition is another matter. Oh well, my legacy to Narrabundah.

Whilst Saturday was the shopping and outdoorsy part of the typical weekend, Sunday was the cultural and cooking part. I visited, for the first time, Old Parliament House, which was incredibly interesting. Not only does it house the National Portrait Gallery but you can wander round the corridors, cubicles and couches of power, almost as they were the day they were left back in the 80s. It’s all wood panelling, typewriters and endless volumes detailing parliamentary sittings, scattered around a maze of offices and meeting rooms. I’m sure Bob Hawke’s empty glass was left on his desk. I think the (relative) recency of this place truly positioned it as a piece of living history, and all for two dollars.

Whilst wandering Old Parly House I was on the look out for any old pictures or sculptures of moustachioed bureaucrats. I need to get some hints on styling as my facial hair increases…you can see what it’s all about and what’s happening on my sister blogsite! Check out http://canberramos.blogspot.com. Hopefully you will be entertained and encouraged to dig into your pocket for a worthy cause. In the meantime, the Monday morning dilemma awaits…which parts of my face shall I shave? Looking back, maybe I should’ve gone to the Australian Institute of Sport instead of OPH… Boonie, Hughes, Lilley. Inspiration indeed.

All the fun of the fair

This past week brought some Sydney action complete with all the usual harbour bridges, opera houses and beaches, plus a touch of industrial heritage, a couple of dodgy pubs, Eastern Suburbs pram pushers, fairground rides, the sexiest Westfield food court in the world, regression models and a chimichanga. Wouldn’t get all that in Canberra now would we?!

I was here for a work conference which was happily located in Luna Park, on the north side of that bridge thing. Like the weather, the conference was all sunny periods one minute, dark clouds and torrential downpours the next. The highlight was the free fairground rides at the end, combining just superbly with the sufferings of a previous night on the turps. If you look closely you might see me taking a few deep breaths on one of the rides.

The weekend weather was pretty fine though – the birds certainly seemed to enjoy it at 5am – and it was a nice clear view from the legendary Westfield food court in Bondi Junction over the city and harbour. Of course it was inevitable that I would hit the harbour one way or another. For a change though it wasn’t the usual Manly ferry but a boat ride to Cockatoo Island, home of evil magpies and dangerous seagulls and no cockatoos. This was something of a contrast to all the usual glitz and glamour of the harbourside, instead providing an interesting look back on what has been a former convict island, a site of some serious shipbuilding and a soon to be campsite. The really good thing was the way you could wander around at will, sometimes quite eerily, at other times thinking you could be in a movie set or one of those pop videos with some dancing girls or something.



Normal service was resumed in the afternoon, with a beautiful ride over the water to Taronga and a bus ride through wealthy parts to Balmoral Beach, a sedate spot to stroll on the beach, walk over to an island and generally feel jealous of the youth of today.



It was also an ideal spot to take a tokenistic snap of me on a beach just to say here I really am. I urge you to notice once again the very important wearing of shorts. Also, notice the reasonably clean shaven look which is not set to last as Movember approaches.

The journey ride back to Circular Quay was pleasing as the sun lowered in the sky on the last day before daylight savings.

In the quay, a huge passenger liner was taking up all the space and views but deciding to leave for the night, doing a uu-ey at the harbour bridge and heading out towards the heads. It provided quite a spectacle on top of the thousands of people quaffing by the opera house and watching the sun set.

The daylight saving jetlag kicked in on Sunday, but a coffee in Centennial Park helped out, along with a strong desire to avoid the biggest pram push of the year which was going on. To be truthful, it was nothing on a walk through Swilly to Plymco! Eastern suburbs pram pushing is a totally different affair, all designer ‘pushchairs’ and jolly well behaved children. The park is pretty big though, so it is easy to escape the many kids birthday parties going on.

Nearby, is Woollahra, home of Elle McPherson and er, I can’t remember many other facts. Has a nice place for pizza though and is quietly leafy. By this time, I was ready for a nice afternoon nap and it wasn’t long until I boarded the coach back to Canberra and tried in vain to sleep my way past Mittagong and Collector. The coach was pretty quick though and especially good was the fact that it was still light when I got back. Bring on the summertime!