The last few days of 2010 were wonderfully relaxing affairs, an incredible peace and calm and warm summer breeze in Canberra accompanying cricket watching, gentle bushwalks among the local wildlife, and plentiful barbecue meats of the non-local wildlife. The kind of days that I could happily soak up all the way into March.
But the year has to end with a bang, right? The bang of car boots as they are loaded up again for the three hour breeze up to Sydney, just in time for lunch at a well recommended cafe in Maroubra.
The pops of fizzy wine corks as they fly their way out beside Coogee Beach. The hoots and whistles of mildly drunkenly exuberant teens on the bus to the city. All building to the many bangs, pops, hoots and whistles of fireworks in the New Year’s Eve epicentre.
So on a warm night made even toastier by oodles of explosives, a melodic rendition of Barbra Streisand on cyclical loops and a glorious feeling from not singing in the rain, 2011 had arrived. The first day of the year was a great one to start, sunny and very warm,
time for more cooling beverages and barbecue meats with Brits (here, an on the public record thank you very much to Jill, Jake, Louise, Jan, Ken and David for letting me win at Cranium... oh... and the food and company and accommodation). And the climax of the day, a mildly impressive interpretation of Sydney fireworks in the art form of trifle. Can you tell what it is yet?!
The next day travelling under a pile of blueberries and crossing into a custardy North Shore it was on upwards towards the Central Coast for a few days of classic Aussie summer beaches and bushland exposure, the icing on the cake being the icing of the cake and the batter on the fish and the vinegar on the chips and the cheese on the crackers and the chocolate on the beach. Mercifully there were some walks to offset slightly the abundance of food. The first a difficult easy walk through Ku-Ring-Gai Wildflower Park, just minutes from the highway but typical of the national park in which much of northern Sydney seemingly sits.
Rest and recuperation was provided an hour or so later at North Avoca beach, a lovely all Aussie sweep of sand and clear surf, backed by expensively modest homes mingling within the bushland.
A more extensive walk was on the cards the next day, along the Bouddi National Park coastline, this one a genuine medium grade over 14 kilometres or so, the south west coast path Australian style, complete with many ups and
seemingly fewer downs. It was a grey old day in the end, but dry and cool, making for ideal walking weather without the searing heat. The scenery was quite hot itself, rugged and untamed, the curve of Maitland Bay providing a welcome flat stretch midway through.
Apparently the walk burned approximately 1600 calories, which isn’t quite enough to make up for Terrigal fish and chips followed by Terrigal cake the next morning. A little more sedate walking came about the next day (perhaps a biscuit’s worth) pacing out towards Mount Ettalong lookout, a quite exquisite spot overlooking the bays and coves of the Hawkesbury, Pittwater and Brisbane Water. You could almost hear the sound of Aussie wickets in the distance.
The road ends down this way in the waterside village of Patonga, a marvellous spot and relatively untampered and untainted by the world. There was thankfully enough tampering in the past to create a nice, almost British style pub with nice big TV screens showing nice big Aussie wickets. And a fish and chip shop next door with big British style chips and malt vinegar, a relative rarity in this great southern land. Simply irresistible and in a setting nowhere like
Britain! If anyone ventures this way I think I would take them here, via the drive up the Northern beaches to Palm Beach, catch a ferry across the Hawkesbury for lunch, a little bushwalk, dangle a line, get the ferry back all in time for a sunset drive across the harbour bridge.
Back in Sydney it was justifiably soup for dinner, a sign that the indulgence and excess of the holiday season was almost over. Almost over, as there was one more day, a perfect ending in the sunshine and soaring spirit of the Sydney Cricket Ground. The second time in the Ashes series I have watched England bat the whole day... it would have been nice to see some bowling action I suppose, perhaps day four would have been even better, but I’ll settle for this.
At the end of the day the Ashes was all but sewn up, a remarkable achievement given the margin of victories and that very odd blip in Perth (Perth always was a bit different). There was a very contented Englishman driving through the darkness to Canberra, only tinges that the holidays were over darkening the darkness. Compensation abounding with bragging rights over the locals to kick off 2011, and more fun and sporting related shenanigans to come as the summer rolls on. All the happiness of new years to you.
But the year has to end with a bang, right? The bang of car boots as they are loaded up again for the three hour breeze up to Sydney, just in time for lunch at a well recommended cafe in Maroubra.
The pops of fizzy wine corks as they fly their way out beside Coogee Beach. The hoots and whistles of mildly drunkenly exuberant teens on the bus to the city. All building to the many bangs, pops, hoots and whistles of fireworks in the New Year’s Eve epicentre.
So on a warm night made even toastier by oodles of explosives, a melodic rendition of Barbra Streisand on cyclical loops and a glorious feeling from not singing in the rain, 2011 had arrived. The first day of the year was a great one to start, sunny and very warm,
time for more cooling beverages and barbecue meats with Brits (here, an on the public record thank you very much to Jill, Jake, Louise, Jan, Ken and David for letting me win at Cranium... oh... and the food and company and accommodation). And the climax of the day, a mildly impressive interpretation of Sydney fireworks in the art form of trifle. Can you tell what it is yet?!The next day travelling under a pile of blueberries and crossing into a custardy North Shore it was on upwards towards the Central Coast for a few days of classic Aussie summer beaches and bushland exposure, the icing on the cake being the icing of the cake and the batter on the fish and the vinegar on the chips and the cheese on the crackers and the chocolate on the beach. Mercifully there were some walks to offset slightly the abundance of food. The first a difficult easy walk through Ku-Ring-Gai Wildflower Park, just minutes from the highway but typical of the national park in which much of northern Sydney seemingly sits.
Rest and recuperation was provided an hour or so later at North Avoca beach, a lovely all Aussie sweep of sand and clear surf, backed by expensively modest homes mingling within the bushland.
A more extensive walk was on the cards the next day, along the Bouddi National Park coastline, this one a genuine medium grade over 14 kilometres or so, the south west coast path Australian style, complete with many ups and
seemingly fewer downs. It was a grey old day in the end, but dry and cool, making for ideal walking weather without the searing heat. The scenery was quite hot itself, rugged and untamed, the curve of Maitland Bay providing a welcome flat stretch midway through.
Apparently the walk burned approximately 1600 calories, which isn’t quite enough to make up for Terrigal fish and chips followed by Terrigal cake the next morning. A little more sedate walking came about the next day (perhaps a biscuit’s worth) pacing out towards Mount Ettalong lookout, a quite exquisite spot overlooking the bays and coves of the Hawkesbury, Pittwater and Brisbane Water. You could almost hear the sound of Aussie wickets in the distance.
The road ends down this way in the waterside village of Patonga, a marvellous spot and relatively untampered and untainted by the world. There was thankfully enough tampering in the past to create a nice, almost British style pub with nice big TV screens showing nice big Aussie wickets. And a fish and chip shop next door with big British style chips and malt vinegar, a relative rarity in this great southern land. Simply irresistible and in a setting nowhere like
Britain! If anyone ventures this way I think I would take them here, via the drive up the Northern beaches to Palm Beach, catch a ferry across the Hawkesbury for lunch, a little bushwalk, dangle a line, get the ferry back all in time for a sunset drive across the harbour bridge.
Back in Sydney it was justifiably soup for dinner, a sign that the indulgence and excess of the holiday season was almost over. Almost over, as there was one more day, a perfect ending in the sunshine and soaring spirit of the Sydney Cricket Ground. The second time in the Ashes series I have watched England bat the whole day... it would have been nice to see some bowling action I suppose, perhaps day four would have been even better, but I’ll settle for this.
At the end of the day the Ashes was all but sewn up, a remarkable achievement given the margin of victories and that very odd blip in Perth (Perth always was a bit different). There was a very contented Englishman driving through the darkness to Canberra, only tinges that the holidays were over darkening the darkness. Compensation abounding with bragging rights over the locals to kick off 2011, and more fun and sporting related shenanigans to come as the summer rolls on. All the happiness of new years to you. 
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