Archive for the ‘ Sydney Stuff ’ Category
Clover wins. Photo wins. Coincidence? I think not.
Clover Moore has successfully defended her position as Sydney’s lord mayor, frustrating the efforts of the major parties and media mouthpieces to oust her. This is a Good Thing. Read more
Last weekend was a special opportunity for those who have lots of junk lying around, or just like a bargain. I fell into the former category, and used the Garage Sale Trail as an opportunity to rid myself of the aforementioned junk. Sure, garage sales have been around since… well, garages, but the Garage Sale Trail by simply getting people to hold them on the same day becomes so much more – whole suburbs turn into markets for the day! Whether you want to offload your trash, or find some treasure, here are five reasons you should get involved next year.
Biking has to take a back seat this weekend (or I could get a tandem?) as it’s time to celebrate my better half’s birthday. (NB I did get in a morning ride first!)
Redleaf
On a Saturday morning ride along the harbour out to Vaucluse, I decided to snap a photo at the best harbour swimming spots en route. Read more
Barangaroo, now with asbestos!
Like the fish market, the controversial Barangaroo site is ugly, but it has water views and makes a nice traffic free detour, but not any more.
I swear PhotoShop has not been used. Read more
April is here, and that means 30daysofbiking - it’s a project from some Minneapolitans with no politicis, no fundraising, no campaigning… just getting people out and riding their bikes for 30 days straight. It’s a great idea, encouraging people to get riding and doing it repeatedly – it’s exactly the sort of thing psychologists would recommend if you want people to change habits and behaviour.
Here in Sydney, riding your bike regularly can result in being attacked by motorists, or if you’re lucky enough to have the police around, being fined. Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore has done her best to make cycling safer and more acceptable, most notably by building dedicated cycle lanes. Sounds like a good idea right? Especially in a city where transport issues dominate headlines and political campaigns. So of course, with the cycle network only half complete, the NSW government has naturally decided to put a stop to it, by creating a new committee to oversee (and no doubt veto) any further cycling infrastructure development.
Because what the commuters need is another committee, not a viable transport alternative. Bravo Barry.
As a result, a group of Clover’s supporters arranged a rolling rally, well attended by Sydney cyclists of all shapes and sizes. The Stig was definitely my favourite. The crowd was in good spirits and good voice for the speechy parts, and then moved off for a ride around the patchy, and thus far, poorly-connected cycle lanes in the CBD. Proving how much Sydney needs better cycling facilities, the first 100m from Town Hall had to be done on foot, pushing our bikes along the footpath.
To everyone who got out for the ride, good work! Keep it up for the rest of April, and encourage others to join in. I’ll be documenting my 30daysofbiking experiences here with a photo a day.
In this year’s incarnation another bunch of artists shoot a load of their creative juices over the Bondi to Tamarama coastline… in more ways than one. I may have zero education or training in art appreciation, but I won some stickers at a Dr Sketchy event once, so my opinion carries some weight: most of the pieces seem less like art, and more like illegal dumping of junk from the artist’s garage. Thankfully all the ‘pieces’-cum-middens have little cards with numbers to point out that what you are looking at is indeed art. I was sorely tempted to move one of the cards and place it next to a workout station, which to be frank, was more aesthetically pleasing. And let’s be honest, if you or I put music playing motion sensors on our property, the council would tear it down in a matter of days.
Still, some of the pieces do add a certain whimsy, and others a sense of humour. But the majority seem to be making up the numbers. Thankfully the view of the ocean is always there if you need something inspiring to look at. And if you go at dusk, you might get a guy playing classical guitar on the clifftop next to the big head.
At the end of the day, it’s a good excuse to go and enjoy one of the best strolls in the world, and will no doubt spark discussion, but it would be nice if future editions didn’t have so many (land) filler pieces.
Sculpture by the Sea litters the Bondi coastal walk until Nov 14. Or you can stay at home and view it via the flickr group.
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