Introduction:
The Great Australia Trip of 2024
I spent about 2.5 weeks in Australia in October 2024,
with 6 days in Sydney being a tourist, 5 days in Brisbane
as a tourist, 2 days in a rainforest in a national park
(including travel), and 4 days at a conference (the intial
motivation for the trip), and 2 or 3 days traveling.
I was traveling from October 9 - Octover 28, 2024.
The trip was a lot of fun, it was easy to get around, and
I got to get a taste of some of what Australia is.
That included: learning some of the history, politics,
and culture; seeing some of the cultural landmarks,
seeing wildlife that is unique to Australia or the region;
having food from places in the Asia-Pacific region;
seeing an ocean, a river, mountains, rainforests, parks,
botanic gardens, zoos, and more. I learned that the 14-15
hour time difference wasn't that bad for me (both when
I got there and when I got back home) and that my dislike
of smartphones is more than a professional occupational hazard.
Not bad for just a couple weeks.
Since I have nowhere perfect to put this and it spans
the entire trip, I'll start off with a visual summary
of some of the dining (largely Asian cuisines) I enjoyed
on the trip. Click on the image for the full size picture.
This section includes the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament building,
Hyde Park, Sydney Harbo(u)r, and the Opera House.
The first couple days I explored various areas around Sydney,
especially between my hotel in Surry Hills and the Harbor.
I didn't take any pictures of the trip over. It was a long
set of flights, including flying east to DC before flying west
to LA. I was a bit of a zombie the first day (I didn't go to
sleep until the end of the first day, which had been a couple
days or so, but after that I synched up pretty quickly.
I stayed at a little "boutique" hotel which was pretty nice and conveniently located. But that's not what stuck out to me…
001-DSC_8887.jpg
It's possible being awake for a few days made me loopy, but the toilet looked...(more)
On the way to th Sydney Harbor and back I had passed the New
South Wales Parliament building a few times and noticed that
they had free daily tours. It sounded interesting and
offered a way to be inside, away from the sun which could be
very, very angry at people during the day.
The tour included a bit of the public space in the building,
though the building goes
It was interesting seeing the similarities to both the British
Parliament and the US Federal government. Two houses, direct
election, and so on.
003-DSC_8890.jpg
The Legislative Assembly chamber is forthe lower house. Their color theme is...(more)
005-DSC_8892.jpg
Another view of the replica of the "you need to leave now" mace with the seat...(more)
007-DSC_8894.jpg
The Black Rod that is carried by the Usher of the Black Rod to pound on the...(more)
008-DSC_8896.jpg
The Vice Regal chair in the Legislative Council which is over 160 years old and...(more)
012-parlaiment_fount...
The building is a "square donut" and in the center, outside, is a cool...(more)
015-DSC_8909.jpg
The flags flying in fromt of the NSW Parliament building (Australia, NSW, and...(more)
Hyde Park is a large park in the middle of Sydney and is the oldest public park in Australia. It has a fountain with a naked dude (Thesius) slaying a naked Minotaur, along with some other statues at the north end, and the ANZAC WWI memorial next to the Pool of Remembrance on the south end. Lots of trees…kind of weird, twisted, freaky trees. The the east is St. Mary's Cathedral. It's a nice park that was a couple blocks away from my hotel and provided some limited protection from the angry, angry sun.
The
Sydney Opera House, located on Bennelong Point, at the edge of
Sydney Harbor, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998,
is an icon of not only Sydney but Australia. The city of Sydney
extends both north and south of the harbor (and west too), with
ferries that run multiple times and hour connecting to many points
around the area. Not only is it convenient transportation, it's
also an easy way to sightsee at the same time.
I took a guided tour of the Opera House. We went to the various
theaters, some of the vista, got the history, and more. It was
quite interesting. The tour was at 9 or 10 in the morning. We
went to the concert hall, sitting in the balcony, as the guide
told us about it and the new acoustic and echo dampers that were
installed a few years ago. Herbie Hancock was going to be performing
that night, and his stage crew was setting things up, like the stands
for the synthesizers, the drum set, and so on. Because there were
people on the stage, we weren't allowed to take picture in the auditorum.
The guide was hoping they might take a break and walk off the stage,
but they didn't and actually more stagehands walked out to
plan the setup.
Similarly, while the main theater was empty, the complete set was assembled
and out on the state for the play Sunset Boulivard. Set, lighting,
and costume designs (and choreography) are protected by copyright. Another
thing I learned on that tour. So again, we were not allowed to take any
pictures in that theater. The only theater that we visited where photographs
were allowed as The Playhouse, which is a very small, basic theater.
There is, for all practical purposes, no backstage or side stage. It's
just a small box.
The other theaters have a larger capacity but have their own space
constraints. The orchestra hall has all sorts of adjustable hanging
acoustic dampers to try to manage the echoes while still allowing for
a full sound. The main theater has very little backstage area. But
its floor is a massive elevator so they can change the sets. Also,
the ceiling is very high and they can hoist and drop things as needed.
And there's some rediculous number and weight capacity of lights that
are supported. For operas, the orchestra pit is partially/mostly
under the stage. Many musicians can't see the conductor so
there are video montors hanging from the low ceiling so they can see
the cues. Many wear hearing protection because it's so damned loud
in the back since the only opening is at the front.
034-DSC_8948.jpg
A picture of someone taking a picture of herself. I assume it's for social...(more)
046-DSC_8979.jpg
The tour continued up a set of stairs that is closed to the public during the...(more)
047-DSC_8980.jpg
There was a nice view of the Sydney Harbor from the back part of the Concert...(more)
049-DSC_8982.jpg
All of us had little mini-radios and headphones. The guide had a mic and could...(more)
066-DSC_9008.jpg
For a couple hundred dollars, you can walk up on the top of the Harbour Bridge,...(more)
074-DSC_9019.jpg
Luna Park Sydney, a creepy looking older amusement park on the northern shore...(more)
