When The Rain Is A Pain That Can Drive You Insane

As I mentioned in my last blog 'A State Of Origin Story'  about the troubles I had when trying to photograph around the North Sydney area during a torrential downpour, well that didn't stop me from at least attempting to capture some of the essence of Australia's number one city.


My walk started around the North Sydney area and would you believe there is a James Barnett designed North Sydney Post Office, completed in 1888 at a cost of  £4,500 (that was the cost for the Post Office only, today that would be around $4million!) sitting on the corner of the Pacific Highway and Mount Street , it is now swamped by the larger office towers. Now what is also interesting is that the clock tower wasn't added until 1895, when Walter Liberty Vernon was the NSW Government Architect and so if you look closely at the clock tower you'll notice that it is not of the same design of the main building, showing a more 'baroque' architectural style, than Barnett's original 'Italianate' design. The cost of adding that clock tower was £965 (around $800,000). Also prior to 28th August 1890, North Sydney was known as St Leonards (now a suburb located further up the Pacific Highway) and so it will, or should be, celebrating 120 years of service to the good citizens of the area this year. 


The Post Office wasn't the reason for my photographic adventure, although it did it did prove to be an interesting diversion. My walk continued down to Lavender Bay, which has wonderful views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the west and then around to the iconic Luna Park. It was here that rain was pelting down so hard that I didn't even bother to photograph that wonderful Sydney landmark, I just ran for the relative cover of the Sydney Harbour Bridge approaches at Milsons Point.



Now if you are looking for one of the best vantage points for trying to photograph the Sydney CBD skyline or the Opera House, I would suggest there is no other better spot than just at the park located under the pylons of the bridge at Milsons Point, even during a torrential downpour, the shots are spectacular.


Unfortunately as the weather became worse, with the wind starting to blow the rain horizontal and making it even harder to do any photography without damaging my Sanyo S1275 camera, I reluctantly gave up. Also, by this stage I was utterly soaked through, especially the shoes and socks, so with discretion being the better part of valour, I headed towards drier destinations.


I will definitely be heading back to that area of Sydney, to not only to photograph some of Australia's most iconic structures, but also to check out some of the history of the area, such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

I just love it.

             

A State Of Origin Story

One of Australia's biggest annual sporting fixtures is the Rugby League State Of Origin series, which is contested by the best representative Rugby League teams in the world, New South Wales (The Blues or Cockroaches) and Queensland (The Maroons or Canetoads). This year the opening game was being hosted by NSW at the ANZ Stadium (Olympic Park - Homebush).


Now normally I don't get to go to the State Of Origin games, due to the fact thay are played mid-week, they involve lots of travel and it is very expensive. So for the most part, like a lot of others, I'm usually confined to watching the game on television


However, not this year.


As luck would have my son was able to score some free tickets to the game, a series that promised to be the start of a NSW resurgence after a four series losing streak. 


Unfortunately someone forgot to tell the weather gods!


I decided to travel down to Sydney early to hopefully have lunch around the harbour, read a good book and take some wonderful pictures (using my Sanyo S1275 camera) of some of the stunning icons of Sydney, such as the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, before heading out to the game.


However, it rained.


It didn't just rain, it poured rain all afternoon, without a break and nearly wrecked my plans for a photographic stroll along the harbour . However, being a keen photographer I decided to go for a walk down to the harbour anyway and hoped that I would score a break in the weather. I did manage a few shots from under the relative protection of a fragile umbrella, but in the end I had to give up, I was soaked and the wind threatened to turn my flimsy canvas protection inside out.
I was so disappointed, it's not often I get to travel down to Sydney and when I do, I really do love to get out  with either of  my cameras, walk the streets and try to capture its stunning beauty. On this trip however, it was a wash out.


So it was off to Game 1 of the 2010 State Of Origin series and as luck would have it, it kept on raining. Although the it continued to rain (it did stop15 minutes into the game), the game itself was still a high quality contest and after 80 minutes of outstanding Rugby League, the Canetoads held out to win 28 - 24 and take a 1 nil lead in the 3 match series.


While the day was a washout, the game, and the experience was one not to missed. The day has also inspired me to book a weekend in Sydney, wander along to the northern shore with my cameras and try to capture some of the stunning beauty of Sydney Harbour.


Just have to make sure it doesn't rain next time!      

Australia's Riviera

I'd like to be a Tram-man, and ride about all day,
Calling out, "Fares, please!" in quite a 'ficious way,
With pockets full of pennies which I'd make the people pay.
But in the hottest days I'd take my tram down to the Bay;
And when I saw the nice cool sea I'd shout "Hip, hip, hooray!"
   But I wouldn't be a tram-man if ...
      I couldn't stop and play.
         Would you? 

 CJ Dennis (A Book For Kids - 1921)

What a grand day it must been when Mr Cary from the Excelsior Land Company smashed a bottle of champagne over wheel of the locomotive and declared the £15,000  tramway officially open on the 7th March 1891. The 100 or so invited dignitaries made the 6 minute trip from Fassifern Station  and were greeted at Toronto by  Mr Samuel Fisher (owner of the Toronto Hotel) who had prepared a banquet to celebrate this momentous occasion. This tramway was only one of three privately run ventures in NSW, with the others being at Parramatta and Rockdale in Sydney.

A day trip to the Toronto picnic grounds was a special day indeed and with the Excelsior Land Company selling land throughout the boom years of the 1890's the tramway's future seemed assured. While the early years proved productive for this privately run venture, with the economic downturn of the late 1890's, the standard gradually fell away, even to the point where locomotives were replaced by horses to complete the 5klm journey and so local residents started to demand that the Government take over the operation. 

So it was on the 28th May 1911, NSWGR reopened the totally refurbished railway, including a new station at Toronto, new tracks and upgrading of the bridges to mainline standard, capable to taking any of NSWGR's rolling stock.Once again Toronto had became a day trippers delight with visitors coming from Newcastle and some as far away as Sydney, to partake in the pleasures of what was described as Australia's Riviera.

However, with the advent of the private motor car, the fascination of a long train trip to Toronto fell away and so on 30th March 1990 the last diesel electric train left Toronto, to be replaced by a bus service (ironically called 'The Train'). 

Today the entire length of the railway is a is an easily traversed bike/walk track, which is sealed all the way and is quite a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. The old rail tracks are still visible through the encroaching scrub and there are many points of interest along the way.

So grab your camera, grab a picnic lunch and spend an enjoyable day along one NSW most historic railways, the railway to Australia's Riviera. 

   

 Further reading on this subject can be found at http://home.kooee.com.au/ajl/cp/history.htm

The Winter Solstice

C'mon I know you all love the winter & can't wait to go for those long romantic walks along a windswept deserted beach, just you & your loved one enjoying the moment of solitude that only true love can bring.

No? Well you're probably right, lol.

So here I was, shortest day of the year, the winter solstice & with about 15 other hardy souls

from the the Flickr group, Newcastle Sundance http://www.flickr.com/groups/sundancers/ we

gathered at Stockton Beach at sunrise to capture this unique occasion. However, the weather gods weren't kind & the day produced an overcast morning to obscure the first rays of sun to

greet us hardy (some would say foolish) photographers.

The morning wasn't a total loss & after packing up our gear, we headed for Lexies On The Beach for a warming hot coffee & a bit of

breakfast. Later that morning I drove along the Hunter River & was able to capture some of the beauty of our wonderful river, bejewelled in the early morning light.

So if you see a group of amateur photographers wandering around some of Newcastle's iconic locations , especially around sunrise & sunset, it is probably the Newcastle Sundancers group.