7 November 2020 Back to the Harbour

The blue Jacaranda trees are in full bloom here in Sydney.  Not native to Australia, they still have grown here for over 150 years  .These are on the streets by our friends, Tim and Jennifer Chandler who are expats working here in Australia.  Jennifer works in the mission office several days a week with us and Tim also serves as the bishop of the young single adult ward we attend.  

They invited all of the senior missionary couples to join them at their home for brunch and a day out together.  Their home overlooks the city and has a partial view of the harbour.  A two-story patio area with enough room for all those young single adults to get together for barbecues and other gatherings, afforded us a great view to begin our outing. 

Don, Mike, and Theresa Thomas on the upper patio area.

View from the patios

Tim and Jennifer served us a fabulous brunch and we enjoyed being together in such warm, inviting surroundings.  Afterward, it was time to head to the ferry and over to Darling Harbour.  Don and I had explored this area before but due to Covid, we were unable to see everything on that occasion.  So this was a time to explore again and enjoy being with friends.  

Enjoying our meal with Thomas', Andersons, Christensens, and Chandlers.  The spiral staircase in the back leads to the upper patio. We started walking to the ferry and found ourselves just under the Harbour Bridge with another view of the Opera House.  Then, it was on to Milsons Point and Luna Park wharf where we took the ferry over to Darling Harbour.    

Luna Park is a large amusement park that has had several ownership changes and closures over the years.  But the Luna face is seen clearly in the harbour and still offers entertainment for roller-coaster enthusiasts and other thrill seekers.  Alas, Don had to pass up the opportunity--we didn't put it on the agenda.  But his children and grandchildren know he is a roller-coaster junkie.

Here comes our ferry

  

We rode to Pyrmont Wharf which is adjacent to the Maritime Museum that we all wanted to visit.  I fell in love with these ghost net sculptures made from discarded nets found in oceans and often trapping marine life.  The Erubam people from Erub, or Darnley Island in the Torres Straits, Australia's most remote areas, have repurposed many ghosts nets as a means for bringing awareness to the danger that the nets pose to sea life.  Even coral can be severely damaged as the tides pull nets back and forth across the reefs.    

The museum is developed around six galleries all revealing Australia's long-standing connection with oceanic travel and influence.  The first is the Navigators which looks at the early discovery, exploration, and mapping of coastlines by the Dutch, British, and French but also the trade and travel among Indonesians and Aboriginal peoples long before European arrival. The second is called the Eora-First People which further explores the relationships the Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal Australians have with water.  A third gallery is Passengers which reveals the arrival of many groups like early settlers, war brides, refugees, and even cruise ship tourists. 

A fourth gallery is called "Watermarks" where I spent quite a bit of time.  The purpose of this area is to explore Australia's love affair with water through recreation and entertainment.  Here is Blackmore's First Lady yacht, where I learned about Australian Kay Cottee who was the first woman to sail solo, unassisted, and non-stop around the world in 189 days.  Being a wimp, I can't imagine even wanting to do this!  The other galleries consist of the Australian Navy and one dedicated just to U.S.-Australian commonalities.  Interestingly, the U.S. even paid for it with an endowment honoring the Bicentennial of Australia.

Other gallery spaces include this one of the lenses from the Tasman Lighthouse on Tasman Island.  Also on display is the Spirit of Australia, a wooden motorboat that holds the records for the fastest speed ever achieved with a water-borne vehicle, 318 mph, achieved in 1988.  

There are also spaces for other exhibits and currently the Wildlife Photographer of the Year is on loan from London's Natural History Museum.  Beautiful images and one of the award winners was an 11-year-old!   

We took pictures of the other ships on display on our first visit.  Today, we were able to go on board the replica of the Endeavor, James Cook's ship.  It is still a sailing ship and just returned from New Zealand we were told. 

Cook would have sailed with a crew of about 65.  Our guide explained how the replica was constructed following the original plans but making concessions for some materials when considering the longevity of the ship.  We checked out the rigging and different thicknesses of rope finding out there was over 32k or about 20 miles on board. 

We also were able to go onboard the HMAS Vampire, a Daring class Destroyer.  This was the last gun-destroyer to serve in the Royal Australian Navy.  The submarine, HMAS Onslow, was still closed and not open just as it was months ago when we first came to see the ships. 

The gun turrets and gun house of the Destroyer.  

Several other ships are also on display at the Museum wharf.  This one, the MV Krait, is a fishing trawler that was used during WWII to scuttle Japanese vessels in Singapore harbour. 

After a late lunch, we continue walking around the area and came across some clever public art.  These bird cages represent the "Forgotten Songs" of birds that used to be found in the central Sydney area.  But due to destroyed habitat, the birds have been forced to relocate on the outskirts and in other areas in native vegetation.  As you walk under the cages, you can hear recordings of the bird singing.  

Another piece of public art was of this tree "Underwood Art."  It is to remind people that 29 different clans of the Gadigal people lived on the land in this area of Sydney when the British arrived in 1788.  The region was covered in mangroves, grasslands, forests, and had abundant animal life.  Within months, the native flora and fauna had been cleared and streams polluted with the Aboriginal people being displaced.  Maybe it is due to Reconciliation but many times I see signs and acknowledgement in many places that this "was and will always be" the land of the First Peoples.

We finished up the day by taking the train down to Chinatown and the Haymarket area to wander Paddy's Market.  Always an interesting place to be, a giant flea market of stalls selling souvenirs, clothing, appliances, phone repair, and offering massages at fairly reasonable prices.  A lot of tourists really love this place.  One vendor told us how with the country closed to international travel, it has been very difficult for them to stay in business.  Well, we helped a little but I'm afraid our $3 set of aboriginal coasters made in China probably isn't going to help too much.  

I felt pretty proud of myself for finishing up my holiday shopping for our family and getting it in the mail this week.  I have no idea when it will arrive, but a little bit of Australian love is heading home.