Away from Sydney

We've just got back from our first trip away from Sydney, having spent a few days near Wollongong. It's just an hour and a half south of the city but feels like a thousand miles away. In many ways it was the Australia we were expecting to come to - very laid back - very beach centric - very 'outdoor'. We took advantage of the weather and camped - something we've only occasionally done in the UK having learned the hard way that it's not much fun in a tent when it's raining. It was warm and sunny the whole time and so camping was a joy - particularly in the good company of the Flowers family. We'll endeavour to do more of the same.

It's Australia day this Sunday (a public holiday celebrating the founding of the nation - as you might guess) so it seemed appropriate to take a look at Botany Bay over the weekend. The point where Captain Cook landed and which inevitably led to the colonisation of the continent is marked by several memorials and flags. To their credit the Australians are increasingly sensitive to the flip side of the story i.e. successful colonisation can also be seen as devastating dispossession if you happen to be Aboriginal. Aldi (the supermarket) was forced by public opinion to remove Australia Day celebratory T shirts off their shelves last week. The shirts read 'Australia - Founded 1788'  - effectively ignoring 40,000 years of rich history in a single sentence! Thankfully it didn't go unnoticed.

Here's a few photo's taken over the last month :- Sydney January 2014

Alternative festive season

We were a little unsure in the run up to Christmas as to how it might pan out. On the one hand it was refreshing to be in a place where the build up to the season is less frantic but on the other we were aware that we would miss friends and family. It was also strange to be in summer heat at a time we strongly associate with cold , it just didn't compute! We decided early on that the only way to approach things was to go for a completely alternative Christmas. And so it was. Unfortunately the planned BBQ on the beach on Christmas day didn't happen due to rain (yes it does rain here!) but otherwise we've had a fantastic week. A couple of days at the beach, a trip to a national park, the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, new year fireworks at the harbour, a couple of BBQ's by the pool and upteen skype calls with folks back home. Good times!

I've posted the Yacht race photos below:
Sydney to Hobart, Boxing Day 2013