Weekend Reflections: Water, wind and light

Astounding, isn't it?

Parts of the water look glassy and glutinous. Yet light can be imploded in this way, totally mangling a simple reflection of a flag.

I quite like it. But I like Picasso, and Dali, and Bacon.



This is my contribution to the Weekend Reflections meme.

Hey mate, Hobart is the other way!

Kayaker powering into Rushcutters Bay to get up close, and personal with the maxi-yachts. Looming over the between-wars apartment buildings of Elizabeth Bay is Centrepoint Tower, in the centre of the CBD, two ridges further west.

Jackson Pollack eat your heart out!

Each Boxing Day, a fleet of handicaped yachts leaves Rushcutters Bay in Sydney Harbour, and heads down to Hobart in the island state of Tasmania.


These shots were taken early in the morning as the crews jostled around making last minute preparations. The general public is welcome to wander in amongst the yachts all moored at the Royal Cruising Yacht Club marina, about ten minutes walk from where I live.


This post is my contribution to the Watery Wednesday meme.

Waiting for the 327

As I leant over the pedestrian overpass, waiting for a train to come from Edgecliff station, I watched this gentleman shuffle toward me. I no longer know what 'elderly' means, the closer I get to it. He acknowledged my gaze, doffed his hat, and continued on down to the bus stop. He probably remembers when he had to wait for the tram on Bayswater Road. A young man, with his life ahead of him. Dressed to the nines, to meet his girl for an evening of dancing and merriment at Chequers.

Song without words

Rushcutters Bay - The old Sydney Stadium

All 10 photographs are explained right at the end. Take in my mournful narrative first.


This has been one of the most mournful posts I have prepared; and over a building!

The 'original' Sydney Stadium was demolished in 1970 to make way for the construction of the Eastern Suburbs railway. It was really just an 'old tin shed' but was regarded with affection by Sydneysiders of a certain age. It was a basic structure clad in corrugated iron. It was not lined. The seats/chairs were on risers, with the stage in the round. It was neither heated nor airconditioned. The stage had to be moved 90 degrees BY HAND every so many minutes.


And its existence has been obliterated. It took me over two hours this arvo to track down the plaque that I had read existed. Bah! Humbug! Along the westward flowing New South Head Road is a 12' high densely packed row of Murrayas. I had to push into them to identify the plaque. What a shame! And the intersection has been altered out of all recognition. I guess 40 odd years will do that.


The Sydney Stadium was built in 1908 as a stage in the middle of a paddock, and was intended to be used to stage boxing and wrestling matches. The first match, between Tommy Burns and Jim Johnson attracted over 200,000 fans. It took them a few years to even put a roof over it. In the early '50s it started to attract popular singing groups under the auspices of the promotor Lee Gordon: Buddy Holly, Bobby Rydell, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and The Beatles. My memory is of going to experience Peter, Paul & Mary at the height of the 1963/4 folk craze. I still remember the thrill of the noise of stamping and clapping on the wooden floors as they controlled a round of 'Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham'. Oh, those were the days!!


Photos 1,2 and 3
The lead photo is of the crowd swarming across New South Head Road in 1955 to hear Frank Sinatra. The next two shots I took trying to recreate that intersection.

Photos 4, 5 and 6
The large photo is the plaque, and what a soul-less example it is! The next two photos show its situation. Sad and pathetic behind a hedge, with newspapers swirling around in the wind. Down the driveway of a petrol station.

Photos 7, 8 and 9
The large photo shows the entry and the front to New South Head Road in 1961. See the GM-Holden car of that era. I can remember those hoardings quite distinctly. And two programme covers from an enthusiast's website.

Photo 10
Was taken by Ern McQuillan in 1968 and is an aerial shot of the site, showing the octagonal shape of the Stadium plus all the field behind it. The dark line running diagonally across is the drain into which Cascade Creek - which runs down from Trumper Park - had been funnelled. That is another sad tale of neglect and environmental vandalism! You can see Rushcutters Bay and the park with its line of fig trees.

Boo hoo!!

Rushcutters pedestrian overpass

From this walkway, with the Wlliam Street tunnel beneath me, with the Cross-City Tunnel beneath me, with New South Head Road beneath me, and with the Eastern Suburbs railway beneath me, I stand and gaze up the embankment that is part of Paddington. Permit me to point out two parts of the landscape.

In the centre mid-ground there is a mass of trees, just before that high-rise on the horizon. This is the wooded part of Trumper Park that I showed you extensively earlier this year. Immediately 'beneath' this tree-mass, in a series of manicured sporting fields. These are the sporting fields of Sydney Grammar School, known as 'Weigal'. These fields used to be the location of two Sydney landmarks of my youth: White City, and The Stadium. White City was a series of tennis courts where many of the Australian tennis triumphs of the '50s occurred. The Stadium was a 'structure'- in reality a tin shed - where many boxing matches occurred and music concerts were staged. The Beatles performed at The Stadium, as did Peter, Paul & Mary.


Yes, if you were wondering, these shots were taken on different days, using different cameras.

The Eastern Suburbs railway

Governments the world over, across the political spectrum, have at least one massive project that they promise again and again, and yet never seem to deliver. When I was young, I remember our state government promising to build a train service from the city to Bondi Beach.

Plans had first been drawn up by Dr Bradfield when he designed the city subway and the Harbour Bridge. However, the Great Depression and World War II intervened. Plans were progressed further from 1947, but lapsed in the mid-'50s. It was not until 1979 that the line was actually opened. And not to Bondi Beach, but rather to Bondi Junction a few kilometers up the hill.

This shot was taken looking eastwards from the Rushcutters Bay pedestrian overpass, showing a train coming from Edgecliff station and heading for Kings Cross station.

Man's Best Friend

They were neant to be playing Touch Footy with their mates, late on an Autumn Sunday afternoon, as the moist air rose from Rushcutter's Bay and wound its way up the escarpment to Paddington.

But he was so enthusiastic, and there!

From Yarranabee Road

This is BEFORE I walked down the hill to the water's edge. I am looking across Rushcutters Bay toward the harbour bridge. The opera house is obscured by a massive P&O liner which is berthed at Garden Island. There are two helicopters in the second image (on the right) but I have no idea what the attraction was on that particular day.

This is a really top coffee shop

This is Rushcutters Bay, on Sydney Harbour. I sat on the same park bench to take the first two shots. It is a gorgeous park, sunny and open, space to kick a ball, ride a bike, walk a dog.

The coffee shop is a joy. Firstly, it has good coffee. Secondly, it has good quality, good value snacks. It is great to sit and read a book (currently Ann Enright), play with a toddler, or people watch.


This third shot is also from around Rushcutters Bay. See the harbour bridge through the verandah? This was taken along Yarranabee Road, on the boundary between Rushcutters Bay and Darling Point.