So Close, Yet So Far

People often ask me how I find all the things I do. I guess I read a lot. I always check out the listings in the local newspaper and free magazines. I look at blogs, which then lead me to other blogs. I take fliers or remember to google things I see on posters. What I loved to do in Sydney though was look at the bus map. I’d see where public transport would take me, then do a little internet research to figure out what was there.


One of the largest green sections on the Eastern Sydney bus route is Centennial Park. Every time I opened the map, I told myself I needed to go, but for some reason it took me four months to get there. If you go to Sydney, don’t wait that long.


Along with neighboring Moore Park and Queens Park, Centennial Parklands offer about 890 acres of oasis. Three minutes from the busy street, you reach the duck pond and feel miles (or kilometers) away from everything.


Sydney birds always amazed me, and Centennial Park is the place to see them.


You can get so close to cockatoos, swans, pelicans and flocks of other birds I’ve never seen before.


Wander a little more and suddenly you wish you didn't give all your breadcrumbs to the birds.


I absolutely loved this park, and wish I had more chances to visit. If you want a leisurely walk, a spot to picnic, somewhere to escape the city, a field to play Frisbee, a bike path, a gorgeous run, a hill to roll down, a tree to climb, a place to ride horses...nearly anything...Centennial Park all the way.

Getting Close to Nature

At Featherdale Wildlife Park kangaroos and wallabies hop around freely so you can feed them (but also have sanctuaries where people aren’t allowed to go). This albino wallaby and her joey were in a protected area though.


The koalas are in open stalls, and there is usually at least one outside on a branch that you can touch and get a picture with (without having to pay extra like some zoos here make you do).


Many birds, like ibises, geese and this pheasant, are able to roam wherever they like in the park.


They let emus walk around too, which is a little scary, especially when you’re carrying kangaroo food because they’re just as hungry, but twice as tall. At least they keep the cassowaries, like this one, mostly enclosed. These guys have the body of an emu or ostrich, the neck of a turkey and a horn like a rhino. They freak me out.


They have some brilliant looking birds. This one reminds me of a villain glaring from behind his cape. I think he just had an itch though. Do birds get itchy?


This bird was my favorite because we made a personal connection. I realized if I bounced up and down or side to side, the cockatoo would imitate me. If I raised my arms, he’d flap his wings. He also knew how to say hello and bye-bye. He was my buddy.


And if you weren’t convinced already that Featherdale is worth the 50-minute train ride from the city, there are penguins.

Sydney Birdies

I’ve been big on birds here. Part of it is that so many exotic looking birds are quite common in Sydney. The other reason is they’re easy to get up close and photograph. (Sometimes too close.)


These photos are from a trip to Featherdale Wildlife Park, but I’ve seen them all in the wild, and by wild, I mean public parks in Sydney. Up top is the crimson rosella, followed by an inquisitive rainbow lorikeet.


Cockatoos are more common than the others around the Sydney CBD (central business district). They’ve got a loud squawk and of course, their natural habitat seems to be the trees just outside my window every morning.


Kookaburras also have an interesting call. They’re often called “laughing kookaburras” because, well, I’m sure you can put two and two together. You can listen to their laugh track here.

I might as well throw in this GQ shot of what I think is a noisy miner at Hunter’s Bay yesterday.


And one more seagull photo to add to the collection.

Into the Bush

My next Easter Break adventure involved bushwalking in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, a 45-minute to an hour train ride north. After my daytrip to Palm Beach and Avalon, I felt ok exploring on my own and was looking forward to the 9km hike I’d plotted out. I know my aim is to “get lost,” but I also need to live to blog about it, so a planned route and map seemed in order.

Once I got there, I was very glad to be prepared as I was because the hike definitely took me out of my comfort zone. Ku-Ring-Gai covers almost 37,000 acres, and at least in the section where I started in Berowra, there weren’t any clearly marked trails with happy arrows or park ranger booths to keep you on the right track. For the first half-hour, I wasn’t even positive I was on the path I intended to be on. Looking back, I probably should have gone with a buddy, but I read too much Kerouac this summer and going alone seemed like a good idea.


Once I reached the creek at the bottom of the trail, I felt surer of where I was going. All I had to do was follow the creek for the next two hours.




Well, even that was easier said than done. The bush was very overgrown and the path became hard to follow at points. Huge spider webs loomed overhead and it always felt like one of these guys was on my arm.


I also ran into this four-foot-long goanna, which scared me out of my pants because I nearly stepped on it without looking.


At this point my shoulders were beginning to ache because of my backpack. Sure, I could have packed lighter, but how much would I regret it if I had left behind that beach towel that could’ve served as a blanket or been fashioned into a tent in the event I got lost in the bush and needed to spend the night before a rescue party found me? Exactly. So I flipped the backpack around to my front because I figure that’s where women are meant to bear loads about that size. Why fight evolution? It helped so I wore it that way except when I saw boats on the creek and felt self-conscious. Hey, who’s that weird girl pregnant with a backpack? And did she just pull out a sandwich?

Like I said, the trail was overgrown with fern and brush. Plus, there were several fallen trees and steep rocks to cross over. I later realized this might have to do with the fact that the Berowra Trail I took was temporarily closed to the public. When I reached the intersection with the Mt. Kuring-Gai Trail, I saw the trail I had come from had been fenced off. Who knew?

After I got to the second trail, I felt much more at ease because I knew I was going the right way and was ahead of schedule. (I attribute this to the fact that my “flight” response is much keener than my “fight” and I booked it through the tall brush and cobwebs.) The Mt. Kuring-Gai Trail was steeper but had wider, more worn paths so I thought less about potential creepy-crawlies around my ankles.


I finally made it up to the top where I found another great scenic sandwich spot. Then I walked down out of the park, through a residential area to the train stop one ahead of where I got off and was home in time for dinner.

Another day, ‘well Done.

Aussie Animals Up Close

On Easter Sunday, Jane and her daughter Kirstie took me on a drive in their area of Sutherland, about a 45-minute train ride southwest of where I am in Sydney. We stopped at Sublime Point Lookout, and it was a bit hazy but sublime nonetheless.


We drove along the coast and then up to Symbio Wildlife Park, where I saw my first true Australian koala. We were lucky to arrive just when this one was sitting on the ledge against the fence. I was able to pet him, and lemme tell you they’ve got the cushiest fur.


You just want to nuzzle ’em...until you spot these bad boys.


Then we were able to feed some kangaroos. When everyone is carrying a bag of food, you don’t have to be as stealth as I had to be the first time I saw roos.


One did grip my hand a little too hard, turning my part of my pinky purple for a few minutes. But that’s what I get for eating his cousin in a kebab last week.


And for one last aww, here’s another koala, just hanging out.

A Playdate at the Sydney Easter Show

Remember Jane, the woman I met over scones? Well, as promised, I gave her a call last week and she invited me over. She set me up to go with her daughter and friends to the Sydney Easter Show on Saturday and then come back for dinner and stay the night. I took her up on the offer, especially since my house of 30 people dwindled to a quiet 10 during this week off school.


Anyway, Kirstie took me along to the Easter Show, which is like a big county fair with animals, games, rides and fried food. The show was at Olympic Park, the site of the Summer Olympics in 2000. As I was photographing the ducklings, this curious little guy came right up and poked his beak through the wire. I was able to refocus and get a shot in before he scuttled away.


Not far from the baby chickens was the egg competition, begging the obvious question, which came first?

I imagined the guys setting up the tables of eggs arguing with the guys setting up the cages of chickens over who arrived before whom.





The scene would make a good one-panel comic if I could draw.






...The award-winning rooster is not amused.




There was also pigeon judging and other bird competitions. This one was one of my favorites because it reminded me of someone in a frilly Victorian dress with an exaggerated backside and perhaps carrying a fancy umbrella. I can't find an exact image like I'm picturing in my head, but it's something like this or this.


After seeing all the animals, we enjoyed many, many free samples on the Food Lovers’ Walk. Kirstie and I were great at making small talk with the purveyors who offered us juices, teas, wines, salsas, spreads, oils, jerkies, nuts, chocolates and other goods. Naturally, I was busy talking and tasting, so I don’t have any photos.

Then it was time for rides, show bags and fireworks before a long bus ride back for a late-night dinner Jane saved for us.

Land of the Free

I love free stuff the way a fat kid I love cake.

I like to sift through newspapers and magazines in search of festivals, shows and other events gratis. On my second day in Sydney, I hit up the Chinese New Year Dragon Boat Races, exhibits at the Maritime Museum, Gay Mardi Gras and a short film festival at The Domain — all for free.

The best part of free festivals is that they usually involve more free stuff. I’ve accumulated seven free beach bags, five tins of orange Eclipse mints, four Schick Quattro razors, Vitamin Water, green iced tea, a ball, a Frisbee and a medley of pens. But best yet, surfing lessons.


This week (in my free copy of Time Out Sydney) I heard about a free surf class in honor of International Women’s Day. This Southern California girl has never tried to surf before, believe it or not, so I called up and reserved the last free spot.

We got an hour of instruction and surf time, with boards and wetsuits provided, at Dee Why Beach. Saturday was my first time on the other side of the Harbour Bridge. I liked the atmosphere better at Dee Why than Bondi or Coogee, but they each offer something different.

After our surf lesson and a good hour of recovery, we explored the tide pools, where we spotted two octopi.


We also found a dead blowfish, which was interesting, but hardly aesthetically pleasing. I’ll spare you and offer this starfish photo instead.



Then we took a short walk through the Dee Why Wildlife Reserve along the lagoon. And who doesn’t love lagoons?

I've seen roo poo. Have you?

Straight from the Melbourne airport, jetlagged and stiff from a 15+ hour flight, our study abroad group went to an area where kangaroos live in the wild. Our three groups of 20 were hardly inconspicuous, but we managed to get fairly close to several gangs of kangaroo. Being in front, I snuck within 10 yards of that one before he hopped away.

We saw some joeys, but none in a mother's pouch unfortunately.