Main Quadrangle

Another picture from Sydney University. Bye bye winter!

Another Tasmanian Sunrise

I haven't been feeling in top form the past few days - it feels like the weight of the world has come crashing down on my shoulders. But I like this photo, kinda makes me feel better, as much as photos are able to do that...

Giant bonzaii

On Broadway!

Sydney's very own Broadway has nothing to do with musical theatre! Rather, you'll find the term is synonymous with shopping (mainly groceries), movies and 3 hours free parking (which is very rare is Sydney)! The building that the shopping centre now occupies used to belong to Grace Brothers, and you may be able to distinguish the name near the top of the building. There's a nice, short little blurb about it here.

If you visit Eric's blog, there's a photo of the Hotel de France which is being restored into new housing blocks, all while keeping the original facade of the Hotel. This was also the fate of the Grace Bros building when it was 'internally' transformed into The Broadway Shopping Centre!

Not graffiti

It seems some residents around the Blackwattle Bay area wanted so badly to have uninterrupted views of the water and the Sydney city skyline that they resorted to poisoning about 20 trees in order to get it! Since then, the Council has erected huge signs like this one, trying to deal with the matter. You can read more about it here.

The remaining Apostles

Not exactly a Sydney picture, I know, but how could I not show you my very own picture of the Twelve Apostles? Well, actually, when I took this shot, there were still 9 Apostles standing tall (not all visible in this shot). And recently, one of them collapsed, leaving only 8 behind! The photo is a little blur because, believe it or not, it was raining! That annoying, sharp, strong kind of drizzle, with lots of wind. Lucky for me, the sun decided to peak out of the clouds long enough for me to take the shot.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the Apostles are found on the coast of Victoria, a state in the south-east corner of Australia. The whole coast offers beautiful site after beautiful site, and attracts lost of tourists from everywhere. The coastal road that brings you to all these wonders is called the Great Ocean Road, and if ever you come to Australia and you have time for a leisurely drive, I definitely recommended it!

Sidere mens eadem mutato

That's latin for "The stars change, [but] the mind [remains] the same". I've been studying at The University of Sydney for 5 years and I've only just found out what our motto means!

The University of Sydney is the oldest university in Australia (established in 1850), and one of the first buildings to be built when the university moved to its present location was the Quadrangle building (part of which is pictured here). It was designed by Edmund Blacket and completed in 1862. It's a beautiful sandstone building, and it provides quite a grand atmosphere to the whole university - its 'central feature', if you will. There will be more photos in the future, so I can show you what I mean:)

Sydney's Italian suburb

Water seems to feature a lot in my photos - and no doubt there will be more! But as a change, I thought I'd show you a little part of Leichhardt - Sydney's very own little Italy! The Italian Forum is a very popular venue on the weekends: it's got a whole selection of Italian restaurants, from the relatively affordable, all the way to the more high class dining experience. The forum itself has a great European feel to it, with outdoor dining, fountain, and European-style architecture, and of course, great food!

Tasmanian Sunrise

This photo was taken in Tasmania along the Tamar Valley. It may not be obvious, but the water is only ankle deep! If you've never been to Tasmania, it's definitely a great experience: the air is so pure, and the scenery is breath-taking! I just couldn't stop clicking away at the camera...

Sunset on the water

This photo was taken from Leichhardt Park (2 minutes' walk from where I live), which is wrapped around the Sydney Harbour National Park. Many people go running or walking around the water's edge, mostly exercise enthusiasts though, because one whole round is about 7.3 km, and involves crossing the Iron Cove Bridge. I'm not much of a runner, so it was a very long walk for me! Luckily the camera was there to keep me occupied!

Sculpture by the sea

Each spring for the past nine years, there has been an outdoor exhibition of modern sculptures going from Bondi beach all the way to Tamarama beach (part of the coastal suburbs of Sydney). I'm not sure how long the walk actually is because I haven't walked the whole of the exhibition before! Always seem to be side-tracked by the many interesting sculptures, like this one (from last year's exhibition) of an elephant made of old TVs and other appliances! You can read more about Sculpture by the Sea here.
As you can see by the way people are dressed, it usually gets pretty hot in Sydney at that time of the year (November). This is in stark contrast to the weather we've been having for the past few days...
Photo courtesy of my good friend Cassie=)