Rockdale, houses

These beautifully restored homes built in the Victorian architecture style are located in a prominent position in Frederick Street, in the southern suburb of Rockdale. Their designs are almost a mirror image but their owners have chosen very different colour schemes to set them apart.

Banksia, foot bridge

This foot bridge runs along the railway line, immediately north of Banksia railway station. This rusty steel and weathered timber bridge is another structure on the endangered list and will soon be extinct. Signs have been posted here to announce that it will be demolished soon but a new one will not be built in its place. In future, pedestrians will have to walk a short distance away to cross the road at ground level. I suppose it's not architecturally significant or historically important so it's not worth restoring or replacing but it's a shame because this old bridge has some character.  

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North Strathfield, bank

This bank is located on Concord Road, in the inner west suburb of North Strathfield. It is an excellent example of suburban branches built by the Commonwealth bank in the art deco architectural style.

Burwood, post office

The former post office in the inner west suburb of Burwood was built in 1892. It was designed by government architect Walter Liberty Vernon in the Victorian Italianate architectural style and is now on the National Estate Register.

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Croydon, Sydney Missionary and Bible College

The Sydney Missionary and Bible College is located on Badminton Road, in the inner west suburb of Croydon. This house built in 1916 in the Victorian style is now the Administrative Reception for the Croydon campus of the oldest interdenominational bible college in Australia.

Ashfield, Explorers Park

Explorers Park is located on the corner of Parramatta Road and Liverpool Road in the inner west suburb of Ashfield. These roads are part of The Great Western Highway and the Hume Highway and are significant in Australia's history, where many European explorers began their journeys west and south. This garden features a folly with artwork depicting a map of Australia, early explorers on camels and Aboriginal trackers. The monument was created as part of Australia's Bicentennial celebrations in 1988, commemorating European settlement of Australia as we do today on Australia Day.

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Sydney Opera House, Mirazozo

'Mirazozo' is a large-scale inflatable sculpture temporarily located on the Sydney Opera House forecourt for the Festival of Sydney. Created by Architects of Air and described as a luminarium, it is constructed of translucent vinyl and features a maze of winding tunnels and cavernous domes. The atmosphere inside alters according to the changing weather and light outside, with vivid reflections of colour across the curved walls transforming faces and clothing of visitors.

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Botanic Gardens, Earthmother

'Earthmother' is a figurative sculpture by Helen Leete in the Royal Botanic Gardens, unveiled in 1993. It sits on a rocky outcop overlooking Sydney Harbour, near the Sydney Opera House. The sculpture which imitates a natural rock formation is made from earth and sand, laid in strata. 

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Sydney Harbour Bridge, Dawes Point

 A clear blue Summer sky above the Sydney Harbour Bridge, viewed from Dawes Point.
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Hyde Park, Festival of Sydney

These light reflections have created decorative displays on the canopies of the trees in Hyde Park, during the Festival of Sydney.

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Sylvania, Georges River, sunset

The sun sets over the southern suburb of Sylvania with a glowing reflection across the Georges River. This view was from the Captain Cook Bridge at Sans Souci last weekend.

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Cronulla, Wanda Beach

The walkway leads down to Wanda Beach, the northernmost patrolled beach of the southern suburb of Cronulla. Vegetation has been grown behind the beach to protect the sand dunes and the fences prevent beachgoers from damaging them.

Cronulla, Elouera Beach, tower

This lifesaver's tower located near the Elouera Surf Lifesaving Club, sits behind Elouera Beach at Cronulla and provides an optimum view of swimmers and surfers in the ocean.

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Cronulla, Elouera Beach, surf rescue boat

This surf rescue boat is ready for action on the shore of Elouera Beach, in the southern suburb of Cronulla.

Linked to: My World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday

Cronulla, Elouera Beach

Elouera is one of the surf beaches along Bate Bay, in the southern suburb of Cronulla. The lifesavers patrol the beach from a tent on the beach between the red and yellow flags, a short distance from the lifesaver's tower and club. The lifesavers use yellow surfboards and life preservers to rescue swimmers or surfers from the ocean.

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Captain Cook Bridge

The Captain Cook Bridge is one of three major road crossings of the Georges River. It is a six-lane precast prestressed concrete bridge that links Rocky Point Road at Sans Souci in the St George area to Taren Point Road at Taren Point in the Sutherland Shire. A ferry service ran between these southern suburbs from 1911 and a vehicular punt ran between these two points from 1916. The Captain Cook Bridge was opened in 1965 and named after explorer Captain James Cook who landed at nearby Kurnell on 29 April 1770, when navigating his way around Australia. At sunset yesterday there were plenty of fishermen fishing off the rocks at Sans Souci and in boats on the river. 
Linked to: Scenic Sunday, Sunday Bridges.

Cronulla, Gunnamatta Bay

This view of Gunnamutta Bay and Cronulla is from the southern suburb of Burraneer.

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Cronulla, Shelly Beach

Shelly Beach is the southernmost beach of the southern suburb of Cronulla. When the tide goes out there are many rock pools to explore in this area. The clouds stayed mainly offshore on this day but it was was quite a cool afternoon so nobody was swimming.

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Heathcote, Bottle Forest Cottage

Bottle Forest Cottage is a historic house on the Princes Highway in the southern suburb of Heathcote. This area was originally known as Bottle Forest, named for the native bottlebrush plants found in the area. After the Surveyor-General Sir Thomas Mitchell conducted a survey of the area in 1835, he named it Heathcote in honour of an officer who had fought with him during the Peninsula Wars against Napoleon.

Port Hacking, estuary

The Port Hacking estuary viewed from the southern suburb of Port Hacking, looking east towards the suburb of Burraneer and the Royal National Park.

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The Domain, Art Gallery, sculpture

This sculpture sits beside the Art Gallery of New South Wales in The Domain, overlooking Wolloomooloo. "Reclining Figure: Angles" was sculpted by Henry Moore in 1980 in bronze with a green patina. Following on from the works I featured yesterday, now this is definitely art.

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The Domain, Art Gallery, sculptures

These contemporary works of art sit at the edge of the landbridge, north of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, in The Domain. The dark bronze sculpture “Prometheus for Franz Kafka” is 3.45 metres tall and was created by William Tucker in 1990. It represents “a lump of matter [reflecting] on the mythological Prometheus ... and the writings of Franz Kafka”. The untitled angular, yellow, abstract concrete piece nearby was made by Mike Parr in 1998 and is on loan from the John Kaldor collection. The kindest word I can use to describe them is 'interesting'.

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Dawes Point, sentry box

This view of the Sydney Opera House and part of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is from the Dawes Point wharf. The cylindrical sandstone structure with the copper dome is a sentry box to observe the foreshore area for defensive purposes, with the Dawes Point Battery located nearby. An inscription on the ground reads 'c.1880 reconstructed 2008'.

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General Post Office, clock tower

The clock tower of the General Post Office (GPO) building, located at 1 Martin Place between George Street and Pitt Street. The GPO was constructed in stages from 1864 to 1891, designed by colonial architect James Barnet in the Victorian Free Classical style. The clock tower dominated the city skyline when it was built but these days it is dwarfed by many nearby skyscrapers. In 1999, the GPO was redeveloped as part of the the Westin Hotel and  Macquarie Bank office building behind it.
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Hyde Park Obelisk

The Hyde Park Obelisk is an obelisk located on the western edge of Hyde Park. This monument, which was unveiled in 1857 by the Lord Mayor, George Thornton, was originally used as a sewerage vent, so was jokingly referred to as Thorton's Scent Bottle. It was built at the junction of Elizabeth Street and Bathurst Street because the sewage system was at its highest point here, although it is no longer used as a vent to avoid the risks of contamination. The monument is 22 metres high, including the 6.5 metre high square sandstone base and a filigreed bronze pyramid vent at the top. This obelisk was modelled on Cleopatra's Needle, on the banks of London's Thames River.

 Linked to: Skywatch Friday

Cronulla, Wanda Beach, tower

Wanda Beach is the northernmost patrolled beach of the southern suburb of Cronulla. This lifesaver's tower sits behind the beach, close to Wanda Lifesavers Club, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A group of lifesavers are keeping watch on Bate Bay, as a swimmer heads down to the beach, a kitesurfer surfs the bay and a seagull flies past.

Cronulla, rock pool

This rock pool is in the southern suburb of Cronulla at a locale which is known as 'The Alley', situated between Cronulla Beach and North Cronulla Beach.

Linked to: Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday

Pitt Street Mall, benches

The recently refurbished Pitt Street Mall features collections of these odd looking benches in various shapes and sizes. The middle of the night is the only time when you're likely to see the pedestrian mall or benches as empty as this, in the centre of the city.

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Barangaroo, New Year's Eve celebrations

This view of the New Year's Eve fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge was from Pyrmont Point Park. The first shot is quite clear but unfortunately we were downwind of the fireworks display, so the smoke made it diffucult to view the rest of the show over the bridge. Luckily we could still see the other fireworks launched from barges along Sydney Harbour.  

Barangaroo, Sydney Harbour Bridge

This view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Barangaroo was from Pirrama Park at Pyrmont on New Year's Eve, just before the midnight fireworks. The big 'X' on the bridge was part of this year's theme which was 'Make Your Mark' for 'NYE X' or New Year's Eve 2010.

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Circular Quay, New Year's Eve

These keen New Year's Eve revellers had already claimed their territory well before midday at Circular Quay yesterday. They had one of the best positions to watch the world's biggest New Year's Eve fireworks displays and celebrations on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour. The banners along the quay and throughout the city promoted it as NYE X symbolic for New Years Eve 10 for the outgoing year 2010.