Port Stephens Shire

Last night, when Angelique was describing the poor transportation planning of Australia, she guaranteed us that we would miss a turn, with no easy U-turn to remedy the situation. After picking up our rental car this morning, it took us at least 10 extra minutes to get back to the hotel because of one wrong turn. I’ll be happy when we get out of the traffic cluster that is Sydney.

After running about 25 minutes late, we met Angelique and her son, Mark, at the Chinese Garden of Friendship. The garden is actually larger than it sounds. The three acres were dedicated to celebrate the connection between New South Wales and its sister state, Guangdong, in China. It was recommended to walk the garden in a clockwise direction, so we stepped through the bonsai garden and onto the path lining one of the three water features. Immediately, Mark spied an Australian water dragon. The endemic lizard can grow up to a meter long, but this one was only about 10-12 inches. Similar in appearance to an iguana, but not as beefy, the lizard stared us down, daring us to pass. His red neck stood out against his brownish skin, and I kept waiting to see his lizard tongue. But he just stayed in his pose; rigid and not moving. He apparently didn’t notice that we were no longer admiring him but looking at the koi swimming up and down the pond. There were orange, orange and black, mostly black, and a few lighter color ones, but all were large. These were not small pond koi. They were full size behemoths.

As we came around the corner, the path opened to the whole garden. Straight ahead, and sitting on a hill, was a large pagoda. Next to it, a waterfall dropped into the main pond below. In front of us, the pond sprouted two, large rock formations. We all agreed that one of them was definitely a turtle. The other one was less defined.

We slowly strolled through the garden. Although set in the middle of a bustling urban area, the garden is an oasis of peace and quiet. We found lots fo other water dragons along the way and learned a little bit about the Chinese immigration to Australia. The garden is in Sydeny’s Chinatown neighborhood.

Following the garden, we walked toward the Forgotten Songs public art exhibit in the Central Business District. It looked much closer on the map, so we ended up walking more than intended. We finally got to Martin Place. Like the Chinese Garden, I had found the Forgotten Song exhibit on Atlas Obscura. Despite my affinity for the website, I often have a hard time finding the obscure site, highlighted in the Atlas. I suppose that’s why it’s “obscura.” Well, this was no exception. I was standing at Martin Pace with three followers, who were tired of walking and staring at me for directions. Google was telling me to walk to the left, but there was a line of buildings a block long in both directions. Instinctively, I turned around and walked until I saw an obscured stairway that led down. Having no idea where it might go. I motioned everyone to follow me down. We got to the landing, and there was a small lane straight ahead but no public art. Disappointed, I stepped out of the stairway and turned right. Wow! There was a short, pedestrian lane, maybe 100 feet long, and the installation hung between the buildings that lined the street. Above us, about 50 different bird cages were strung between the buildings. All shapes and sizes filled the air. The exhibit was installed to commemorate the birds that once thrived in this area but have been pushed out or extinguished due to modern development. We stood quietly and could also hear the songs of the birds, which are tastefully played through hidden speakers. Because some of the birds represented were nocturnal, I read that different bird sounds can be heard at different times of the day. The art was originally installed in 2009, as part of a temporary exhibit; however, it was so well received that it has become a permanent part of Angel Place.

We took a shorter route back to the car and drove to Gunners Barracks for high tea. Anthony met us there, and we were seated at a table overlooking Sydney Harbor. The barracks sit atop a high cliff, where the busy, seafaring traffic of Sydney Harbor plays out down below. We passed the whole afternoon with tea, little sandwiches, and treats. We talked until the staff pressured us to leave, in order to make way for the next groups. We had a good laugh at having been kicked out of the tea house, but since we weren’t done talking, we stepped outside and carried on, while looking at the amazing view. The sky was blue, the water was gleaming, and the sun shone down warmly. It was really a wonderful time.

Anthony took our previous passengers, and Kim and I were on our own to get to our next waypoint. We decided to stay in Olympic Park for the evening, so we hopped on the internet and found a hotel. Pushing the address into Google maps, we let the google direct us to the hotel. Tomorrow, we’ll do some exploring of the park.Read more