Pages

Monday, October 8, 2012

We go to Sydney for the weekend

Rhonda had a one day conference in Sydney, at the Novotel Brighton Beach Hotel, so we decided to make a weekend of it. We arranged for Denny's favourite 'dog-sitter', Catherine, to come and walk and feed him each evening while we were away.

We drove up to Sydney on the Friday afternoon and drove back on the Sunday afternoon, stopping briefly to visit Kat and Anthony at Campbelltown.

It was raining and the view of Botany Bay was obscured when we arrived.

Aircraft were still landing and taking off from the runways that jut out into Botany Bay despite the climate.

The lights of Sydney and its skyline were barely visible 

Saturday, the weather had improved somewhat but it was still wet. I stayed in and continued my reading of the American Civil War.

Across Botany Bay the lights of the Container Terminal and the bulk fuel Tank Farm glowed that night

Sunday sunrise - it was Eastern Daylight Saving Changeover to summer time and I was up early.

Sunday morning the weather cleared and we could see the heads across the Bay. This is where The First Fleet first made landing on 20 January 1788 before relocating to Sydney Harbour on  25 and 26 of January.

The First Fleet Memorial

The history and names of all the First Fleeters are inscribed on the memorial. 

View from our room looking South-East.

The beach in front of the hotel and the bridge across the road to the beach.

Beach looking to the South

Beach looking North

Hotel viewed from the beach and the memorial to Spyridon Louis, the water-carrier who won the first modern-day Olympic marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics erected by the Sydney Greek Community.

Sydney on a clear day from our balcony.

The Beach Bridge over The Grand Parade at Brighton very early on a Sunday morning.

Bay Street Brighton - there are 19 restaurants within three minutes walking distance of the Novotel hotel

The stay was not too bad - weather aside - but the Novotel Brighton Beach Hotel, despite its outward appearances is drastically in need of refurbishment. Currently it caters to great numbers of Asian tourists on coach tours which made meal times in the dining room a bit trying, if not noisy.

We intended to take Kat and Anthony to lunch on our way home but they had a tight schedule that day - daylight saving changeover throws everyone's time table "out of Synch", so we settle with a quick visit for an hour before heading back home.

Denny was very excited to see us and is reluctant to let us out of his sight since we arrived home!

5 comments:

LindaG said...

It all looks great to me.

Have a wonderful week. Hope you're feeling better, John. ♥

Elephant's Child said...

I don't think that we have ever been to Sydney when it didn't rain. Judging by the emptiness of the beach you were up very early indeed. Hope you are continuing to improve.

JohnD said...

Yes! On both counts - Shoulder/neck is improving but like a toothache that won't go away!

Cindy@NorthofWiarton said...

It looked wet and cold in Sydney. The photo of the sunrise is my absolute favourite !

JohnD said...

Brighton le Sands area of southern Sydney (St George-Kogarah/Rockdale region) is a real pearl - a cosmopolitan seaside oasis in the middle of the bricks and mortar belt of Sydney - i love it and, but for a twist of family fate I would have grown up there instead of in Ryde to the West of Sydney!