We left Melbourne on the train, arriving late in the evening in Sydney and glad to get to our hotel and relax. We had many plans and were keen to start. After breakfast the next morning we set off across the park to the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Our first plan was to see the Archibald Art Prize portraits. This annual exhibition, begun in 1921, is judged by the Trustees of the gallery. The first part is the Young Archie Prize featuring paintings by children of a relative. They were so expressive and well done! Many of the entries in the Archibald Prize seemed painted to startle or shock, not intrigue and please, unlike the junior artists.
Then to the main event. The Archibald Prize was won by Tony Costa for his portrait of artist Lindy Lee but the real attraction was the Packing Room Prize. Chosen annually by the staff who receive, unpack and hang the works, Perth artist Tessa MacKay’s portrait of David Wenham was so popular it was difficult to see. It shows him looking out of a cafe window with the buildings opposite reflected in the cafe windows.
Apart from the fabulous art I was amazed by the picture window overlooking Woolloomooloo Bay and the Garden Island Naval Dockyard. Such a view; we sat and admired it, along with many other visitors. Also did a lap of the Gallery Shop and bought a scarf.
After the rain and cold weather in Melbourne I found Sydney warm and sunny so went next door to an arcade for a pedicure. Then I could wear sandals! Also realised I often have a photo of my feet when we are traveling, so it’s pretty obvious I only have pedicures when we’re away!
That night we had the pleasure of being joined for dinner by a cousin and spent a really enjoyable evening.
To Circular Quay the next morning. My husband’s company was in Goldfields House for years, but now it’s just a hole in the ground! Waited for our ferry then set off for the Maritime Museum and some sight seeing. Caught the light rail back to Martin Place then walked to our hotel.
Headed down Elizabeth Street to David Jones Department Store to see the floral installations and window displays. This event has been running for 34 years and attracts a crowd every year. Each featured different coloured blooms and they were all gorgeous!
Ate dinner locally and wished we hadn’t as I woke in the early morning really ill and my husband followed soon after. We spent the next three days recovering and that really curtailed our holiday in Sydney.
The last afternoon in Sydney I was well enough to walk around parts of the Royal Botanical Gardens.
The honey from these beehives is sold in the garden shop to help fund future projects in the garden.
The garden is close to the thriving business area of Sydney but is calm and quiet and full of birds and insects. Such a lovely garden.
Still not feeling really well we decided to fly to Brisbane rather than face the rigours of long train travel. Sad about all the things we’d planned to do in Sydney and didn’t do due to illness, but we will return one day to compete our planned day trips.
If your birthday is on the 26th of September, Happy Birthday for yesterday. You were born on the most common day of the year for a birthday in the UK, NZ, USA and Australia. Count back nine months and you might understand why this happens! My Mother, who has a birth date close to the 26th, will party for the next two weeks as so many people she knows share similar birth dates, too.
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Deborah