Sydney Olympic Park - An Enchanted Evening

The cries of  "Aussie,Aussie,Aussie" still reverberated in my ears this cool and nippy Saturday evening.

This is what the Sydney Olympic Park (SOP) can do to me. I have many happy memories of the Sydney Games, especially when viewing live the diving and gymnastics events - plus the Opening Ceremony on a mild September night.  I was there this time one Saturday night to attend the encounter between the Waratahs and the Brumbies in rugby union at the officially renamed main year 2000 Olympic Stadium - the ANZ Stadium (above, at dusk).

I could recognise the key facilities and buildings from the heady days and nights of the Sydney Olympics - and also recall the hordes of volunteers in their bright and distinguished shirts. There is special fondness for the Aquatic Centre and Acer Arena.  Apart from the still maintained parklands like Blaxland and Bicentennial, I noted hotelsl like the Pullman, Novotel(above image) and Ibis ( all a stone's throw from the ANZ Stadium).

There is also a commercial hub centring around a Commonwealth Banking Group office support presence near the Olympic Park Station.

Two boys size up the concrete ramp which thye later scaled,with the encouragement of Dad. (above)

The lighting structures around the ANZ Stadium suggest transformer-like appearances at sunset. (below)

The names of every sports person who participated at the Sydney Games in the year 2000 are recorded alphabetically for posterity on each of the poles (above), inspired by indigenous Australian culture.

The SOP continues to host sporting events ( for example AFL, NRLand the second annual State of Origin) ,concerts  expositions, conferences and community functions like the annual Sydney Royal Easter Show.  I have to conbfess that my camera ran out of battery power just before the rugby union match, but I did have a whaleof a time at the match!

Return to Kiama, NSW

Kiama, which in indigenous Australian language possibly meaning "fish caught from rocks" or " where the seas roar",  is  a pleasant two hour drive south of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  It is the home of the Wadi Wadi tribe. Most likely the place name is an honour to the ancient father spirit of eastern New South Wales - Kiahma.  An obvious lifestyle place, it offers a varied coastline that provides volcanic rocky cliffs, beaches, scenic views and an often serene ocean for most of the year.  Above image, weekend lunchtime at the town centre.

Most outsiders associate Kiama with its blowholes, large and small (above).  I returned to Kiama on the day of its monthly outdoor markets on the third Sunday of each month. The customised tent tops do provide an interesting contrast to the backdrop of deep blue water.

Jeannie, Grant and I had a quick bite at the Seachange Cafe (along Manning Street) which provides gourmet burgers, quiche and pumpkin soup on the wintry but clear blue sky day we arrived there.   There is a sufficient variety of retail outlets in the town centre,some of which reflect the surrounding  higher property prices and money from Sydney and overseas.  Many of the heritage buildings are well maintained and the streets are rather clean for a touristy spot.

Planting Seeds, Inflation and Moderation In Everything Else

Even the local Chinese takeaway at a nearby shopping centre confirmed my gut feel. Three choices used to be five dollars, now it's eight. Meanwhile, electrical and electronic items have taken a dive in the asking price, whilst fast food sets have shot to double digits. Prices of guppies and the various kinds of gold fish have doubled.



Anything that requires more human input costs more, obvious in health care, age services and food preparation. The cost of a bowl of chicken curry laksa at Malaysia-Singapore Takeaway in Sydney used to be five dollars in 1989, and today you dish out twelve dollars at the level five food court in Sydney CBD's Westfield. Customers are still willing to pay a premium for coffee and chocolate at fancy chains - and for the retro 3D technology in viewing latest release movies in modern cinema halls.

Paying more does not always mean receiving better customer service. We used to be able to sit anywhere up to our whims in a darkened cinema hall, but now have to search for our allocated seating. We pay double for Asian food in places like the Temasek in Parramatta, NSW, but are told to rush our dining as we only have our table up to 8pm. There is talk in the media of whether there is any more usefulness for the five cent coin - while forgetting the rising copper value of the item.



There is an exponential rise in the manner we are encouraged to spend - and not likewise in nurturing each of us to plant the seeds and grow sources of income and capital growth. Credit card limits and financial arrangements involving white goods are still being offered relatively liberally, despite the hard lessons in the USA and UK from the recent global financial crisis. Traded economic value is not just built from hard earned productivity, real gains and mortar with brick, but still facilitated through speculation, current market equity and, at times, hyped up expectations.

What has not changed perhaps is the interaction between demand and supply. These can be manipulated, professionally regulated or artificially controlled. Timing and location are decisive. The age old rules of buying low and selling higher shine through, despite the complexity and nature of new products, properties or environments. Money makes more money, as long as you beat the time value of compounding in regular expenditure, borrowing costs and interest charges.





Being able to sub-divide land and properties has been the boon of the new rich, whilst borrowing to fund daily wants and excesses has been the bane of endless debt. Income received in employment must be utilised to grow new and other sources of revenue for one self - and not taken for granted. Tax deductions are to be maximised and gross income payable minimised. Do we delay our occasional gratifying needs?

At times, it is practising the fine art of walking away when you have made your targets, and not be sucked into anything longer. In life, sometimes, we do have to take a gamble,but the idea is to increasingly increase our safety net. At other times, it is to make a disciplined commitment to commence a new source of wealth, despite the teething times and initial pain of belt tightening. Often it is imperative to create a foundation layer of wealth and firewall this from other dimensions of discretionary spending or more speculative investment.





As always, the effects of time surround wealth decisions and accumulations. There is another certainty in life - rising prices - when you live in a growing economy. There are values to the human economy despite the vagaries of time - dependency on family, good mates, gold and food. There is the comfort of knowing your wealth is growing even when you go to bed at night.


Do we want,or have to, change jobs every two years - to challenge boredom plateaus or in the hunt for better rewards? As with the more important things in life, moderation is the key in the long run - but there is no harm to do the equivalent of the bunjee jump at times, when you have worked out the risks and checked your current harness.

The Doughboy, Potts Point, NSW

Since this post was written in 2011, the name of the place has changed to the Rocketboy Pizza.

Doughboy is a recent pizza chain that joins several others already on the typical Australian fast food scene. It currently has four outlets in metropolitan Sydney, including Bondi and Randwick. My first encounter with Doughboy was in Potts Point, along the more quiet Victoria Street, adjoining a Chinese dumpling bar and residential unit blocks and removed from the infamous Kings Cross strip. A client friendly Aussie youngster efficiently maintained the small joint, which nevertheless was frequented by take away walk-in customers.

What impresses me about Doughboy was its effort made in creating a lifestyle, with bright red colours, eye-catching names for its fare like the Chick and its ability to maximise utilisation of its limited retail space. The Potts Pott outlet had a kitchen downstairs but which was well hidden from view of the street side. I also appreciated its well done salad offering, tasty and looking more like dished up in a restaurant rather than in a franchised pizza eatery. We were there as part of an informal degustation, commencing with churruzos dipped in hot chocolate at a St Moritz cafe in Darling Harbour and landing up at the Gelato Messini in the Darlinghurst side of Victoria Road. So we chose only one pizza - the toppings with Morrocan lamb (image above) - and what a hit it was, with crispy crust and even more fascinating flavours once in the mouth!

Berowra Waters, NSW - The Punt and Marina

Arriving at Berowra Waters, north of Sydney's greater metropolitan area, is akin to unexpectedly coming upon a well hidden village - and one which you logically expect to be well preserved, perhaps warped in the mists of time. The approach road is winding and narrow, with a sense of order maintained only by the courtesy of drivers and the effectiveness of brakes. The sense of possible danger is mitigated by the views below, the vista of the destination - a placid river full of mostly little boats, well loved cottages and bigger abodes clinging on to cliff sides and a swath of greenery against rock with character.

All arriving vehicles dutifully lined up to board the punt. This was no gamble, for although there was no bridge across the river, even in this so-called modern age, it was a pleasant and orderly logistical move when boarding the floating platform moved by steel ropes -passengers walked into a cabin, protected from the elements, whilst vehicles were guided into or took a common sense view as to where to place their vehicles while on the punt. I had a dedicated worker telling us where to park. I was particularly thrilled - I had not seen orexperienced such a crossing since childhood!

Two views to enjoy - above, the verdant foliage of surrounding hills while car passengers sat inside their vehicles riding the punt and below, the view from the restaurant and cafe side whilst lining up to await the arriving punt.

Accommodation is available at places like the Lodge, with food outlets like the Waterview Restaurant, Peat's Bite and the Fish Cafe. A range of possible activities, ranging from kayaking, swimming, fishing to boating, beckons one on a summer's day. On cooler days, Berowra offers primarily a get away experience, with waterfront dining, bush walking and river cruising up creeks and inlets as the most attractive options.

Berowra Waters, NSW - Fish and Chips

On the trail of locating the most delightful and tasty fish and chips in New South Wales, we had plans to go to Brooklyn, near the Mooney Mooney Bridge on the road north to Newcastle and the NSW Central Coast from Sydney side. The rather volatile weather made us detour to Berowra Waters, a 20 minute drive by car into the bush north of Hornsby. Berowra Waters is one of the
getaway points along the varied path of the Hawkesbury River. It is sited between cliff sides, but can so well hidden and interestingly enough is better accessible by boat, rather than by its approach narrow and curving roads. We did find a casual seafood place, the Fish Cafe, beside the marina and a fine dining restaurant, across the punt on the northern side of the river. Above image, the fish and chips offered that weekend.

The barramundi grill looked tasty (above) and lunchers can just hop off their boat or water taxi (below) to arrive on decks above the placid waters to take in Sunday brunch.

The salmon (above) was not served medium-rare as requested, and one notices the standard serve and presentation of the side salad. Nevertheless, staff were friendly and held conversations with guests. There was a good variety of accompanying sauces. I chose flat fish (below) and that was appetisingly crunchy!

Helensburgh, NSW - Dosa, Roti and Vegetarian Curry

The Hindu Temple at Helensburgh, the Venkateswara, operates a totally vegetarian canteen on the side of the main building -and provides an opportunity to partake in a light brunch of a different sort. I am particularly fond of the crepes and pancakes, served piping hot and one dabs torn off pieces in light curries of dhall beans and other appetising concoctions. Most of the servings start at only five dollars, a far cry from prices asked at commercial outlets, and the monies collected are for charity under temple management.

The temple can be reached by taking a public bus from the centre of Helensburgh, which itself is connected to Sydney's Central Station. Breakfast and brunch are available from around 10am to 2pm on weekends. This temple has been built in the Dravidian or South Indian tradition, based on a complex in Andhra Pradesh, located in the hinterland outside the metropolis of Chennai (formerly Madras).

Helensburgh lies just outsidethe boundary between greater Sydney proper and the start of the NSW South Coast. It also lies onthe periphery of the Royal National Park and liesaround half an hour drive away on the freeway from Wollongong to its south.

Rotis, or chapatis (background in image above) are flatbreads which can be taken by themselves or stuffed with potatoes or lentils before they are cooked.

You can find a typical recipe on:

http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/breads/r/roti.htm

Dosas (foreground in image above) are lentil crepes. For further information on dosas, I recommend the following web link:

http://www.veggiebelly.com/2011/03/perfect-dosa-recipe.html

Breakfast in St Ives, NSW

Persimmons, apple slices, tomato bites, grapes and omelette with tuna, onions and more. This set the theme for a leisurely and lazy Sunday morning breakfast in St Ives, half an hour north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Nestled amongst hilly terrain and a fair amount of bush, the suburb is perceived to be settled mostly with Jewish immigrants from South Africa and Brits from the UK, although sixty percent of the householders are Australian born. In this leafy suburb, around 30% of the residents use the car to go to work, as there is no train line, but buses do ply the residential roads. Autumn i s especially evident in this area, with many deciduous trees turning half-way bare during the month of May. Houses predominate, and as mid year 2011, although unit blocks are increasingly built.

Stanwell Tops, NSW - Icarus Flies

No melting wax was involved here, but I am reminded of the Greek legend of Icarus, when I see the bird people off the cliff slopes of Bald Hill at Stanwell Tops, just sited on the south side of Sydney's Royal National Park. On this occasion, the art of flight has been achieved, whether one heads into the direction of the rising sun, or more precisely towards the hillsides of the northern villages leading into the city and harbour of Wollongong. The combination of supporting wind, effective design and human spirit has provided a most spectacular show and capability.