On Friday I went to the market again for lunch with Ronnie.
It was nice. This time I got an Indian Tandoori Chicken wrap that was really
good and really filling. I will definitely be getting that again. I like going
to the market because it is something interesting to do and there is always
something to see.
On Saturday my original plan was to go to the merchandise
market held in Parramatta but this time I decided to do some research and found
out that it is only open the last Saturday of every month. I know I know…I am
so smart to have looked that up…not! So I guess that is on for next weekend!
So I determined this week at work that I was going to
finally make it to a place on my never ending Sydney bucket list. And I did! I
went to Cockatoo Island. This wasn’t someplace that was on my list before I
came here. I actually didn’t even know about it until I went with Wendy on the
ferry the third day I was here and saw it. It just looked very Alcatrazzy which
is somewhere I have always wanted to go. I have been saying over and over that
I was going to go to Cockatoo Island and I kicked myself for not going last
weekend when it was “cold”. So anyway I took the train to Wynyard then to
Circular Quay and finally a ferry to the Island.
When I got off I went pretty much straight to the visitors
center so that I could begin my audio tour (yeah that is right, I actually researched this first). It was only $5 and it lasted for
over 1.5hours. It was set up REALLY well. I was really impressed. The weather
on Saturday wasn’t great. It was overcast but it added to the mood of the
island I think. At least it was cooler and didn’t rain on me. Basically, each
stop point had a plaque and some pictures and then the audio companion told me
all about it mixed in with some first point of view stories. The island is kept
up really well! All the original buildings are open to the public and
everything (including the 9000 bathroom stops) are maintained to perfection.
Surprising because on Sunday a person could literally pay $2.50 for the ferries
and not have to pay anything else as there is no admission.
This is where the guards hid when the prisoners rioted. There were slits in the block so they could shoot at the prisoners.
There Aboriginal paintings are one of three reminders that the Aborigines staked claims on the island.
If you look at the crane platform (to the middle left) you might be able to see that it has broken mirror all over it. Yep, that was another Aboriginal reminder. Not sure what that was supposed to signify.
It really is such an interesting location. At first it was
used as a prison. Like Alcatraz it was hard to escape from but there was at
least one man who did. The prisoners actually built the island and prison
elements themselves. They then built a dock and workshop in order to service
the Royal Navy. After the island was declared unfit for prisoners an industrial
girls school moved there. That part was the saddest to listen to because the
unlucky girls who were sent there did nothing wrong except be born to loser
parents. After the girls school relocated, the island became a prison once
again. This time around it didn’t work so well though because the prisoners
were not being rehabilitated and kept rioting. Finally, the island’s sole focus
was on ship building. It was the ship building mecca due to the knowledge the
tradesmen had and the production capacity it had. As happens in any thriving
industry, the tradesmen unionized and this brought production to a halt. It was
good for other Australian laborers who reaped the benefits but in the mid 80’s
the island had to cease ship building. After the island closed down, some
Aborigines tried to lay claim to it but thankfully the government did not let them.
Here Aborigines are treated exactly like our Native Americans, take that as you
will. Eventually the government turned the island into a UNESCO World Heritage
Site.
On the island itself there are places to camp (actually
looked really nice and might be just the spot to tick camping off my life
bucket list). There are apartments to rent if you are rich. It overlooks the
Harbour Bride so needless to say New Year’s Eve accommodations are booked a
million years ahead. There was at least one party going on there for some uber
rich people at the Island Bar. I had washed my invitation though so it was
accepted, darn! Oh and a camera meetup (that I have been too chicken to attend)
was there also. I could tell those people from their 10lb cameras. It seems
like it is popular for wedding pictures as well.
On a side note I discovered while I was on the island that
Unbroken (the new movie by Angelina Jolie) was partially filmed there and X-Men
Origins: Wolverine was based there. I can see why. It is beautiful but in an
eerie and industrial way. That probably doesn’t make any sense so maybe you
should come see it for yourselvesJ
So needless to say Cockatoo Island way exceeded my
expectations and I will be going back there! It was also nice to not have to see 1 billion people there and most of my pictures didnt even have a person in them! I was able to catch the ferry
directly from Cockatoo Island to Rydalmere where I had to take a bus to Parra
since the tide was low.
Today (Sunday) I went to The Rock’s Market which was also on
my list of things to do here. This wasn’t quite as good as yesterday. I am sure
that I would have enjoyed it more if I had a couple extra grand to lay down for
some artsy stuff. They had soaps, masks, necklaces, scarves, windspinners,
bags, etc. Nice products and interesting to look at but too expensive. I did
buy myself a little gift though, I know that is the theme these days…The
Australian Santa by Jim Shore. It will be awesome to add to my collection. Sadly, it doesnt bounce very well, I tested that theory right after I purchased it.
After that I went to the Justice and Police Museum since it
was also on my list and located in that area. Interesting museum because like
any big city, Sydney has had a lot of interesting crimes. Best was Caroline Grills- Grandmother and serial killer. She put poison in her baked goods and then watched her victims suffer:) In true Letitia museum
style that took me all of about 15 minutes to look at and then I got back on
the train. I made a slight miscalculation there (the particular line I wanted didn’t
run on weekends) and so that was a bit longer journey than I thought.
Who doesn't love old criminals?
The dock, where the accused would sit.
At least this weekend was productive on the old bucket listJ I hope your weekends
were good as well.
Let's just take a moment to think about how big this cruise ship in Sydney Harbour is...
