Sightseeing in Australia - 8

I don't know why I spend so much time trying to photograph Australian gum trees - it's not as if we don't have plenty of the good old Eucalypts in New Zealand after all, but there's something special about them in their own Aussie environment; and they're so quintessentially Australian. Call it a challenge - and it is most definitely that. I have come home with hundreds of photos of gum trees and most have ended up in the delete bin. Turns out it's actually quite difficult to capture all those forms and shadows without it looking like...well.... a boring solid mass of trees. I was reasonably happy with this shot - taken one soft, sunny morning on a massive drive around the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide in 2007. If you just happen to be travelling to Adelaide, I'd strongly advise you to pick up a rental car and make a day of it - better still a couple of days because there are plenty of wineries, beautiful landscapes and interesting towns to visit. The south of the peninsula also gives you access to Kangaroo Island. I love Melbourne's Flinders Street - that one mile long (exactly they tell me) stretch named after explorer, Matthew Flinders, that runs almost parallel to the Yarra River. It's where you'll find the incredibly busy Flinders Railway Station which is, in my view, just about one of the best people-watching places on the planet; and just across the road, Federation Square with its galleries, cafes, restaurants and events. I'm heading across the Tasman in a few weeks' time and you can be reasonably certain that I'll be spending an unnatural amount of time hanging out here with my camera. This is the very handsome State Library of Queensland in Brisbane, which is located in front of the Queensland Museum of Art. It opened after extensive redevelopment in 2006 at the hands of Australian architectural practice, Donovan Hill Peddle Thorp. In 2007, it was voted Australian Building of the Year by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. I spent half a day in both buildings back in 2008, on my way home from a wild adventure in the Queensland Outback. Brisbane, it must be said, seemed tame and very civilised by comparison. A perfect little building in the Victorian town of Malmsbury - little more than a speck on the map, with just 587 people (or thereabouts), 96km northwest of Melbourne. Gold was discovered here in 1858 and the town became a centre for diggers on their way to Bendigo and Castlemaine. I discovered it in 2010, when I hit the road in rural Victoria with a map, a camera and an assortment of drinks and snacks. From Woodend, an hour north of Melbourne, I headed north past Kyneton, and turned off the highway, heading for Malmsbury, then in a giant loop back to the south, and north again to Woodend. It was one of those magnificent days of taking ten hours to do a trip that would normally take 3-4 hours - stopping all along the way to explore and take photographs. My idea of heaven.

Sightseeing in Australia - 6

When I arrived in Adelaide for the first time 2007, I never expected to see pink spring blossoms and a bounty of lush green grass - South Australia after all, is one of the driest places in Australia. But up in the Adelaide Hills, things are a little different - cooler for a start - and just twenty minutes from Adelaide City, you'll find plenty of vineyards, wineries, farmlands and artist studios. not to mention cute little villages with names like Birdwood, Stirling, Hahndorf and Lobethal. I took this photograph in one of the small towns we passed through. This commanding tower belongs to one of the buildings of the University of Ballarat, in the city of Ballarat, Victoria. Founded in 1870, it's the third oldest centre of higher learning in Australia. Over 25,000 students attend courses in a number of different campuses. This building is right in the heart of the city and I was so busy walking backwards so I could fit the whole tower in my camera lens, that I tripped on a doorstep behind me and just about concussed myself on the massive stone wall of another old architectural beauty - of which Ballarat has a bounty. It was while I was driving to Ballarat in 2010, that I passed through the cute little town of Creswick, 18km north of Ballarat and 129km northwest of Melbourne. I HAD to stop. There were so many divine old limestone buildings begging to be photographed - many of them a legacy of the town's early wealth. Named after the three Creswick brothers, who started a large sheep station in the area in 1842, it was at its peak during the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s. It had a population of 25,000 back then.

I visit Daylesford often - every time I visit Victoria in fact, because it's not too far from Woodend (an hour north of Melbourne) where I usually stay with family. Daylesford is to Melbourne what Akaroa is to Christchurch, and Waiheke is to Auckland - the perfect weekend getaway, close enough to be convenient and far enough away to be 'of a different world.' Every weekend it's packed with incoming BMWs, Porches, Mercedes and the like and the many classy boutique accommdations and designer stores do a roaring trade. Today it's known as Victoria's Spa Town - which probably originated from the fact that nearby Hepburn Springs (a small village to the north), has long been renowned for its natural spring mineral spas. If you're visiting Melbourne, it's well worth making an overnighter to Daylesford as they also have great markets, cafes and restaurants. The photograph above is of one of their terrific old Aussie pubs.

Sightseeing in Australia - 4

I'd hate to count the number of hours I've spent walking the streets of inner city Melbourne with my camera. I visit at least once a year and regardless of the weather, I find endless inspiration in the people, the buildings, the colour, the movement - it never stops. It's easy, it;s familiar - yet at the same time, different enough from New Zealand to be endlessly interesting to me. I usually stay at the small commuter town of Woodend, an hour north of Melbourne on the main train commute. From there, I either train into the city, or I leap in the car and drive for miles and miles and miles, around rural Victoria, exploring the many small towns and villages along the way. Some days, when Victoria winds up the temperature, it can be an arduous business - but nothing air conditioning or a wound-down car window can't fix These Aboriginal shields were part of a stunning display at the Museum of South Australia in Adelaide. I spent a long time here and had time permitted, I would have made a return visit.

I photographed this local couple outside the Eulo Queen, an old hotel in the tiny town of Eulo in the southwest Queensland outback. I was on my way to the opal mines at Yowah and stopped off for a short sprint around town, a natter with a few of the locals and a peek inside this historic hotel.

Sightseeing in Australia - 3

This, people, is the famous Hanging Rock of the book and movie fame, "Picnic at Hanging Rock." It's located close to the Victorian town of Woodend, about an hour north of Melbourne, that I visit every year to see family. While the story in 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' is fictional, there is definitely something about this place - or maybe it's because I found it hard to separate the fiction from the fact. Either way, the first time I visited, I kept walking around and up the mysterious rocky outcrop half expecting to see the ghosts of schoolgirls. The school that features in the story by the way, is based on a real school not too far from the rock. Today there's a large domain here - and a racecourse - and it's a popular family picnic spot, complete with numerous quite tame kangaroos that hang about. Back in 2008, I took part in a camel wagon trek in the Southeast Queensland Outback area, in and around the tiny outback town of Cunnamulla. It was the beginning of one of my best trips to Australia. I've written about the trek several times already on this blog (put Cunnamulla, outback or camels into the search box for more) so I won't prattle on about it again - other than to say, if you ever get the chance to get into the Outback don't miss it. It's where you get to meet the 'real' Australians, the ones who have taken that vast, ruthless land and tried to tame it for their own - and their country's ends. It's an endless battle of wits, stamina and hard labour that breeds a special kind of crazy, raw, hilarious bunch of people that I loved.

When I visited Brisbane last - also 2008 - I was stunned to see how the city had grown since my previous visit. Construction was in full swing and there were cranes at work all over the city. There was a very positive vibe about the place that I found quite energising - and fresh out of the Outback, I was a little dazed and awestruck by both the vast numbers of people and dwellings. I can't imagine how the city must look now, after the recent devastating Queensland floods and Cyclone Yasi's aftermath, but hopefully, the resilience of those Queenslanders will have the place looking bright and sparkly again soon. It's not as though they're strangers to the tyranny of weather after all.

Adelaide 2007 - another terrific trip. I'd heard so much about Adelaide for so many years, I never knew what to expect. But I adored the place. It's such an easy city to get around. It's small and very very cosmopolitan. Factor in its proximity to vast wine regions, the Adelaide Hills and the stunning Fleurieu Peninsula and there's every reason to put it near the top of your Australian Must-Visit list.

Sightseeing in Australia - 2

Interior: The Eulo Queen, Eulo, Outback, Southwest Queensland, 2008.

One of my best Aussie adventures yet, took me to the Outback region of Southwest Queensland - ten days of unbridled madness and fun. Outback life is raw, rugged and rough - a fantastic place where people pitch together in their battle against the trying forces of nature. Snake-handler. Kyneton, Victoria, 2008. For New Zealanders, there is a wonderful familiarity about a lot of Australia, yet that's always offset by significant differences - like snakes for instance! I took this shot at the annual Kyneton Country Fair, the equivalent of our A&P Shows I expect.

Bendigo, Victoria, 2009 I drove up to Bendigo one day when I was staying just north of Melbourne. It was - or is normally - a two-hour trip but I stopped at every little town and village I passed along the way. And the closer I got to Bendigo, the hotter it got, so that when I finally arrived around midday, it was 39-degrees and I was sweltering. But I adored Bendigo. It was one of Australia's richest cities during the gold rush and that early wealth is reflected in much of the astonishing architecture.

Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, South Australia, 2007.

I flew over to Adelaide with a photographer in 2007, on a writing mission for Air New Zealand's magazine, Kia Ora. It was a brilliant 5-6 days spent exploring the city, nearby Adelaide Hills and the magnificent Fleurieu Peninsula. I'd heard a great deal about Adelaide in the year's prior, mostly that the city was designed by the same urban planner who designed the layout for Christchurch; and I have to say I wasn't disappointed. I'd move there in a heartbeat.

Remembering Adelaide

A Small Architectural Composition

Central Adelaide

South Australia

September 2007. Ajr

Food Basket

Adelaide, South Australia. 2007. Ajr

Don’t be fooled by Adelaide’s reputation as the hottest, driest state capital in Australia; this charming, cosmopolitan hub of 1.2 million people is a veritable food basket – a wine and food connoisseur’s dream destination. It’s green, gorgeous, gastronomically blessed. Thanks to ideal growing conditions and a balmy Mediterranean climate, South Australia produces almost 65% of Australian wine exports by volume and there are over 300 cellar doors, most of them within a 90-minute drive of Adelaide. The city – Australia’s fifth largest - is surrounded by twelve main food regions including the famous wine producing Barossa and Clare Valleys, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu Peninsular; and with a population that includes over 150 settling nationalities it has an enticing culinary diversity broad enough to please any palate. The city itself has over 700 restaurants, reputedly more per head of population than any other in Australian city; and with streets filled with markets, lively cafes and restaurants it’s hard to resist the urge to eat. At the heart of it all – and one of my favourite Adelaide places, is the Central City Market – a busy gathering bulging with people, goodies and photographic opporuntities. Now 132 years old, Central Market is an institution. Founded in 1869 by a small group of gardeners, this South Australian icon now welcomes over eight million visitors a year and has a huge impact on the city’s dining scene. Covering three acres, it features around eighty businesses (99% of them family-owned), food from at least fifty different cultures and most of it grown within a 20-kilometre radius of the market. It’s open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday the market is gourmet heaven. From dawn to dusk it presents a colourful mix of fresh vegetables, spices, meat, fish, fruit and more exotic treats –everything from an Aussie take on the traditional Kiwi pavlova to Russian piroshki, gourmet cheeses, old fashioned boiled sweets, Italian pizzas, dried meats, chocolates, pastries, steaming laksa, dried fruits, exotic breads and oysters. The city’s chefs come and go collecting their daily produce and in between people of all ages – families, lawyers, police, judges, firemen – congregate to “shoot the breeze and drink coffee.” It’s shopping the way shopping should be – the old style where people come face-to-face with their suppliers. It’s an organic, ever-changing phenomenon that Adelaide is – rightly - immensely proud of. www.southaustralia.com

From the Food Files

Glace Fruit

Central Market

Adelaide

Australia 2007

Fresh Bread

Queen Victoria Market

Melbourne

Australia 2008 Ajr

Pub Crawl

Clockwise from top left: Cunnamulla, Southwest Queensland; Daylesford, Victoria; Castlemaine, Victoria; Adelaide, South Australia.

2007-2008.Ajr.

When Australian chef and brewer, Scott Watkins-Sully decided to embark on a journey around Australia, travelling from pub to pub, everyone he knew threatened to quit their jobs and join him. Watkins-Sully had hit upon the dream job. He shut down his own brewing operation and hit the road with his wife and two young kids. Over “25,000 kilometres, 300 counter meals and 200 tantrums” later, he could be forgiven for having imbibed more than his share of cold beers. He should also be applauded for producing “The Australian Crawl” (Piccadilly Books), a comprehensive guide to Australia’s regional pubs that shows the Aussies love nothing better than a few cold beers and a good yarn down at the pub. From an architectural and sociological point of view the grand old Aussie pub is about as iconic as it gets. I love them and every time I go to Australia I add to my collection of photos. The embellished corner establishments (and they’re almost always on corners), have been written into Australian culture and whether you’re roaming the sun-baked outback, cruising through small-town Australia or city suburbs, you’ll find a pub with a great story.

Adelaide Sunset

Glenelg Pier

@

Sunset

Adelaide

2007

Ajr

Having a Ball

Rundle Mall, Adelaide. Australia. 2007. Ajr

Adelaide's Rundle Mall is a photographer's dream - packed with people morning, noon and night it's a hive of activity and creativity. This is just one of the public sculptures in the mall - one that's a constant source of amusement and fascination for passersby. I forgot to make a note of who the artist is, so if anyone knows, feel free to leave a comment setting me straight.

Adelaide Streetscapes

Adelaide. 2007. Ajr It took me a long time to get to Adelaide - like most New Zealanders I had spent most of my time exploring Australia's east coast - but when I finally made it, I fell in love with the place. It's a fabulous city - so compact and exciting - and filled with some incredible architecture. I spent many hours walking the streets taking hundreds of photographs that I still enjoy looking through. http://www.southaustralia.com/ http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/

Australian Notes

A page from my Adelaide sketchbook

2007

Oink! Oink!

Rundle Mall, Adelaide, Australia. 2007 Ajr

Every so often you come upon a piece of public sculpture that brings a smile to your face. Look at the guy in this photo -he just can't help himself. These two porkers are part of a group of bronze pigs that have 'taken up residence' in Adelaide's busy Rundle Mall. I never got the name of the artist at the time, so if anyone from Adelaide - or anywhere else - reading this knows, please send me an email.

A Time for Reflection

Reflections. Adelaide. 2007 Ajr
How many times have I said it? I LOVE reflections. I photographed this one on a parked car in Adelaide last year.

Patternmaker

Excuse me while I go slightly dotty over Morris & Co - one of the most important design exhibitions to come to New Zealand and showing exclusively at Christchurch Art Gallery. I’m just back from the media preview where I found myself mesmerised by William Morris’s leafy swirls, his exquisite layering of pattern on pattern and his obvious passion for nature. Drawn from the extensive William Morris collections of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide (one of the leading William Morris collections in the world and the biggest outside the United Kingdom), it presents everything from curtain fabrics, carpets, upholstery fabrics, wallpapers, tapestries, furniture, books and embroideries all designed between 1860- early 1900s; and all as fresh as they were 100years ago. It’s a stunning interplay of colour, pattern and texture and given that New Zealand is reputedly the biggest market for William Morris fabrics outside of the United Kingdom (and Timaru the biggest market within New Zealand), it ought to go down a real treat here. I especially like the ‘reproduced living room’ with reading materials and a swirl of reproduced WM on the foyer floor; the colourful billboards around town; the council car done out in William Morris pattern; and the fact that gallery seats have been re-upholstered in William Morris fabrics. The exhibition runs at Christchurch Art Gallery from March 14 – June 29. www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/MorrisandCo

Sign Language

Signs - Melbourne & Adelaide, 2007.Ajr

Hedging Your Bets

When a hedge is more than just a hedge, she says, barely disguising her closet passion for hedges. I photographed these beauties in Australia, bringing the car to a sudden halt with a squeal of tyres and a scream of delight. Mooltan sheltered a B&B in the little village of Hepburn, near Daylesford in Victoria; and Beltunga was an unexpected surprise on a dusty, gum-lined back road near McLaren Vale on the Fleurieu Peninsula, an hour from Adelaide.

Word Wall

Newspaper office, Adelaide, 2007.
My kind of building - one covered in words!

The Spaces Between

Adelaide, 2007.

Between words, between objects, between buildings - those 'negative' spaces I love. For me they are filled with positives. Long, thin, dark alleys filled with intrigue and unanswered questions. Long pauses between words filled with the unspoken - often more eloquent than the words themselves. Odd negative shapes between objects that make room for quirky, Escher-like forms that you have to gaze at before you really see them.