Australia Day.
I saw a tiny little lizard on the path, only 1.5 inches long, on the way to the bus stop. A bus ride in to the city took us to a temperature of 30 degrees. We went straight into the Australian Museum to view the Chinese Dinosaurs exhibition. This consisted of a dozen nearly complete skeletons which were very impressive indeed. There were dinosaur teeth and fossilised ferns, tail clubs, feathers and even dinosaur eggs dating back sixty five million years. It was wonderful. Elsewhere in the museum were exhibitions of other skeletons including elephant, giraffe, bustard, kangaroo, ostrich, emu and other birds, minerals displaying fabulous agates and amethysts.
Upstairs was amazing. An exhibition of Beyond the Reef displaying excellent photographic images of plankton and other aquatic invertebrates. There was an amazing image of a Portugese Man-of-War which I tried to photograph. Then came the best bit. The BG Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2002 exhibition which was on international tour from the London National History Museum. The competition was judged by a panel of not less than a dozen wildlife photographers including Chris Packham of BBC Wildlife Magazine and others. The winner was an African lady, Angie Scott, who had photographed a small family of elephants and a grey heron in South Luangwa National Park which immediately hit home to me as only three months ago I was photographing elephants in South Luangwa National Park myself. All of the images in the exhibition were excellent, especially those captured at a risk to the individual taking the picture like the undernourished saltwater crocodile! Even the under ten year old category made me gasp, they were so talented! If any of my photographs are nearly as good as some of those I've seen today I will be more than pleased!
There was also an insects and birds exhibition which gave us a chance to look at Funnel Web spiders without actually being at risk from them - they were stuffed! It was a really informative and interesting display. I hope this is as close as I ever get to a Funnel Web spider! I didn't realise that the spider had only been responsible to thirteen deaths in sixty years 'though, I assumed it had killed a lot more people, nor that and antivenom was available.
Back in the sun we walked down by the side of Hyde Park by a display of old Fords and Aston Martins, dodging people as we went which in busy crowds of stupid slow people is hard work! Eventually we reached Sydney Harbour and walked across Circular Quay to The Rocks where we had a German dinner, for me a Gemischte Wurstplatte, washed down with water. Then we walked back through the city past Queen Victoria Building in search of a cyber cafe. 2 hours later we emerged from a cyber cafe and made our way back to Bronte, me questioning the genuineness of an e-mail I had received regarding my journal published on the website.
I learned from an e-mail from a friend who's staying in Sydney that he's staying in Kirribilli, a northern suburb in Sydney right across from the Opera House, and also home to the Prime Minister, John Howard, and he wonders why it's a bit expensive? Bless him. Still, he's used to living in the riches of Kingston upon Thames in London so we'll excuse him for now...
Back in the flat we enjoyed a couple of beers while watching The Nutty Professor, then felt subdued by the news announcement that Thredbo Village has now been evacuated due to continuing bush fires in the surrounding area. It is so strange to think that we stayed in Thredbo Village the night the fires were ignited. It was only yesterday that I thought about that fact that I had not photographed Thredbo Village while we were there and now it may never be the same.
Copyright 2003 Helen Fuller. All rights reserved.
