Melbourne & Sydney (Australia) - The Hot Zone

Melbourne & Sydney (Australia)

10 March - 20 March 2020

By the time the start of March had greeted us we all had a fairly good idea that the pandemic was upon us. We were still living in much the same way but there was an unease on the streets when it came to errant sneezes, proximity to those that weren't family members and movements in public generally.

This post is more about the two weeks that preceded the 20th of March, especially those last couple of days when the gravity of what was upon us started to hit home with flight cancellations, empty streets and untamed toilet paper envy.

Rather than having photos support the story, for the next few entries I'll write directly to the photos that are being posted.

The Gin Palace - 10 Russel Street - Melbourne - Australia

In the foreground a Japanese Negroni and in the background a Floral Negroni.

I had waited so long for David & Annija to get to Melbourne and I'd wanted to take them out on my very own 'hidden bar tour'. The Gin Palace had been a long time favourite of mine, back from my days of living in Sydney.

The Croft Institute - Croft Alley - Melbourne - Australia

I love the lane-ways of Melbourne. Turn down a shabby, none too inviting lane and inevitably you'll come upon something great. The beauty of it, as this photo shows, it that just by turning up here and not knowing of its existence you wouldn't think to do any more investigating.

The Croft Institute - Croft Alley - Melbourne - Australia

Davis taking his medicine like a pro!

The Croft Institute - Croft Alley - Melbourne - Australia

The Croft Institute - Croft Alley - Melbourne - Australia

There's a lot of 'Melbourne' in this simple photo

2110/7 Katherine Place - Melbourne - Australia

The view down the Yarra, to Flinders Street station and beyond was the real selling point of this apartment. I think its going to be a long while before we ever consider selling this place. What catches me in this photo is even very early on in the piece, this must have been around the 2nd week of March, evenings on the streets were eerily quiet. Flinders Street, typically, is buzzing until the early hours of the morning, in this photo there's only the odd car making its way.

Mary's Melbourne - 167 Franklin Street - Melbourne - Australia

There was a palpable feel about those early days of COVID. Another place that should have a healthy patronage is almost empty on a Saturday night. There's was something spectacularly weighty about being out and about to experience normal every day things before they came to a grinding halt.

Mary's Melbourne - 167 Franklin Street - Melbourne - Australia

Arbory Afloat - Yarra River - Melbourne - Australia

Now a summertime institution in Melbourne, Arbory afloat is open from late October until late March each year. Inga and her mother probably caught one of the last open days before closing down for the season

The Great Ocean Road - Victoria - Australia

One of the great day trips out of Melbourne and certainly one of great drives in Australia. It's a long day but a worthwhile one. Here's Aiden and his uncle Davis at the start of what was a 16 hour day

The Great Ocean Road - Victoria - Australia

Cruising out in your own Mustang is certainly a great experience

The Great Ocean Road - Victoria - Australia

Aiden, Aunty Annija and Uncle Davis, with their driver for the day.

Cruising the Great Ocean Road

The Twelve Apostles - Victoria - Australia

Always a highlight of any day on the Great Ocean Road. I try to get here during sunset as you can get some magnificent colours if your lucky

The Hereford Beefstouw - 22 Duckboard Place - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

I'd like to say this was my discovery but it wasn't. I came to it by way of a conversation I had with a colleague and friend of mine, Gary Dowthwaite, when discussing the best steaks we've had in Melbourne. My vote was for San Telmo, 14 Meyers Place, and his went for the Hereford. After trying both I'm happy to say that they're both damn fine. In this photo Aiden is being held by his grandfather Jurijs - both waiting on their meals I assume.

This is either the #86 or #96 back down Collins Street

Being from Sydney, and being born in the year that I was, it was only until very recently that (we) have decided to rekindle our love of all things tram related. Melbourne has it in spades when it comes to ease of mobility and transport across the CBD. How cool is it that within the CBD all tram travel is free! That's a smart city for you right there!

The Hereford Beefstouw - 22 Duckboard Place - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

The photo says all that needs to be said

Smith Street - Collingwood - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

From memory this was in Collingwood. I say from memory because I wasn't actually with them.

The Twelve Apostles - Great Ocean Road - Victoria - Australia

I love this photo of us :)

Outside of Port Campbell - Great Ocean Road - Victoria - Australia

I gave my brother-in-law a chance to drive the Mustang. Usually in situations like this I'm fairly apprehensive but on this occasion I felt absolutely relaxed. Even though it was his first time driving on the left side of the road and utilising a right hand drive he was perfect. First timers tend to float across the lane towards the outside when they're switching over, but after only a few minutes Davis had it covered. Pretty impressive I have to say.

Melbourne sign - Melbourne Tullamarine airport - Victoria - Australia

Reunited after 6 months, looks like Jurijs is going to be giving his daughter a lift instead of the other way around

Duckboard Place - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

One of my favourite laneways in Melbourne, down here you'll find the Hereford Beefstouw, Pastutso & Tonka amongst others

The Hereford Beefstouw - 22 Duckboard Place - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

This is the Tomahawk steak offered up by the Hereford. A whole 1kg off the bone and more than a helping for the three men that tried to take it down

Sydney - Australia

After all those years, this view had always been the epitome of coming home. It's certainly an odd feeling to look down on this harbour and snap photos like a typical tourist

Darling Harbour - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Darling Harbour - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Chinatown- Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Sydney Opera House- Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Aiden, Inga and Zaiga at the Sydney Opera House

Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Circular Quay - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Waiting for the crew to disembark from their afternoon jaunt to Manly. During these days I had been working from the apartment that we'd rented out on Sussex Street. Once again, these days, whilst enjoyable were also filled with anxiety for most of us. Wondering how these cancelled flights would impact their return home, what the quarantine restrictions would mean, what connecting flights now needed to be taken and through which city. Things were changing so quickly and there was so little information available that it made decision making more intuitive than anything else.

Circular Quay - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Opera Bar - Circular Quay - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Circular Quay - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Circular Quay - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Trams in the heart of Sydney! It took a bit of time for Sydney to realise what it had lost but finally they've done something about it. Of course, they'll never get to Melbourne levels where trams are part of their DNA. Small steps I gues.

Sydney Harbour - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Sydney airport - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

On our way back to Melbourne

Sydney airport - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Sydney airport - Sydney - New South Wales - Australia

Wow, this said it all. A Friday afternoon flight down to Melbourne would commonly be full to the brim. This shot was an insight into what the next 6 months was going to be like.

Skybus - on the way to Southern Cross Station - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

Sydney (AUSTRALIA) - Welcome 2016 - New Years Eve in Sydney...what you need to know

Sydney (Australia)
31 December 2015 - 01 January 2016

My hometown used to be Sydney and in my opinion, other than Rio, nothing else could ever quite match the extravagance and grandness of the spectacle that is a New Year's Eve fireworks display on Sydney Harbour. 

This blog entry is more of a 'What you need to know' about NYE in Sydney rather than describing the experience Inga and I had, although, it will include elements of that too.

I didn't say that there wouldn't be photos of me - Sydney - NYE 2015-16 - Australia

Sydney - NYE 2015-16 - Australia

My NYE date!! 

Things to remember

Yes, there are in fact two fireworks displays during the evening.

The first is as 9pm and will also allow the kiddies to appreciate some of the millions of dollars that are being blown up over their lovely little heads. For the grown-ups this is a great time to take those precious photos that you might not be in the position to take come midnight. Trust me, midnight photos are quite often out of focus, of random pieces of furniture, or of the floor, even from the floor and don't really do the spectacle justice. Sober people have tended to refute the outlook that I espouse but what do they know?

 The 9pm fireworks give you a chance to get the photos and to plan for midnight in advance

It was a shame that our captain parked us so far down the harbour

There's a million people out there...seriously

There's a million people on the foreshore! We hear these estimates every year and don't necessarily believe them until such time you see the density of the crowds forming around the foreshore in person. As we drifted on out from Darling Harbour I couldn't believe the masses that had already taken up their vantage points by 5pm.

My suggest is, if you want a prime position then you'll need to get there early, be patient and be prepared to mimic the look and feel of sardines for a few hours. When I say  get there early then I mean no later than midday.

This scene was at about 6pm - still another 6 hours to go and the foreshore was packed

You're trying to book a restaurant a few days before the event - you should have done that in September! You might get lucky but be prepared to pay through the nose and eyeballs for any seat that's free. All the good places, or rather, all the places you'd rather be are also the places that everyone else would rather be and have probably managed to secure reservations for months in advance.

Where are the prime vantage points? 

Look around, where is the open space and the safe space? The harbour looks relatively empty, right? So get yourself on an NYE cruise. Realise however that you're probably going to be paying $700+ for a ticket. It will of course provide you with a buffet meal, bottomless drinks and a decent vantage point but you'll need to pay a premium. If you're looking for a position on terra firma then anything around the Opera House will probably lighten your wallet by $1000 per person. Again, prime position equals prime expenditure.

If you can afford a ticket, jump on board - just make sure your captain can get you closer to the action!

Additionally look to the skies, any place that has a view over the harbour will be prime. Just note once again, you'll be paying for the views and if you think you might want to book some accommodation with a view then there's three things to consider:

1. There will inevitably be a minimum occupation period - at minimum 3 days over the New Year, likely 31 DEC - 02 JAN.
2. There's going to be a significant premium. Anything that might have gone for $350 a night mid year will be going for $1000+ a night..EASILY. Do the maths against your minimum reservation requirement.
3. Bookings, if they are even available, need to take place extremely early. Look to be doing this in August, latest September.

Now that's what NYE is all about!!!

Sydney Harbour - NYE 2015-16 - Australia

Sydney Harbour - NYE 2015-16 - Australia

Moving around

Aside from walking public transport to EVERYWHERE is going to be your real go to option for getting around town. Trains and buses my friends, that's what you need to consider. If you want to drive then get use to the idea that getting to your destination or getting home will probably take triple the time you planned and will be a lesson in patience unlike any other.

Also, if you want to drive then don't drink, or at the very least, ensure you're under the limit. The police will be waiting for all the dumb arses wanting to risk it.

By the way, don't do drugs and drive either. Those same police are waiting for you too.

Trains are a good option but they'll be full for the first 90-120 mins after midnight. If you can, hold off, have another drink, wait until things mellow out a bit and then make your way home.

The first hour into the New Year - 01 JAN 2016 - Sydney Harbour

On the harbour

You don't know what you don't know. Inga and I jumped on a cruise so we could experience the event from the prime vantage point. The issue here is that there are hundred of vessels out there all battling for the best location, some big, some small. 

What we didn't know is that there appeared to be some sort of 'priority' positioning. Why our boat was making manoeuvres out at Rose Bay for most of the evening I couldn't tell you. We even queried this with the staff but the simple response that came back was 'Our captain has been doing this for 20 years, he'll have you in the right position for midnight'...well no, not really. We were in fact located a long way down the harbour and didn't full appreciate the event or the impact for not being as close to Circular Quay as possible. 

Being on a boat was good but not great, and I'm not sure how you can combat that unless you're in control of the vessel yourself.

NYE fireworks - Sydney Harbour - Australia

Happy NEW YEAR - Welcome to 2016

What awaits us? A hell of a lot, guaranteed!

Still, Sydney is great for a reason!

The fireworks are special. With the right attitude, patience, planning and a little alcohol, you're going to have a great night!