Ghosts in the Gardens
Is it Mrs Macquarie? Or other ghosts from Sydney's colonial past, that confront me every time I enter the Royal Botanical Gardens? Whatever it is – there's a sense of timelessness – an almost primeval quality about the place.
Staff who work there tell me I'm not the only one to feel this special quality about the place. We are aware of it, they say. They quote the numbers of travellers who come straight to the Gardens from the airport to spend a few hours within its space.
Is it the combination of natural and contained – the wild sandstone outcrops around and behind, against the convict-built walls and unforgiving grandeur of Government House within its manicured grounds; the “tree energy” of the massive Moreton Bay Fig Trees, bamboo forests and formal rose gardens; the blueprint, criss-crossing paths, against the breath-taking backdrop of the harbour?
Despite its central location, you can always find to relax in this place. Follow the Harbour path round the perimeter of the Gardens and you reach the rocky outcrop of Mrs Macquarie's chair, where the lonely wife of one of New South Wales early governors, came to contemplate the sea that brought her to this alien land.
I find reasons to walk through here on every visit to Sydney, past the lake and out through the Lion Gate – the sea in my sights and surrounded by trees.
One night after a wedding party at the Botanical Gardens restaurant, I couldn't find a way out. I tried all the gates and retraced my steps. They were all closed. Just the sound of my steps and a lot of dark shapes. I'm not too keen about the bats that inhabit part of the space, but Mrs Macquarie eventually guided me to the one gate with a security guard post.
Part of my attraction to the Gardens is as the backyard of the Sydney Opera House, where I worked for many years and never fails to excite – lights, curtain, action, transporting music, drama and dance. Walking round East Circular Quay towards the jewel of the harbour, my sense of party begins to rise. I love watching people arrive – walking with happy purpose round the quay, bees to the honeypot, from the carpark and central Sydney, before the show.
Last visit to Sydney was to see Meryl Tankard's Contemporary Dance Theatre perform Kaidan – a ghost story in collaboration with the Taiko Japanese Drumming group. Cinematically thrilling.
Next time it will be to see the Paris Opera Ballet – its first season in Australia during June. I'm booked, are you?
But first to lunch … I'm meeting a friend at the trendy Thai restaurant – Longrain, in Surry Hills. After racing to be there when it opens at 12 noon, we discover that they do take bookings for lunch, though not at night. We lounge back on sexy black leather low chairs and drool over the yummiest food - healthy, taste smorgasbords of vegetables, seafood, spices and other delights.
On to Paddington to shop till we dropped – well, mostly browse. Oxford Street is a challenge to cover in one day. There are so many distracting side streets to explore. I could spend an afternoon in my favourite Sydney bookshop – Ariel. It's a treasure trove of small designer objects – children's toys, special chocolates, art & design books, and a huge range of food and cookery tomes.
And so on with aching feet on this very hot day, saved momentarily by a watering stop at Italian Deli, Alimentari at the bottom of the designer haven of William Street, just past the theatrical exotica of Pelle recycled designer shoes and bags.
Oh, Sydney – it makes me smile thinking about it, after a zillion visits and living in Melbourne for 30 years!
Staff who work there tell me I'm not the only one to feel this special quality about the place. We are aware of it, they say. They quote the numbers of travellers who come straight to the Gardens from the airport to spend a few hours within its space.
Is it the combination of natural and contained – the wild sandstone outcrops around and behind, against the convict-built walls and unforgiving grandeur of Government House within its manicured grounds; the “tree energy” of the massive Moreton Bay Fig Trees, bamboo forests and formal rose gardens; the blueprint, criss-crossing paths, against the breath-taking backdrop of the harbour?
Despite its central location, you can always find to relax in this place. Follow the Harbour path round the perimeter of the Gardens and you reach the rocky outcrop of Mrs Macquarie's chair, where the lonely wife of one of New South Wales early governors, came to contemplate the sea that brought her to this alien land.
I find reasons to walk through here on every visit to Sydney, past the lake and out through the Lion Gate – the sea in my sights and surrounded by trees.
One night after a wedding party at the Botanical Gardens restaurant, I couldn't find a way out. I tried all the gates and retraced my steps. They were all closed. Just the sound of my steps and a lot of dark shapes. I'm not too keen about the bats that inhabit part of the space, but Mrs Macquarie eventually guided me to the one gate with a security guard post.
Part of my attraction to the Gardens is as the backyard of the Sydney Opera House, where I worked for many years and never fails to excite – lights, curtain, action, transporting music, drama and dance. Walking round East Circular Quay towards the jewel of the harbour, my sense of party begins to rise. I love watching people arrive – walking with happy purpose round the quay, bees to the honeypot, from the carpark and central Sydney, before the show.
Last visit to Sydney was to see Meryl Tankard's Contemporary Dance Theatre perform Kaidan – a ghost story in collaboration with the Taiko Japanese Drumming group. Cinematically thrilling.
Next time it will be to see the Paris Opera Ballet – its first season in Australia during June. I'm booked, are you?
But first to lunch … I'm meeting a friend at the trendy Thai restaurant – Longrain, in Surry Hills. After racing to be there when it opens at 12 noon, we discover that they do take bookings for lunch, though not at night. We lounge back on sexy black leather low chairs and drool over the yummiest food - healthy, taste smorgasbords of vegetables, seafood, spices and other delights.
On to Paddington to shop till we dropped – well, mostly browse. Oxford Street is a challenge to cover in one day. There are so many distracting side streets to explore. I could spend an afternoon in my favourite Sydney bookshop – Ariel. It's a treasure trove of small designer objects – children's toys, special chocolates, art & design books, and a huge range of food and cookery tomes.
And so on with aching feet on this very hot day, saved momentarily by a watering stop at Italian Deli, Alimentari at the bottom of the designer haven of William Street, just past the theatrical exotica of Pelle recycled designer shoes and bags.
Oh, Sydney – it makes me smile thinking about it, after a zillion visits and living in Melbourne for 30 years!
