Sydney turned on the warmth (34C) and humidity for a fabulous day to make my hair frizz and wring out half my clothes. Seriously, some extra warmth after 18 cool months in South Australia was WELCOME.
So I hiked around Balmain East (caught the bus over), couldn't quite find the linking roads to get me to Ballast Point Park from the southern end of Mort Bay (some signage would be helpful - I had a map), so as it was pretty warm and my time was limited (and I'd seen BPP before), I hiked around the eastern end, down to Cameron's Cove (a lovely view) over to White Bay Park, around the fabulous White Bay Power Station, across the Anzac Bridge and into Pyrmont and Darling Harbour - all for the first book, and I found what I needed except for one bit - that requires choosing the "best option."
Darling Harbour certainly had undergone a bit of change since last night - with the rugby crowds gone and the faithful few cleaning up and removing all the "structures" (large TV screen, rugby goal posts in Cockle Bay) - but it looked most had a fun night!
Then it was an hour and a half of R&R before heading to the airport, and what better way to do that than enjoy a hot choc (dark, of course) at the Guylian shop on the corner of Argyle and George Streets, and walking back to Dymocks on George Street for some book hunting.
Bird count: Not much. A couple of willie wagtails (always fun), a koel (my first), and the ever present Darling Harbour ibis (who run the cafes and the pubs).
So I'm back home again, thanks to Virgin Australia for a safe trip, thank you Varuna and Arts SA, thank you to Marele and my writing colleagues. By the time I arrived home at 8PM, I had only enough time to unpack, ignore the washing, send a quick email or two, and fall into bed. And now, it's back to my real job...
FOOTNOTE: Katoomba had bushfires on Monday (24 Oct) just below the Prince Henry Walk where I hiked every morning. Thankfully, no houses badly damaged at time of writing (or people) but what about the fauna and flora? This is one of the most beautiful areas in the world. I really hope some scums didn't light that fire, or some thoughtless idiot who carelessly threw away his/her cigarette.
