I had a wonderful time in Newcastle where I visited my favourite Novacastrians, the Motyka family. My mother met Mr. Motyka, a lecturer at the University of Newcastle, in the 1970s when both happened to be in Poland. I've managed to visit them a few times over the last few years and they've always shown me such kindness. It's always a great time with them on the coast north of Sydney.
To get to the Motykas, I had to take a bus into Sydney and then a train to Broadmeadow station close to Newcastle. My train departed Sydney Central station at 16:12 which meant that I had to catch the 09:00 bus out of Canberra. If I had caught the 12:30 I would have arrived at Central at 16:00 but 12 minutes was too close a margin for me. I arrived at Central around 13:00 so I spent the time walking around Sydney's CBD. I, unfortunately, don't get much time to travel and it has been a while since I've been to that great metropolis. I caught the train at the appointed time and settled in for the 2.5 hour journey.
Newcastle is a major port and is Australia's most populous non-capital city, with a population of about 250 000, I think, making it not that much smaller than Canberra. It has recently worked hard to shed its image of a working class industrial and intellectually backward city with a sort of revitalization, which has worked. The foreshore has been upgraded with modern buildings and trendy restaurants. Newcastle is home to the NRL Newcastle Knights and was the site of Australia's most powerful earthquake in December 1989. People from Newcastle are called "Novacastrians" because "Nova Castra" is a direct translation of the Latin for "New" (Nova) and "Castle" (Castra), although castra could also mean fort, encampment, bivouac or some other fortified edifice. "Castra" is also the root cognate for "-chester/-cester/-caster" endings in English place names such as Winchester, Gloucester and Lancaster
I was picked up by Mr. and Mrs. Motyka from Broadmeadow station just before 19:00 on Friday evening. After the usual introductions we drove to their home where most of the other members were already. Mrs. Motyka's (who goes by her maiden name of Ostrowska) mother lives next door and I also had a chat with her, mostly about the dust storm that had just passed caking everything with a nice red layer. At home were also Olenka, a fellow jurist and licensed solicitor, and Danylo, while the other brother, Oleksander, was in Sydney overnight.
The next day, I got up rather late, around 11:00, having slept for nearly 11 hours, which is very unusual; I must have been very tired. This was the day of the AFL Grand Final and I was determined not to miss it. It was suggested that myself and Danylo go to the Belmont 16-Footers' Sailing Club to watch the game. The Motykas are not particularly into sport and I have to thank Danylo for battling it out and keeping me company. The game was very exciting as the St. Kilda Saints, who last won the championship in 1966 (their only win), battle it out with the Geelong Cats, making their 3rd straight appearance. Although I'm not a fan of either team really, I was cheering for St. Kilda because they really did deserve to win this year, having lost only 2 games all season. St. Kilda lead for most of the game, and the margin was hardly ever more than 10 points but finally the Cats managed to get the better of the Saints. I hope the Saints aren't finished as there's always next season.
On Sunday, I accompanied Olenka, Danylo, Oleksander and 2 of Olenka's friends on an excursion around Newcastle. Our first stop was the Farmers Market, a now weekly event where, not surprisingly, farmers get and other come together to sell their wares. Among the items Olenka bought was some saltbush-fed lamb meat that we ended up having for dinner. It was incredibly delicious. After the market we met up with some more of Olenka's friends at a pizza place in Newcastle which was having a special on for $12 designer pizzas. They were fantastic and I think I'll go again if ever I have the chance. After lunch Olenka, Danylo, Oleksander and myself climbed the Queen's Wharf Tower, perhaps Newcastle's only real attraction and then everyone met up again for desert; I had a slice of triple fudge cake. We then returned home so full that we put off dinner as long as possible.
The dinner conversation was very intellectually stimulating as we discussed various things, my favourite topic being Ukrainian community politics in Sydney. The discussion got very animated as various events and ideological divides were discussed. Here I thought that Ukrainian community politics were bad in Ottawa but Sydney dwarfs Ottawa considerably.
I was off to Canberra the following morning, having once again to catch both a train and a bus. I thanked my gracious hosts and left them with 2 CDs as a thank you for their generosity. It's always so pleasant with the Motykas in Newcastle and I hope to one day repay their kindness.
I ran into some friends on Monday evening and we went out for pizza. Just as we were thinking of heading off, I received a text message from Alice, a friend who works at the harness track. I replied if she would like a visit from myself and Jason, her boyfriend and she replied in the affirmative. After Jason packed away some groceries, he and I biked to EPIC to see the races and he seemed very keen to do so, having never really done it in the past. After talking to Alice in her office for a while we watched the races and made a few fun picks. Jason, feeling a little more daring, decided to place a few bets on and I explained how it is done. He spent $20, which in Australian terms is paltry, but ended up losing it all over the course of 2 races. To be fair, on one of his bets he won $12.00 and put that into the next race, but lost. I, in my usual cowardly way, bet nothing, though I did pick the winner of the last race. Jason had fun anyway which is what's really important.
I'm off to Melbourne tomorrow to visit some more friends. This week will be one of adventure but the next week of the break will be spent at home. It's a good thing too as I have to apply to some government positions and catch up on some reading. Still, all things considered, 2 trips in 1 break isn't too bad.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Dusty Days
Although it's been a short week, there's quite a bit to report. With the break now more or less begun, I'm off to visit family friends in Newcastle and then Melbourne. A well-deserved break is something to look forward to. I'll relay my adventures in Newcastle next Tuesday, the day between my Newcastle and Melbourne trips.
Early this week, with the weather warm and sunny, I stopped by Floriade, Canberra's annual spring flower festival. Although a bit windy, the weather was otherwise perfect for an outing --- 20C and sunny. This year's theme for Floriade is Mind, Body and Soul, so all the floral displays are something along those lines. I entered the park and just had a bit of a ferret around. The floral displays were colourful and interesting. There was also an amusement park section, a lantern tree, some interesting statues and small painted gnomes which I understand are a Floriade tradition. Although not too bad, I preferred last year's theme of Australian movies; it seemed to have more creativity in it.
At university, I got some good news. I got 13/15 (86.6666%) on a test worth 30% of the overall grade. The test wasn't overly difficult, a 15 question multiple choice test, but there were some questions which could have tripped you up. I'm a little miffed because I could have had 14/15 if I hadn't second-guessed myself. Then again, if I hadn't second-guessed myself on another question I would have had 12/15. Either way, anything over 70% is considered fantastic at law school. I think it's my 1st HD (high distinction) that wasn't a class participation grade. I'll take it.
At Fenner Hall, I seem to have taught some people a new word, "babunya" (bah-BOO-nyah) which means "grandmother" in Ukrainian. As it turns out, there is another Ukrainian studying at the ANU, though not living at Fenner. We were introduced and got to talking Ukrainian and I mentioned my family's history. Lisa, my floor's former SR, overheard us talking, actually she was sort of eavesdropping, and heard me say "babunya". At first she thought it meant "baboon". I've since set her right and it's become a sort of running joke on the floor.
As well this week, there was a rare meteorological event that may have made the news in Canada. Strong winds in the continent's interior blew dust into the eastern regions. Since Australian soil is red, Canberra, Sydney and other major centers were enveloped in an eerie red "fog" in the morning as the morning sun amplified the red tinge of the soil. As the day wore on, the colour changed to a sort of dull brown pall. It's quite rare for something like this to happen and the morning pictures out of Sydney were especially haunting. As if that weren't enough, the dust storm was followed by rolling thunderstorms. We're in for more stormy weather in Canberra, but luckily I'll be in Newcastle where the weather is predicted to be significantly warmer and sunnier.
Today, I went to the opening night of Fenner Hall's annual musical, this year called A Bit of This...and a Bit of That. It was a collection of songs from various musicals and movies, bear with me as I give you a list. There was: Circle of Life from The Lion King, All I Ask of You from The Phantom of the Opera, Anything Goes from Anything Goes, I am What I am from La Cage aux Folles (The Bird Cage), La Vie Boheme from Rent, Memory from Cats, Luck be a Lady from Guys and Dolls, (Always Look on the) Bright Side of Life from Spamalot, On My Own from Les Miserables, Footloose from Footloose, Seasons of Love from Rent, If I were a Rich Man from Fiddler of the Roof, I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair from South Pacific, Hakuna Matata from The Lion King, Master of the House from Les Miserables, Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge, Big Spender from Sweet Charity, Greased Lightning from Grease, With One Look from Sunset Boulevard and The Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The show was absolutely superb. The singing was fantastic, as was the choreography. I would seriously consider going again except that I'll be away. It really had to be seen to be believed. A little known fact about one of the songs. Footloose was written by Kenny Loggins who also gave us Highway to the Danger Zone, the theme to Top Gun. It's so hard to imagine when you hear the two songs.
And finally, I'll leave you with a funny quote I came across the other day, as best I can remember it. "I recently came across two very rare photographs. One was of Houdini having locked himself out of his car and the other was Norman Rockwell beating a child."
Saturday, September 19, 2009
1 Ton Post
It's with some pleasure and pride that I find myself writing my 100th post. It's taken 19 months. To be precise, since I left Ottawa on Monday, February 4th, 2008, I make it 84.5 weeks, that's 594 days or 14 256 hours or 855 360 minutes or 51 321 600 seconds. Not a bad length of time. I wish I had some sort of fantastic news so that I could make this a 100th post extravaganza, but I don't. It's been a fairly ordinary week with some tiring schoolwork. In case you're wondering, a "ton" is slang in cricket when someone scores 100 runs.
Earlier in the week a jockeys strike was averted after the Australian Racing Board (ARB) and the Jockeys' Association came to an understanding on the use of the whip. Whip isn't really the right word since the item in question is a soft riding crop that doesn't hurt the horse at all. The ARB issued a directive forbidding the use of the whip in the last 100 meters of the race. The jockeys objected saying it discouraged good racing and threatened to strike. In fact, many races on the Friday before were abandoned as the jockeys to industrial action by refusing to ride in the last few races. However, on Monday the ARB and the Jockey's Association reached an agreement whereby the jockeys can use the whip in the last 100 meters of the race but only in a limited way in the last 200-100 meters. Racing is very important to Australians. Australia is, in fact, the largest racing country in the world with 66 of the world's 139 Class 1 (highest) races are in Australia. A jockeys strike would be very detrimental, especially with the Spring Carnival coming up. Well, at least that mine has been averted.
I had a 6 000-8 000 word international law paper due on Friday. With all the research done it wasn't all that difficult to write, just time consuming. I'm reasonably happy with it but the final word count was 6 667, which, I hope, isn't an omen. Now that it's finished, I find that I feel I should be writing something. I don't have anything else due until October 23rd but for some reason I just can't seem to relax as much as I would have thought. Maybe it just takes time.
Today I took part in the annual Field Umpires vs. Boundary Umpires aussie rules game. As a goal umpire, I had the option of choosing my team and I signed up with the Field Umpires. I was placed on our back line as a defender. The game didn't start out too well for the Fieldies but we eventually pulled ahead and won by 8 points. I had a reasonably good game with some good tackles and one pretty good mark. Afterwards there was a barbeque, another Australian tradition. There's only one more function this year, the Association Dinner sometime in October, then it's nothing until February.
Speaking of relaxing, I have good cause to celebrate as "the mid-semester" break is on after this coming week. It's hard to call it a mid-semester break since it occurs 10 weeks into a 13 week semester. The reason, you ask? It lines up with the ACT public school holidays. If you're generous, you could say that it makes sense since it allows people with children at university and the sub-tertiary system to take their holidays together; it's just practically easier. If you're cynical you would say that it's so that professors with children not at university don't have to take time off for their vacations. Whatever the reason, many complain that it's physically and mentally draining and that it's simply stupid to have a semester that's 10 weeks on, 2 weeks off, 3 weeks on, and then exams. In fact, I understand that the University of Canberra has their break in the 7th week, exactly like the 1st semester. There was some hope ANU would change its policy for 2010 but I checked next year's schedule and nothing along those lines has changed. The fight continues.
For the 1st part of the break of the break I'll be visiting the Motykas in Newcastle. It has been so very long since we've seen each other and I suggested that, if convenient, I should visit them for a weekend, and they agreed. I look forward to seeing them again since they're all so interesting and so much fun. It'll be good to get out of Canberra and go somewhere with 30C heat. I'm not kidding, it's been that hot already in Newcastle and Sydney.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
EPICs
Although the senior grades had their grand finals, the footy season doesn't officially end until the junior grades have theirs. Last Sunday I officiated at one of these events which was held at the Royal Military College in Duntroon, an area of eastern Canberra. It was a near perfect day for footy as the temperature rose with the sun. Although frost lay on the ground at the beginning, it quickly disappeared leaving a great playing surface. For the young children, having goal umpires was a particular thrill as usually they have only one field umpire and not a full complement. I guess it gives them a greater sense of professionalism. I had a great time even though some of the spectators tried to distract me. All-in-all, not a bad game.
Monday marked the return of harness racing to Canberra and I took the opportunity to head down to Exhibition Park In Canberra (EPIC) where the races were held. I had a backstage pass, so to speak, because on of my DnD buddies, Alice, works at the racing office doing insurance and other things. I visited her and we chatted about this and that. I also took a peek at the races as they were running. On TV harness racing doesn't look to be that fast but up close it really is very quick. After the each race, you could see the sweat steaming off the horses. At on particularly scary moment, about 50 meters from the end of a race, one of the horses got tripped up causing itself and its rider, as well as 2 or 3 other horses and riders, to fall to the ground. Personnel immediately rushed to render assistance and there were some tense moments as the horse didn't move as its gear was removed. We feared the worst but breathed a sigh of relief as the horse got up and didn't seem particularly distressed with only a small cut on one of its shoulders. The horse's jockey also suffered a small cut but thankfully no one and nothing was seriously hurt. None of the other horses and jockeys were injured. Horse racing can be a dangerous sport.
Speaking of horses, it just so happens that I have been working for ACTTAB for a year now. Although my 1st rostered working shift was not until October 2008, my first training sessions were in September and I believe my first pay period began from September 3rd, 2008. All this means is that I could change over to permanent part-time if I wanted to but this presents such difficulties that I think I'll just stick with casual employment. The pay is better and the hours are more flexible. I'm making great money and I'm glad that I've been allowed to stick with this for a year. Speaking of money, I also received some back pay from ACTTAB after they approved my promotion in payscales and, per the EBA, we've received another pay increase. I'm now making just over $27/hr which I think is fantastic given the amount of work I actually do. I'm sticking with this job for as long as I can and I will fight hand, tooth and nail to keep it. It's far better than anything I would be doing in the legal field.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Late Update
This is my update for things that happened last week. Thankfully there isn't that much to report although there are a few interesting things.
It wasn't easy getting back into a scholarly rhythm following my trip to Adelaide but somehow I managed. Nothing truly remarkable happened at university but something else happened which may have an impact on my constitutional law course; more on that later.
On Saturday the senior divisions of the ACTAFL had their grand finals at Manuka Oval. I wasn't picked to be one of the goal umpires but I wouldn't have been able to do it anyway as I was working at ACTTAB. On that point, ACTTAB, for the first time, offered odds on the outcome of the Division 1 Grand Final. There were 3 grand finals that day but I could only attend the first, the Under-18s. It was an interesting game but was handily won by Marist College over Belconnen. I learned later that the Division 2 Grand Final was also a blowout but the Division 1 Grand Final was decided by 6 points and was close all match. I'm sorry I missed it but it was fun being at the footy, which doesn't happen very often. By the way, because I'm an umpire, I got in for free. Another thing I noticed was that between the quarters people spectators went onto the ground and had a kick around while the teams were in their huddles. This doesn't happen at the AFL anymore but I was told that it used to until about 30 years ago. I think it's kind of a shame that we've become so security conscious that people can't play around on the pitch during game breaks or storm the field after a particularly thrilling win.
I mentioned an impact on my constitutional course, and it's about a ruling handed by the High Court of Australia regarding courts-martial. To understand the impact you'll have to follow along with some pretty unusual constitutional reasoning. A principle in common law countries is the separation of powers, or at least that non-judicial bodies cannot exercise judicial powers. An example would be a Minister passing judgement and imposing a punishment after deciding a legal question. There are some exceptions to this, a historical one being Parliament's power to act as a court, a privilege the courts have been willing to let Parliament keep. In order to preserve the independence of the judiciary, the courts in Australia (and I imagine elsewhere like Canada, the US, the UK and NZ) have said that only courts can decide legal questions and impose punishment, and judges must be independent. Courts-martial have proven an anomaly in this area as judges are generally military staff not necessarily independent as other judges (removal only by certain procedures, independence from influence, etc.). Essentially, courts-martial are executive bodies exercising judicial power which would normally be prohibited except the courts have gotten around this by saying that the purpose of military courts is discipline, not justice, so the they can continue in this unusual way. Now we come to the fun part.
About 2 years ago, the Australian government decided to reform the military justice system to make it more like a Chapter 3 court; Chapter 3 of the Australian Constitution deals with the judiciary and has been used to establish judicial independence. This new system was challenged in court and a few days ago the High Court ruled that the government had ponced it up and that the tribunals were improperly constituted. I haven't read the judgement, but essentially, the government had not given the judges sufficient freedom. I think the High Court is saying that on this issue there can be no middle ground, either you give them full judicial independence or you stick to the old system. This now means that all decisions of the past 2 years have to be reviewed and the government has gone back to the old system while it thinks up what to do next. On a personal note, last semester I asked a professor about this very issue and why the government, in order to avoid the whole justice/discipline issue, which really is bizarre, why not create something like the Military Division of the Federal Court. The professor replied that would be acceptable as long as judicial independence was maintained. I then asked had the current system been challenged and he replied no. I like to think that I was ahead of the game that day.
One more thing, I've added pictures from my trip to Adelaide on my previous post.
It wasn't easy getting back into a scholarly rhythm following my trip to Adelaide but somehow I managed. Nothing truly remarkable happened at university but something else happened which may have an impact on my constitutional law course; more on that later.
On Saturday the senior divisions of the ACTAFL had their grand finals at Manuka Oval. I wasn't picked to be one of the goal umpires but I wouldn't have been able to do it anyway as I was working at ACTTAB. On that point, ACTTAB, for the first time, offered odds on the outcome of the Division 1 Grand Final. There were 3 grand finals that day but I could only attend the first, the Under-18s. It was an interesting game but was handily won by Marist College over Belconnen. I learned later that the Division 2 Grand Final was also a blowout but the Division 1 Grand Final was decided by 6 points and was close all match. I'm sorry I missed it but it was fun being at the footy, which doesn't happen very often. By the way, because I'm an umpire, I got in for free. Another thing I noticed was that between the quarters people spectators went onto the ground and had a kick around while the teams were in their huddles. This doesn't happen at the AFL anymore but I was told that it used to until about 30 years ago. I think it's kind of a shame that we've become so security conscious that people can't play around on the pitch during game breaks or storm the field after a particularly thrilling win.
I mentioned an impact on my constitutional course, and it's about a ruling handed by the High Court of Australia regarding courts-martial. To understand the impact you'll have to follow along with some pretty unusual constitutional reasoning. A principle in common law countries is the separation of powers, or at least that non-judicial bodies cannot exercise judicial powers. An example would be a Minister passing judgement and imposing a punishment after deciding a legal question. There are some exceptions to this, a historical one being Parliament's power to act as a court, a privilege the courts have been willing to let Parliament keep. In order to preserve the independence of the judiciary, the courts in Australia (and I imagine elsewhere like Canada, the US, the UK and NZ) have said that only courts can decide legal questions and impose punishment, and judges must be independent. Courts-martial have proven an anomaly in this area as judges are generally military staff not necessarily independent as other judges (removal only by certain procedures, independence from influence, etc.). Essentially, courts-martial are executive bodies exercising judicial power which would normally be prohibited except the courts have gotten around this by saying that the purpose of military courts is discipline, not justice, so the they can continue in this unusual way. Now we come to the fun part.
About 2 years ago, the Australian government decided to reform the military justice system to make it more like a Chapter 3 court; Chapter 3 of the Australian Constitution deals with the judiciary and has been used to establish judicial independence. This new system was challenged in court and a few days ago the High Court ruled that the government had ponced it up and that the tribunals were improperly constituted. I haven't read the judgement, but essentially, the government had not given the judges sufficient freedom. I think the High Court is saying that on this issue there can be no middle ground, either you give them full judicial independence or you stick to the old system. This now means that all decisions of the past 2 years have to be reviewed and the government has gone back to the old system while it thinks up what to do next. On a personal note, last semester I asked a professor about this very issue and why the government, in order to avoid the whole justice/discipline issue, which really is bizarre, why not create something like the Military Division of the Federal Court. The professor replied that would be acceptable as long as judicial independence was maintained. I then asked had the current system been challenged and he replied no. I like to think that I was ahead of the game that day.
One more thing, I've added pictures from my trip to Adelaide on my previous post.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The City of a Thousand Spires
Adelaide, I know, is quite beautiful in the sunshine. I know because I had some of it on my trip, but, unfortunately, I was mostly rained on. Nonetheless I saw some interesting things in Adelaide and I can see what my mom sees in it, but maybe a little less. Like I said, the weather may have contributed.
After class last Thursday I quickly packed up and left for the airport. I boarded and quick as a shot, was off to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is the driest city in the driest state on the driest continent; oh the irony. Canberra quickly fell away and very soon there was a broad expanse of nothingness, broken only by occasional farms and homesteads. The plane landed in Adelaide in tune with an exquisite sunset. After disembarking, I boarded a bus into the city and made my way to the hostel at Light Square. By the time I arrived it was quite dark, so I decided to stay in.
The next day I used to explore the city center. Adelaide is called the City of Churches because there are, apparently, so many of them. The city was founded in the early 1830s as a free settlement and was planned. The core is surrounded by parks and there are 5 squares within the urban core. The largest of these is Victoria Square, which I visited at a later on. The main streets are several lanes wide and can cope with vehicular traffic better than any other Australian capital city.
I made my way to the South Australian Parliament for a guided tour but had to wait a few hours for the next one. I used the time to walk around the adjacent parkland. Next to Parliament is the Adelaide Festival Centre, the home of the famous biennial Adelaide Festival. In the 1970s, Adelaide experienced a liberalizing trend and the festival was founded and now South Australia is known as the "Festival State". I then walked along the banks of the Torrens River, the main body of water flowing through Adelaide, and made my way to the north side where I saw the famous St. Peter's Cathedral. After killing all this time, I finally went on the parliamentary tour.
South Australia's Parliament, like Victoria's, is technically unfinished, missing its cupola. It was built in 2 halves and was completed some 50 years after construction began. In this half-finished building is where one of the conventions leading to Australian federation was held. The building itself is like many other Parliaments, steeped in history, but one thing I did notice was the public gallery is labelled "Strangers Gallery".
After the tour, I walked to Rundle Street, a pedestrian mall famous as much for its interesting artwork as for its shops. Then I made my way to Victoria Square, the beating heart of Adelaide. At the very center of its core, Adelaide has a large park with a fountain depicting the 3 rivers of Adelaide: the Torrens, the Murray and the Onkaparinga. That night, I went to sleep eager to venture a little further afield.
The next morning I had breakfast at the Original Pancake Kitchen, a restaurant my parents had recommended. Located in an alley, as many fine restaurants are, it is exactly what it sounds like, a restaurant that serves pancakes. I got an order of pancakes with strawberry sauce and ice cream, downed with milk. It was very good and I'm glad my parents suggested it.
After breakfast, I took a tram from the city to Glenelg, a trendy beachside suburb. I'm sure it's marvelous in the summer sun but I had to contend with gale winds and rain. The one good thing was that it meant I had the area mostly to myself. The tram stopped at Moseley Square and I immediately had a look around. Since there wasn't much activity, I just strolled along the beach and snapped a few photos. Glenelg is where the first European settlers in South Australia arrived. When I'd had enough of this, I boarded the tram but got off at Morphettville Racecourse. The races were on that day and I decided to step in and see what a large city's racecourse looks like on race day. The betting ring was abuzz with activity as people studied the odds, placed bets and cheered their picks. I watched one race and then continued back into the city. I was going to treat myself tonight.
For Saturday night, I decided to go to AAMI Stadium for a game of aussie rules. Today, the Port Adelaide Power were hosting the North Melbourne Kangaroos but the contest didn't mean much as both were out of the playoffs. My family was never much in to sports, apart from watching them really. My dad enjoys watching CFL and I have dabbled in baseball and soccer, but my mother was never keen, totally unjustifiably, on myself or my brother playing any really hard contact sports. Furthermore, we never really went to any sporting events. My parents would always say it's too expensive, and they're probably right. I see an outing to a match more of a social thing than anything else. I just enjoy being around so many people watching an exciting game.
The match did prove exciting, though the weather didn't hold. At times the rain positively gushed down and the wind caused it to swirl in different directions. I can only imagine what it was like for the players. The game ended with North Melbourne winning by 4 points, which is pretty close in AFL terms. Despite the atrocious weather, I had fun and its unfortunate, but probably fiscally wise, that I don't live in a city with a professional AFL team.
Sunday I spent walking around the city again, but I did take a guided tour of the the Art Gallery of South Australia. They had some very thought-provoking pieces in there, particularly one about the despair of the Burke and Wills expedition realizing that they're situation was now dire; the 2 would eventually die in the Outback. It consisted of a 3 panel tableau with a male figure in each to represent the 3 members of the party: Burke, Wills and King (who survived). There were other pieces in there, such as aboriginal art and early Australian art from the 19th Century but the Burke and Wills piece was my favourite. I also had a look around the South Australian Museum, a small museum with a large model of a giant squid. For dinner, I ate at another of my parents' recommended restaurants, a Belgian place called Oostende. I had a delicious pork rib there and, again, I thank my parents for the recommendation. That night at the hostel, I took part in a ping pong tournament and got to the 2nd round. Although I didn't win, I did get a free breakfast out of it. And just as an aside, that afternoon as I was walking through a shopping mall on Rundle Street, who should I spy but Helen, one of my tutors from law school. What are the odds, you think, of 2 people from Canberra being in Adelaide at the exact same spot at the exact same time? They cannot be high and I know odds; it's my job after all.
On my last day in Adelaide, I just walked around as much as I could to take in what was left unseen. I walked beside the Torrens River again and explored the northern quarter a little more. I even managed to find a stobie pole, a South Australian exclusive. When electricity first came to South Australia, they quickly realized that there weren't enough trees to make all of the necessary poles. Ingeniously, the South Australians invented a pole made of concrete with iron/steel sides; these were originally railway tracks. The result is the stobie pole, one of the most solidly built things on the face of the Earth. They may be ugly, but they're environmentally friendly and they work. What more do you want? Another South Australian invention is the Torrens Title System whereby the person whose name is on the land registry owns the land regardless of other claims. Under the old law, when you bought property you had to show good title back 40 years, and this new system simplified things greatly. Now, you only had to show that title was passed to you by the person registered. This may not mean much to you now, but it'll prove vitally important if you ever buy a house.
Anyway, when I arrived back in Canberra, I was very pleased with myself. Although this trip was primarily just to get out of Canberra for a while, I feel like I saw a remarkable part of Australia. Adelaide is a not-oft visited city, and it's a shame because it has some wonderful features. Too bad about the weather, though.
After class last Thursday I quickly packed up and left for the airport. I boarded and quick as a shot, was off to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is the driest city in the driest state on the driest continent; oh the irony. Canberra quickly fell away and very soon there was a broad expanse of nothingness, broken only by occasional farms and homesteads. The plane landed in Adelaide in tune with an exquisite sunset. After disembarking, I boarded a bus into the city and made my way to the hostel at Light Square. By the time I arrived it was quite dark, so I decided to stay in.
The next day I used to explore the city center. Adelaide is called the City of Churches because there are, apparently, so many of them. The city was founded in the early 1830s as a free settlement and was planned. The core is surrounded by parks and there are 5 squares within the urban core. The largest of these is Victoria Square, which I visited at a later on. The main streets are several lanes wide and can cope with vehicular traffic better than any other Australian capital city.
I made my way to the South Australian Parliament for a guided tour but had to wait a few hours for the next one. I used the time to walk around the adjacent parkland. Next to Parliament is the Adelaide Festival Centre, the home of the famous biennial Adelaide Festival. In the 1970s, Adelaide experienced a liberalizing trend and the festival was founded and now South Australia is known as the "Festival State". I then walked along the banks of the Torrens River, the main body of water flowing through Adelaide, and made my way to the north side where I saw the famous St. Peter's Cathedral. After killing all this time, I finally went on the parliamentary tour.
South Australia's Parliament, like Victoria's, is technically unfinished, missing its cupola. It was built in 2 halves and was completed some 50 years after construction began. In this half-finished building is where one of the conventions leading to Australian federation was held. The building itself is like many other Parliaments, steeped in history, but one thing I did notice was the public gallery is labelled "Strangers Gallery".
After the tour, I walked to Rundle Street, a pedestrian mall famous as much for its interesting artwork as for its shops. Then I made my way to Victoria Square, the beating heart of Adelaide. At the very center of its core, Adelaide has a large park with a fountain depicting the 3 rivers of Adelaide: the Torrens, the Murray and the Onkaparinga. That night, I went to sleep eager to venture a little further afield.
The next morning I had breakfast at the Original Pancake Kitchen, a restaurant my parents had recommended. Located in an alley, as many fine restaurants are, it is exactly what it sounds like, a restaurant that serves pancakes. I got an order of pancakes with strawberry sauce and ice cream, downed with milk. It was very good and I'm glad my parents suggested it.
After breakfast, I took a tram from the city to Glenelg, a trendy beachside suburb. I'm sure it's marvelous in the summer sun but I had to contend with gale winds and rain. The one good thing was that it meant I had the area mostly to myself. The tram stopped at Moseley Square and I immediately had a look around. Since there wasn't much activity, I just strolled along the beach and snapped a few photos. Glenelg is where the first European settlers in South Australia arrived. When I'd had enough of this, I boarded the tram but got off at Morphettville Racecourse. The races were on that day and I decided to step in and see what a large city's racecourse looks like on race day. The betting ring was abuzz with activity as people studied the odds, placed bets and cheered their picks. I watched one race and then continued back into the city. I was going to treat myself tonight.
For Saturday night, I decided to go to AAMI Stadium for a game of aussie rules. Today, the Port Adelaide Power were hosting the North Melbourne Kangaroos but the contest didn't mean much as both were out of the playoffs. My family was never much in to sports, apart from watching them really. My dad enjoys watching CFL and I have dabbled in baseball and soccer, but my mother was never keen, totally unjustifiably, on myself or my brother playing any really hard contact sports. Furthermore, we never really went to any sporting events. My parents would always say it's too expensive, and they're probably right. I see an outing to a match more of a social thing than anything else. I just enjoy being around so many people watching an exciting game.
The match did prove exciting, though the weather didn't hold. At times the rain positively gushed down and the wind caused it to swirl in different directions. I can only imagine what it was like for the players. The game ended with North Melbourne winning by 4 points, which is pretty close in AFL terms. Despite the atrocious weather, I had fun and its unfortunate, but probably fiscally wise, that I don't live in a city with a professional AFL team.
Sunday I spent walking around the city again, but I did take a guided tour of the the Art Gallery of South Australia. They had some very thought-provoking pieces in there, particularly one about the despair of the Burke and Wills expedition realizing that they're situation was now dire; the 2 would eventually die in the Outback. It consisted of a 3 panel tableau with a male figure in each to represent the 3 members of the party: Burke, Wills and King (who survived). There were other pieces in there, such as aboriginal art and early Australian art from the 19th Century but the Burke and Wills piece was my favourite. I also had a look around the South Australian Museum, a small museum with a large model of a giant squid. For dinner, I ate at another of my parents' recommended restaurants, a Belgian place called Oostende. I had a delicious pork rib there and, again, I thank my parents for the recommendation. That night at the hostel, I took part in a ping pong tournament and got to the 2nd round. Although I didn't win, I did get a free breakfast out of it. And just as an aside, that afternoon as I was walking through a shopping mall on Rundle Street, who should I spy but Helen, one of my tutors from law school. What are the odds, you think, of 2 people from Canberra being in Adelaide at the exact same spot at the exact same time? They cannot be high and I know odds; it's my job after all.
On my last day in Adelaide, I just walked around as much as I could to take in what was left unseen. I walked beside the Torrens River again and explored the northern quarter a little more. I even managed to find a stobie pole, a South Australian exclusive. When electricity first came to South Australia, they quickly realized that there weren't enough trees to make all of the necessary poles. Ingeniously, the South Australians invented a pole made of concrete with iron/steel sides; these were originally railway tracks. The result is the stobie pole, one of the most solidly built things on the face of the Earth. They may be ugly, but they're environmentally friendly and they work. What more do you want? Another South Australian invention is the Torrens Title System whereby the person whose name is on the land registry owns the land regardless of other claims. Under the old law, when you bought property you had to show good title back 40 years, and this new system simplified things greatly. Now, you only had to show that title was passed to you by the person registered. This may not mean much to you now, but it'll prove vitally important if you ever buy a house.
Anyway, when I arrived back in Canberra, I was very pleased with myself. Although this trip was primarily just to get out of Canberra for a while, I feel like I saw a remarkable part of Australia. Adelaide is a not-oft visited city, and it's a shame because it has some wonderful features. Too bad about the weather, though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)