Saturday 27th January 2007. Cairns to Alice Springs, Northern Territory.

This morning it is more sad farewells after breakfast as I send my son out into the world on his own. Then its off to the airport and we are entertained by a DVD of Scared Weird Little Guys singing Deadly Animals by ED in honour of The Professor (that's me) and my bites.

Our flight up to the Alice (as the locals call it) is a joy. That said, I broke the soap dispenser in the loo and Rob and Caroline couldn't believe I was in there so long trying to fix it. As Heather said, "before I met you, I thought things like that only happened to me".

Anyway, flying up to Alice you get a bird's eye view of the arid landscape as the soil gets that famous Aussie red colour.

Well here I am in that icon of Central Australia Alice Springs and it is much greener than I expected. But oh, the flys. My first purchase is a net for my hat, but in true educational style I bought a charity net made by children from special schools with the money going to support the educational support programmes that the schools offer.

Here in Alice Springs the major creation forces are the caterpillar ancestors, Yeperenye, Utnerrengatye and Ntyarlke.

The creation stories of the Central Arrernte People abound with drama, beauty, humour and ecological facts and reveal in a humble and understated way the triumph of the indigenous people as sensitive observers of the natural world. Such stories offer a wonderful cross-cultural opportunity to educate, inspire and uplift us all.

Checked into Aurora Heavitree Gap Outback Lodge and then off to work on the project in an internet shop that has got to be Irish owned as we are serenaded by the old time classics like the Soldier Song and Black Velvet Band.

This afternoon I explored Alice and learned a little about the role of the camel in outback exploration. The early camels in Australia were brought mainly from Afghanistan along with the most skilled cameleers.

I saw the memorial to the Cameleers and the camels who from 1870 and for more than half a century made pioneering and settlement of the Outback possible. Camels were essential for the settlement of Central Australia because they could travel dry stages that were impossible for other animals and thus they provided a vital transport link during the early exploration of the vast interior.

To mark the bi-centenary of Australia an expedition of the South Australian and Northern Territory police forces re-enacted a camel expedition travelling from Darwin to Adelaide between September 6th 1987 and January 1st 1988.

Tonight the Queensland eleven are on our own, the new people arrive tomorrow and so its into town for pub grubb at Bojangles. I dine on a mixed grill of Australian specials enjoying camel, kangaroo, crocodile and buffalo.

Note to Bo and Phil...My eldest has returned to the fold and the Prodigal Robert has taken on the role of official carer in your absence!!

Australia Day 2007. Cairns, Australia.

This morning is our last trip together and we are off for the Skyrail Experience. Our destination is Barron Gorge National Park, part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

The 7.5km Skyrail is the largest cableway in the world and was completed in 1995 after a year of construction. The towers that support the cableway were all lifted into place by helicopter in order to avoid disturbance of the rainforest with the tallest tower rising to 133 feet. With 114 gondolas, Red Peak Station is the highest point on the cableway at 1788ft.

Here I am at Barron Falls, or Din Din as the local aboriginals call this area. The more I learn about Aboriginal Culture the more I understand about the role of man in nature. I am as impressed by traditional Aboriginal beliefs as I am with the belief systems of the North American Indian and that is saying something!!

This is an important site in Aboriginal culture due to the belief in the Rainbow Serpent who created the creeks and the rivers. The flood that occurs here at the falls during the wet season reminds us of the story of the destruction of Buda:dji whose death was caused by the wanton greed of others.

The rainforest of the wet tropics is the most diverse in Australia. Now protected the rainforests have seen their greatest destruction in the last 200 years of a 120 million year history when over half the remaining rainforest in Australia was destroyed.

Tropical rainforests exist in warm climates where at least 1300mm of rain falls each year. They consist of an incredible variety of plants which form distinct layers each with its own conditions of temperature, humidity and light. Rainforests are not only beautiful but also provide us with vital resources such as fresh air and water, soil stability, medicines and food. Indeed, Australia supports 7% of the worlds' species.

Barron Gorge is a beautiful area and the Hydro-Electrical Station is a 60 megawatt power station that was commissioned in September 1963.

Riding across the rainforest canopy is a surreal experience and the gondola takes us to our ultimate destination and the village of Kuranda.

After ice-creams with my son (Phil) and daughter-in-law (Bo)we set off to explore the village. The church of St Saviour is a masterpiece with a history dating from the late 1800's and the need to meet the spiritual needs of those settlers in isolated areas such as Kuranda.

Love is a gift from the Holy Spirit...The sentiment I got from St Saviour's.

Our last official meal as a group is a picnic in the town park before we head back down to Cairns. In the late afternoon we again take advantage of the pool, but only Wayne and I survive the tropical thunderstorm still swimming around.

Today in Cairns I bought that icon of Scotland...a bottle of Irn-Bru right here in Northern Queensland.

Tonight it is an unofficial dinner as most of the group are still in Cairns and we hit the Rattle N Hum for a last very emotional farewell.

Linking with the 21st Century Learning Center, New York.

How do you know the amount of those animals in Australia?
Have you seen any sugar gliders on your journey through Australia?
I would like to know if you have because I am doing a project on
them, and I think they are cute.

(Kristy)

I get my facts from reading books and asking questions where ever I go Kirsty. I am sorry I have not seen any sugar gliders, maybe you can tell me a little more about them and what you have learned in your project?

Will


Have you seen any monkeys yet and I also want to know how you can stand the
mosquitoes and how many kangaroos have you seen so far and have you
seen any crocodiles?

From, your friend Michelle from 21st Century.

Well Michelle. I saw monkeys when I was in South America but not yet in Australia. I have however seen lots of Kangaroos and Wallabies and also crocodiles all in the wild. As for the mosquitoes...you get used to them.

Will



Have you seen any kangaroos? I like kangaroos. They are really funny.
Oh have you seen any dingoes? Did you know dingo rhymes with bingo /
your friend Paul

Paul. I have seen lots and lots of Kangaroos and I have even seen a joey in its mothers pouch. I did not see any dingoes and I am pleased as I am frightened of the dingo. I did however stay on Fraser Island where there are lots of dingoes in the wild.

Will

Thursday 25th January 2007. Cairns, Queensland. Australia.

Here I am in Queensland's most Northerly City. Today I am working on the project all day although I am meeting the team for lunch at The Crown.

Leg update...the bites were actually the bite of a snake. And the water seems to have helped. They are much better today and I feel like I am on the road to recovery!!

This afternoon whilst working on the internet I got a wonderful surprise. Bo and Phil bought me a beautiful bracelet which is white and brown (Bo is white and Phil is brown)...Phil says it also has an electronic tag to make sure that I don't get lost!!!

Back to the hotel and its pool party time with the crew.

Tonight is our farewell dinner as the East Coast section of the tour officially ends in the morning. We head out to dine at the Rattle N Hum and find our way back to the Woolshed to party, party, party...Matt and Alice leave early tomorrow and so it is a sad farewell all round!

Wednesday 24th January 2007. The Great Barrier Reef.

Up and out early and we head for the Passions of Paradise to cruise the reef on this catamaran. Matt and Alice are back and we are family again!!

At 2.300km long the Great Barrier Reef is about the same size as Japan and it is the worlds' largest structure made purely of living organisms. Made entirely from hard and soft coral there is no rock or stone etc. Possibly the most amazing things I saw from my glass bottom boat tour were the honeycombed coral and the giant clam.

Leg Update...I am still not able to go into the sea and so I have to enjoy the dry activities. The fish feed is brilliant as huge numbers of fish and reef sharks appear cutting through the water in spectacular formation...what a privilege to see!!

There are actually 125 different species of shark here on the reef and around 40,000 birds here on Michelmas Cay where we land to enjoy nature at its very best.

Today it is scorching hot and my feet burn as I walk around the deck.

Back to the hotel and Jen creates quite the feast with nibbles and pates and cheeses and we have a great night with the whole team around the pool.

My aversion to water is over and I am in the pool with the crew fully clothed...yet another fun filled night with Bo and Mel providing plenty updates to keep us all talking.

Tuesday 23rd January 2007. The Whitsundays to Cairns.

A very early start and we are on the ferry back to the mainland. Today we lose Pam and Canadian Chris and Matt and Alice (although they are joining us again in Cairns).
We are also losing darling Jen our excellent guide and so we head off on the road North with a tinge of sadness.

Our first stop is Bowen, the mango capital of Australia and also an area for salt mining. Lunch is in Townsville, the capital of Northern Queensland which has a very fine war memorial with the thought provoking message that "We Called...They Served" below the eternal flame that lights the gateway.

Stopping again in Cardwell I am drawn to the Cardwell Lions Park where I drink from the Cairn that was erected to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of this settlement and which was unveiled on Australia Day in 1964. Again I am drawn to the town war memorial where there are only two names from World War I: H. R. Butler and A. Bryant. I am struck by the fact that every community has played its part in war no matter how remote your home from the theatre of war...Duty Nobly Done.

Here on the Hinchinbrook Channel we descend on the pier where we meet John, the coolest and cutest kid who is completely unflapped by this group of 30 odd foreign adults all inspecting the baby shark he has just caught and the beautiful crabs that will be tonights supper.

After checking in to the Palm Royale and meeting new Jen (from Wimbledon and really nice!!!) we head off to the Cairns Night Markets before drinks at the Woolshed and then a party round the pool back at our hotel.

Monday 22nd January 2007. Long Island. The Whitsundays.

Leg Update...Not looking so healthy today and we are considering getting off the island to see a doctor on the mainland.

After a group decision about the state of "the wound" I jet ski for the first time ever today with Swiss Chris. Christoph is the coolest guy you could ever meet. I have had the joy of sharing my room with the tour mascot from the beginning and today Chris, Matt, Alice and I head off at speed across Happy Bay.

The whole team have a leisurely lunch in the resort before our afternoon nap to the tune of another rain storm allowing us to recharge before tonight's festivities.

Pub quiz tonight and my team make it a whitewash. Al, Mel, Canadian Chris, Phil and I are the mainstays of the team that win all three rounds by a mile. From here the Connections crowd take to the piano where Matt tinkles the old ivory and Pam, Rob and I lead the singing...another great night is rounded off by the Disco Kings taking to the floor.

On our walk back to our room we were entertained by a spectacular display of bats!!

Sunday 21st January 2007. Long Island. The Whitsundays.

Well when it rains it this country it really rains. What a tropical thunderstorm we are having and today I am off on Ragamuffin to sail in the Whitsunday Islands.

Maxi Ragamuffin is arguably one of the most famous yachts in Australia. Launched in 1979 by Kelly and Haugh in Mona Vale, Sydney she was built as Bumblebee 4 for Sydney yachtsman John Kahlbetzer. As the worlds' state of the art maxi yacht she entered the 1979 Sydney to Hobart taking a convincing line honours victory. As Ragamuffin she repeated this feat in 1988 and 1990 along with 2nd place in 1986 and 3rd places in 1985 and 1989. From her eight starts in this race she took a total of six placings.

Her racing credentials though stretch worldwide including the Long Island Sound Series; New York Yacht Club Series; Greenwich to Newport; Mediterranean Maxi Championships; World Cup; Middle Sea and Southern Ocean Racing Conference.

Maxi Ragamuffin remains to this day Australia's most successful maxi sailing yacht and today we are destined for Whitehaven Beach that idyllic spot of 6.7km of pure white sands under what turn out to be blue skies as I sit along emerald shores.

I am so lucky. Phil has been adopted as my official carer and he and Matt ensure that I am carried from the tender to the beach and back again in order that we follow doctors orders and keep my foot dry.

Back at the resort the weather has again taken a turn for the worst but the fun continues. Tonight Jen and Caroline have arranged a special birthday surprise and I am presented at dinner with my 50th birthday presents...one of which is that I will open the evening's Karaoke in the bar...well once I started it was hard to get the mic back and I sung my little heart out.

Leg Update...The bottom wound is now quite deep and the spreading of the infection has really led to a swollen leg.

Despite all my problems as I journey and the continuing issues I am facing in dealing with past events I must address the educational topic of reverting to type.

I am happier on this tour than ever. The group are great and so supportive and I have to wonder at the fact that this is almost exclusively a European group and indeed within that division we are a mainly British group. It is very comforting for me that everyone is from parts of the country I know well...Maybe there is a psychological aspect to travel and feelings of comfort from what you know? That said we also have Australians, Canadians and American travellers and dear Heather is the greatest advert for the USA you could ever meet!!

Saturday 20th January 2007. Capricorn Caves to The Whitsundays.

After an early breakfast we hit the road heading North. Our first stop is at Flaggy Rocks Exotic Fruit Garden on the Bruce Highway. Located some 210Km North of Rockhampton this is our pit-stop enroute to MacKay (the sugar capital of Australia).

I just don't seem to have much luck. In many ways this project year has confirmed my status as Frank Spencer and I have another BETTY moment today. On the bus to Airlie Beach we have a competition and this simply involved some origami and holding a mint in your mouth. In keeping with my health issues this week I managed, somehow, to be the one person who lost a section of my front tooth along with the mint.

After internet access in Airlie Beach it is time to take the ferry from Shute Harbour to Long Island.

Here in the Long Island Resort we are surrounded by very tame wildlife such as wallabies and bush turkeys.

Before dinner I join the others in the pool where I have a paddle with my good leg as the team play volleyball. It is such a beautiful and idyllic sight as I watch the match unfold infront of me in the pool as the sun sets over the neighbouring islands. It is almost impossible to describe this scene, it is like a painting...the pool, the flaming candles lining the beach and the tide out with small boats dotting the shore...this is paradise!

Bites Update...Ankle very swollen.

Tonight there is a live singer in the resort and Bo and Phil take the opportunity to tell him it is my 50th birthday. I am so lucky as I am travelling with an excellent group. Our guide is really professional, and my fellow travellers are really great people.

I have been adopted as the "old git" of the trip, although I am actually not the oldest at all. Anyway, with my goatee beard I have aged and the strange thing was not the fact that the singer announced to the whole resort that it was my birthday but that when he asked to see me he actually believed that I was 50. I even had people congratulating me on how well I looked for my age!

I was even wished happy birthday by a lady who is here on holiday celebrating her 50th!!!

Friday 19th January 2007. From Fraser Island to Capricorn Caves.

Catching the first ferry back to Hervey Bay we get back on the road making our first stop in Gin Gin at the famous Traveller's Rest to sample their award winning pies.

Our lunch stop is the quite unique, and remote, Raglan Tavern.

Arriving this afternoon in Rockhampton we cross the Tropic of Capricorn and I am able to have a quick link onto the internet and catch up with some e-mails.

Capricorn Caves is to be our destination and on arrival I join a group to explore these over-ground limestone caves. The highlight of the tour is the Cathedral which is acoustically perfect. The cathedral is actually now a popular local venue for weddings.

Rockhampton is the Australian beef capital and so this evening the natural choice for dinner is beef.

Thursday 18th January 2007. Fraser Island. Australia.

Today I am off on a 4WD (four wheel drive) excursion on Fraser Island. My first stop is Lake McKenzie. There are actually over 100 freshwater lakes on Fraser Island which in 1991 fully became a national park with the last log felled that same year. In 1992 the island which is the world's largest sand island was accorded world heritage status.

Lake McKenzie is a perched dune lake which means that it was formed in the sand dunes when a depression in the sand filled with decaying organic matter forming a 'cemented sand' that did not allow water to penetrate. Subsequent rain then fills such depressions resulting in fresh water lakes. Lake McKenzie sits some 90m above sea level and it is one of the 42 such lakes here on the island. In total the world has only 80 perched dune lakes worldwide so you can begin to see the importance of Fraser Island.

The traditional industries on the island have been logging and more recently sand mining. All such industry though is now banned in this ecological reserve.

Fraser Island stretches some 123km from Hook Point in the south to Sandy Cape in the north and averages 15km wide.

The island is geologically very important with studies carried out on both the vegetation and the ongoing changes in the sand. Most of the sand that makes up the island has come from the far south east of Australia and indeed some of the sand is from Antarctica (before Australia and Antarctica split).

The island is home to many different animals, although most are nocturnal and thus rarely seen. The island is most famous for the dingo population who inhabit all areas of the island. Closely related to the Asian Wolf dingoes can only produce one litter of pups each year; domestic dogs can produce two litters per year. Due to the isolation of Fraser Island the dingoes here are amongst the most pure in Australia.

Fraser Island is also home to 47 other mammal species such as the swamp wallaby and 354 species of bird. The wide range of habitats on the island provide for a range of food supplies allowing suitable breeding and nesting areas for a diversity of birds. Amongst the 79 species of reptile there are 19 species of snake.

The original inhabitants here were the aboriginal peoples of the Butchella tribe who called the island K'Gari (pronounced Gurri) which means paradise. Aboriginal history on the island stretches back some 8000 years.

Europeans first came to know of Fraser Island when Captain Cook spotted the Great Sandy Peninsular whilst travelling up the east coast of Australia in 1770. He mistakenly thought that the island was connected to the mainland. In 1799 Matthew Flinders on the Norfolk explored areas of Hervey Bay and discovered that the peninsular was an island. The naming of the island though has a somewhat more romantic history...

In 1836 Captain James Fraser on the brig Stirling Castle was wrecked at Swain's reef on the north of the island. The survivors travelled south eventually discovering that they were marooned on an island. Eliza Fraser the captain's wife was the sole survivor and the island was named after her.

Our next stop is Central Station (originally the homestead for the island's logging community).

Logging on Fraser Island started in 1863 with "Yankee" Jack Piggott and ended as recently as December 1991. Initially focused on trees such as the Hoop Pine and the Kauri Pine after 1925 Satinay became the major timber species logged on the island. Resistant to marine borer the satinay became popular around the world for use in marine conditions and was actually used in both the construction of the Suez Canal and the rebuilding of the London Docks after World War II.

From Wanggoolba Creek we walk to Pile Valley before heading for lunch at the Eurong Beach Resort.

After lunch it is off for a drive along 75 mile beach (which is actually only 65 miles long)to see the coloured sands of The Pinnacles that the local Badtjala people believe were created at the dawn of time along with the island, its plants, animals and features.

The highlight of the day for me was a visit to the wreck of the Maheno the Dumbarton built luxury liner that was designed to ply the route between Sydney and Auckland. One of the fastest ships of her time this Denny Bros masterpiece set the record for the fastest crossing of the Tasman(2 days 21 hours). The turbine driven steamship was struck by an out of season cyclone on July 8th 1935 and was washed ashore here at Fraser Island whilst enroute to Japan for scrapping. Her last major role was as target practice for the local airforce during the second world war.

Our last stop today is Eli Creek which flows from an underground aquifer about 6km inland from the beach. The creek has an amazing flow rate of 4.2 million litres per hour with the water a relatively constant 18 degrees celsius.

Wednesday 17th January 2007. From The Gold Coast to Fraser Island. Queensland, Australia.

This morning we are up and out by 6.30am and on the road to Brisbane (the only major city in Australia not built on the coast). 20km inland, the River City is so-named because it is built on the Brisbane River.

Brisbane is our breakfast stop at Michel's in the Queen Street Mall. To get to the mall we take a walk past the elegant and neo-classical City Hall. Today we lose Lesley the first of our group to depart the tour.

Alice wants me to let everyone know what a wonderful time we had chatting this morning talking about this project.

Back on the bus and we stop at the Ettamogah Pub an Australian institution located next to the highway. Lunch is at Matilda before continuing on to Hervey Bay from where we will sail to the Kingfisher Bay Resort.

Tonight we dine and dance the night away in the Dingo Bar.

Tuesday 16th January 2007. The Gold Coast. Queensland, Australia.

This morning I am feeling very sick. On Sunday I had a couple of cuts on my ankle following my bush walk at the nature reserve. However these bled all day yesterday and this morning I am in quite some pain.

The others head off to Wet and Wild water park, but I have to cancel my booking and instead I am off to the doctor's. It turns out that I have two deep bites on my ankle that are infected. The doctor though cannot tell me what from. I am given a prescription and I begin treatment straight away. I will need to dress the wound twice a day and I am told that if I develop a fever I need to go straight to the hospital.

Next stop is breakfast at Toscani's before a gentle stroll home to the hotel.

Despite the concrete sprawl of the six largest city in Australia, Gold Coast City is actually the country's most biologically diverse city. With vegetation ranging from mountain rainforest to coastal wetland there are 323 bird species, 72 mammal species and 71 reptile species present. A city with over 70km of beach and an average water temperature of 22 degrees celsius the city is also home to 25 species of fish and 34 species of amphibian.

This afternoon Lesley and I have wonderful coffee's at the Delano Hotel before heading back to dinner at the resort and a quiet drink in the bar before bed.

Monday 15th January 2007. Byron Bay to the Gold Coast.

This morning we spent exploring Byron Bay and enjoying a leisurely breakfast. After a lunchtime BBQ we hit the road heading out of New South Wales and crossing the border into Queensland.

We are destined for Natural Bridge National Park where we enjoy sights such as Bush Turkeys, the Strangler Fig and the Hoop Pine in this sub-tropical rainforest.

Our destination is to be the Paradise Resort in Surfer's Paradise.

Surfer's Paradise was the name given to the settlement of Elston when it was re-named in 1933. Indeed, following the post war real estate boom of the 1950's and 1960's, that resulted from the expanding tourist industry the area began being referred to as the Gold Coast by the people of nearby Brisbane. Formerly known as the South Coast, the Gold Coast was the first place in Australia to introduce canal estates and this may be one reason why I feel a real sense of Fort Lauderdale here?

The property boom was seen by many as a licence to print money and the resulting name of Gold Coast stuck such that in 1959 Surfer's Paradise and Coolangatta were re-named and in 1960 they formally became Gold Coast City.

Tonight we are dining at the Surfer's Paradise Surf Club before we all head out to dance the night away at Melbas.

Sunday 14th January 2007. Byron Bay. Australia.

Up and out early my first port of call after breakfast is Cape Byron Lighthouse. Built in 1901 it is one of the 13 major lights constructed in New South Wales between 1858 and 1903.

Constructed from concrete and standing 22 metres high here you will find the most powerful light in Australia with a range of 27 nautical miles. The lighthouse was automated in 1988. Here at the most easterly point of mainland Australia we are entertained by a pod of dolphins and a visting shark.

Back in town Chris and I head out for lunch at Julian's Cafe before we walk for miles along the beach.

The mouth of the Belongil Estuary is an important breeding and foraging area for a range of shorebirds like the Little Tern, Beach Stone Curlew, Pied Oystercatcher and a range of migratory birds from the Northern Hemisphere. Operated by BEACON, the Byron environmental and conservation organisation a wildlife reserve has been established here to protect the threatened breeding area at the estuary mouth and protect the eggs and the young.

Tonight it is BBQ time with the gang. I am sharing my room with a great bunch of guys and for once I don't feel ancient. We are all in our early thirties. Rob is from Leeds, Wayne is an East End lad and then there is our tour mascot Swiss Chris.

After dinner we follow the tourist trail. The Beach Hotel in Byron is a must on a Sunday and so we dance, dance, dance our way into the wee sma hours'.

Saturday 13th January 2007. Sydney to Byron Bay. NSW.

As you would expect Sandra has everything organised and a taxi arrives at 5.45am to take me into the city to join my tour group.

I cannot thank Sandra and Nigel enough for all they have done for me.

Today I am taking the Pacific Highway (the longest ocean highway in the world) to Byron Bay.

After meeting with my tour group we hit the road. Our first port of call is for breakfast in the town of Raymond Terrace. From 6.30am this morning we have been playing party games on the bus, and after "Speed Dating" we know a lot about each other by the time we have lunch by the water at Riverside Park in Kempsey.

The town of Kempsey is where the akubra hat comes from. Originally founded as a logging town based on the cedar wood industry, at its height the town was home to some 200 loggers. However, Kempsey's success was also its downfall and the town almost went bust because it had been so successful at logging with over supply forcing down prices. The area was cleared and the town moved to an agricultural base.

Our road trip takes us through Coffs Harbour, the only place in Australia where the Great Dividing Range meets the Pacific and on to Byron Bay.

Byron Bay was named by Captain Cook in honour of Captain John Byron who circumnavigated Australia twice in 1764 and 1766.

We are staying in the really lovely Glen Villa Resort and tonight we all head out to The Rails Kitchen for dinner before heading off to Cheeky Monkey's to dance the night away...one by one they all depart until its just Caroline, Rob and I left dancing on the tables until 3am.

Friday 12th January 2007. Sydney. NSW.

Took myself off on the bus to Mona Vale to spend the day with Ros and John McCririck (old friends of Sandra and Nigel).

Starting at Mona Vale beach I learned that all along the Northern Beaches there is a stabilisation process in place for the sandhills as the prevailing winds move and erode the sand.

Up Bushrangers Hill where I learned that myth has it that this name is derived from the fact that this narrow pass leading on to the Peninsula was where people coming out from the city were often stopped and robbed. On to Newport Beach and then to Bilgola Beach and North Bilgola Lookout.

Over to Pittwater and Clareville Beach before we head up to Palm Beach and Governor Phillip Park. Our key destination this morning is Barrenjoey Head where we are to climb Barrenjoey Headland to visit the lighthouse. This area is part of Ku-ring-gai Chase.

Barrenjoey lighthouse, in use since 1881, is built of locally quarried sandstone from the headland and it was designed by the colonial architect James Barnet with the almost obligatory convict-built walking trail.

The tourist highlight is a visit to SUMMER BAY. North Palm Beach is after all the location home of Home and Away. After visiting the surf club we head on to Palm Beach before returning to Carmel's by the Sea for lunch.

Back via Whale Beach, where naturally the whalers were based, to Mona Vale, before heading out to the McCririck home at Church Point for afternoon tea. From McCarrs Creek Road we head to John and Ros's old house in Bay View Heights...that was before they took their yacht and sailed around the world for over four years...people are simply amazing aren't they???

After John returns from the labours of a GP's day we head off to the Ku-ring-gai National Park along McCarrs Creek. This national park is mainly sandstone base and as well as being very well drained it was once at the floor of the sea. The traditional home of the Guringai people this is the second oldest national park (1894) in New South Wales.

We are very lucky and I see four wallabies in the wild enroute to West Head. From here there is a wonderful view over to Barrenjoey and a stunning view of Lion Island which is so-named because of its similarity to the sphinx. Free from feral animals such as foxes the eight hectares of the island are a haven for migratory birds and native animals.

Tonight I dine in the wonderful setting of John and Ros's home. I have been so very lucky to share my time with such wonderful people here in Sydney.

I spoke twice tonight with my family at home in Scotland and to round off this perfect trip Sandra, Nigel and I enjoy a wee dram (a wonderfully aged malt to be exact) to celebrate the continued success of the project.

Thursday 11th January 2007. Sydney. NSW.

Up and out and Sandra and I are pounding the beat to Kurraba Point for our morning walk. In talking with Tony it turned out that he and Sandra shared Balmain Public School in common and on further investigation it turns out they they both worked at the school for the same Principal Bryce Barton (in the day's before Sandra was the school's Principal). The self same Bryce Barton is the great-nephew of Edmund Barton Australia's first Prime Minister.

After breakfast I am visiting an art gallery right here at home. Sandra and Nigel have amassed a wonderful collection of international art with special emphasis on aboriginal works and particularly those of family friend and renowned artist Bronwyn Bancroft.

After working on the project and after lunch I head off to Nutcote and the home of May Gibbs.

Born in Surrey in January 1877, May left England for Australia at the age of 4 years when her family took up a land grant. The Mother of the Gumnuts spent her early years mainly in Norwood, Adelaide where he father would often take May on bush walks teaching her to sketch the landscape and wildlife. The Norwood of the 1880's still enjoyed the native bush and animals of the Kaurna Plains. Her book the Gumnut Babies, published in 1916 is a reflection of her passion for the bush.

The Nutcote site was chosen by May and her mother Cecilia and purchased in 1922 for £500. The B.J.Waterhouse designed property has a heavy Mediterranean influence with a classical verandah, terracotta tiled roof and wooden shutters. The interior of the property is very much in the arts and crafts style popular in the 1920's with dark stained timber for the joinery and built-in furniture.

I had a lovely guided tour with Judy Wallace, an elderly lady who had herself been a friend of May's in the latter years of the artists life. A little aside is that Judy's husband is a good Scot from Dundee.

I rounded off my time at Nutcote with tea and cakes in the lovely English Country Garden with the Nelson family and their grand-daughter.

Supper on the deck tonight before Nigel and I head for a nite at the pub with his mates. Our destination is The Oaks (1885). Right here in Neutral Bay this is arguably one of Sydney's best and trendiest pubs. It is such a shame that I am leaving Sydney in the early hours of Saturday as I was invited to crew in a yacht race on the harbour...Just can't take every opportunity...that's life!

Wednesday 10th January 2007. Sydney. NSW.

Up and out early Sandra and I are off to explore. We head out through Anderson Park which on July 17th 1934 became the runway for Charles Kingsford Smith and his navigator Gordon Taylor who took off for Mascot Airport in the Lady Southern Cross. They were later to make the first trans-pacific flight from Australia to the USA.

Our walk takes us through Kirribilli and past both Admiralty House and Kirribilli House before heading down to the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. We head now to see the Sydney Flying Squadron Ltd; the oldest open boat sailing club in Australia before enjoying the beautiful Milsons Park.

Up to Auntie Cher's house in Southern Cross Gardens to see the replica propeller from a Lockheed Altair. The housing complex here stands in what were the grounds of the Kingsford-Smith home. The Lady itself was lost with Smithy and Tommy Pethybridge in the Bay of Bengal on November 8th/9th 1935.

I spend the most wonderful afternoon with Sandra as we put the world to rights and lunched by the pool.

Taking the ferry into town from Neutral Bay I meet Tony at the InterContinental Hotel for afternoon tea in The Cortile; a wonderful courtyard setting in what was the State Treasury Building for New South Wales. The urn in the centre of the courtyard c.1870, is from the garden of Locko Park a Victorian country house near Derby in England.

My next stop is the Conservatorium of Music outside which stands a wonderful statue of King Edward VII on horseback. The building was originally stables for Government House and should make us think of the fact that at a time when the majority of subjects were living in abject poverty, without even the most basic sanitary conditions, the horses lived like Kings?

This Greenway designed stables complex was built by convict workers between 1817 and 1821 with conversion into the Conservatorium beginning in 1913 and opening in 1915.

The permanent exhibits inside the building are excellent. Indeed it is here that you can see evidence of the most intact convict built road system. Back on Bridge Street and we see a wonderful example of grand Victorian municipal building in the form of the Chief Secretary's Building.

My walking tour with Tony this evening takes in a myriad of wonderful buildings.

We head out to the former General Post Office (now the Westin Hotel) to see an interesting fusion building which works though it is not the most sympathetic fusion I have seen in the city.

The GPO was designed by the colonial architect James Barnet. Barnet was colonial architect here from 1862-1890. He is another Scot being born in Arbroath in 1827, he died in December of 1904.

My next stop is The Cenotaph and then we head into the wonders of art deco at 2 Martin Place, Australasia Chambers, where Tony and I behave like naughty school boys taking the wonderful old cage lift to every floor. Tony had the brains to check out what each floor was about and then apologised each time we hit the wrong floor...

Oh Sorry, we were looking for X...That's the next floor up Sir...Oh, Thank-you.

The Royal Australian Regiment Memorial is our next major stop. It is here that I learn about the Darwin Mobile Force (DMF) that was raised in Sydney in November 1938 for the defence of the Darwin area. The unit arrived in Darwin in March of 1939 and was Australia's first regular field force unit of artillery and infantry. Disbanded in August 1940 its members were dispersed throughout the Australian forces contributing to operations in WWII and later.

From here we go to the AWA (Australian Wireless Association) building which was the tallest in the city for over 20 years until the modern skyscrapers began being constructed. This wonderful art deco building is topped with a working antenna.

Stepping back in history to what is now known as the Commonwealth Banking Corporation's Barrack Street Branch...now a Greek restaurant. The building was the first in Australia to be constructed as a savings bank and it opened on 17th January 1850 as the Headquarters of The Savings Bank of New South Wales which had been founded in 1832. In 1833 the Savings Bank of New South Wales took over the business of Australia's pioneer savings bank, Campbell's Savings Bank which had been established in 1812.

Built with the most luxurious of materials the Barrack Street branch would never be constructed today...we just don't build like this anymore. Moruya granite was used for the Doric ground floor columns, the Ionic and Corinthian columns above are Balmoral granite from Scotland and the Balustrade Capping and Base are of St Anne marble from the Pyrenees. This building has one of the finest exterior examples of the revival style of Victorian architecture in the city.

Next stop is the Grace Hotel housed in a former Grace Brothers Department store that was built in the commercial Gothic style of the 1920's. Strikingly similar to the wonderful Chicago Tribune Building (1922-25) the decorative corner tower here at the hotel rises to some 213ft above street level. This building actually opened at completely the wrong time, on July 3rd 1930.

Construction was based on the fact that the opening of the harbour bridge and the completion of the railway would make York Street the main retail thoroughfare. However, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 meant that by 1933 the building had become a mortgage liability. By 1936 the building was under the control of a Management Trust and even by the end of 1939 only 6 floors were tenanted.

Between 1942 and 1945 the building served as the American Military HQ in Sydney and General Douglas MacArthur had his HQ in the air-conditioned basement.

Continuing with the art deco theme we head to see the spectacularly overdone pseudo Gothic art deco lobby of the State Theatre before moving on to the Art House Hotel a popularised fusion building.

From Tony's apartment we head off in the car to see the old Mark foy's store exterior and on for Broadway to see the original Grace Brothers store. Our next stop is Tony's alma mater the University of Sydney before a drive through Newtown (shabby chic and so university.

Back via Glebe Point Road we are to dine at Wok Station by Nitan (one of Sydney's most famous and successful young Thai chefs) in Pyrmont. I have never tasted Thai food like it. It was exceptional with flavours that brought your taste buds to life and salmon that melted in your mouth.

Nitan was a lovely man and typically Thai in his hospitality he would not hear of us either ordering or paying for the meal.

Driving back across the harbour bridge with Tony the diamond was lit tonight and I realised yet again that I have had another diamond day in Sydney.

Tuesday 9th January 2007. Sydney. NSW.

Up and out early this morning Sandra, Julia and I are off on a walk to Cremorne Point. Our route takes us down Shell Cove Road (look up Alex Buzo and his Australian plays) and through Cremorne Reserve across the traditional lands of the Cameraygal people.

As you enter the Reserve there is a wonderful old sign that warns of a £2 fine for anyone removing plants. We pass MacCallum Pool and head on through this lovely natural park that is maintained by the volunteers of Bush Care in conjunction with North Sydney Council. The Bush Care project here started in 1993 and by 1998 there were some 200 volunteers.

Passing the Scottish Cairn we arrive at our destination and the navigation light. The Cremorne Point Navigation Light was constructed in 1910 and it was one of the first in Australia to use reinforced concrete in its construction.

On the route back home we take in historic houses such as Honda and the wonderful roses of Billong Street.

Honda 1858 was originally the home of the architect Francis H. Grundy and later of William C. Bennett the Commissioner for Roads and Bridges whose daughter Agnes was the second woman ever to graduate with a science degree as Dr Agnes Bennett from the University of Sydney and who led both a distinguished medical career and who campaigned for better education and health care for women and children.

Back home and I will tell you a little more about Benjamin Boyd. A banker, merchant, pastoralist and whaler he arrived on his yacht the Wanderer from England in July of 1842 and established his businesses at Neutral Bay and in various parts of New South Wales. Boyd would be killed by cannibals in Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in October 1851 and his yacht after that terrible voyage was wrecked at the entrance to Port MacQuarie.

I take myself out in search of Nutcote; the home and studio of the artist and writer May Gibbs. Gibbs is recognised as Australia's Beatrix Potter and is famous for her stories about Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. Gibbs lived here in Neutral Bay from 1925 until her death in 1969. Unfortunately the B.J.Waterhouse Spanish Mission Style villa built in 1924 was closed today.

This afternoon we head out on a drive to the airport with Julia via Rushcutters Bay and past The Flavour of India on New South Head Road where Michael Hutchence had his last meal before he committed suicide. On up through Edgecliff, we head through Double Bay and Rose Bay heading out to Nielsen Park and on to the mansions of Coolong Road. Over to Watson's Bay and we head for the stunning view that is Gap Bluff. Our route now takes us up past Signal Hill Reserve and South Head Lighthouse to Bondi Beach and on to the airport.

A nice cup of tea at home and a ferry ride to Circular Quay and Sandra and I are off to meet Nigel at the Shangri la Hotel for afternoon cocktails (and a really stunning view) in the Blu Horizon Bar where I enjoy the signature Blu Cosmopolitan cocktail.

On our way to dinner we see the site of the first execution in the new colony. Here on the corner of Essex and Harrington Streets was where Thomas Barrett, a first fleet convict was hung on February 27th 1788 for stealing provisions.

On to the site of the first gaol in Sydney. This thatched log prison was 80ft long with 22 cells and it was built in 1791. Burnt down on the night of January 11th 1799 it was replaced in 1801 and the new gaol remained onsite and in use here at the bottom of Essex Street until 1841.

Tonight we dine at Sailors Thai. This famous Rocks establishment is housed in the Victorian-Romanesque former Sailor's Rest Home. Here in the Carrs Wing of this seamans mission (constructed in 1926) is the site of this ultra modern dining experience. We all sit at a communal steel table in ultra chic surroundings contained in a Federation Free Classical facade. Sailors Thai was the first restaurant to have won a Michelin Star for Thai food.

Life takes you constantly by surprise as I have found out this year. From extremes of high and low I never fail to be impressed by the amazing people I am lucky enough to meet.

Nigel I knew was a former naval officer in HM Royal Navy but I never knew he was based in the Far East at the time when the Far East Fleet was disbanded and sailed out of its home in Singapore for the last time. My Papa was also a sailor with HM Royal Navy's Far East Fleet.

Nigel was also lucky enough to be at sea when the rum ration was abolished and his ship ceremonially lowered the ensign to half-mast and buried its last keg of rum at sea.

Famously Nigel was one of the doctors on the Blue Nile expedition. The Great Abbai Expedition of 1968 explored corners of the gorge that had never been penetrated by Europeans before. Sponsored by The Daily Telegraph the expedition went to an area "infested by robber bands beyond the control of the central government in Addis Ababa". Led by Captain John Blashford-Snell, R.E., the expedition was concerned with the virtually unknown Ethiopian section of the Blue Nile.

In an expedition party that included the likes of Chris Bonington, Surg. Sub-Lt Nigel Marsh as a medical officer was newly qualified from Edinburgh University. During the expedition Nigel had the distinction of operating on a tribal chief and saving his life using the most basic of equipment.
Sadly, Nigel's medical officer Ian McLeod, a Black Watch Corporal from Glasgow was to lose his life during the course of the expedition.

Jasmine tea in the sunroom at home and a wonderfully long chat with my family back in Bonnie Scotland completes the perfect day.

Tonight I begin reading the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám.

There is a great deal to think of in the concept that "the old Tentmaker, who, after vainly endeavouring to unshackle his Steps from Destiny, and to catch some authentic Glimpse of TOMORROW, fell back upon TODAY (which has outlasted so many Tomorrows) as the only Ground he got to stand upon, however momentarily slipping from under his Feet".

For me, currently battling with the dicoveries I have made this year about the human condition I see in us all the struggle between the security of the known (yesterday), the crude certainties of today and the fear, hopes, dreams and ambitions of tomorrow (which we all want yesterday!).

Monday 8th January 2007. Sydney. NSW.

Today I am on the move to Neutral Bay. I am off to spend the remainder of my time in Sydney with Sandra and Nigel Marsh, my mate Tom's aunt and uncle.

Neutral Bay is so named because the bay was designated a neutral port where foreign shipping could dock following the settlement of Sydney by the First Fleet.

Here in Ben Boyd Lane there is a great deal of history. The Marsh house was built in 1922 as a Californian Bungalow and it is an exquisite property.

This afternoon after lunch round the pool we head out to the Hayden Orpheum in Cremorne. This wonderful art deco cinema is well worth visiting in its own right and Nigel, Sandra, Julia (another visitor, from Cheltenham Ladies College)and I are here to see "The Queen". Naturally we have to have a Choc Top to complete the experience.

Down through Mosman we head to Balmoral Beach where we walk on to Rocky Point Island to take in the breath-taking view. This is also the site of a wonderful statue to Billy a dog that was a true local celebrity.

No visit to Balmoral would be complete without at least having a cocktail in The Bathers' Pavilion. The building was built in 1928 with a Moorish styled exterior complete with resplendent cement grilles as detailed friezes. Redeveloped as a restaurant in 1967 the building was constructed by Mosman Council as a changing room complex for Balmoral beach.

On the way home we pass along Glover Street in Mosman.

A wonderful day is rounded off by supper around the pool this evening.

Sunday 7th January 2007. Sydney. NSW.

This morning I awoke to a call from my dear friend Alice. It was so wonderful to hear her voice and to catch up on all that has been happening with my friends and relations at home in New York.

I want to begin today's blog by officially saying Hi from Down Under to the new group of students participating in the project at the Learning Center in Little Valley, NY. It is summer here in Oz and I believe it is a little like summer at home with very little snow this year and a ski season that is almost non-existent...So while I bask in the sunshine, I am praying for snow for you guys!

Today I am off to the Southern Highlands to have lunch with Ben's grandparents in Berrima. Enroute we drive through the Lighthorse Interchange which I am informed is a modern monument to the last full cavalry charge in history which took place during World War I and was conducted by the 6th Australian Light Horse Regiment. Roughly 2000 commemorative red batons up to two metres high ‘sprout’ from native grasses on the median strips of both the M4 and M7 motorway interchange approaches, to signify the predominant regimental colours of red and green.

After a tour of the beautiful Georgian village of Berrima we head out to Badgers Hill for lunch. The property is simply stunning. A most elegant country house breeming with antiques, old world charm and sophistication; where we enjoy formal drinks and lunch and I get to explore the beautifully maintained grounds and an English Rose Garden that any Home Counties property would be proud to possess.

Jean and Alan Terrell are fascinating company and I am very proud to say that Alan's stories of his life and times as Australia's top aviator are even more remarkable than I had hoped for.

Alan Terrell was The Queen's pilot when she came to Australia and as well as flying Her Majesty around the great Southern Continent he also had the joy of flying The Queen internationally. For example, he flew Her Majesty into Tehran for lunch with The Shah in the days of the Peacock Throne.

Alan had the joy of inviting Her Majesty to join the flight deck. Although she did not accept the offer she did invite Alan to join her in her compartment to have a chat. He tells a wonderful story of how Her Majesty began by asking about the progress of the flight and spent the remainder of the half hour one to one chat talking about Alan and his family. As you enter Badger's Hill along with family photographs proudly and rightly displayed on the hall table is a personally signed photograph of The Queen and Prince Phillip.

Alan was the first Australian to fly Concorde as a test pilot for a potential Qantas purchase and he flew the first ever tourist flight to Antarctica and described to me that his first sight of the continent was of an unexpected brown tinge before you hit the snow and the ice.

On that very first flight there were no restrictions (these were subsequently added when decisions were made about exactly what equipment etc to carry). Restrictions put in place volunteerily by Qantas were naturally formalised following the inaugural Air New Zealand flight which resulted in the crashing of the DC 10 and the loss of all life onboard.

The Erebus crash had 257 victims and was for New Zealand their equivalent of the Kennedy Assassination. Even today Kiwi's of that generation can tell you where they were on that fateful day in 1979. It is said that the Steward's Union in New Zealand still has a light burning for the victims to this day.

On that very first flight Alan "took her down to 10,000ft and at one stage flew over the pack ice flying down gorges with peaks either side".

The stories just keep flowing like the time Alan flew Gough Whitlam into China on an official visit just after the Nixon visit and in the days of ping-pong diplomacy.

Now well into retirement Alan still lectures two courses in aviation for New South Wales University. It was a joy and a privilege to meet him and dine in his home.

Our route home is via Bowral and Mittagong where I see the first war memorial I have ever seen to have been updated to include the "Afghanistan Conflict" and as it notes, "Gulf Wars I & II".

Saturday 6th January 2007. Sydney, NSW.

I am up and off to continue my exploration of Sydney. My day begins with a visit to the beautiful St John's Darlinghurst. This church has the air of an English country parish and the most wonderful stained glass windows. It is both majestic and yet cosy at one and the same time.

It is in the church that I meet Roberta. A lovely older lady who is busy arranging the flowers...and so we get chatting. Turns out that she is also a teacher having spent her working life both in England and Australia. We have the most wonderful chat and I discover that she divides her time between Sydney and Chichester in my beloved Sussex. Even more of a coincidence, her cousins live in Dorking near my own school.

Heading off on my tour I stop for coffee at the goods Organic at Little Oxford Street. Recommended by a friend, the coffee is excellent.

Down Oxford Street to Hyde Park and my next stop is a piece of wartime propaganda. The monument commemorating the DESTRUCTION of the German raider Emden by H.M.A.S. Sydney off the Cocos Islands on November 9th 1914. What is interesting is that the monument was unveiled on December 21st 1917 at the height of a very destructive war when the support of people on the homefront was not just necessary but vital. To emphasise the point the monument is a 4inch gun from the Emden.

I take in the 1857 obelisk on Elizabeth Street before heading over to St Andrew's Cathedral to listen to the organ practice.

Next stop is the Dymocks Building which is a wonderful late 1920's office building known as The Block, with the motto that Time Conquers All above the main clock.

This is a very relevant sentiment to me when I from time to time feel down on this journey replaying on occasions the horrors of Ecuador and assuming that they will never leave me. Then I discover wonderful people like Roberta and Tony; people I never knew and who have no need to be as welcoming and wonderful as they are.

I head into The Strand which at 112 metres long is the longest of the covered arcades in Sydney. Originally built in 1891 it was gutted by fire in 1970 only to become another outstanding restoration project in Sydney. This could be The Burlington in London or the Argyll Arcade in Glasgow.

I head off to meet Tony and we head out to Centennial Park. This is a beautiful park with wonderful lakes, horse riders and like all the municipal parks in the city it is based on a very British design. The highlight for me is The Federation Pavilion which was built whilst Bob Hawke was Premier, to commemorate the Bicentenary of European Settlement in Australia.

Our late afternoon and evening though will be fascinating taking in Woollahra and heading up to the most exclusive real estate in the city around Darling Point Road. I even pass an Eastbourne Road on the way and head into McKell Park. In the park I see the remains of Canonbury one of three properties previously to occupy the site, before taking the steps down to Darling Point.

Driving on to Double Bay Tony takes me to see the stunning views out over the harbour from Wentworth Street before heading down to Rose Bay.

Mind you if I thought the view I just had was stunning then the view from Bay View Hill Road is breathtaking with the bridge straight ahead.

To get another contrast in the cities architecture we take a drive around the gentrified streets of Paddington before heading back to the Park Regis to watch the sunset over Sydney.

Friday January 5th 2007. Sydney. NSW.

Today I take myself off into the city. My first stop is to be the iconic Coca Cola sign in King's Cross which I will view again from the top of the Park Regis building this evening.

Next stop is the beautiful de Lacy building of St Vincent's Hospital. In 1838 five Irish Sisters of Charity migrated to Sydney, Australia. The Sisters mission was clear: to assist the poor and disadvantaged. Their early work included helping convict women and children at Parramatta, at what was then known as the Female Factory; assisting families during the 1844 influenza epidemic and caring for prisoners and their families at inner-city Darlinghurst Gaol.

In 1857 the Sisters of Charity established St Vincent's at Potts Point, as a free hospital for all people, but especially for the poor. Three of the Hospital's founding Sisters were professional nurses, having trained in France, and they brought their knowledge to the colony.

From its humble origin of 22 beds, the demand for St Vincent's services led it to move to its current site at Darlinghurst (Victoria Street) in 1870.

Since then the hospital has grown into a leading medical, surgical and research facility and has been the forefront of innovation in areas including cardiac, lung and bone marrow transplantation. It provides a full range of adult diagnostic and clinical services.

In 1991 St Vincent's Hospital was incorporated under its own Act of Parliament and is now known as St Vincent's Hospital Limited. In April 1996 St Vincent's joined the Sisters of Charity Health Service, which has 17 health care facilities and is Australia's largest not-for-profit health provider.

Today, St Vincent's is a principal teaching hospital of the University of New South Wales and has close affiliations with a number of other universities, such as Australian Catholic University.

I spend the afternoon in the wonderful Berkelouw Books in Paddington having a coffee and watching the world go by. It is here that I meet Tony, an English teacher at Marsden High with a passion for architecture and a genuine interest in my project.

He offers to give me a guided tour of the wonderful streets of both the Paddington and King's Cross areas which are an eclectic mix of the city's architectural styles. I am particularly impressed by the terraces of houses with their verandahs, French doors and shutters; designed at a time before air conditioning when maximum air flow and minimum sunlight would have been a priority.

Next stop is Woolloomooloo and the Finger Wharf. Standing on 3,600 piles, the Wharf is the largest wooden structure in the world at 400m long and 63m wide. The Sydney Harbour Trust built Finger Wharf between 1911 and 1915 to the design of H.D.Walsh the Trust's Engineer-in-Chief and it is a masterpiece of industrial architecture.

Home today to the ultra trendy hotel BLUE and luxury apartments this is a beautiful conversion where you can still see the ghosts of the agricultural workers and immigrants who once thronged these halls.

Next stop is the Botanical Gardens where I get to enjoy a stunning view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and where I discover the site of the pavilion built for Sydney's first International Exhibition on 17th September 1879. Essentially a wooden structure the Garden Palace was 244 metres long stretching from Conservatorium of Music to the State Library and topped with a dome 30 metres in diameter and 64 metres high. Just like that other great Pavilion, the Crystal Palace in London this pavilion was destroyed by fire; in Sydney's case in 1882.

The highlight of my time in the Botanic Gardens is seeing the bats take to flight as we near 8pm.

From here we make our way back towards Hyde Park taking in the Archibald Fountain which commemorates the alliance between Australia and France in World War I. This Francois Sicard piece is truly beautiful. Just across the park is David Jones, Sydney's leading department store.

We head back to Tony's apartment at Park Regis. This residential skyscrapper was built in 1967 and was not only the city's first but at the time it was the highest residential building in the Southern Hemisphere. We head to the 42nd floor to take in the most spectacular of views. As the sunsets across the city you have Hyde Park and the Botanical Gardens spread out in a blanket of green below, the expanse of the harbour and ocean ahead and the city with all its urbanisation all around. No where but Sydney can you have such a contrast in close proximity.

We are joined by Dr Keith, a psychiatrist at St Vincent's, and take a rooftop walk. Park Regis is one of the few residential buildings to have public space on top. Today's builders build penthouses; in the 60's they built swimming pools, communal areas and arguably the laundry with the best view in the world.

As the boys head off to the movies, I head home. It is a long ride out to Wahroonga!

Thursday January 4th 2007. Sydney. NSW.

Today I spend working on the project answering e-mails and updating the blog.

Tonight though I am taking Ben to dine at The Sydney Tower the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. There are a total of 56 cables anchoring this building with each cable weighing in at 7 tonnes and containing 235 strands of 7mm thick wire. It is said that if you put the wires end to end they would stretch from Sydney to Alice Springs.

Well we got it wrong and the venue for the meal was not the Sydney Tower, but Australia Square and The Summit restaurant. This very swanky restaurant was opened on 29th February 1968 by Sir Edmund Hillary who "climbed" The Summit and declared the restaurant officially open. Situated one hundred and sixty five metres above Sydney Harbour it takes one and three quarter hours to make a complete revolution, revolving at one metre per minute. The mechanism is so finely geared that it requires only two three quarter horsepower motors. Fully loaded, the platform weighs 200 tonnes and is the largest revolving restaurant in the world. On a clear day, like today, you can see for up to 80 kilometres.

Tonight we dine like kings on oysters and fine Australian meats.

January 3rd 2007. Sydney, Australia.

Beginning again outside the Town Hall, the site of Sydney's oldest burial ground where bodies were first buried five years after the arrival of the First Fleet; we head off along Park Street to Hyde Park where the first stop will be the ANZAC Memorial and the eternal flame.

This memorial, originally dedicated to those sacrificed in World War I stands as a beautiful art deco statement encouraging us to reflect on man and war, either inside the memorial or sitting by the Lake of Reflection.

As we leave this end of the park we stop to view the statue of Captain James Cook who as the Father of European settlement "discovered" this territory in 1770.

St Mary's Cathedral is a work still under construction. In truth this wonderful building is a remarkable statement to ecumenicalism having been built with donations from both the catholic and protestant communities following a direct appeal for funding from the Archbishop.

Due to a lack of money the cathedrals two spires became towers, but today work is almost completed on bringing William Wardell's design fully to life.

The cathedral is very traditional in design and offers an atmosphere excuding a European counterpart. It has wonderful treasures with all six altars made from New Zealand Oamaru stone, very beautiful stain glass windows and the sandstone for the construction coming from nearby Pyrmont.

Just beyond the cathedral stands the Frazer Fountain which is one of the several that was donated by the wealthy Sydney merchant John Frazer. You need to remember that such philanthropic statements were needed at a time when fresh clean water was anything but the norm in every home.

We head off across The Domain, a park established in 1792 when Governor Philip set aside this whole area to the east of Sydney Cove "for the Crown and for the use of the Town of Sydney". Indeed, it was here that the first cricket match between England and New South Wales was played in 1862.

The State Library of New South Wales is a stunning building with an elegant Great Reading Room and at present it is host to a fascinating exhibition On The Run, Daring Convict Escapes.

The eleven ships of the First Fleet sailed from England to establish a penal colony in New South Wales on May 13th 1787 beginning a programme of transportation that lasted until 1868 with over 160,000 convicts transported.

The attempts at escape ranged from the audacious i.e. trying to return to England as stowaways, or building your own boat to sail to China and beyond, to the most common which was escape inland. Those who were successful became known as Bushrangers and survived by plundering farms and robbing travellers.

The New South Wales Parliament House is fortunate enough to still have use of the 1816 Richmond Villa. Situated on Macquarie Street the villa is a reminder of the Gentlemen's residences and clubs that once thronged this exclusive neighbourhood.

As traffic increased so the residents moved out and the doctors of Sydney Hospital moved in. Macquarie Street,named after the fifth Governor of the colony, today remains the Sydney equivalent of London's Harley Street.

Inside Richmond Villa it feels like a Victorian Gentleman's Club and stands testament to all those villas that once dominated this area. Originally the home of Rum Hospital's Principal Surgeon, it has been home to the Parliament House since 1856.

Passing the hospital I had to rub the nose of Il Porcellino, the Wild Boar that has a twin sister living in Florence and that is said to grant you a wish. The Sydney Hospital is where nurse training in Australia began when Florence Nightingale (who incidentally was born in the city of Florence) sent out six nursing sisters from England to establish a nursing school. The wild boar by the way was a gift to the hospital from a Florentine lady whose father and brother were both surgeons at the hospital.

The Rum Hospital was a replacement for the makeshift hospital that existed in The Rocks and it derives its name from the fact that builders were paid in a manner richer than gold, i.e. rum. The builders were given a permit to import 45,000 gallons of rum.

After lunch we head to St James' Church on King Street which is Sydney's oldest surviving church and built to the design of convict architect Francis Howard Greenway. The Georgian design was constructed in brick and sandstone and built by convict labour. Over the altar sits an interesting copper dome.

My last port of call today is the Hyde Park Barracks which from 1819 until 1848 served as the principal gaol. The barracks were also home to the chaingangs who worked outside its walls for the free men of the colony. Another Greenway design the barracks are strikingly similar to many such establishments across the Empire. There was an interesting exhibit on the District Court that later occupied the buildings and I can certainly recommend the flat whites at the Barracks Cafe.

January 2nd 2007. Sydney, Australia.

Today Ben and I are off on a walk around the city centre. Our starting point is the Town Hall.

Sydney City Council had to meet in various venues around the city after incorporation in 1842 until July of 1875 when the first part of the Town Hall was opened. Building continued however until 1889 when the Town Hall building was fully opened.

The building is stunning and has more than enough of a resemblance in its ornate design to create a sense of Hôtel de Ville, particularly in the main reception room which leads on to the Centennial Hall that is dominated by the massive pipe organ. This stunning and highly ornate Town Hall is not unlike some UK town halls (particularly in its interior layout and design) such as Manchester.

The land chosen for the Town Hall was previously a burial ground used until 1818. It was then farmed by a recluse by the name of Tom Dick who was murdered. As there were no heirs to the Dick estate the land reverted to state ownership.

Next door you will find the Cathedral of St Andrew, but many people on visiting the cathedral pass by the commemorative flagstaff outside not realising that it marks an important event in Australian military history.

Like all great cathedrals in the Empire the interior is awash with monuments to those who gave their lives in the service of their country. However, here outside the cathedral is a commemoration of the Church of England National Emergency Fund St Andrew's Huts which stood in the cathedral grounds from February 1940 until August 1947 providing recreational facilities and in their time 3 and a half million meals to the officers and fighting forces. Indeed there was also a mobile canteen which made nightly visits to isolated anti-aircraft and searchlight units.

The cathedral is a wonderfully traditional home for the establishment church. The building defies its age with the foundation stone only laid in 1837 and completion of the building in 1869. It has the appearance and feel of an ancient and not a new world monument with very pleasant stained glass.

Ben and I lunch at the Star Bar before heading on down George Street. This was at one time Brickfield Hill and it was the steep track from where convicts dug clay for baking into bricks for the colony's early buildings. In fact at the beginning of the 1800's the area was home to a small village known as Brickfield but by the 1830's the chaingangs were levelling out the George Street of today.

As we enter Liverpool Street we are in the city's tiny Spanish quarter. You can still see remnants of the changes in this area of the city with areas like Douglass Lane a reminder of the one time cobbled streets.

The light rail tracks outside Paddy's Market remind us of the old Sydney trams which ran until 1961. The tracks though are again in use with trams returned to the streets in July 1997.

We are now in China Town. Australia has had a significant Chinese population from the mid 1850's with early businessmen running the traditional trades of laundries, boarding houses and gambling dens.

I am struck by the sentiment on the Chinese Gate as we enter the heart of the community...Within The Four Seas All Men Are Brothers...a point we should all consider in our global village!

Alongside social history lies the economic history of our lives and times and things are no different in this area of Sydney. Dixon Street is actually named for John Dickson who built a steam driven windmill here in 1815 and managed to increase the grain production of the colony from 20 bushels a week to 960 even building a dam across the bay to harness the water he needed to drive the windmill.

Our walk takes us passed the Trades Hall, or more correctly The Trades and Industrial Hall and Literary Institute Association of Sydney which is home to the association of trades unions who founded the building in 1886 as a central meeting place.

Just as our fore-fathers realised the need for an educated and literate population we also have a key role to play in the futures of those who are not given the access to education that is standard in the developed world.

The now Pump House Tavern was originally a hydraulic pumping station built for the Sydney and Suburban Hydraulic Power Company to supply pressurised water through 80 kilometres of pipes under the city from 1891 until 1975. The deep water tank still visible on the roof was built by J. Abbot & Co Ltd from Gateshead, England.

Moving on to the Chinese Gardens this area was designed by landscapers from New South Wales sister state of Guangdong in southern China.

The area here leading up to Darling Harbour is a meca for leisure. But one fact few people know is that the huge IMAX is actually an Australian and not a Canadian invention. The rolling-loop projection system was invented by Ron Jones of Brisbane before the technology was sold on to the Canadians.

We stop here to watch a giant television screen showing the test match and to be entertained by a 3-piece jazz band in full cricket whites and pads playing...Blue skies (must be Australians and not the barmy army!)

I continue on in search of Australian inventiveness to cross the Pyrmont Bridge built between 1899 and 1902.

However few people are aware that one end of the bridge is Guardian Square . The Guardian was the name of the first novel published on the Australian mainland and the first to be written by a woman. In 1838 Anna Maria Bunn (nee Murray) wrote the novel at her home which stood nearby.

Pyrmont Bridge is a swing span all Australian design (Percy Allan) and construction that was built at the same time as London's Tower Bridge. Finished much sooner than Tower Bridge, Pyrmont was the first bridge in the world to be powered by electricity.

Into Cockle Bay for a flat white and some cheesecake at Citi Marina Cafe before heading back up into the city to visit the Queen Victoria Building which sits on the site of the city's early colonial marketplace.

Inside this stunning covered mall you enjoy the grandeur of British Victorian design and indeed one of the two main clocks is from Thwaites & Reed Ltd from Hastings in Sussex. What few Australians realise is that the statue of Queen Victoria that dominates the main entrance is not an original feature. Infact, until 1947 it stood infront of Leinster House in Dublin (seat of the Irish parliament). The statue was infact a gift from the people of Ireland to the city of Sydney in a spirit of goodwill and friendship.

New Years Day 2007.

From Milsons Point the further out you travel from the city along the North Shore the more conservative it gets and I am way out in Wahroonga.

Today is the celebration of the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia when the separate colonies federated into one nation on New Years Day 1901.

We dine today at the Hartman's in St Ives. This could be any gathering of private school parents at home in the UK or across the world. As Ben's Dad points out the social grouping is not entirely representative of Australia and there is no doubting that this is a very upper middle-class group with all the social hang-ups, political ideologies and cultural identifiers that you find in any social group.

I thoroughly enjoy the conversation at drinks and around the dinner table and as you would expect, more than hold my own in debate.