watching

castlereagh st, sydney CBD



"he sat in a little cafe, on one of the busiest streets of the city, slowly sipping his drink and spending his afternoon watching the passing parade, a thing more engrossing than any book or television show he'd seen recently. people walking, and hurrying, and weaving through the pedestrian traffic, some with a purpose, some without. some happy, some sad. some going towards something, some going away from something. each with a story. a thousand people must have passed him in that afternoon. he had eavesdropped into a part of a thousand different stories. it was then that a shop window caught his glance."

obsidian

surry hills, sydney



"it was a bold sculpture, curved and indistinct like some inobscure thought. the light of the lampposts gleamed off its smooth surface, and as people walked past they could see themselves, darknened and distorted, as if reflected in some perverse mirror."

sunset boulevard

falcon st overpass, north sydney



"everybody's watches read twilight o'clock as a rosy pinkness filled the sky with a warm and glowing happiness. it was that special time of day that everyone stuck in the ugliness of a traffic jam got a small, unforgettable moment of beauty."

canopy

park on bay street, double bay



"the grass felt soft underneath her bare feet as she strolled through the park. it was surrounded by trapping of "civilisation"; buildings, roads, boutiques, cars and exhaust. but it was easy to forget that. looking up to the trees overhead, she could see the silhouette of the sun. the rays seems to hit the canopy of brances, and disperse into a thousand tiny pieces, like little golden snowflakes."

big brother

york street, sydney cbd



"for the first time ever he felt like a stranger in his own city, the dark, cloudy sky mirroring his own inner turmoil as he skulked the streets of a once familiar place. he felt as if he were being watched and as he glanced around he caught sight of the loudspeakers. they seemed to complete the picture in his mind, that of an orwellian nightmare."

sunken wrecks

river's side, sydney



"the water was calm, smooth, silky, a perfect counterpoint to his own roiling insides. it felt that there was no emotion that he had not gone through over the last few days. but as is often the case, there was one emotion that we invariably all fixate upon, acceptance. as he walked along the banks of the river and cast his eyes upon the rusting hulk of a shopping trolley he too thought about his own wreck, laying wasted and rotting in the depths of his mind."

caverns

carriageworks, redfern



"his solitary footsteps rang out with a sharp clack, as he walked through. the echoes reached far up into the heights of the room, reverberating around the corners of the immense building."

secrets in brown paper bags

suburbia, sydney



"it had been a while since she had walked this way. the sun was just creeping over the horizon of backfences and hills hoists, spraying its rays haphazardly across the landscape. any noise that shattered the fragile silence seemed completely alien, and she was able to be alone with her thoughts. as she wandered, she came across the remains of someones solitary party, or the aftershock of a deep and meaningful between friends. as she stared at the crinkled brown bags, she thought about what they symbolised. noone really showed what they had. we all keep secrets."

clear horizons

sydney harbour, sydney



"she sat in the back of the boat, the wind coursing through her hair and making it glint and flow as if it were alive. the water was reslendant, its deep azure glow seemed to surround the boat as it skimmed the waves. she had not been this happy in a long time. the harbour seemed alive with boats, each filled with people, laughing and enjoying themselves."

dark alleys

the rocks, sydney



"the lonely, cold dark penetrated his layers of clothing as the harsh sounds of his shoes hitting the cobblestones reverberated around the high walls of the alley. he had returned back to his city, and had spent the evening walking and thinking. there had been just the one thing on his mind. the alley he had just turned into seemed to stretch for a mile, and it made him feel comfortable that he couldn't see where it ended. he was alone with his thoughts, the coldness and the weird and wonderful shapes projected upon the alley walls like some kaleidoscope."

silver lining

northern outskirts, sydney



"it was a cool, crisp morning, and the clouds covered the sun, its rays barely able to break through the grey blanket. he breathed heavily as he climbed the hill, little wisps of mist appearing in front of his face and dissipating into the air as he moved through them. the silence was overpowering, and he felt it strange to notice a complete absence of the urban. as he crested the hill, the sun seemed to find the cracks in the overcast canopy, and set a cloud ablaze."

pages

kobe jones, king street wharf, sydney



"they fluttered in the breeze created by the people walking to and from their tables. she took a sip of her wine and stared at them as they moved back and forth like someone rifling through a book. that was all he had been. just another page."

go

sydney harbour bridge



"he was upset. he pushed his foot onto the accelerator, until he could not push anymore. he rounded the corner like a demon. in front of him rose the mighty stone pylons of the harbour bridge. how could she have left? without a word? he sped and he sped, and all he could see were the lane arrows, green and blurred, telling him he wasn't going fast enough..."

the beaver

palm beach



"she walked briskly down the rickety old pier. it groaned as each wave came past, and the planks and pylons were forced to change their positions. she was upset. he had not shown up. she climbed aboard the little dehavilland beaver, as the pilot started it up. as she looked back at the retreating shoreline through the wisps of smoke coming from the engine, she looked forward to losing her earthly bonds and her memories."

george and martin

martin place, sydney cbd



"on the corner of george street and martin place, sat an old building full of the rustic charm of a bygone era. he often thought about this building, forming in his head the image of its impressive facade, its intricate and beautiful architecture and its warm, golden colour. but these were not the reasons that he so often thought about it. it was at this corner that his life had collided with her life."

oasis

northern beaches, sydney



"the sun slowly lowered itself over the horizon, though she could barely tell with the impenetrable layer of cloud that had covered the city. the wind slowly picked up and ruffled her hair as she glanced anxiously at her watch. she had chosen twilight to meet him. and there she stood, waiting and watching. the only company she had were five magnificent palm trees, silhoutted against a grey, despondent sky."

on the edge

wynyard park, sydney cbd



"he walked along the side of the street. to his right was a small piece of the natural world, complete with its grass, its trees and a smattering of birds. to his left rose the menzies hotel, impressive in both size and shape. as he looked up he noticed the black branches of the tree, like fingers, grasping at the metropolitain monolith. it was a reminder; man had risen from nature, and to nature man would return."

dungeons and dragons

underground railway station, sydney cbd



"he looked down into the depths. all he could hear was the faint whoosh of a train speeding through some distant tunnel. as he slowly made his way down the harsh, stone stairs, he smelt the earthiness of the damp, as it threatened to cover up the gang signs with its descending dark stain. almost as if they could sense their impending demise, the various graffitis looked more vibrant in the flickering flashes of a fluorescent bulb."

the shark net

edwards beach, balmoral


"the great steel structure rose up out of the ocean. it was far from new, the constant wear and tear of the waves having dullened its once lustrous appearance. birds had taken this to be their home, and he could see several now, attempting to maintain their balance as the roost moved with the ebb and flow of the tide. it would first move inwards, then outwards, almost as if it was breathing."

rockpool. dreamscape.

northern beaches


"he looked back over his shoulder. the beach stretched away from him for what seemed like miles, and disappeared into a golden haze at the limits of his vision. but it was not the horizon that grabbed his attention today. it was the microcosmos that was at his feet. he had reached the rockpools."

clouds and coffee

manning house, university of sydney


caught in an unexpected downpour, the bottom level of manning house provides a refuge. and what better way to pass the rain-watching than with a hot one

big rock

manly


one of the staples of the summer for a northern beaches teen was a visit and a jump from the big rock. that was until it was fenced off for liability reasons. seems that even nature can be closed down by the council.

into the mouth of the beast

sydney harbour bridge, northbound approach



on a rainy and stormy afternoon, going home over the bridge can be a bit more daunting than normal. the giant steel behemoth takes on a more ominous shape, as the rain drips off its hulking shape, you need to pass through the pillars guarding its entrance

follow the yellow brick road

milson's point, sydney harbour bridge, city bound approach



many sydneysiders choose to car it to work over the bridge, but many choose to take one of the "golden geese". A special type of train called the tangara, the latest version shown here, its nickname comes from its golden highlights and it's official name of "Tangara G-Set"

Dinner and a Show

we are noone. we are everyone.

unknown sydneysider, north sydney


"he walked through the streets of the city. as he wandered he began to look at the people's faces as they blurred passed him, on their way to do this and that. before too long he could not remember the face he had just seen and could not predict the face he would see next. they had all become everyone. but they were all still noone."

the three wonders

sydney harbour

Only two can be claimed by sydney, but its the perfect trifecta, like the stars aligning