Aug 25 - 26. Fun In A Field And A Revolving Dustbin.

The main business of the day was a stroll around Taronga Zoo, where I encountered furry things, deadly things and signs about things that weren't there. The things that weren't there included the Komodo Dragon, which (drat) was the main reason for my visit. I've provided full details of my rather mixed visit to Taronga Zoo here.

In the evening my friend Alynda Brown invited me to go with her to a deserted sports field under cover of darkness. I'm tempted to leave the story there, just to provide room for idle gossip. In fact the purpose of this curious invitation was to go and gawp at Mars. The red planet was much in the news at the time because it was as close to us as it ever gets: 34.8 million miles. Astronomers consider this to be pretty close, apparently.

Alynda's father, Berris Wearne, is a keen amateur astronomer, and to get a good look at Mars he had set up his superb computer-controlled telescope. To see any given item in the night sky, Mr. Wearne simply keyed something into the computer and the telescope whirred into life, obligingly re-aiming itself at the required area! I found this all highly impressive. As well as looking at Mars, I took the chance to look at Scorpio, which I normally can't see because it isn't visible from the Northern hemisphere. I think it's an impressive constellation, and the only one that actually bears some resemblance to what it's supposed to be.

Just for the record, the equipment was a Meade LXD55 203mm (8 inch F/4) Schmidt-Newtonian telescope with Autostar Handbox controller. So now you know.

Aug 26.

A very good touristy day. Peter Rodgers took me on an extended walk which involved Camp Beach, Lady Jane beach, Gap head, Bondi beach, Tamara Beach and a rather good lunch.

I had my camera, of course, and you can see a few good pictures here., including what I think is a stunning triumph of graphic art.

After a day happily visitng all the beaches, I enjoyed a wonderful evening devised for me by the dependably imaginative Alynda Brown. It all started with the tallest feature of the Sydney skyline, which has several names. It is known as the Sydney Tower, the AMP Tower or the Centrepoint Tower. Less respectfully, it is also called 'the dustbin on a stick'. It is 1000 feet tall, and there's a revolving restaurant at the top which goes round once every 70 minutes. I had dinner there with Alynda Brown and Peter Rodgers. The view was magnificent, and the food and service both perfectly good. Highly recommended.

Alynda and I then went to see Otello at the Opera House. I think this was a smart move. Every year, a gazillion tourists flock to admire the Opera House and take a guided tour, but precious few actually go to see an opera there. It's well worth it. At the time of my visit, the choice was Otello or The Pearl Fishers, and eventually we settled on the Verdi. It was an excellent production, apart from the staging design which was dull and static.

During the early part of the performance, a Japanese man sitting next to me was endeavouring to explain the plot to his wife. I enjoyed the cultural mix. There I was, an English guy, sitting in an Australian opera house next to a Japanese man explaining the plot of an Italian opera. Small world, huh?

> > > Continued in Part 6

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