Sydney Biennale at Cockatoo Island

Cockatoo Island, like a number of other harbour islands doesn't feature very prominently on anybody's radar. In fact, in all the years we've lived in Sydney we'd never set foot on it - until last week, when the Sydney Biennale organisers invited the public over. Free ferry crossing and free art exhibition on this sprawling 18 hectare heritage dockyard.

Quite an ingenious idea to mix the two. We discovered that quite a lot took place on the island; from convict gaol to girls' school to shipbuilding yard and even for a spell, aircraft manufacturing. You can well imagine the cavernous spaces left behind.

Workshops, slipways, tunnels, tiers of offices and mess rooms and even old lavatory blocks with the most shocking graffiti. Artists of another kind who would have clocked-out for the last time somewhere in the seventies.

Nick found so much to photograph. He loved it all, and couldn't get enough of the rusty relics. As for the art itself, we especially liked the massive line of portraits and the spinning video installation.

Some of the video clips were extremely graphic and I skipped any that said 'adults only'. All in all, a lot of thought provoking commentary in a very interesting setting.

I didn't mention the views, but needless to say, they were spectacular, even from the 'other' side of the bridge. We plan to go again and take our overseas visitors there.

F

Perfect one day, even more so the next...

Our week in Queensland recently was a terrific little break for us. A chance to relax in temperatures just a few degrees higher than here in Sydney and to forget about work and domestic chores and things.

We flew to Brisbane for a few days' stay with Fenella's mum and sister first. That gave us a chance to run a good few laps around the very best suburban running track in the world: the Forest Lake lake circuit. They've done a brilliant job with this: ducks, geese, nature reserves, sculptures, war canoes full of overweight ladies, and a fine 2km paved running/walking/dogwalking track all around.

Then via hire car 500km up the coast to Agnes Water and the town of 1770, so named for its Captain Cook landing in that year. Accommodation here was in the luxurious Sunbird Lodge, with spa bath and, yes, sunbirds flitting around in the foliage that surrounded us. Here we were able to swim comfortably in the Pacific Ocean for the first time for a while.

On then another 200km to industrial Gladstone and Rockhampton, where Fenella studied at the Capricornia Institute (now Uni of Central Queensland) 30 years ago. It's changed a lot, but we eventually tracked down the refectory, where she admits to spending most of her student days, and where she first developed her coffee habit!

On then to coastal Yeppoon for a few days. More fine beaches, fabulous sunsets, ospreys, red tailed black cockatoos, and a nice day trip to Great Keppel Island. This used to be the downmarket party island where Muriel (as in Muriel's Wedding) went, where the slogan used to be "Get wrecked on Great Keppel Island". Well, the resort's now closed, and they're trying to reposition their image prior to opening as a super luxury resort, so it's quieter and nicer right now.

Back in Sydney now, and it seems colder than ever. Must run faster to keep warm!

N

Magnolias & maintenance

A normal Saturday. A bit of gardening, a bit of home maintenance. A highlight was a closer inspection of the newly discovered magnolia tree. We've been here most of a year now, so we shouldn't be discovering things as big as this for the first time, but there you are!

In the hammering and painting departments a few things got done too. The wobbly table got a new set of legs (still a bit wobbly though!), and we made our first trip to Bunnings Hardware for several months. (In our first few weeks here we did more visits than we had hot dinners.)

We're giving ourselves 6 out of 10 for our efforts in the garden to date. It hasn't strayed too far from the glory days of 'A Stunning Surprise Awaits' in the real estate ads of a year ago. But we're acutely aware that the bar was set high by our artist and potter predecessors here. So next week we're starting a landscaping and gardening course at a community college. We'll get ourselves inspired and then there'll be no stopping us.

N & F