Fresh face for a star attraction
by iandsmith
The Customs House was built facing the harbour in 1876 when Newcastle was already one of the world's busiest coal ports. This attraction is a unique example of an Italian Romanesque revival building with polychromatic brickwork and a fine clock tower. The whole thing was sandblasted to clean it up in the 1980's.
Surmounting the clock tower is a black time ball on a mast. It was dropped precisely at 1.00pm each day to give a visual time signal from which ships' chronometers could be accurately set.
The time ball was dysfunctional for a long time until a subscription got the funds to get it working again. Not long after that the earthquake occurred and jammed it again.
These days the Customs House is a restaurant and it has proved to be very popular.
It can provide a private boardroom lunch for 8 or a theatre style seminar for 200 in the upstairs function rooms. It sits across the way from the Newcastle Railway Station, whose fate is not so certain in the future as there is talk of cutting the rail link right into town. I, for one, am bitterly opposed to such a move.
One foggy morning
by iandsmith
As I race pushbikes I have to train (damn, blast). Actually, after I have risen from bed, had my breakfast and am about 15 minutes down the road I enjoy it.
However, often I see things and say, "Damn, wish I had brought my camera with me." So, one day it looked like a fog was settling and I thought, "Should take my camera", and I did.
I only got down to the harbour shore and noticed what you see here, white and brown clouds scudding through the harbourside industry. Finally, after 13 years, I took my first picture out training and this is it.
Show us your motor.
by iandsmith
If you're a petrol head you'll probably be heading to the Wharf Road/Esplanade area on the weekend. Here you will see endless hotted up 4 cylinder Asian cars with matching boom boxes parked end to end for about two kilometres.
The thing that amazes me is that some of them bring their fold out chairs just to sit on the roadside or in the gutter and watch the traffic go by while inhaling the fumes for hours on end. Amazing because there's a lovely park right behind them.
I used to think it was male testosterone driven but about 20% of the vehicles are driven by females.
They're actually in attendance every day of the week but only in small numbers, it's the weekend that seems to spawn them in great numbers.
Cycle racing
by iandsmith
Every weekend when I'm not travelling I head off over to my bike club and have a race. I'm a member of the Hunter Valley Veterans Cycling Club and we race every Sunday at the eastern end of Kooragang Island, 9.00 am winter and 8.00 am summer.
Other clubs race here as well on Saturday afternoons at 2.30pm.
There are 5 clubs in the Hunter Valley all up and any of them will make you quite welcome on their race days. All you need is a bike, a helmet and a racing licence, current of course.
Some days you get lucky. The picture shows me winning a race, for which the handicapper put me up a grade the following week.
Hunter Valley - Winery
by kielorla
There are lots and lots of wineries in Hunter Valley that we cant decide which is the best. The local told us that this one is the better one. And how rite he is, the wine is very great especially the white. Always trust the local............
Sign in with Facebook
Flaggy Creek
Lovely rainforest
Salamander shores Hotel
Afterglow
