North Sydney Things to Do

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NORTH SYDNEY
, For anyone wanting an early morning swim before work an don't have time to get to the beach!! North Sydney Olypic Pool opens at 5.30 am for early birds ..aslo this is a great spot if you are in the city and want to just cool off. This is the place to do it. Always a popular place for Sydneysiders this is a full size Olympic Poll and also is a smaller pool of 25 meters..Located directly at the Milsons Point Ferry wharf it is in a great spot also a train from the city (northern line) at either, Central , Town Hall, Wynyard stations to Milsons Point Railway Station (get off here and walk down the hill towards the city) The pool is on the left hand side of the Bridge.Also the RED Explorer bus stops at Milsons Point ..

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NORTH SYDNEY
. This is one of the best spots for a nightime photo of the Opera house or that city skyline photos that you see on the postcards. after catching the ferry Milsons point take a short walk under the bridge to find the best spot that suits you...many great locations here for daytime and nightime photography.For great photos of Sydney this is worth the enjoyable effort..

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When visiting Sydney one of the best photographic opportunities of the harbour and city skyline and" The Quay"is from the walk way on the Sydney Harbour Bridge..you can either walk north to south across the bridge from North Sydney to the "Rocks Area"city or south to north from the "Rocks Area" in the city to North Sydney..or ..you can catch a north bound subway train that stops at "Milsons Point" which is located at the North Sydney end of the bridge..
The views across the harbour and of the city skyline are good from the pedestrian walkway which is on the eastern side of the Bridge...

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Around May, during winter, there are also activiites highlighting the cultural diversity of the people living in our town. Hence there is a multicultural festival attended by thousands of people with parades, fetes, shows, markets, environmental wokshops, etc. to mark the occasion. Usually held for several days, the main event involves a huge parade participated in by various ethnic groups and citizens groups and clubs. There is also a food and music festival. It is a big event that we always participate on.

We also get lots of free stuff from the Council for the kids- from souvenir caps to school supplies, environmental products from shower timers to light saving bulbs. It is a must see and must join event so make sure you come!

The main parade and events are held in Main St., and around the CBD area. But historical fetes are usually at Nurragingy Reserve at Doonside.

Come and visit us and you will love the place. It is sad that many Sydneysiders are not aware of the wide array of activities we have here and also the nice quality of life we enjoy. They don't think much about westies like us but we love living here really!

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For first time or regular visitors to Sydney, it will be a fantastic experience immersing in the Aussie culture.

A superb way to do this is to see where the locals live. Try to go and visit some of the suburbs around Sydney. They are still not so far and yet away from the chaos of Sydney and the pollution.

One place is my suburb, a newly-created community which is fast becoming a sought after area.It is near everything- shopping, cinema, amenities for recreation (parks, reserves, zoos, etc), banks, fab restaurants,etc.

I shall be very happy to welcome you to our lovely community.

It is like living in a resort complete with all the luxuries- pool, spa, tennis courts, barbecue facilities, choices of various clubhouses with all these amenities I mentioned.

Plus, there are wide open spaces filled with hundred year old trees like my fave fig trees, gum trees and other native trees. It is common to be sharing the lovely setting with native and introduced animals like blue- tongued lizard, Aussie birds, etc.

We are also near the popular PARKLEA MARKETS, newly-built Rouse Hill Town Centre with shop till you drop boutiques, supermarkets, cinemas,banks,Leisure Centre with the only indoor wave pool in Sydney, with soccer and cricket fields, etc. We don't have the beach here but with the shark scare these days, who misses the beach?

There's also FEATHERDALE WILDLIFE PARK nearby (less than 15 minutes from us) and the Blacktown Olympic Centre where the softball/baseball matches were held during Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Another proud thing about this city is it is DEBT-FREE unlike many councils in Sydney!

It is like paradise here, trust me!

So come and see where I live!

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This is my fave thing to do almost each day when I am finished with all my daily office & home chores..the feeling I get is that of awe and gratitude at life's simple pleasures like the stunning sunset that we see right across our home. The colours vary from burnt orange to yellow, sometimes they even have a tinge of green and blue..simply majestic and priceless!

We also love walking around our beautiful village and see this amazing sight from various angles and vantage points. This is our own little paradise!

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This is an annual affair held in conjunction with the Blacktown City's Multicultural Festival towards end of May or early June.

There are lots to learn in this special environment meet with plenty of exhibits to inform and educate people on the importance of conserving the environment and ways to do our share in achieving this even at home! We are very much passionate about the environment and we never miss coming to events like this for the past 10 years now! We are members of Greening Australia and support their projects too and this is one of them!

There are also plant and tree giveaways from the council collection of native Australian plants, shrubs and trees. It is a shame not many people know about this. Each year, aside from the two FREE plants/trees we get as rate payers of this unique city, we also get more free plants in exhibits/festivals like this and even from every suburb in the city's individual festival. I am surprised too that people seem to just make their front and back gardens DEVOID of any greenery- just manicured lawns and no trees in sight, believe me it is happening all over the suburbs. They think itis only Council who must plant trees, weird really!

As logn as the trees are a good distance away from your home it is not a menace or danger. Also, cutting trees in the area is prohibited especially if they are native ones, you must ask council approval to have it cut! (will put this in the warning tip)

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Every year, Blacktown Council sponsors a great multicultural show magnifying the racial diversity of the area, via a festival that usually culminates with arts and music, dance, environment shows and expos around the end of May.

This year 2009, we were treated to a magnificent mix of music and dances from the Australian native owners of the land- the Aborigines as represented by the superb Descendance, an Aboriginal group that has performed not just in Australia but in many parts of the world and has been highly acclaimed. This is not surprising as the group doesn't only just dance well, their music excellent but they take the time to explain every dance. music or routine they present! They did the ff type of choreographed numbers with riveting and highly feet-thumping music: welcome, kangaroo, eel, hunting/gathering, etc. around 12 in all, I think!

Another talented group was the Whiteria Performing Arts Group which was composed of dancers and performers from the South Pacific, a very lively bunch,equally supported by an enthusiastic group of supporters who would scream and yell with the characterisitc gusto and loud Islander sign of approval! It was a delight to watch and hear the cries of yeehah, woohoo, etc.. especially during their rendition and performance of the traditional and popular Haka of the Maoris, just over the top throat splitting loudest yell you'll ever hear!!

The colourfully clad voluptuous dancers from the SEGA group of Mauritius also surprised me- it's my first time to see such graceful dancers and lovely tropical costumes from this jolly tropical African beauties. The songs, the music and the dancing surely can be bestowed the most widely applauded and widely audience- participated dancing and singing! My youngest still hums their memorable tune," We feel high, we feel right, when the working day is done,nothing matters anymore, coz tonight is Sega night!" What a night it was indeed!

The highlight of the night was the newest dance sensation, DANCE,DANCE,DANCE- a mix of ballroom, hiphop, breakdancing, jazz and other forms of dance . The dancers were mostly performers of the popular dance show- Dancing with the Stars and one from "So You Think You Can Dance",the funny Carly plus the jazz group Studio 11, and the awesome B Boys from Down Under (good looking too, may I add?). I must not also forget the unforgettable tricks of LOS GAUCHOS, who were highly entertaining with their whip-like gadgets and rhythmic drumming! Hence the title, "Rhythm and Music!" (Gee, I just figured that out now,LOL!)

There was the soothing sound of opera singer Nicholas Gentile who provided the somewhat restraint music needed to calm the audience after several thunderous performances from the dance groups!

The show, which we attended by requesting free tickets from Council (show was ticket only entrance, no tickets sold at the doors) started around 7 pm and lasted till after 11pm! My husband who left work around 8 that night (his office is near Kingsmith Airport) still caught over an hour of great dancing and fun!

Perhaps, the singing could have been reduced as it was intended to be a family show and a good number of young kids started
getting sleepy during the singing intermissions.

They advertised beforehand that refreshments were available during the interval but I noticed the hot food made to order took a while as my friend was among the very first to order food (thankfully my boys and & had a hearty dinner at nearby Impressions Cafe inside Workers' Club so we were right!) and after around 20 minutes while the show resumed she came back with two plates of lightly fried spring rolls which she she shared with us! May I add that upon inspection, the spring rolls had the flimsiest of fillings- you could count the amount of finely shredded vegies inside!

Nevertheless. I congratulate the Council for bringing some of the most talented bunch of multicultural performers we have seen in the last few years! Trust this writer having just seen "Guys and Dolls" (starrring Lisa Mc Cune & company) international shows during i the South Pacific cruise recently sailed in last year as well!

Check out the website of Council for regular shows and events.

This place in NW SYDney always has an entertaining show on offer almost every Saturday night. Last 16th of May the latest one was a superb MAGIC to the MAx, Stars of Illusion show which is an award winning show that goes to many other places around Australia. It was a great way to be with friends and enjoy the night for good fun at great value- imagine $5.50 for non-members and $3.30 per member of the Workers' Club.

I am sure you will be entertained by the funny antics, the awesome talents of a gymnast/contortionist named Jade, magicians and even a voice impersonator!

Jonas who is a whiz at making doves disappear and appear, is also good at cards. He is young and obviously already very talented!!

Other shows here are concerts and group acts like tributes to ABBA (going to watch next Saturday), Beatles, Buddy Holly and many other famous bands. There are also big name performers/entertainers like MArcia Hines,Wes Carr (Aussie Idol winner for 2008),etc.

So check out your local club or Blacktown Workers' Club for shows here.

Anywhere around Sydney and especially in our area, there is a truly amazing event worth participating in- Australia's Biggest Morning Tea, to support cancer research through the Cancer Council of Australia. In NW Sydney, there are lotso g groups, individuals, businesses that hold morning teas serving tea of course and plenty of delectable food- scones, cakes, savoury and sweet pastry products and all they ask is a donation- sometimes there is a set amount from $5 per person and includes morning tea with delicious accompaniments and assortments of foods. It is also a good way to meet locals!

In Blacktown for instance, every shopping centre will organise its own morning tea with celebrities as guests to boost their event and the public really can make a difference as we all know cancer strikes at any age and at anyone, wheter famous or ordinary persons alike! So if you find yourself in Australia in May, the whole month is usually devoted to raising funds for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea. You enjoy yourself and at the same time support a worthy cause!

Personally I am choosing between Impressions Cafe at our local Workers' Club or at our local plaza, or I might even host my own morning tea this year,m who knows?