Yesterday, Yves and I took the train to the CBD, walked through Hyde Park, and went to Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral. They were already using the new translation, one week early, so that was a first! The church was really beautiful but they didn't allow people to take pictures. It has a similar feel as St. Bernard and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Shadyside.
From the Cathedral we walked through the CBD down to the harbour, and we caught a ferry to Cockatoo Island. Back in the 1800s it used to be a prison, then it became a school (makes you wonder about the classroom and campus aesthetics), then a prison again, and then a shipyard. The prisoners made a shipyard on the island and also provided a lot of the sand stone for building up the city of Sydney, and they did the labor in their shackles. We walked the Convict's Trail, and I was thinking about the Irish who walked the same pathways years ago as I was walking now. An Australian Government National Heritage web site says this about Cockatoo Island: "Cockatoo Island is significant as a site that includes the only remaining dry dock in Australia built using convict labour, as well as buildings and fabric related to the administration, incarceration and working conditions of convicts."
The Island had an art show going during this month and December, so we got to see a lot of street, contemporary, and modern art, I guess you would say. It was neat how they used the space, but I wasn't into the art. Also, there was a skateboarding event for kids, so it was really interesting to see all the different ways Cockatoo Island was drawing visitors: History - Convict's Trail and Maritime Trail (WWII), Arts - art show, Outdoors activities - camping, barbecuing, skateboarding, kayaking, picnicking, and more.
We spent about an hour walking around and then took the ferry back to the harbour. It was another gorgeous afternoon!
Click here if you want to read more about Cockatoo Island.
No comments:
Post a Comment