Labour Day Weekend*
Monday night is winding down here in Australia, and those of us in New South Wales have gotten to enjoy an extra day away from work, thanks to today being Labour Day. But it wasn't Labour Day all over Australia (hence the asterisks). And some states didn't even have a long weekend. To illustrate how convoluted some of the public holidays are in Australia, here's a sample of the e-mail chain that went around between our offices across the country; it started with word from (the state of) Victoria on Thursday morning:
"Melbourne Studio will be closed tomorrow, Friday the 28th for the AFL Grand Final Public Holiday."
Then the chain started to heat up with a bunch of rapid-fire responses, first from Queensland: "Brisbane will be closed on Monday for the Queen's birthday (public holiday)." Then South Australia: "Adelaide will also be closed on Monday for Labour Day." And the Australian Capital Territory: "Ditto for Canberra." Our office chimed in too: "Sydney will also be closed on Monday for Labour Day (public holiday)." And finally, there was a response from out west: "Perth will remain open. We had our holiday last week."
How does a country with such a small population (and only six states and two territories) manage to have such a sorted system for public holidays? While I know that different US states celebrate different public holidays, the uncoordinated celebration of the same holiday, or often the simultaneous celebration of different holidays, is odd. And did you pick up why Melbourne, the second most populous city in the country, was taking off? A football game. Really.
You see, Melbourne plays host to AFL (Australian Football League) Grand Final every year. While there are teams from around the country, Australian Rules Football is a sport predominately played in Victoria. Out of 18 teams that make up the AFL, ten are based in Victoria, with two apiece in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. And unlike America, where there are plenty of cities to support teams, as Australia has a very limited amount of big cities, teams are usually based in a specific suburb (that is, neighbourhood) in a city. Melbourne alone hosts nine of the ten teams in Victoria, sharing just two stadiums as their home fields. So it makes a bit more sense why Victoria recognises the Friday before the final game of the season (for lack of a better comparison, the AFL Super Bowl), which is always held on Saturday, as a holiday.
Meanwhile, NRL (National Rugby League; the game that I mentioned when I spoke of State of Origin) also has its Grand Final game on the long holiday weekend. It is always held in Sydney as, much like AFL is predominantly played in one part of the country, NRL is far more prevalent in Sydney and along the eastern coast in general. We are a country divided by sport.
Now that I have explained that, here's the breakdown for holidays over last week and this week, by state/territory (with the major city identified, as you're far more likely to have heard of the cities than the states):
Monday (24/09):
Western Australia (Perth) - Labour Day
Friday (28/09):
Victoria (Melbourne) - AFL Grand Final Friday
Monday (01/10):
New South Wales (Sydney) - Labour Day
South Australia (Adelaide) - Labour Day
Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) - Labour Day
Queensland (Brisbane) - Queen's Birthday (which you may remember most of the country celebrated in June)
That is only seven of the eight states and territories, and it seems that the Northern Territory doesn't get to celebrate a holiday in September or October. But don't feel too bad for them, as they are the only place in Australia to recognize May Day (though Queensland does celebrate their Labour Day in May), and each city/town in the Northern Territory takes off for a Show Day (which I will explain at a later date, because that is opening up another can of worms) some time in June or July.
Now that that's out of our way, on to my weekend:
Work was busy on Friday, and I broke up the day with a trip over to the University to see a fellow PhD candidate present her first year defense of her research. It was a great thing to see, and it has helped me wrap my head a bit more around what I am working on.
Friday night I laid low as I knew the next few days would be quite busy.
From Edgecliff, we drove up to the coast at Rose Bay, along the streets I ran during the City2Surf. Again, I am not all that familiar with that area and will need to spend some time pounding the pavement over there. We walked along the coast up toward Watsons Bay, passing by beautiful beaches and massive mansions.
The weather was absolutely perfect, despite predictions of rain, and we enjoyed a waterfront lunch at the Watsons Bay Beach Club. After lunch, we did a loop along the cliffs at Watsons Bay, before turning back south. On the walk back to Rose Bay, we stopped for a few minutes to soak in the views at Gibson's Beach. All in, there wasn't a better way to enjoy the Saturday sunshine.
Once we were off the highway, we began a quick descent down a small winding road through the forest, with the Pacific Ocean peeking between the trees. At Stanwell Park, the road turned south and the view opened up to reveal a sky full of paragliders. Apparently, it is a popular activity at the cliffs of Stanwell Tops.
After another ten minutes or so in the car, we parked along the roadside to walk to our final destination for lunch: the Scarborough Hotel (which as I have explained before, simply means "pub").
From the front, the 1886-built two-story building was fairly nondescript, your typical tiny town rural hotel. While the inside was nothing to note, the crowd of cars out front lined up along the road offered a hint that there was something big going on. Down the stairs and out the back, the sloped lawn was packed with hundreds of people (and their dogs) soaking in the sun and enjoying a schooner. As it turns out, the venue sits perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, with a sweeping backyard running down to the cliff edge.
We joined the crowd of people and managed to snag a table with a big umbrella, under which we enjoyed a lunch of fish and chips. When we wrapped up, we wandered down through the tiny town (little more than some houses lined up on the steep road wending down toward the coast). We will definitely be back, next time with more friends and a dog in tow.
As the afternoon got later, we walked back up the hill to the car (and what a huge hill it was to walk up!) and headed back to Sydney. The drive back to the motorway, via a causeway over the Pacific, set back from the soaring sandstone cliffs, was quite a way to go. I look forward to similar adventures in the near future.
I was pulling for the Roosters, and without a horse in the race Candice decided to go the contrarian route and pull for the Storm. The match ended up being not much of a game at all, with it really amounting to 80 minutes of the Roosters dominating Melbourne. It was still an enjoyable way to spend the evening, and I appreciate Candice's willingness to come with me.
Our first stop of the morning was IKEA, where I picked up some planting pots. It's always an interesting feeling going to IKEA here, as it offers the exact same things as the the IKEA in Atlanta (and the IKEAs all over the world). Amazing how on the opposite side of the globe, a slice of Scandinavia can remind me of home.
After we got our IKEA supplies, we headed over to Bunning's Warehouse—the Australian Home Depot—where we spent an hour picking out plants. I have a smaller terrace outside my room that I wanted to plant some herbs on, but Candice really went all out with the plants for her massive terrace. While there, I also stumbled across life-size lawn sculptures of Australia's most well-known creatures. Quite the sight to behold, though I cannot imagine anyone every putting them in their yard.
While the lawn sculptures might have been quintessential Australiana, Candice and I took part in another decidedly Aussie activity at Bunning's: the sausage sizzle. Like many things here, the concept won't be entirely foreign to Americans—after all, plenty of places set up grills and sell hamburgers out front—but here in Australia the sausage sizzle is a distinct event.
Once we were done shopping, we succumbed to the tantalising smell which had taunted us for the hour we picked out plants, and queued up at the large grill out front of the store. $2.50 later, we were rewarded with a snag (that is, a sausage) and grilled onions between two slices of white bread, slathered with barbecue sauce. There is nothing more Australian, so it seems.
We sat on a bench out front of the store and enjoyed our lunch before heading back to the city to pot our plants. Now, we both feel ready for spring with green gardens. Hopefully I can make use of the parsley, coriander (what we would call cilantro—they don't differentiate between the plant and the seed), basil, oregano, mint, rosemary, and hot chillis. Or at least not kill them.
In the late afternoon, I met up with my friend Simon in Glebe—always nice to catch up with friends—before running to the grocery. The evening was filled with taking care of things around the house and cooking for the week. And now that I've gotten you up to date, it's time for bed before a short, but busy, week!
"Melbourne Studio will be closed tomorrow, Friday the 28th for the AFL Grand Final Public Holiday."
Then the chain started to heat up with a bunch of rapid-fire responses, first from Queensland: "Brisbane will be closed on Monday for the Queen's birthday (public holiday)." Then South Australia: "Adelaide will also be closed on Monday for Labour Day." And the Australian Capital Territory: "Ditto for Canberra." Our office chimed in too: "Sydney will also be closed on Monday for Labour Day (public holiday)." And finally, there was a response from out west: "Perth will remain open. We had our holiday last week."
How does a country with such a small population (and only six states and two territories) manage to have such a sorted system for public holidays? While I know that different US states celebrate different public holidays, the uncoordinated celebration of the same holiday, or often the simultaneous celebration of different holidays, is odd. And did you pick up why Melbourne, the second most populous city in the country, was taking off? A football game. Really.
You see, Melbourne plays host to AFL (Australian Football League) Grand Final every year. While there are teams from around the country, Australian Rules Football is a sport predominately played in Victoria. Out of 18 teams that make up the AFL, ten are based in Victoria, with two apiece in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. And unlike America, where there are plenty of cities to support teams, as Australia has a very limited amount of big cities, teams are usually based in a specific suburb (that is, neighbourhood) in a city. Melbourne alone hosts nine of the ten teams in Victoria, sharing just two stadiums as their home fields. So it makes a bit more sense why Victoria recognises the Friday before the final game of the season (for lack of a better comparison, the AFL Super Bowl), which is always held on Saturday, as a holiday.
Meanwhile, NRL (National Rugby League; the game that I mentioned when I spoke of State of Origin) also has its Grand Final game on the long holiday weekend. It is always held in Sydney as, much like AFL is predominantly played in one part of the country, NRL is far more prevalent in Sydney and along the eastern coast in general. We are a country divided by sport.
Now that I have explained that, here's the breakdown for holidays over last week and this week, by state/territory (with the major city identified, as you're far more likely to have heard of the cities than the states):
Monday (24/09):
Western Australia (Perth) - Labour Day
Friday (28/09):
Victoria (Melbourne) - AFL Grand Final Friday
Monday (01/10):
New South Wales (Sydney) - Labour Day
South Australia (Adelaide) - Labour Day
Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) - Labour Day
Queensland (Brisbane) - Queen's Birthday (which you may remember most of the country celebrated in June)
That is only seven of the eight states and territories, and it seems that the Northern Territory doesn't get to celebrate a holiday in September or October. But don't feel too bad for them, as they are the only place in Australia to recognize May Day (though Queensland does celebrate their Labour Day in May), and each city/town in the Northern Territory takes off for a Show Day (which I will explain at a later date, because that is opening up another can of worms) some time in June or July.
Now that that's out of our way, on to my weekend:
A funny Thursday
My weekend fun started a bit early with a Thursday night Fringe Festival show at the Factory Theatre in Merrickville. While I am not usually one to go to a late night show on a weeknight, this one was special as my friend Candice was performing in it. The show was a hoot. |
| Getting in some good laughs, thanks to my friends Candice (left) and Bec (right). |
Work was busy on Friday, and I broke up the day with a trip over to the University to see a fellow PhD candidate present her first year defense of her research. It was a great thing to see, and it has helped me wrap my head a bit more around what I am working on.
 |
| A first year PhD review, in action. |
Friday night I laid low as I knew the next few days would be quite busy.
Rose Bay to Watsons Bay
Saturday morning I was up early and struck out on a walk north through the city to Edgecliff to meet my friend Nate. The walk took me through the leafy suburbs of Darlinghurst and Paddington, past many sights I hadn't seen before. I will definitely have to do some more wandering in the Eastern suburbs, as I haven't really explored over there before.From Edgecliff, we drove up to the coast at Rose Bay, along the streets I ran during the City2Surf. Again, I am not all that familiar with that area and will need to spend some time pounding the pavement over there. We walked along the coast up toward Watsons Bay, passing by beautiful beaches and massive mansions.
 |
| Looking back toward the city, with the CBD to the left and North Sydney on the opposite side of the bridge. |
 |
| A similar view, but with boats in Hermit Bay. |
 |
| Crossing Parsley Bay. |
The weather was absolutely perfect, despite predictions of rain, and we enjoyed a waterfront lunch at the Watsons Bay Beach Club. After lunch, we did a loop along the cliffs at Watsons Bay, before turning back south. On the walk back to Rose Bay, we stopped for a few minutes to soak in the views at Gibson's Beach. All in, there wasn't a better way to enjoy the Saturday sunshine.
A drive down the coast
Sunday morning I headed over to Candice's house, just a quick walk away from my place. We grabbed take-away breakfast and both settled in with our laptops on her terrace to do some work. After we wrapped up, we jumped in the car and headed south via Princes Highway until we were out of the city, past Sutherland, past Waterfall and the Royal National Park, and farther south than I have ever been on the NSW coast.Once we were off the highway, we began a quick descent down a small winding road through the forest, with the Pacific Ocean peeking between the trees. At Stanwell Park, the road turned south and the view opened up to reveal a sky full of paragliders. Apparently, it is a popular activity at the cliffs of Stanwell Tops.
 |
| Some of the paragliders in action. |
After another ten minutes or so in the car, we parked along the roadside to walk to our final destination for lunch: the Scarborough Hotel (which as I have explained before, simply means "pub").
From the front, the 1886-built two-story building was fairly nondescript, your typical tiny town rural hotel. While the inside was nothing to note, the crowd of cars out front lined up along the road offered a hint that there was something big going on. Down the stairs and out the back, the sloped lawn was packed with hundreds of people (and their dogs) soaking in the sun and enjoying a schooner. As it turns out, the venue sits perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, with a sweeping backyard running down to the cliff edge.
 |
| Out back at the Scarborough Hotel. |
We joined the crowd of people and managed to snag a table with a big umbrella, under which we enjoyed a lunch of fish and chips. When we wrapped up, we wandered down through the tiny town (little more than some houses lined up on the steep road wending down toward the coast). We will definitely be back, next time with more friends and a dog in tow.
 |
| Hanging out in Scarborough. |
As the afternoon got later, we walked back up the hill to the car (and what a huge hill it was to walk up!) and headed back to Sydney. The drive back to the motorway, via a causeway over the Pacific, set back from the soaring sandstone cliffs, was quite a way to go. I look forward to similar adventures in the near future.
 |
| Driving the causeway. |
The Australian Super Bowl 2.0
When Candice and I got back to the city, we regrouped and headed over to a new corner bar that opened next to Candice's to catch the NRL Grand Final game. With the AFL Grand Final out of the way, it was time for rugby's turn on Sunday night. With 10 of the 16 teams in the NRL hailing from the Sydney region, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that one of the teams in the final was the Sydney Roosters, who have their home in the city. This year they were up against the Melbourne Storm.I was pulling for the Roosters, and without a horse in the race Candice decided to go the contrarian route and pull for the Storm. The match ended up being not much of a game at all, with it really amounting to 80 minutes of the Roosters dominating Melbourne. It was still an enjoyable way to spend the evening, and I appreciate Candice's willingness to come with me.
Prepping for spring
This morning, Candice and I got together again, this time heading out to run some spring-themed errands. On Sunday night we had discussed how it was time to get our balconies in order now that the weather was getting nice.Our first stop of the morning was IKEA, where I picked up some planting pots. It's always an interesting feeling going to IKEA here, as it offers the exact same things as the the IKEA in Atlanta (and the IKEAs all over the world). Amazing how on the opposite side of the globe, a slice of Scandinavia can remind me of home.
After we got our IKEA supplies, we headed over to Bunning's Warehouse—the Australian Home Depot—where we spent an hour picking out plants. I have a smaller terrace outside my room that I wanted to plant some herbs on, but Candice really went all out with the plants for her massive terrace. While there, I also stumbled across life-size lawn sculptures of Australia's most well-known creatures. Quite the sight to behold, though I cannot imagine anyone every putting them in their yard.
 |
| The most unnecessary garden statues I have ever seen. Not pictured: the cluster of koalas. |
While the lawn sculptures might have been quintessential Australiana, Candice and I took part in another decidedly Aussie activity at Bunning's: the sausage sizzle. Like many things here, the concept won't be entirely foreign to Americans—after all, plenty of places set up grills and sell hamburgers out front—but here in Australia the sausage sizzle is a distinct event.
Once we were done shopping, we succumbed to the tantalising smell which had taunted us for the hour we picked out plants, and queued up at the large grill out front of the store. $2.50 later, we were rewarded with a snag (that is, a sausage) and grilled onions between two slices of white bread, slathered with barbecue sauce. There is nothing more Australian, so it seems.
 |
| Pardon the bad picture; it took all the strength I had not to devour it before I could take the picture. |
We sat on a bench out front of the store and enjoyed our lunch before heading back to the city to pot our plants. Now, we both feel ready for spring with green gardens. Hopefully I can make use of the parsley, coriander (what we would call cilantro—they don't differentiate between the plant and the seed), basil, oregano, mint, rosemary, and hot chillis. Or at least not kill them.
 |
| Our potting operation in full swing. |
In the late afternoon, I met up with my friend Simon in Glebe—always nice to catch up with friends—before running to the grocery. The evening was filled with taking care of things around the house and cooking for the week. And now that I've gotten you up to date, it's time for bed before a short, but busy, week!
Comments
Post a Comment