A week in Coogee

We've been in Coogee since Thursday, the day of the huge rain/hailstorm, with more threatening the day after, but interspersed with lots of sunshine, warm blue skies and crowds of people enjoying otherwise perfect summer days here in Sydney.

Coogee is rainbow ready for Sydney WorldPride 2023, starting in a few days' time (17th February). We couldn't be prouder to see our Coogee celebrating our brilliant LGBTQIA+ community in this way......

 

One of our favourite morning walks is to the Ivo Rowe Pool in South Coogee. From here you can see all the way up the coast to North Bondi.

The beach was packed with hundreds of Coogee Minnows (Australia's longest running junior surf lifesaving club) this morning (Sunday).

.. and Gordons Bay had the snorkelling and surf paddling schools going flat out.

..... more Coogee Minnows .....

We made our first visit to the fabulous new Sydney Modern Gallery on Friday - the new extension to the AGNSW that doubles its size and opens up the space to fabulous vistas of Woolloomooloo and the harbour beyond. The entry forecourt has been built over the Cahill Expressway .....

These large bronze sculptures were commissioned for the launch of the building in December last year.

It's a breathtaking, awe-inspiring space - designed by the Tokyo based architecture firm SANAA.... built to budget, and within the planned timeframe, despite COVID, firestorms, lockdowns and heavy rain spells throughout its construction phase ... amazing...

The Indigenous Yiribana gallery (previously in the basement of the original AGNSW) is now on the entry level of Sydney Modern, making it the first exhibition space visitors come across.... abolutely awe inspiring ....

Fabulous views to Woolloomooloo Wharf and Garden Island beyond from the north terrace of the building ........

A Yayoi Kusama floral sculpture was commissioned for the launch of the gallery too.

Contemporary works look fabulous on the Sydney sandstone walls.

There is an extraordinary 2200 sq mtr underground space at the lowest level of the gallery - an enormous, decommissioned WW2 era fuel tank - but repurposed now by the inspired architects as a unique and atmospheric gallery space "The Tank" complete with its vast forest of 125 concrete columns and moody lighting. The Argentinian artist Villa Rojas has created the very evocative and sometimes disturbing "The End of Imagination" installation for the launch of this gallery. 

I loved this work at the entrance to Dreamhome: Stories of Art and Shelter - completely made of cardboard - hundreds of tiny little models of fantasy dwellings ....

Yesterday we spent the morning at Paddington Markets - catching up with our favourite jeweller Melaney McCleary and setting in train a commission for a new bracelet for Rob ....

before heading back to the City and down to Circular Quay where we were to meet up with our dear young friend Aine for lunch together, with this view ........

Our lunch lasted four hours in fact - but we had a lot to catch up on: Aine's travels in the UK, Belfast and Copenhagen, work rewards and challenges, doggy dramas and far from perfect developments at the Q Station. We love Aine!!!

We're still making almost nil progress on our reno plans for Coogee - although there is a possibility we may get to talk to an engineer in the coming few days about our plans to remove a wall. Because of the reno plans we've tried to keep furnishings to a minimum since we moved back in but the addition of a rug and a TV (gift from Ella) have made things much more homely for us this visit.