Ollie weekend

We were lucky to have the company of Ollie over the weekend - up to Coogee, down to Wollongong and some places in between. Ollie's heading to the University of Wollongong himself in a few weeks, so we thought it would be fun to show him a side of "the Gong" he may not know about, as well as having some down time back in Coogee after a break of a few years (for Ollie).

We got to Coogee on Friday in time for a late-ish lunch at the Coogee Bay Hotel - always one of the first things on the agenda whenever we visit.

Coogee was at its summertime best that afternoon .......

We walked all the way up to Giles Baths, off Dolphins Point, to the north of the beach.

...... taking time to admire the mature plants in the native garden we'd helped plant out (with our friend Haruko) all those years ago.

Saturday, we headed out of Sydney down to Wollongong, taking the picturesque coastal drive through Stanwell Tops, and over the amazing Sea Cliff Bridge at Coalcliff Beach. We spent some time checking out the beautiful leafy campus of the UOW and working out the layout of student residences and facilities etc. It was time for an early lunch then at the Illawarra Brewery near the CBD before we set off for a walk to the Flagstaff Point lighthouse on Wollongong Head and around to the harbour area.

There was lots of discussion about what this huge concrete pit near the lighthouse was all about. Google confirmed later that it was a remnant of the old Flagstaff Hill Fort. The pit was apparently constructed in 1890 to hold a very big 6 inch gun, as the nearby cannon placements were considered obsolete!! The greatest fear in those days was that the Russians were coming!

This weekend coincided with Wollongong's Honk Oz Festival - a street music festival we hadn't been to for a few years (with lots of Covid related disruptions), but one we'd enjoyed in the past - especially because it is the brainchild of an old and dear friend of ours - David R.

We happened to drive through town just as the Honk Oz street march was ending up at the Town Hall fountain.

It looked as raucous and rebellious as ever!

We found a spot under the trees in the Arts Precinct and enjoyed a few of the performances in the day long program -  the Samba pick up band, the Curious Rendition Orchestra and the amazing kids orchestra. I was thrilled to catch up with David R in the midst of a busy afternoon for him, and see him continuing to do amazing things in the vibrant Wollongong music scene.

We were very taken with this spectacular drumming Grandmother in the Curious Rendition Orchestra.

We decided to take the longer coastal road back to Coogee late in the afternoon and were rewarded with beautiful views of the northern coastline from the spectacular Sea Cliff Bridge. I could do this drive every day and never tire of it!

We're hoping we'll be able to catch up with Ollie regularly once he's settled in at the UOW. He likes Coogee and it will be so easy for him to catch the scenic train up from Wollongong whenever he can spare a weekend. We'd love that as any time spent with this amazing young man is very special indeed.