Category Archives: Sydney

And we’re OFF!

Posted on by robandlinds

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We spent one of the last few nights with some of our best friends in Sydney! Even better, our good friends Tom and Lynne (and Eliza!) were able to join in on the fun. My last day at work was Thursday – so several of my colleagues came out for a drink (see pic above) – then we met up with our other friends at (where else??) The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel in the Rocks – a perfect place to start the farewell celebrations.

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It was a sad day and extremely tough saying goodbye to such an amazing group of people, BUT we both know that we WILL be back someday soon and hope to have many of our Australian/British friends come visit us! Thanks again to all those who were able to come out for a farewell drink (unfortunately, I took out my camera a bit late and didn’t get one of everyone who was there…).

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Sydney, Australia is certainly a city that will be greatly missed!

2013 Records in Australia

Posted on by robandlinds

Article taken from SMH: 2013 will go down as the year that registered Australia’s hottest day, month, season, 12-month period – and, by December 31, the hottest calendar year. Global interest in Australia’s extraordinary year of heat flared early on. In January, when models started predicting heat that was literally off the charts, the Bureau of Meteorology added new colours to the heat maps – deep purple and pink – to accommodate maximum temperatures of 50-54 degrees.

Read more here: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/records-melt-in-our-hottest-year-20131220-2zqrt.html

Australian Open Golf Tourney

Posted on by robandlinds

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When you think of the Australian Open you immediately think of tennis — or at least we do. Turns out they also have an Australian Open golf tournament, who knew? Apparently, this tournament was well-recognized across the world in the 70s and 80s and some considered it to be the fifth golf major of the year.  Big names like Jack Nicklaus won the tournament in 1964, ’68, ’71 ’75, ’76 and ’78. This years tournament was at Royal Sydney, just down the road in Rose Bay (east of the Sydney CBD), which is just a stunning area. There were a few big names in the field so we thought it would be worth checking out. To date, it’s been one of the few things reasonably priced in Sydney at $35 a ticket!

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Rob was smart enough to record the tournament and we made it on Australian National TV! Our heads were tiny specks on the television but (hey) it still counts! It was on the 9th hole (par 3) – where McIlroy hit a bunker shot.

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Some of the notable players were Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Stuart Appleby and of course Rod Pampling. We were there for the 4th round and got to see McIlroy and Scott battle it out in the final group. Scott had tons of chances to close it out but ended up losing his one stroke lead on the 18th hole when he bogeyed and McIlroy birdied for the win. Couldn’t have asked for a better finish!

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We were able to get some good footage of the 18th hole here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6njOWPFCRYs&feature=youtu.be

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Bush Fires Blanket Sydney in Smoke!

Posted on by robandlinds

Article from Sydney Morning Herald: Bushfires and subsequent backburning in and around the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains regions caused a thick haze of smoke to blanket Sydney on Saturday morning. Places in the city’s north, such as Lindfield, reported pollution readings on Saturday morning as high as 828 on the Air Quality Index, compared with a typical reading of about 50 for Sydney, according to monitoring by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Above 100 is considered poor air quality and above 200 is considered hazardous.

There are 43 bush fires at the moment and 15 still remain uncontained!! We made a home video from our balcony in Neutral Bay: http://youtu.be/6TrF38ZCeaA.

The NEW Oaks Tavern

Posted on by robandlinds

OUR favorite spot got a renovation… Best part of the story – Rob met Paul Kelly (the person who managed the project) randomly during a weekend get away up the coast!

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Excerpt from The Telegraph Newspaper: IT’S been serving lower north shore patrons since 1885 and has witnessed love blossom over generations under its time-honoured Oak tree. Now Neutral Bay’s iconic hotel, The Oaks, is undergoing a $4 million revamp to attract a younger, savvier crowd. But loyalists need not fear their beloved venue will become the next ‘Ivy’. While the renovations – the pub’s first major overhaul since the 80s – are an attempt to compete with the ritzy small bar precinct in Grosvenor St, the site’s classic art nouveau and art deco features will be retained. Renowned architect Paul Kelly, who designed The White Hart bar in Neutral Bay and worked on Sydney’s Star casino, is behind the upgrade. The reinvigorated hotel will feature a ‘meatorium’, an in-house butcher offering cuts of meat for patrons to either cook themselves or request a chef cook to their liking. Long-time chef Denise Brinson and Italian chef Danny Russo have developed a mediterranean-inspired menu, including pizzas, steak and traditional pub fare. There will also be wine matching events and a new menu of craft beers that support Aussie breweries, including Stone and Wood from Byron Bay. The bistro, bar and grill areas are due to be completed in early July and the garden pavilion in October.

QUITE A HISTORY:
– Built in 1885 at 118 Military Rd, Neutral Bay
– The Oak tree in the courtyard was planted in August 1938 by Kathleen McGill (original seed was 30cm high and came from department store in Sydney)
– Members of the Furlong family held the license from 1918 to 1975
– The pub is owned and run by the Thomas family, who purchased it 40 years ago

Blue Mountains

Posted on by robandlinds

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One of my 30 for 30 for 30 gifts was a weekend at the Possums Retreat in Blackheath Blue Mountains. We had our own cabin complete with wood burning fireplace which came in handy during our mid winter trip.

Since we were staying the night we decided to drive the extra 45 minutes to the Jenolan Caves. We weren’t able to do a cave tour but we walked to a really cool lake where we saw the very rare and very bizarre duck-billed platypus. Check out our iPhone, homemade video of this strange creature: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLZ8l9RpBa0&feature=em-upload_owner

The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal baffled European naturalists when they first encountered it, with some considering it an elaborate fraud. It is one of the few venomous mammals, the male platypus having a spur on the hind foot that delivers a venom capable of causing severe pain to humans. The unique features of the platypus make it an important subject in the study of evolutionary biology and a recognisable and iconic symbol of Australia; it has appeared as a mascot at national events and is featured on the reverse of its 20-cent coin. The platypus is the animal emblem of the state of New South Wales.

S. Steele

Posted on by robandlinds

We had the privilege of hosting another great friend – Sara Steele! The first day she got to Sydney, we did the Neutral Bay to Chowder Bay hike (and it was our very first guest to take on the walk since we discovered it long after we moved to Neutral Bay). This walk connects two of Mosman’s beaches – Balmoral Beach and Clifton Gardens – and after reading more about the area, it is very much connected with the early history of Sydney. For more than a century many of these areas were used to maintain gun emplacements to defend Sydney from invaders, until the land was released to the public in 1995, and reborn as part of Sydney Harbour National Park. It truly is a magnificent walk and has spectacular views! The picture below is taken at Bradley’s Head.

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Part of our ‘tour of Sydney’ wouldn’t be complete without spending an afternoon at Jack and Tim’s flat in Paddington. We brought out the red cups and made it a complete college flash-back, playing flip cup (or “flippy cup”)! We also introduced Sara to her first EVER lawn bowls match – she turned out to be pretty good beating me and almost tying Rob.

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To end the short time Sara spent in Sydney (before we left for Melbourne), we went out with the girls to Centennial Park. The city puts up an outdoor theatre during the summer months – which includes bean bag chairs, pillows and popcorn!

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‘Tis the Season

Posted on by robandlinds

The Aussies tend to celebrate holidays much more so than other countries, especially Christmas and New Year’s. For one, the government requires all companies to allow employees a full 4-week holiday per calendar year. In my eyes, this law makes complete sense. If Australians want to travel outside their country, it takes almost 24 hours to get anywhere – so when people do take holiday it’s typically for 3-4 weeks. Second, Australians love to drink (and from what I gather, this is no surprise to the rest of the world). They love their coffee, their beer and most of all their wine. And finally, companies enjoy celebrating the end of the year – even if times are tough. It seems regardless of whether or not they’ve made a profit, there will be enough money left over for an end-of-the-year party! We were fortunate enough to enjoy that party with Rob’s company – where the party was held at the major casino in Sydney.

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Kristen’s HERE

Posted on by robandlinds

I was lucky enough to have another good friend come visit me in Sydney! Somehow, Kristen and I managed to coordinate our schedules so we were flying back to the states together (with a few minor stops along the way – in Melbourne and Auckland, New Zealand).

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I’ve put together a short video of our trip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6TfzO5EgEc

Op Shop Charity Ball

Posted on by robandlinds
Rob and I attended the Variety Op Shop Ball (with a few friends of ours, Grace and Shane), which isn’t any old charity event.. We had to dress up in outfits from goodwill!  Unfortunately for us, we waited until 3 hours before the event to start looking — certainly not our most creative moment.

We had the opportunity to play circus games for prizes (e.g. toss the ball in the bucket, ring toss, etc.), pose for professional pictures, do the limbo, and bid on items – all of which goes to charity.

After a few drinks, Rob and I wander over to the silent auction to check out the options.  Somehow we decided that a washing machine sounded like a good deal and placed a bid.  Considering there were over 500 people at the event and we were only the second people to bid, we hardly thought anything of it.. Until the host announced there was 10 minutes left before the silent auction would close.

That night, we signed a check for $600 for a brand new washing machine.

Let’s just say Rob wasn’t too happy with me the following morning..
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29 Years Young

Posted on by robandlinds

We celebrated Rob’s birthday at Phillip’s Foote – a restaurant in the Rocks – with a bunch of mates.  The restaurant is similar to the Oaks, where you grill your own meat and potatoes.

You’ll find that the service level is very different in Australia than it is to the States.

  It’s uncommon to find Rob wearing a jumper (Aussie slang for sweater or sweatshirt) on his birthday..

The next evening we went to see several Aussie comedians in the Entertainment Quarter – probably one of Rob’s favorite things to do.

The T.i.m. T.A.M. SLAM!

The first ever TimTam Slam, stacking three TimTams together and eating them all at once. To prepare for Chris’ visit we made sure to have a good selection of TimTams.

We went to trivia night twice during Chris’ visit at a pub near my office. We finished dead last both times, blaming the Australian-biased questions.

Ride for two?

Posted on by robandlinds
Tom and Lynne purchased a lovely gift for Rob and me prior to moving back to the UK; a sea plane voucher over Sydney.  I was selfish enough to take the voucher and use it myself.
Luckily, I had Jenny to share the adventure with! 🙂
View of downtown Sydney from Rose Bay
This is a birds eye view of Manly
If you’d like to hear how the rest of the flight went, please feel free to call or email me.

Aussie Sports

Posted on by robandlinds
My team was invited to attend a cricket game for a work function. India vs Australia, Day 2.

 

The game started at 8 AM and lasted until 5 PM – which included a break for morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea.
Even after spending a day with the locals, I still haven’t learned most of the rules to the sport.  But, I did witness history as the Aussie captain achieved the highest single-day score in its 100-year history.  Michael Clarke scored 329 points for the day!!

Lindsey is FULLY employed!!

Posted on by robandlinds

I just finished my first week of working full time and it was exhausting!!  I realized just how much I enjoyed my afternoon nap in the sun, right after my big brekky…

I‘m working at Genesys Wealth Advisers — which is owned by AXA Australia — which is now owned by AMP.  AXA and AMP are two big financial planning firms and just this year AMP bought out AXA Australia.  Technically, I am employed by AXA, but I really work under the Genesys platform (http://www.genesyswealth.com.au/).

I will be working on the Investment Research Team as an “Investment Specialist.”  We will be deciding the model portfolio, along with the funds on the Approved Product List (“APL”) – a list of ~100 funds that are approved for the financial adviser(s) to recommend to their clients.

My first full day on the job, I was required to attend a behavioural course put on by HR.  Long, story short we learned about each other and how to communicate with others.  We spent 3 hours going through various exercises (think “catch-the-person-who-is-falling-backwards” type exercises).  It was great!  I was partnered an Aussie native who has never left Australia and thinks everyone in America is like the guys on Jersey Shore (he even looks like “The Situation” – http://www.nextlevellifestyles.com/how-to-attract-girls/).  In fact, one of his first questions was, “How close is Colorado to Las Vegas?”

A few days later, we left the office at 10 AM to go down to Circular Quay and watch some of our ‘mates’ repel down the AXA building for charity.  We were there for the majority of the afternoon, then left around 4 PM to celebrate… the weekend…

It really was a great way to get to know my co-workers.  Unlike Rob’s co-workers, I am the only American on our floor of about 100 people.

Genesys/AXA/AMP employees repelling down the building on a beautiful Friday afternoon in Sydney


The first thing Rob said to me when I told him the story…

“Welcome to the Australian culture!”

[I could certainly get used to this!]

Knuspriger Schweinebauch

Posted on by robandlinds
Knuspriger Schweinebauch is German for Crackling Roast Pork Belly with Löwenbräu Bier Sauce, Sautéed Potatoes and Slow-Braised Red Cabbage.  (Rob’s dinner order)
If you want pork belly, pork knuckles and meat loaf with a side of Sauerkraut and a heart attack, you’ll want to visit the German restaurant, Löwenbräu.
Linds ordered her first Stein (which is 1 liter or 33 oz)
 Later, we made our way to Star City – the casino in Sydney.  It was surprisingly very nice!  It was a different vibe than the Vegas casinos.  People actually went there to socialize and eat quality food or have a cup of coffee.

Lynne was dominating on the Roulette Tables, winning more than 20 times in a row!

(Sounds a lot like Lori!!!).

Rob started with $120 and left with over $350 playing black jack! The only reason he walked away a winner is b.c I kept the $25 chips he’d win, so he wouldn’t continue to play — then eventually lose everything.