White Rabbit Gallery is a great little gallery in the heart of Sydney. Specialising in contemporary Chinese art its three floors are full of amazing works from paintings and sculptures to surrealist works. Entrance is free and with a cafe on site, specialising in Chinese teas and dumplings, there are refreshments available once you finish your tour.
Suspended from the atrium roof is the most stunning work, consisting of life-size people with dragonfly heads and wings. This amazing sight greets you on entering. A great view of this artwork is available from the ramp up to the second level, which is a great perspective.
Access to the second floor is via a ramp which passes close to the dragonfly men. Alternately you can use an elevator which also goes to all floors (it is the only access to floor 3), but we enjoyed the view of the art work while walking up the ramp..
During our visit there was a great variety of paintings on display on the first two floors and floor three was filled with a single, large sculpture.
There are also small rooms on the first two floors where audio visual displays are running.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
The Rocks is one of the oldest areas of Sydney, and as such it has many historically important buildings to visit. We started our walk near the Fortune of War hotel and the old restored police building next door. Walking through the archway nearby we went to Nurses Walk and looked at the monuments to the original hospital located there and read a lot of the history surrounding the nurses who worked there during that period. The area is now very trendy and full of eateries, nothing like its original use. However, it’s an interesting spot to visit.
Suez Canal
At the end of Nurses Walk is Suez Canal which is the narrowest street in the city. It was originally a sewer and a haunt of the underclass and criminals during the early days of the colony.
Cadman’s Cottage
At the top of Suez Canal is Harrington Street. We turned right here and again at Argyle Street, walking to George Street, where we crossed the road and walked down some stone steps to check out Cadman’s Cottage.
Returning to Argyle Street we walked down Playfair Street and its Cafes and restaurants, buying some excellent meat pies from a stall holder and eating them near some brilliant buskers. All this near the shortest street in Sydney, Atherden Street. This is a popular spot with great opportunities to take in all this place has to offer, including the statue First Impressions of early settlers, convicts and soldiers.
Federation Park
The old row of houses in Playfair Street back onto one of the Rocks hidden gems, Federation Park, a rank of demolished cottages left as ruins. There is a small passage through the shops, or you can get to them from Cumberland Street. This area has been left with only a few enhancements to help show what used to be there. Some old rooms have been decorated with furniture, and stairs added for easy access. We found this a great spot to sit and relax. It is very quiet and such a great place to see the history, without the congestion that usually goes with these hidden gems.
At the end of Gloucester Walk we took the stairs down to the Cahill Expressway underpass. This took us past Garrison Church and then to the Sydney Observatory, which were great to explore. The observatory has amazing views of Sydney.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
The Dark Stories True Crime Tour is a great way to spend a Saturday evening discovering some of the darker aspects of Newcastle’s past. The meeting point is easy to find being centrally located, at the corner of Scott and Watt street near Customs House. We parked close by at the foreshore car park and then walked the short distance to the meeting point.
Sara our tour guide for the night was very enthusiastic for the whole 90 minutes of the tour. We followed her around Newcastle’s streets, past the beach and through a cemetery. We were told about many crimes and their locations. Several were amusing but most were an eye opener to the past history of Newcastle.
Dark Stories True Crime Tour took through familiar places we had not visited at night, like Christ Church Cathedral and the Old Newcastle Hospital (now and apartment block). We also went to some back alleys we had never seen and found some interesting street art as a bonus.
We had a small group of five but the maximum group size is limited to twelve people. This ensures that you will not get pushed to the back of the group and not hear the stories. A great evening out that was interesting and fun for the whole 90 minutes.
To see what else there is to do in the Hunter Valley, please see some of our other stories.