I’m a fan of thoughtful street art that isn’t just mindless tagging of a name over and over again like the mural in Chippendale, Sydney “knowledge breaks down walls”. So when I heard that the biggest street art exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere was being shown on Cockatoo Island I arranged to go there after work on a Friday with a group of like minded friends.

What Is Street Art?

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in an ephemeral and viral form of art that is marking urban settings around the world, and has developed a flourishing sub-culture all its own. Now though, street art is going mainstream. Auctioneers, collectors and museum directors are scrabbling to learn urban art vocabulary and develop positions on the big street art issues.

There is as yet no simple definition of street art. It is an amorphous beast encompassing art which is found in or inspired by the urban environment. With anti-capitalist and rebellious undertones, it is a democratic form of popular public art probably best understood by seeing it in situ. It is not limited to the gallery nor easily collected or possessed by those who may turn art into a trophy.

Considered by some a nuisance, for others street art is a tool for communicating views of dissent, asking difficult questions and expressing political concerns. Its definition and uses are changing: originally a tool to mark territorial boundaries of urban youth today it is even seen in some cases like the famous street artist Banksy as a means of urban beautification and regeneration.
- excerpt from Art Radar Journal

What Is the Outpost Project?

Entry to the Outpost Project is free with your ferry ticket. Cockatoo Island is a short ferry ride from Circular Quay and other harbour wharves. My friends and I caught the 5pm ferry to Cockatoo Island and left on the 810pm ferry.

More than 150 of the world’s best street artists are transforming the gritty, industrial canvas of Cockatoo Island into the biggest, freshest street art festival in the Southern hemisphere from 4 November to 11 December 2011. Over five big weeks, there will be exhibitions, installations, DJ’s, live entertainment and workshops for all ages, culminating with the Skateboarding Australia 2011 Pro/Am Tour Grand Final on 10 December.

Check the Outpost Project website for opening times for the Street Art Exhibitions and the Bar plus Pizza Shop area.

Example Street Art from Outpost Project Exhibition

These are a some examples of the the street art I liked when I visited the Outpost Project. Ideally you should visit for at least 3 hours.

The Sydney Public Transport Trip planner is probably my most frequently used website for planning social outings or meetings for work.

It’s the best way to plan a trip on public transport in Sydney, whether by Train, Bus or Ferry or a mixture of methods allowing you to state exactly when you want to leave for/reach your destination and allow to/from destinations of streets, locations like shopping malls, bus stops, train stations etc.

An ideal way for tourists or backpackers to plan their day trips in Sydney as well as for locals like myself.

The best ticket if you’re going to catch several trains/buses/ferries is the MyMulti Day Pass, currently priced at $20 for an adult and $10 for a child/concession (as at Feb 2011).

MyMulti Day Pass****

An all-in-one day ticket that gives you unlimited travel on CityRail train services**, All government and private bus services*,All Sydney Ferries* and Newcastle Ferries services

MyMulti Day Passes are available from station ticket offices, TransitShops, Sydney Ferries ticket offices, and selected 7-Eleven stores, newsagencies and convenience stores. Please note that MyMulti Day Passes cannot be purchased on board Sydney Buses PrePay Only services.

Family Funday Sunday****

You don’t have to spend a lot on a fun day out for the whole family.

For $2.50 per person, your family can enjoy a great value day out anywhere in Greater Sydney with unlimited travel on all CityRail train services**, all regular State Transit and private buses, all regular Sydney Ferries and Newcastle Ferries services. Conditions Apply***

Pensioner Excursion****

All-day CityRail travel** for pensioners and seniors costs just $2.50 per person.

Also includes travel on Sydney Buses, Sydney and Newcastle Ferries and all privately operated bus services in the metropolitan and outer metropolitan areas – Newcastle, the Lower Hunter, the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra.

Available to people holding a Centrelink or Department of Veterans’ Affairs pensioner concession card, NSW Seniors Card or NSW or Victorian War Widow(er) concession card. It can be purchased at CityRail stations, on board buses (except Sydney Buses PrePay services) and Sydney Ferries ticket offices.

*MyMulti DayPass is not valid for travel on CountryLink services, Sydney Buses special event services, Sydney Explorer, Bondi Explorer, Sydney Ferries cruises, private ferries.

** Please note that DayTrippers, Family Funday Sunday and Pensioner Excursion tickets cannot be used on the Airport Line to get on or off at Green Square, Mascot, Domestic or International stations as an access fee GatePass is required (buy it at those stations).

*** The travelling group for a Family Funday Sunday ticket must be related and include at least one child and one adult. A child is classified as anyone under 16 years of age and school students aged 16, 17 and 18 attending NSW or ACT schools, holding a current 202 NSW or ACT concession card or equivalent valid private bus school travel pass. Children under four travel free with a Family Funday Sunday ticket holding adult.

**** Metro Light Rail and Sydney Monorail are privately owned and not covered by MyMulti DayPass, Family Funday Sunday or Pensioner Excursion tickets.

Each year I return to the new summer exhibition at the Australian Museum and marvel at the skill of the photographers whose work is displayed in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year photography exhibition. In 2003 I lived for a year in the UK and saw that years Wildlife Photographer exhibition at London’s Natural History Museum.

That was the year I first became really interested in photography, particularly of wildlife and natural landscapes and I think my photography has improved a lot since then.

From vivid, colourful landscapes to intimate portraits of animal behaviour, the exhibition offers an extraordinary insight into the beauty and diversity of the natural world.

Enjoy captivating wildlife images from the world’s largest and most prestigious photography competition when this popular exhibition returns each year to the Australian Museum during Summer.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Now in its 46th year, this exhibition showcases incredible stories and evocative images which capture the diversity and wonder of the natural world such as the winner Hungarian photographer Bence Màté for his stunning image, a marvel of ants, capturing ant behaviour in the Costa Rican rainforest shown below, selected from over 31,000 entries / 81 countries.

Bence’s winning photograph is taken from a portfolio of six images which also won the Erik Hosking Award for the best work from a young photographer aged between 18 – 26.

Speaking about Bence’s impressive work, Mark Carwardine, Chair of the Judging Panel commented that ‘these strong images show Bence is clearly a master of his craft with an artist’s eye.’

Four Australians are amongst the line-up of Highly Commended photographers including Kah Kit Yoong who was awarded Runner Up in the Creative Visions of Nature category for a stirring image of an Australian Southern Swell.

Wildlife, photography and travel enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy the stunning display which is FREE with general Museum entry.

Starts: 4 December 2010
Ends: 13 March 2011.

Where: Level 2, Australian Museum, 6 College Street (opposite Hyde Park), Sydney
Cost: Free with Museum entry ticket

If you can’t go there you can view the Wildlife Photographer of the Year online at the Natural History Museum website although the photos are only done true justice when seen as large prints in the exhibition

2009 Competition

These are 3 of the finalists for 2009: Ethiopian mountain king, Joe McDonald (USA), Eyes in the oasis, Lee Slabber (South Africa) and Puffin in the snow, Jan Vermeer (The Netherlands).

The 2009 winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year “The storybook wolf” by José Luis Rodríguez (Spain) was controversially disqualified and stripped of his status as the judges suspected the wolf in the photo was tame and trained to create the photo.

The competition rules clearly state that photographs of animal models may not be entered into the competition and that images will be disqualified if they are entered in breach of this rule.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the world’s most prestigious photography competition of its kind. Any transgression of the competition rules is taken very seriously and if entries are suspected of breaching the rules they are disqualified. José Luis Rodríguez’s image will be removed from the exhibition and tour.

Mr Rodriguez strongly denies that the wolf in the image is a model wolf.

2008 Competition

An image of a jewel-like leaf drop glistening in the far north Queensland sun has earned Australian photographer, Darran Leal, a highly commended in the prestigious 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

• The image, ‘Leaf drop,’ is one of 83 chosen from a record 32,351 entries and is included in the montage below (top left) with 3 other images from the exhibition
• Deadlock, David Maitland, United Kingdom (top right)
• Daddy long legs, Jordi Chias, Spain (bottom left)
• Troublemaker, Stefano Unterthiner, Italy (bottom right)

credit: 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year – Australian Museum

2007 Competition

2007 Highlights included the winning image by UK photographer Ben Osborne “Elephant Creation” which features a large bull elephant kicking and spraying mud in a waterhole. This reminded me of an underwater photo on the December 2004 National Geographic website of an Elephant swimming in the Okavango Delta.

Rajan, the 60-year-old Asian elephant in Jeff’s winning picture, was rescued from the banned Andaman Islands logging trade. Today he takes daily swims in the ocean with his handler and Jeff was privileged to join them in the water for a dip.

When asked about his experience Jeff said: “Swimming under water with such a massive land animal was one of those unforgettable life experiences“

Did you know sand dunes look like they’re changing colour and texture during strong winds? they’re really beautiful.

I’ve visited Stockton Sand Dunes several times. The last time I visited I recorded a video of me taking a peaceful walk alone across a big dune against strong sandstorm winds which blew sand in the air and along dunes at surface level so the sand flowed like streams of water causing light and dark patches and patterns to constantly change.

It’s very convenient living in inner Sydney but I was getting tired of the constant noise and hectic lifestyle and needed to recharge my batteries. Samurai Beach Bungalows (Port Stephens YHA) proved to be the perfect place to do just that.

Close enough to Anna Bay and Salamander Bay to buy supplies from the supermarkets or eat out for dinner, Samurai Beach Bungalows still manages to feel quite remote and isolated as you sit by the poolside reading a book with the merry sound of laughing kookaburras in the background.

Getting There

As a solo traveler getting there was quite easy. I hopped on a Port Stephens coaches bus at Eddy Avenue outside Sydney’s Central Station and 3 hours later they dropped me off right at the right at the entrance of Port Stephens YHA. Call Mark or Sandy to see if you can buy a discounted Port Stephens coaches Sydney return ticket directly from them.

If you’re driving direct from Sydney it should take 2 1/2 hours providing you drive against the traffic and outside of peak hours, eg: drive there in the morning and drive back in the evening when you leave.

The cheapest but also slowest option is a single ticket on a train from Central station to Newcastle and then catch the 130 Route Port Stephens bus, ask the driver to drop you off at Samurai Beach Bungalows YHA.

Getting Around

Samurai beach and One Mile beach are within walking distance from the accommodation or you can hire a bike from reception for a couple hours or the whole day if you want to visit Anna Bay/Salamander Bay shops, Stockton Beach Sand Dunes, Tomaree National park etc.

Accommodation

Samurai Beach Bungalows is a family operation owned by Mark and Sandy Munday since 1992 and is affiliated to the YHA network as Port Stephens YHA so you’ll get a discount on accommodation rates when you show them your YHA card.

It’s a small YHA so at most you’ll be hanging around with roughly 3 dozen people. When I visited for a week in October before the peak summer season had started there were plenty of vacancies.

The 4 bungalows are designed to fit a mixture of singles and groups with 5 Share Bunk rooms (male and female separate), Family rooms with a double and set of bunks sleeping up to 4 people total and Deluxe doubles with a double bed and ensuite for couples. All the bungalows have tables and chairs on the verandah where you can sit or put your bath/beach towels to dry.

Facilities

11m saltwater pool - shallow at one end for kids and 2 metres at the deepest point. 10 deck chairs surround the pool accompanied by 2 large umbrellas to shade people who don’t want to get sunburnt. I spent several hours on a shaded deckchair reading almost every day.

Outdoor open kitchen area – including BBQ, gas cooking, microwave, toaster all pots and pans, cutlery and crockery. As usual for a YHA it’s only as clean as the last people who used the kitchen so make sure you wash up after yourself.

Shed – a good place to hide during the day if it’s too hot or raining. Has several sofas, a free pool table, TV and DVD player (borrow DVD’s from reception), a CD player and one of the biggest reading libraries I’ve seen at a YHA.

Internet access – is available from a shared laptop next to reception or you can buy a WiFi code to use with your own laptop. If your mobile supports tethering to a laptop or you have a 3G USB key for your laptop. Telstra NextG seemed to work fine for loading webpages and making Skype to Skype calls.

Free extra facilities include Sandboards for when you visit Stockton Beach Sand Dunes, Body boards for riding the waves at local beaches and tea/coffee/cooking oil/salt etc at the outdoor open kitchen area.

See photos of Facilities

Activities

I highly recommend doing a 4WD tour of Stockton Beach Sand Dunes or for the more adventurous photographer types you can catch a bus to the 4WD access road and walk in like I did to take photos like the ones below.

Surfing, boarding, diving, snorkeling or swimming at the local beaches, dolphin/whale watching boat trips, wine tasting tours, walks in Tomaree National park, horse riding and other activities can all be booked for you by Mark or Sandy at reception.

Or if your aim is to chill out just bring a great big pile of books like I did and read one every day for a week, it’s exactly what I needed after a lot of work recently and no holiday for over a year.

You can view more photos I took at Stockton Sand Dunes

Issues

Most of the issues I encountered were quite minor, such as should I nap now or should I nap later, should I drink a cold Bundaberg ginger beer by the pool or in the open kitchen area. These are the kinds of problems it’s good to have

Make sure you bring insect repellent because the hostel is set on a large block of land with many local as well as tropical trees and there’s a pool – so this means plenty of mosquitoes and places for spiders to weave their webs.

Don’t be afraid of Bo the big german shepherd guard dog. All he does is eat, sleep, and lick visitors in the hope they’ll play fetch games with him by throwing his tennis ball.

It is yet again a grey and rainy day in Sydney, Australia. Winter officially began a few days ago but the weather has been like this for much of the last 3 weeks. So I thought I’d feature a rainbow photo that is colourful and cheerful.

Refracted Rainbow From Mirror photo credit: Neerav Bhatt

Earlier this year while reviewing a media loan Nikon D90 digital SLR I took a great photo of a rainbow refracted from a car park mirror onto the otherwise grey and lifeless carpark floor.

The colours of the rainbow standout more because I had a polarising filter on the camera at the time.

• Camera: Nikon D90
• Lense: Nikon 18-200 VR II Lens
• Size: JPG 6.43 MB in size
• F stop: 5.0
• Exposure time: 1/50th second
• ISO: 1600 (accidentally set too high but the D90 still took a great shot)
• Focal Length: 80 mm
• Original Resolution: 12.3 Megapixel (4288px x 2848px) photo

I regularly publish new Free Desktop Wallpapers for your computer by a Guest Photographer or from the archives of photos I’ve taken, subscribe to my RSS feed to make sure you get the next one.

Other photos I’ve taken can be viewed at Neerav Bhatt’s Flickr Photo collection