Snapshots from an Australian summer

[Guest post by Barbara Gao in Australia]

 Over the Christmas break I went on a much anticipated trip to Australia. It was my first time setting foot in the Southern Hemisphere!

After getting off a 14-hour red-eye flight, I arrived in Sydney at 9am. Although extremely jet-lagged and slightly delirious, I still set off immediately to explore downtown. We strolled along the harbor, and while taking refuge from the sun under the Opera House, I did a sketch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I imagined Australian summer to be dry like California, so the abundant clouds in the sky was a pleasant surprise.

The hot spell continued the next day as we trotted along the touristy spots of the Blue Mountains. I thought about doing a quick sketch of the famed Three Sisters from the designated lookout point, but seeing people were almost elbowing for space against the railings, I felt bad for taking a spot for too long… Luckily while hiking along the cliff walk, I found another spot with both a full view to the sisters and a sweeping view across the valley. There was, however, a tree smack in the middle of the view, which might explain the lack of people taking pictures there, but it was a perfect spot for an urban sketcher!

Next day, again in sweltering heat, we visited a small wildlife zoo outside the city. Since there were relatively few visitors (probably busy preparing Christmas eve meal at home), I had the luxury of observing the koala enclosure at length. That is, if I disregarded the droplets of sweat sliding down my back in the 40 degree heat! So hot, as can be observed from my sketches, that the koalas resorted to lying flat on the ground to cool themselves down. They still looked cute though.

We underestimated the importance of Christmas day lunch in Australia, so the frantic search for anywhere to eat the next day meant there was no time to sketch. Luckily most official establishments went back to business the next day, so I gave this American-made Holden prototype a sketch at the National Museum of Australia. I was fascinated with this brand ever since seeing it in Top Gear, so I made another stop at a private Holden museum in Trafalgar, NSW.

Our stopover point in our drive from Sydney to Melbourne was Albury, on the Humes Highway. Many historical buildings dotted the main avenues and the Mutual Life building especially caught my eye. The train station was also a magnificent structure, but I only discovered it after sunset. Maybe next time!

The weather in Melbourne did not bode well for our day-trip to the Great Ocean Road. What started as a cloudy day along straight motorways quickly turned into a hair-raising drive through meandering mountain roads in a torrential downpour. We took a quick break near Apollo Bay after our planned lookout point turned out too foggy to see anything. The rain has mostly stopped, but a few droplets still found their way onto my page.

The next three sketches were done in quick succession as we drove along the scenic spots on the Great Ocean Road: 12 Apostles, London Bridge, and Bay of Martyrs. During the course of our slow-paced tour down the road, swarming tourists and noisy helicopters gradually gave way to empty parking lots and peaceful views. The sun also popped out completely nearing sunset, giving a near picture-perfect view onto the scattered limestones in the Bay of Martyrs.

On our way back to Sydney, we stopped by Kiama to look at the famous blowholes. I picked the smaller one to draw because it was less windy and the coastlines just as beautiful. You could see the lighthouse (although only a small yellow blob) from there as well! I tried my best flicking my brush to illustrate the occasional splash from the blowhole, but the soft squirrel mop brush smothered my fingers with paint instead… maybe I should bring an old toothbrush along next time.

The last day we decided to take it easy and just stroll around the University of Sydney campus (see the sketch at the top). The main building, the Quadrangle, was really a sight to behold, not to mention the impeccable lawns! And the fact that I had ample seating and shade along the corridors to sketch had absolutely no influence over my fondness of the building.

Steaming summer heat took over again as we returned to Sydney. And alas, it was time to say goodbye to the beautiful scenery, people, and animals. See you next time, Australia!

Barbara Gao is an engineer from Vancouver, Canada, currently living in San Jose, California. She was grateful for the Australian summer because she could sketch all she wanted outside during Christmas without fearing for the harsh weather of the Northern Hemisphere. See more of her sketches and stories on her Blogspot and Flickr.  Also, check out her previous guest posts: Cycling Hokkaido’s mountainous panoramas and Adventures of a stalking sketcher.