Sydney: nth impressions
2026-08-14 06:38
It's only been 20 months since I last set foot on my homeland, but it always takes me by surprise how much I feel like a tourist every time I return. I enjoy visiting as someone who doesn't live here. I have learnt to appreciate the place more and more, despite its pitfalls that come with any populated city in the world.
The thing that jumps out at me the most is how leafy it is. I'm travelling between both the southern (city) side of the harbour bridge and the northern (beaches) side, and it doesn't matter where you are, there is a tree to be seen in every direction. The 'burbs surrounding the city have huge canopys of green and the birdsong is constant. I'm staying in Glebe at the moment, inner city, and I am awaken by cockatoos. I ran in the urban trails on the northern side yesterday and it was all kookaburras laughing, lorikeets screeching and magpies cawing. The Greening Sydney Strategy is pretty rad. Their interactive Register of Signficant Trees is delightfully detailed with descriptions of individual trees and historical photos.
There's a nice synergy of nature and urbanisation, that's developed over time. It reminds me of what much of Tim Low talks about in his book The New Nature - how fauna has adapted to our destructive ways. The bin chickens don't give a f. They thrive. The magpies are out claiming their territory, already starting to attack riders. There's possum shit everywhere. Mosses, grasses, ferns and trees growing out of cracks of concrete or stone walls.
Buffalo grass. So much. So green. So course. If I wasn't afraid of stepping in a turd I'd be barefooting it on some of these spaces. Some fam or friends will have it in their backyard. When I visit I barefoot it.
Unfortunately when I walked out of the airport, the first thing I copped was a thick cloud of cigarette smoke. It hasn't been that bad since, but my lungs and eyeballs are feeling the regular hayfever kick in. A constant barrage of itchy, stuffy, drippy every time I'm here, no matter the season. I'm not on the puffer yet, but I've got the Telfast and eyedrops to at least make life bearable. Safe to say, I am allergic to Sydney. Running helps, I just snot it out on the sidewalks. Salt water on the beaches will flush it out too.
It is warm. I don't feel the cold as much these days as I live in the south of the south island of NZ, but still it is a nice relief being able to walk around in a tshirt, and not get dry flakey skin because of the dry cold air. Just chaffing :/
Walking up to Wynyard Station I found both Utopia Records and Kings Comics still going! A rummage through CDs like the old days. Passionate conversations on obscure metal bands between store workers and patrons. I spied from the new fab bang double decker B1 bus that Sandy's Music in Dee Why is still open too. That's where all my teenage savings went. I walked out of Kings Comics with a random sci-fi and Aussie zine-type community comic collection after chatting at length about 2000AD with the staff.
Secondhand bookstores. Events. Lots of events. There was an antique fair across the way, a "cutler's expo" soon. City2Surf was on Sunday. Runners hobbling around the city donning their medals. Festival of Dangerous Ideas (I've booked myself in for a "live graphic novel" and a film screening of the French Holy Motors (2012)). I'm not the only nerd in town - HTML Day at Hyde Park (I missed it).
George Street now looks to be trains only. I walked it during the morning peak hour because I get some sick satisfaction of not commuting to work in a crowd of commuters to work. It was crowded, but never felt claustraphobic. Everyone knew the pattern. The public transport seems to be working really well. The B1 runs every 7 minutes! I used to have to wait up to 1 hour to get from northern beaches to city. I dug out my old Opal card I haven't touched for ~10 years and found $50 of credit. Win.
A trot around ANZAC bridge and Pyrmont waterfront. Big wide paths. Pedestrian friendly. Pyrmont pedestrian only. Enough space to do whatever. Sydney population 5 million, where are you?
Same shops that have been there forever - Surfection, Dymocks, Upper Crust Pies, Mike Pawley's. Abundance of yoga and pilates studios from Neutral Bay to Spit Junction - Hyrox signs replacing Crossfit. Not just lime scooters, but Ario and Hello Bike. E-bikes now. They're everywhere. There was a TikTok space for teens to record their antics. Weird. Turns out the Sydney Entertainment Centre is called the TikTok Entertainment Centre. WTF.
Metal heads, punks, and what looked like those folk who identify as felines. Looked like live anime characters. That was odd. Each to their own I guess.
The place has evolved, but the place is the same. Buildings down, buildings up. I'm enjoying the observations. More coast, Blue Mountains, and further west in the coming weeks.