Dimension shift

28th July 2006, Day 131

Kings Cross, Sydney

Good lord! I have been transported to a new land.

The land of the familiar.

Here I can easily access cash, buy food I recognised from every convienience store, open bank accounts, get medical care which I pay a subsidised rate for, enjoy good and prompt service in shops and enjoy high levels of comfort and security in a largely well organised council. I am also in a country which supports the current actions of Israel, sells arms to that country and intervenes or invades other countries when it does not like their policies, or when the country threatens it's interests. A country that encourages it's population to believe in a 'war on terror' and place their faith in the government's actions even if that means removing basic civil liberties.

It took me about 20 seconds to get used to it, and now it already feels like the last four months of my life were an idle daydream.

* * *

That's was a superficial reaction, it was the one I honestly had though. Now I'll say some nice stuff about what is still a fantastic country and one that in other ways is totally different to the UK.

A few days ago we moved into our new flat in Sydney. I say flat, which is slightly misleading, it's really medium-term backpacker accommodation. It's not too shabby, and we've certainly got a good mix of housemates to live with - backpackers, people on short-term contracts, people placed their by social security etc. Perhaps the best thing about our new home is that we are very nearly on the doorstep of gig venues, club nights and cinemas. We've already taken advantage of this boon and went to watch a Ten Canoes, a film about Aborignal life prior to Cook. We also saw a Melbourne based band called Dardanelles (not the Irish band of the same name) play at our closest venue, Candy's Apartment. They were OK, and sounded rather like the Rapture to me. James and I were just happy to be back listening to live music again. Tonight we check out some other bands at the Spectrum on Oxford Street, including The Dolly Rocker Movement. If we can handle it there's a huge event called the 'Lovejam' tomorrow at which 40 odd bands are playing free. I'll report back.

James in our new room. It's certainly big, if a little bit cold. Step through the double doors at the end into...

Our balcony. Our road runs parallel to Darlinghurst Road, which basically IS King's Cross.

When we first arrived last Saturday we rolled up too late for the 20,000 strong demo against Isreal's invasion of Lebanon, which I would have liked to have joined. James suggested accommodation in the central YHA from Lonely Planets description, and upon booking we also decided to join the Youth Hostel Association. We then shuffled down the back stairs to the Scubar, a naff bar which was a cross between a Student's Union and a Chicago Rock Cafe. We were happy to be supping a 'pint of piss' regardless of the location. You could get cheaper drinks with a YHA card. The principle of 'discount' seems to be an Australian institution; not bartered reductions but pre-arranged money-off. Everywhere has deals and loyalty cards.

Sydney is a beautiful city and has instant appeal to a traveller, mainly due to it's excellent backpacking infrastructure and the fact that central city is compact and it's suburbs are negotiable by foot. Our particular accommodation so far has helped me form this opinion. The Central YHA in Sydney was the largest youth hostel in the world when it was opened in 1996, and it easily won us over. It is Posho! Eight spacious floors including professional looking kitchens, well-equipped laundries, an extremely nice cafe, a games room, jukebox, swimming pool and suana.

The view from one of the largest YHA hostel in the world.

Swimming pool and sauna rooms at the Central YHA. Not bad for $30 a night, eh?

Since we arrived we've been trying to orientate ourselves and find out a little about the country and it's politics. We've done the bus tour and wandered around on foot with no particular destination. I also enjoyed one of the best runs of my entire life around central Sydney. In the late afternoon sunshine, we ran from George Street, through Hyde Park and over to the Domain, round Mrs. MacQuarie's chair to the Opera House and Circular Quay and through the Botanic Gardens. The serotonin was pumping and it was a joy to be out with the crowds.

Generally, the people we've encountered so far have been notable by their friendliness. This includes backpackers as well as shop assistants, bar tenders etc. Only a couple of things have stood out in terms of their attitude. On William Street, the main thoroughfare linking the City and King's Cross, there is a car rental place called 'No birds'. The logo has a picture of a girl with her knees up to chest, making the passer-by double take at what appear at first to be her bare breasts. I'm sure if the rental company is 'men-only', you would think it illegal, but I know there I women only car-insurance firms in the UK. Dunno what Germaine Greer would make of this, although I think she lives in London, nowadays. Secondly we went to a worthy indie club night on Oxford Street, which was choc-full of drugged up kids. I haven't seen that kind of thing in a rock club since I was a teenager. Now, whilst I'm far from outraged at this, it reminded me just what sort of tosser this environment is capable of breeding. We went upstairs and it was full of middle-class kids who were wasted. I don't mind that, but I do mind a place were everybody is supposed to get together to share a good time turning into a platform for individual's ego trips. One really cute girl came up to me to push and I was dumb enough to think she wanted to chat to me. I couldn't help thinking (I could well be wrong) that she was well dressed and probably well-off, yet probably got into small-time deal to appeal to a bad-girl stereotype. Later, I noticed several kids snubbing each other playing a game of who's-the-most-authentic-slacker. Sadly this is their life it's not a joke. James and I stood stationary with our beer and barely concealed contempt at the idiots surrounding us, trying to live out their rock'n'roll dreams by being arseholes, and guiltly recounting the worst behaviour of our mates (and ourselves) during our teenage years. Time to go home Grandad! That's what we did.

This Coke sign is the 'gateway' to King's Cross. Welcome back to the west, where cultural icons are as likely to be advertising hoardings as architectural wonders or sculptures. Ho ho.

Yesterday, we chanced upon a vigil regarding Isreal's actions in Lebanon. It's gave us both a chance to check out local reaction to international events and consider our own opinions on the conflict.

I have not stayed in one place long enough during the last four months of travelling to get involved with any activism. Those of you who know me, will have an idea of my interest in single-issue political campaigning. If you aren't interested in that, I suggest you skip the next few paragraphs. As the Left were out in force it gave me a chance to check out the how the fractured Left in Australia compares to the fractured Left in Britain. It was all wind-blown tressle-tables of leaflets, t-shirts and banners ignoring those on the tables next to them. I don't mean purely to mock; the people were pleasant and much like myself, even though I deliberately avoid aligning to any one group. They're far less ridiculous than any of the central parliamentary parties from what I can gather. Here's a guide for the novice:

Socialist Alliance: Trots, basically the equivalent of the SWP in Australia. Consider governments in Venezuela, Bolivia, Vietnam etc. to have come about by non-revolutionary methods i.e. indiviuduals who have hi-jacked proletarian movements.

Green Left: supports leftist governments in Venezuala, Bolivia and Cuba as an alternative style of government to western governments

The Australian Greens: close to our Green party.

The Sparticists: Presumably follow the doctrines of the Sparticists lead by Rosa Luxembourg in the ealry 20th century. Considered to be extreme by the other leftist groups. Opposed Australia's original intervention into East Timor as neo-imperialism, whilst the other groups initially supported it.

Stop the War Coallition: Single-issue, much like the UK's version.

Not present were the Australian Anarchist movement, who I assume don't like to associate with the left at events like this.

We're going to lecture and debate called 'the People's History of Empire' on Tuesday (held by the SA) which should be interesting, even if we don't agree with the view of the other's present.

It has been less than a year since the race riots in Cronulla (a district south of Sydney), and a delicate time to be in the country. The Guardian reported in December last year when the riots happened that 'in a few hours' mayhem, the comfortable, familiar sense of a stable society was blown away, revealing something malignant and ugly underneath. ' The riots were conducted in response to a gang of Lebanese youths attacking two white lifeguards on Cronulla beach, which then lead to revenge attacks against whites in Cronulla. In a country with a comparatively recent colonial history and still part of the commonwealth, it is worth observing how multicultural 'problems' are stirred up, just as they are back home. I admit I know next to nothing about this country and it's time to learn fast.

Here are a couple more photos from this weeks' wanders:

The financial centre of Sydney, Martin Place. My Mum used to work nearby in O'Connell Street for an insurance company. Hmm.

'War on terror' begins with paranoia at home. Bush, Blair and Howard are undoubtedbly a close knit truimvirate.

We need to get work now. We have decided to head for Melbourne on Thursday of this week. Before we do, James and I are attending a boring, Responsible Service of Alcohol course, which is essential before you can get bar work in Oz. This is my fall-back postition, I'll do something more worthwhile with my time if possible, including doing charity mugger work for Greenpeace, which I have a lead for in Melbourne. It's looking for membership, rather than donation - and I am at least a member already. James will do soimething else saying he'd rather not put people under duress, which might be involved to a small degree. I can understand his point of view. I did point out to him that we'd be turning the tables on people after fending off four months' worth of rickshaw/tuk-tuk wallah's advances, but he retorted that I might be going into it for the wrong reason. Ah well, I need to have a think...