Soccer in The Domain

It’s lunchtime on Friday and The Reserve Bank of Australia and NAB (National Australia Bank) are playing each other at soccer - here in the middle of Sydney in ‘The Domain’ (which is Sydney’s equivalent of Central Park). They are all very committed and are certainly taking this opportunity to let off steam. I noticed that, waiting on the sidelines, were teams from two other banks, ready to play each other as soon as this game concluded. I am sure that more gets settled out here on these fields than it would in a Friday afternoon spent in the towering offices behind us. We should tell the folks on Wall Street that maybe they should meet in Central Park every Friday afternoon for a game. This could be the solution to the global banking crisis.

I was impressed that the whole of The Domain was full of people exercising. This is certainly a very fit and healthy nation which has embraced the outdoors and the concept of frequent physical activity. I saw people running, kick-boxing, taking a yoga class, swimming, power walking and throwing a football around – let alone the entire banking community playing competitive soccer. Impressively, all this activity seemed to be happening during their lunch hour. No wonder Australia, even with its relatively small population, consistently does so well at the Olympics Games - not to mention in rugby, soccer and cricket worldwide.

The Domain is a peninsula that ends in Sydney Harbour, from the tip of which there is yet another stunning view of the city. Luckily, you never get tired of these views. This one seemed to be a particular favorite, as professional photographers had set up an area where they offered (for a fee) to take group or individual pictures and print them for you on the spot. A visiting rugby team, from a boys school in England, were in the middle of having a team photograph taken by a clearly delighted vendor, who was likely to do very well out of this transaction.
I happily took my own photographs of the area and then continued around the headland and in to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

These gardens started life as a farm, set up in 1788 by the first British settlers and Governor Phillip. But it was in 1816 that Governor Macquarie chose to turn what had become an unsuccessful farm into the beginnings of a Botanic Garden. He even built a seating area for his wife near the rocks at the tip of the peninsula, which provided the perfect view of the harbour. Here she would happily sit and watch ships entering the bay. This remains today and is known as Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, where visitors now come to admire the view and have their picture taken in this famed spot.

The Gardens are full of exotic plants and trees native to Australia – and many that were brought from all over the world and planted here over the last 200 years. There are also the flying foxes – something I had certainly not come across before. They are actually very large bats and are common in the Asia-Pacific region. Some breeds are also known as fruit bats. I was only able to see them from afar, clustered in a treetop above, which was fine as they are sometimes known to swoop around in a rather alarming fashion which can be quite a surprise for an unsuspecting tourist passing below, I’m sure!

From the Botanic Gardens, I then headed back towards the city center and to Hyde Park, named after Hyde Park in London. This was a more formal park, enjoyed by city folk who come here regularly for their lunch – or even to play a game of chess on the prominent giant board. It’s wonderful that Australia’s most heavily populated city (and its center of all banking and commerce) has managed to keep and maintain so much green space in such a bustling environment. This really is a very attractive city which balances business, beauty, work and pleasure extremely well. It’s the sort of place that makes you feel good, just from walking around. I can certainly report that most Sydneysiders themselves look cheerful, optimistic and healthy - and in this kind of environment you can understand why.