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great expectations...

Took a ferry up the river today to the 'City of Parramatta'.

Sounded promising, Parramatta was settled just a few months after Sydney in 1788 and is designated a city in it's own right. Heard there were lots of old government buildings worth seeing there, and it should be a nice cruise up the river with good photo opportunities.

The ferry was fine, a modern catamaran - 'rivercat' - and the fastest ferry I've been on, and the scenery was nice. Got chatting to an Aussie (whose daughter is probably on the Stanstead Express en route to Dublin right now) and he advised me to go to the Heritage & Visitor Centre.

That's a small museum, but quite well done and worth a visit. After that, time to explore...

Fairly small scale main street with loads of cafes of various nationality and the usual high street stores. Then I come across a 'Ca$h Converters' and I think "oh dear, reminds me of Shirley". But wait, there's more - the cathedral - well it is a city. This is obviously Australia's attempt to take 'the world's smallest cathedral' crown.

Walk on up the road and reach the station, turn left and walk past all the shut down shops (and a few modern office blocks & building sites) and find myself back at the ferry terminal.

Parramatta is fundamentally a small town with city status, which has taken much of it's rich heritage and knocked it down for office blocks, some impressively tall, and the Westfield Shopping Centre, which once laid claim to being the biggest covered shopping area in the southern hemisphere.

Anyway, back at the wharf, I read the brief history of the Parramatta River ferries and think 'I've only been here just over an hour and a quarter, I must do some more', so instead of getting the 4 o'clock ferry, I see there's one at five, and go back into town to get a drink.

I go past a few cafes but they either don't look licensed or look closed already (well it is 4pm!) and get to the main street. I pick an Italian place advertising itself as a 'Restaurant and Bar' which has some nice tables out on the pavement. Now, some cafes won't serve alcohol without a meal so I check if it's OK to have just a beer and if it is table service? (it did say Restaurant AND Bar after all). She says OK but is afraid it's table service, I say don't be afraid that's what I want. So I sit down and she gives me a food menu without taking a drink order. Five minutes later she's back and I ask what beers are available. 'Oh you can't drink outside, it's illegal, and you can't have a drink without a meal, it's the law' I point out that that's exactly what I asked when I arrived. Where can I get a drink? 'You might be able to get one in the "One World" sports bar across the road, but that's inside and a bit noisy & smokey otherwise I don't know'.

I can't believe this place, no proper bars or pubs. Walk up one road & back again, nothing but cafes (sorry 'Restaurant & Bars'), walk up another, find the police station. Ten minutes later walking up another (wishing I'd popped into the police station to inquire) past the dreaded shopping centre & heading out of town I come across a fake Irish Bar. At last! after 45 minutes of searching, a glass (about 3/4 pt.) of cold fizzy alcoholic liquid (OK a good beer would have been better, but this is Oz). I ask the barman about the licensing laws & if Parramatta has local variations, but no, the barman says it's the same as in Sydney and he doesn't seem to understand why I had problems in town.

Down drink quickly and hoof it back to the ferry - I'd gone so far it took 15 mins to get back. I make it with seconds to spare. Thank God, another 2 hours to the next one and this is not a place to be stuck in!

Some more good scenery on the way back, and some good photos hopefully, and being an hour later, the light was better for the photos. Sneaked the film in for processing 10 mins after shop should have shut, nice one. I'll find out tomorrow if the £85 camera repair was worth it.

Anyway, I type far too slowly & on that I think I deserve a beer, a good one. There's one in my fridge - cheers!

Pete

Good story! I bet the thought of GFB didn't cross your mind at all....

Vic  

Strangely enough no. I was thinking of ANY British pub with ANY proper beer.
I was thinking about how easy it is to get a drink in some apparently very Muslim countries.
I was thinking about how come Australia achieved its reputation as a beer swilling nation...

Pete