Saturday, November 12, 2005

Rock Around the Clock

Sydney is a city built on a solid foundation. There is an intricate network of tunnels criss-crossing both the city and harbor that allows one (provided one knows how to actually get to the mouth of said tunnel) to circumvent much of the congested traffic in order to get around town.

It is a bit uncanny, the level in which they build underground here. Shopping malls, parking garages are all dug out of this same sandstone foundation. You'll see these tan-colored rocks everywhere, stacked to form the pylons of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the buildings of the old town and most any public monument. The cliffs which frame the Blue Mountains are of the same mineral.

Recently, there was a stink when one of their tunnels gave way a bit, causing the housing complex above it to crack and tumble. The tunnels have also been a point of contention with commuters and city officials as well, having received much criticism of late. They've allowed a private developer to come in a build tunnels, then allowed for an alternate route (which would be free of the $3 toll charge) to be scaled back, closing a few lanes. Up in arms went the city residents, asking why they must put into the pockets of the investors in order to face reduced traffic conditions.

The head of the Transportation administration then quickly retires, washing his hands of the mess and heading towards the sunset. Still, trying to alleviate some of the negativity caused by this tunnel endeavor, the city gave free pass to anyone driving through the tunnel for two weeks. They had hoped that something like 70k would take it on a daily basis, but in reality on 20k have made it a habit, even when free.

An interesting feature of these blocks o'rocks is the jagged hashes made on the internally-facing side of older buildings. Made by convicts counting their days, they say. Like the great pyramids of Egypt, it seems as if many of the great public works projects in Australia were built on the backs of convicts, the first wave of immigrants to this country.

Speakin' of immigrants, Frank and Chana are due in tomorrow morning. Peggy's parents will be arriving directly via LAX, getting in at the customary 9am or so. There here for a few days before jettisoning off to Tasmania with Peggy.

posted by ncawthon at 3:09 PM