A Cloudy Beach Day Near Sydney

It can't always be sunny at the beach. Which means a nice chance to enjoy the change in the weather and maybe take a look at some nearby impressive art.

Unsettled conditions and the flags are up. Everyone got the message except this brave/deluded swimmer.

What to do at Bondi beach if you can't be swimming? Might as well take a look at the long procession of lovely murals that line the main sidewalk next to the beach. Channeling Spike Lee's Mookie from his movie, Do The Right Thing. Getting a Brother on the wall. Surfers come in all shapes, sizes, and moods.

"Is the beach open yet?" No, it's not.

OK, back to the murals. Miami Vice gorilla. Of course, an ANZAC mural. Red poppies and Lest We Forget, recognizing military sacrifice and Australia's most sacred day.

"So, the beach is still not open, where am I supposed to swim?" Head to iconic Icebergs Swim Club, no choppy surf can stop your lap count.

Sydney Beach Day!

Sydney is all about turf and surf, the big city and the big beaches, all in one, big metro area. Had enough of the concrete canyon, head to the cool coast for some relaxing waves.

Beautiful Bronte beach, iconic oceanside rock pool in the foreground.

Busy, busy, busy. Showering, getting ready. Young and old, everyone goes to the beach.

Everybody into the rock pool.

Australia's coastline is full of sorta-natural swimming pools, contained places to bathe, do laps in salt water next to the ocean. Rocks or sand, take your pick for a base.

Flaunt it if you've got it. Many beaches have their own swim clubs, no age or modesty limit.

Various Views Of The Sydney Harbor Bridge

Almost as big an icon as the Sydney Opera House, the Harbor Bridge looms over the city in all sorts of ways, all sorts of angles. It's worth a wander about to see what the bridge presents.

An iconic view of what's nicknamed, "The Coat Hanger." With equally iconic yellow and green ferry boat.

A little lunch and a bridge, private time from a bench. Girder city. The impressive maze of steel of the city side bridge approach in The Rocks neighborhood.

The leisure fleet is in, a giant cruise ship eases past the bridge to dock downtown.

Looking backward, the skyline is revealed underneath the bridge. Looking for some shut eye. Napping on the bench near the Opera House. "Bridge, is there a bridge?"

Ode to the great Walker Evans, going mighty abstract under the bridge and across the harbor.

More Museums In Sydney

Big city, lots of museums. There's plenty to see and see in Sydney and places to be exposed to all sorts of history. Time to start at a museum for the city itself.

Exterior of The Museum of Sydney, built over the ruins of the first Government House. Modern.

The museum romps through discovery, colonial eras, the development of the modern city and its original, Aboriginal past. Models of the many wood sailing vessels that came to settle another New Land. Everyday archeology, shards of bottles, dishes, the detritus of family life.

Looking at the past and the future, modern Aboriginal art.

First Nations photography by Dennis Golding and a colorful array of plates by the Coomaditchie group from Wollongong.

Next up, the Old Mint building.

Nice job preserving what's left of the original grounds and adding modern additions. Exit through the vault that's now a gift shop. From Sydney Sovereigns to dollar bill bookmarks.

Petrified penguin. At least rock hard.

Visiting An Opal Museum (Exit Through The Gift Shop)

Sydney has a cute little opal gem museum, complete with elaborate mineral displays and dioramas that illustrate the dinosaur age when opals were just being born. Or something like that narrative. The museum is actually a shop with museum trappings. No matter, anyone can go and gaze and buy only a memory.

College lecture series or HSN studio? A little confusing, a little kitschy. Take a seat.

Opals are mined! By manly miners! Way back when with a winch and beard or now with lanterns and ear protection.

The dioramas are cool, all lush and unspoiled paradise. Those dinosaurs lived it up.

Rainbows every munchie hour. Big beings, creeping through frame.

"Dino break! Dino Break! Repatriation needed immediately at diorama 12!"

Animal Attractions At The Australian Museum

The Australian Museum in Sydney has a nice collection of taxidermy critters, forever frozen in their poses. It's too bad the animals are no longer home in immersive diorama environments. Now, kind of lost in space.

Following the leader, hopping along.

Dangerous details. Bear claws! Tiger tails!

Contorted ape, concerned cat.

More details, checking out some good hair.

Penguin posse.

Checking Out Natural History At Sydney's Australian Museum

The Australian Museum in Sydney is the country's oldest collecting institution, concentrating on the history of the world's flora and fauna. Rocks, dinosaurs, animals, civilizations, soft ice cream. OK, maybe soft ice cream hasn't made it out of their cafe.

Starting with the classics, throwback styled room full of the Curiosities of Man.

Things to collect. Birds from the wild and wood carvings from other peoples. Contain them if you've got 'em. Way back when, researchers crammed their little catch in any old box they may have had around. "Honey, do not open the OXO Cubes!"

There's one, classic, diorama still intact, Lord Howe Island. Dozens of species of birds, rocking out.

What killed the dinosaurs? In the museum's dino section, an autopsy imagination of a T-Rex tries to find the answer. Or freak out six-year-olds. Or us. Moving to cuter things, a stuffed koala. Definitely easier to see this one over running into a bear in the wild.

"Oh, brother, just leave me alone." Wombat heading back into its lair, fed up with the human gaze. We hear you.