I’ve met at least two ex-pats, now living in Sydney, who have both used the same word to describe Australia . . . weird.  Keep in mind, I am talking about people who, long ago, chose to make Australia their new home.  So they really mean that in the most affectionate way possible.  Even a native Australian used weird, in addition to wild, to describe everything outside of New South Whales.  “Placeism” aside, he was really just trying to sell me on the idea of traveling, something I don’t need encouragement to do.   I think weird becomes the default word choice, because without experiencing a bit of Australian life for yourself, you would never really understand how weird it actually is.

And I haven’t had to leave Sydney to experience a taste of the weird.  All it takes is a lengthy walk through any neighborhood to discover bits of nature tucked into the metropolis, well preserved history around the corner from new developments, and odd sites that seem to exist without explanation, but have become accepted parts of the urban landscape.  This weekend, which began when a spiderweb almost knocked the sunglasses off my head (tough spiders!) and ended with a John Dee Rump steak (I also ate some John Dory fish) serves as a pretty good example of weird.  So, sparing you photos of the disemboweled possum I saw yesterday, I now take you on a photographic journey through this weekends discoveries.

I saw the same rock pool both with and without water.  The tides change dramatically and rapidly around here, even in the harbor.

Took a walk through Luna park.  Which gets scarier every time I see it.

Discovered even scarier sites just outside of the park.

Found a long abandoned ship, beached near a busy harbor.  No one seemed to think that was strange.

Met a hungry Emu.  Okay, that was at the zoo.  But still, he was in the “walkabout” section where the animals are not in cages.  If I had offered him a finger, I’m sure he would have taken it.

And I took a long walk through some “horror moviesque” isolated wilderness, only a short walking distance away from one of Sydney’s most popular beaches.

Luckily, I am the type of person who equates weird with words like, interesting, exciting and adventurous.  I can’t wait to see how much weirder this country gets.

Check out the rest of my photos on flickr.