Finally some sunny weather in a Sydney, just in time for a ferry trip to Manly.

Darling Harbour on a balmy evening. Packed with people enjoying the cityscape at night, along with some sort of free art show/funfair thingy. The “Spider-Man” house was a big favourite.

On a rainy day, we took the ferry in for a tour put on by Sydney Architecture Walks, wandering around a few modern buildings in the city’s core. Some extremely fancy government offices (third row on the right), nothing like the leaky dungeons of my workplace; a rather cool and environmentally righteous tower with sinuous atrium; a rather bland curving curtain wall by Renzo Piano, allegedly evoking the sails in the harbour; another “inside out” job by Richard Rogers. Also thrown in is a shot of Sydney’s nicely jumbled modern and Victorian buildings - makes for a surprisingly varied downtown core.

The centre of Melbourne, with skyscrapers, Victorian churches and railway stations, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground, all stretching along the Yarra river. This being Australia, the river and its banks were packed with all sorts of sporty types — cyclists, joggers and rowers.

We are staying in Fitzroy, which is basically the Ossington/West Queen West neighbourhood of Melbourne: old houses, cool cafés and restaurants, and lots of hipsters. Fixies galore.

Some public art and architecture in Central Brisbane and the South Bank Parklands.