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Published: January 26th 2014
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Saturday 18th January 2014. Rozelle Market & Chinese Gardens, Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Rozelle is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 4 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt. Rozelle sits between the suburbs of Balmain to the north-west and Lilyfield to the south-west. Iron Cove is on the north-west border whilst Rozelle Bay, White Bay and Johnstons Bay make up the south-east border. These three bays surround the container port of Glebe Island which has been attached to the shoreline as part of the extensive reclamation of Rozelle Bay and White Bay which had begun in the 1890s.
The area now known as Rozelle was part of a 550 acre (2.2 kmĀ²) grant to colonial surgeon Dr William Balmain (1762-1803) made in 1800 by Governor John Hunter. The land was first settled in 1836 and by 1861 had been divided into the well populated eastern suburb of Balmain and the sparsely populated western area, extending to the gates of Callan Park, known as Balmain West. By 1877 the population of Balmain West had
increased and the Balmain post office was inadequate for their needs as a growing suburb. Residents petitioned for a post office of their own and in 1880
Balmain West post office was established in Joseph Gosling's grocery shop at the junction of Weston Road (now Victoria Road) and Withecombe Street. Over the next 10 years the population of Balmain West grew further and in 1891 work started on a new post office on the corner of Weston Road and Darling Street. In December 1892, prior to the opening of the new post office, the Postmaster-General declared Rozelle (named after the nearby Rozelle Bay to the south east) as the new name for the Balmain West post office. The new Rozelle post office opened in 1894 and by the early 1900s,
both the suburb itself and local residents had adopted the name.
The name Rozelle and Rozelle Bay (often shown as "Rozella Bay" on old maps), originated from the parrots found in abundance at Rose Hill (near Parramatta) the first suburb of Sydney, established as a prime farming area for the new colony. The parrots, also in abundance in the inner west Bay area of Sydney, were commonly called "Rose
Hill parrots" or "Rose-hillers" then Rosella.
This morning Rachel took us to her local market which is held in the grounds of the local school. We looked around the stalls and both M and Rach bought a dress. M also bought a pair of shorts from Sammy who is Mike's (the guy we met at the filmfest) son in law. He was great and told us we must go to Canberra. We grabbed some breakfast from one of the food stalls. Rachel had an appointment at the hair dressers at 1.30, so we went our separate ways. After returning to the house we caught the bus into the city.
We decided to go to Darling Harbour. It was very vibrant and busy. We came to the Chinese Gardens which we had seen last time we were here but not visited. This time we went inside. Initiated by the local Chinese community to celebrate Australia's 1988 Bicentenary the garden is the result of close friendship and cooperation between the sister cities of Sydney and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, China. We paid the entrance fee and realised that we were just in time for a guided tour. Initially there was
just the two of us but we were joined by another couple from Queensland a few minutes in.
Our guide explained that the garden was designed an built by Chinese landscape architects and gardeners and is governed by the Taoist principles of "Yin-Yang" and the 5 opposite elements - earth, fire, water, metal and wood. These principles also stress the importance of 'qi' the central force of life and energy. Yin-Yang plays such a vital role that just one missing element would disrupt the garden's harmony and balance. However, when combined perfectly, the 5 elements form a fluid and nurturing environment. Everything in the garden has been specifically chosen an place to capture these elements an the energy of qi.
The impressive main entrance to the garden is guarded by two Foo-dogs (Chinese Lions), which are carved from rare Chinese granite. Always in pairs, the femaale with her cub guards to the left, while the male, with a ball of 'chi' (energy) guards the right. A hybrid of dog, lion and dragon, they represent loyalty, strength, an properity.
After the entrance the first stop on the guided tour was the Penjing Garden. Penjing means "tray scenery" and
is the Chinese art of making a miniature lanscape. These creations of carefully pruned trees and rocks are small-scale renditions of natural landscapes including miniature animals and birds. These trees differ from bonsai by allowing a wider range of tree shapes (more "wild-looking"), in other words the trees are not trained in any way, just pruned to keep them small. The oldest tree in this garden dates from 1932. The courtyard also contains 3 dramatic rock sculptures mae from a rare Ying Rock, a mountain limestone from southern Guangdong.
Next stop was The Dragon Wall. This magnificent wall is a gift from Guangdong. It shows two coloured dragons, the gold one represents Guangdong an the blue one represents NSW. The Pearl of Prosperity carrie by a wave between the two dragons symbolises the bond between the two states. It is unusual in that it is 3D - most of these walls are only two dimensional.
We continued on until we came to the Water Pavilion of Lotus Fragrance. From here we had panoramic views across the Lake of Brightness to distant pavilions. We could see the Koi Carp swimming in the still water. Apparently they come when the
gardeners clap their hands in anticipation of being fed. Koi are often referred to a "living jewels" because of their beautiful colouring an distinctive patterns. Our guide informed us that some of the fish in the lake were
worth $4,000 Australian. He also said that they are regarded as pests as some of them have made their way into wild rivers where they take over from the native fishes. They are a revered symbol in Feng shui and are considered almost sacred in China where they represent wealth.
Next we were lead to the Seven Stages of Bamboo Forest. This is a peaceful grove of black bamboo which is meant to evoke the Taoist retreat of 3rd century Chinese scholars and poets who sneaked away to indulge their passion. Our guide told us that to be a poet or scholar was punishable by death at the time. Bamboo is a symbol of old age and humility and is one of the three 'friends of winter' along with the pine and flowering plum.
We strolled past the waterfall, the most dramatic of the 3 water sources in the garden. The last stop on the guided tour was The Gurr.
Situated at the garden's highest point is a beautiful hexagonal, two storey buildding - the Pavilion of the Clear View, known as the Gurr. The golden roof tiles and intricate wood carvings are gifts from Guangdong. We went for a beer in the cafe before strolling through Darling Harbour back to the bus stop where we caught a bus back to Rachel's place.
We all went out for dinner to a local BYO Vietnamese which was excellent. We had never had this type of food before - it was a bit like a mild Thai. Delicious.
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