Wednesday, April 16, 2014

USKSYD:Saturday 3 May 2014: The Kokoda Track to Rivendell


Special thanks to Chris H for organising this one…... at a favourite spot of mine - hope to see you there. Everyone welcome!

Let's meet at 9:45am for a 10 am start in the carpark beside the Kokoda Café at the end of Killoola Street. We will begin drawing  along the Kokoda Track Walkway in a rainforest area, which is a memorial to the veterans of WW2. It includes striking granite walls with images that have been sand blasted onto them and audio stations that explain the better known New Guinea battles. After 45 minutes, we will step back in time and walk the few minutes to Rivendell, a beautiful old 19th century estate on the Parramatta River which  has a wonderful gatehouse, lovely courtyards, a three-storey clock tower, and at the river's edge the original boathouse which was once the first building entered by convalescents who arrived at Rivendell by ferry from Sydney. I know you will find the building really interesting and there are lots of aspects to keep us drawing until 12:30, when we will have show and tell.

Transport: It’s only about a 5 minute walk from Rhodes railway station. If driving, you can use the carpark beside the Kokoda café to start with but there is only parking there for 2 hours, so if you want to leave your car all morning/ day,  the Hospital car park on Hospital Road has a flat fee of $5. Be warned, it’s worth paying  the fee as the traffic officers are lethal around the hospital area!

Lunch: There is food at the Kokoda Café, the Hospital café, or down in Concord itself, but if you think you’d like to stay on to draw in the afternoon, you might like to bring some lunch with you. The grounds are lovely and it’s right beside the river so it has pleasant surroundings.