Gudday from Oz

22 February 2010

Hi all,

The flights from Washington were pretty uneventful – 5 hours DC to LA then 15 hours nonstop over the Pacific Ocean! Flew over Sydney harbour before landing which was a stunning spectacle in the bright sunshine.

Staying right in the centre of the business district, 10 minutes walk from the Opera house and the old Rocks area which is the original city now gentrified with specialist shops and restaurants- very pleasant.

Jeff Anderzhon, our man in Washington flew in this morning (Monday) and we walked down to look at the Opera House. I hadn't expected to be awed by its scale but I was – it is much bigger than I expected and quite beautiful. Utzon was a genius to design this building as it sits perfectly in its setting and responds to the site in such a way that it’s difficult to imagine anything more appropriate.

Yesterday I met up with Peter Hamilton from the client, Hammond, who picked me up from the hotel and took me on a delightful tour of the North Sydney beaches. We went to Balmoral beach and then had lunch overlooking Manley beach. In the low 30's with a fresh breeze – lovely but strange after the snow of Washington DC!

Off shortly to meet all the management team at a BBQ with Stephen Judd (the CEO).

Best wishes,

David