XVIII World Congress of the WAS, 1st World Congress for Sexual Health Achieving Health, Pleasure and Respect

April 2007 we attended a world conference in Sydney. We will add some pictures of highlights of our visit to Sydney. Circular Quay was a beautiful cove for the city to be founded. The conference was held in Darling Harbour at the new convention centre. Juanita presented to an international audience at the conference on "sexuality & serious mental illness". Her presentation was well received with positive feedback from the audience. The presentation was recorded by the organisers of the conference and it can be viewed here for a small fee http://www.wasvisual.com/lecture_summary.html?lecture_summary=54.

Over all we had a great time in Sydney, it is much bigger than Perth with all the associated problems of a large city. We found it easy to get around on the public underground transport, which again is much more extensive than Perth. We were disturbed to find many individuals affected by methamphetamine, it was much more overt than Perth.

We took a day trip up to the Blue Mountains which reminded us of Roleystone. Leura left us with a lasting impression, streets lined with federation homes with colourful Autumn gardens. The wealthy Sydney-siders of British descent chose Leura as their summer holiday homes, chosen for it's much cooler climate. It was a welcome retreat from the scorching summer days. Streets & gardens were planted with deciduous trees that would survive there in the cooler climate. These trees reminded the holiday makers of England. When we arrived these fantastic trees were in all their Autumn glory, making a very appealing sight.

Leura was like stepping back in time, gorgeous ornate federation cottages with white picket fences.

We had lunch in a cafe in Toowoomba in the Blue Mountains, it was a preserved Art Deco cafe, it was extraordinary. You can see the amazing wood panelling complete with cameo's in the picture provided. It was a memorable lunch. We took a small video of the cafe, panning throughout in an effort to remember this iconic establishment in the Blue Mountains NSW.

We also had a memorable afternoon tea in a very atmospheric cottage, it was full of interesting collectible curio's, it doubled as an antique shop.
Tarronga Zoo was another interesting place we visited. We were surprised to see it was built on the side of a fairly steep slope. The giraffe have the best panoramic view of Sydney Harbour.