Categories: anxiety, australia, sydney
Date: 19 September 2010 05:46:59
While I should've been at church today, my social phobia seems to have increased of late, so I could not handle being around those I know. Odd that at the same time I am quite content to be surrounded by masses of people I don't: one of the many paradoxes of Ian as my psychologist calls it.
Anyway...in my attempt to escape I drove off to Camden, an historic Australian town around 60 kms south-west of Sydney city. By some luck, I saw a sign indicating Camden Park House had its once-a-year open-to-the-public day, so off I drove down a dusty and bumpy road towards it.
It is a wonderful house, and it was a joy and education to walk through it. It is currently lived in by the Macarthur's descendents so it was a privilege to be able to see inside. A house from 1835 may not seem old to many from outside Australia, but for us it is. My knowledge of Australian history is rather poor, but even me in my ignorance know John Macarthur and his wife Elizabeth are giants in Australian history, particularly in the wool and farming industries. I also walked around the gardens in the property which are extensive, and also rather, to my mind, ad-hoc in nature: but that has its own appeal.
I have driven past another Macarthur property, Elizabeth Farm in Parramatta, many times; perhaps after my visit to Germany during my one-and-a-half further weeks of annual leave, I'll visit it.