Uluru / Ayres Rock Tour

Friday 31st May 2013.



Overview of 3 Day Rock Tour.

This three day tour gives  enough time to explore the highlights of central Australia with plenty of wonderful experiences to take home. During the tour we visit Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Kings Canyon in Wattarka National Park.

The tour involves hikes to spectacular lookouts, spotting some unique Australian wildlife and learning about the cultural significance of the land to the Anangu people. The red sands, blue skies and amazing sunsets in central Australia offer an unforgettable experience for every visitor.

The Indigenous culture is very much alive in Central Australia. Your experienced and knowledgeable guide will give you an insight into the Anangu people’s rich culture and ancient history in the region. 

The best way to experience the Australian outback is to sleep out under the stars around a campfire.

Overview of Final week in Australia.


Friday         31st May          Preparation for Alice Springs.


Saturday     1st June           Arrive in Alice Springs


Sunday        2nd June         3 day Rock Tour of Uluru, seeing one of the Natural wonders of
                                            the world Ayres Rock.


Tuesday       4th June          Arrive back to Alice Springs.


Wednesday  5th June          Arrive back in Sydney.


Thursday       6th June         Final Blog of Australia & 3 day Uluru Tour.


The time in Uluru is for me a time to reflect and enjoy the journey....Really looking forward to this, may get some time for Meditation in as well...

Matty
 

Training Day Mission Australia

Thursday 30th May 2013.

Cultural Values

Today I attended a Training Day with Mission Australia which looked at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Statement of Principles.

. The unique status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original owners and custodians of Australia's lands and waters. 

. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality, cultures, languages and heritage.

. The great diversity of cultural values, backgrounds, living situations and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

. The rights of Indigenous Australians to self determination and equitable participation in the community.

This above if just some of the information covered today. During the course of watching video's and group discussions, it was hard to think how the people of Australia and the lost children had gone through some years ago. Today this still impacts individuals and family's throughout Australia.

 

Thanks to Mission Australia.

 

Matty. 

 

Vivid Sydney 2013.

Wednesday 29th May 2013

VIVID

Once per year Sydney is transformed into a spectacular canvas of light, music and ideas when Vivid Sydney takes over the city after dark.

Colouring the city with creativity and inspiration, Vivid Sydney highlights include the hugely popular immersive light installations and projections: performances from local and international musicians at Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House and the Vivid Ideas Exchange featuring public talks and debates from leading global creative thinkers.

 

 

Matty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Night Outreach & Way2Home Neami

Tuesday 28th May 2013.


Clinic 180 & SWOP. (Night Outreach).

Clinic 180 is part of The Kirketon Road Centre (KRC) is a targeted Primary health care service with a team of nurses, doctors, counsellors and health educators who work together to meet the wide range of health, social welfare needs of young people, sex workers and people who inject drugs.

Clinic 180

. Needle syringe program.
. Condoms
. Open 7 days per week.
. Sexual health screening.
. HIV and Hep C testing, hep B testing and vaccination.
. First aid and wound care.
. Counselling and social work assistance.
. Drug and Alcohol assessment and referral.

Each night from 9 pm till 11.30 pm Clinic 180 go out on Outreach with a fully equipped van comprising of Nurses, counsellors & other clinical staff plus SWOP.

The main work I was doing was with SWOP on foot engaging with street worker's were possible (as we had to be aware these people were working).

One place we visited was a Safe House, this is a house for street worker's to use with there customer's. A lot of the work Clinic 180 do is that people within Sydney highly depend on, around Harm Reduction & HIV and engagement with Sex Worker's. (Great Service)



Wednesday 29th May 2013.

Way2Home Neami (Outreach Service)


Is an Outreach program focused on helping rough sleepers to move off the streets and into long term housing with support.

Way 2Home makes contact with people who are living on the streets and offers support during every step as they help them move into dependent living. This group work closely with Way2Home homeless health outreach team, operated by St. Vincent's Hospital, made up of mental health, drug and alcohol specialists with links to a range of allied services.

Way2Home Snapshot

Gender Breakdown
Male / Female
56% of consumers receiving W2H services in NSW are male.

Age Range
48% are between 25 and 44 years, 46% of W2H consumers in NSW are between 45 and 65 years old. 6% of consumers have unknown age.

Housing
60% have been housed into permanent accommodation, 6% into transitional housing. Assertive outreach support is currently being provided to 34% of those who are currently sleeping rough.

This information was taken from 2012 Annual Report Neami for additional information visit www.homelessness.nsw.org.au


Enjoy Your Day Matty.
























 

Medically Supervised Injecting Centre & SWOP Sex Workers Outreach Project.

Monday 27th May 2013.

Supervised Injecting Centre.

The Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) recognises drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing condition. MSIC does not support or promote drug use - rather it prevents death and injury from overdose and connects people to health services so they may have the opportunity for rehabilitation.

MSIC was borne out of the 1999 NSW Drug Summit and opened it doors to the community, under trial conditions, in May 2001.

After almost a decade, in October 2010, the NSW Government passed legislation to lift  MSIC's trial status.

As of  November 2010, MSIC no longer requires legislation to be passed every four years to operate and can function like any other health service.

MSIC remains the only supervised injecting facility in Australia and, indeed. the only one in the Southern Hemisphere.

Due to confidently more information to follow in report.



SWOP. Sex Workers Outreach Project.

SWOP provides sexual health information and support to people who engage in sex work.

SWOP are the leading sex worker organisation in NSW for HIV, STI and Hepatitis C education and prevention. Within SWOP is a variety of health promotion programs and provide outreach to sex industry workplaces. SWOP also works with sex industry owners and operators to encourage the acceptance and maintenance of safe sex practices, and other forms of workplace health and safety.

SWOP is a large important project of ACON.

Key Facts.

SWOP offers free and confidential service open to all people who engage in the sex industry. These include.

1. safe sex "workers packs" with condoms. gloves, dams and lube.
2. HIV, Hep C, STIs and sexual health information.
3. health and workplace safety information.
4. safer injecting equipment.
5. information on laws and legislation.
6. confidential counselling and support.
7. employment information.
8. internet and computer access.
9. printed services & sex worker magazines.
10. reference library.
11 referrals to a wide range of services. 
12. outreach to sex industry workers.
13. bulk condom, lube, dam & sponge sales.

Team Members within SWOP.

SWOP provides more than just health information. There is a wide-reaching team of specialists and sex industry peers. This includes female, male and transgender outreach workers, a multicultural team supporting sex workers from non-English speaking background, a counsellor, and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander outreach worker. All team members outreach to both metro and regional NSW.

Today was spent looking in detail at Profile - Community - Engagement within Male Sex Work.

Due to confidentially more information to follow in report. 

 

Tomorrow night Outreach.

 

Matty.

 

Service Visits Week Three & Bondi Beach

Sunday 26th May 2013.

Monday            Safe Injecting Centre
                         S.W.O.P   Sex Work Outreach Project.


Tuesday           S.W.O.P    Sex Work Outreach Project.


Wednesday      Way2Home  (Awaiting Confirmation).


Thursday           Mission Australia (Training).


Friday                Preparation for Uluru Tour, See Blog for details.



Bondi Beach Photos.

My experience of Bondi was a slow walk along the cliffs followed by a gentle stroll along Bondi Beach.

My spirit felt alive.  Matty  May 2013 Bondi Beach.



 

Blue Mountains National Park

Saturday 25th May 2013.

Blue Mountains.

Sixty kilometres west of Sydney, Blue Mountains National Park conserves a an area rich in history, wildlife and world famous scenery. The landscape is part of the traditional country of Aboriginal people.

The sandstone which forms the mountains plateau's upper crust was formed from sandy sediments deposited by a giant river system over a period of about 250 million years ago.

The sandy soil of the plateau tops is infertile. Low heaths cover the most exposed places, but in protected pockets and valleys lush vegetation grows. In the main valleys there are tall open forests and patches of rainforest.


The Legend Of The Three Sisters.

According To Gundungurra Dreaming, three beautiful sisters named Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo once lived with the Gundungurra people in the Jamison Valley.

The maidens were in love with three brothers from the neighbouring nation of the Dharruk people, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law.

The brothers were warriors and decided to take the maidens by force. Tribal war forced the Kuraadjuri (clever man) of the Gundungurra people to turn the sisters into stone. He intended to restore them after the danger had passed and the war had ended. Unfortunately, the Kuradjuri (clever man) was killed in battle and to this day nobody has been able to break the spell and turn the Three Sisters back to their natural form.

This is one of a number of versions of the legend.


Cultural Connections

Aboriginal people began living in the Blue Mountains perhaps up to 2,000 years ago. The Blue Mountains is rich in axe grinding grooves, rock engravings and charcoal and ochre drawing.

The mountains themselves were only sparsely settled until the opening of the Great Western Railway in 1868 led to development of tourism. Reserves to protect the scenic and natural values of the area began in the 1890's and Blue Mountains National Park was declared in 1959.

Photos from Blue Mountains

 

 

Aboriginal Centre Blue Mountains

 

Matty.