Last Friday night saw me down in Sydney at the Opera House.

It is the first time I have ever been to a performance there. I was given a ticket by Asti Donald, who is the principal cellist in the Opera House Symphony Orchestra.

The concert was a tribute to Joni Mitchell. I met up with her husband William at Circular Quay after a lovely trip across on the Manly ferry.

Although I only knew one song, ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, you know they paved paradise, put up a parking lot… the chance to see a live performance at such an iconic place was a great experience.

After the concert, Asti took me back stage and even onto the stage of the Concert Hall and then to the Green Room, where other artists, musicians and performers were unwinding after the night’s performances.

It is remarkable that the building is over 30 years old but the interior and design remain ageless.

Broken Hill

Rodney and Vicki Walsh along with their friends from Sydney, Kevin and Ann, have just returned from Broken Hill.

It was Vickie’s idea, as she has never been to Broken Hill and thought is would be a good drive.

The four of them set off from Sydney, staying overnight in Orange.

Vickie did admit that she hadn’t looked at a map, and they rolled into Broken Hill at 8:30 that night. Yes, it was a good drive.

For the next three days they explored the area, including the ghost town, Silverton.

Silverton has been a back drop for many Australian movies, including Mad Max.

Another sequel in the Mad Max series has recently been announced, so the region is hoping to feature again.

Broken Hill is full of majestic buildings and art galleries. It is quite a unique place, but a long way from anywhere.

They reported that it was very dry up in the far north west area of NSW.

They travelled back via Mildura, dropping their friends off in Cootamundra to catch the train back to Sydney.

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Mikla Lewis has been passionate about the preservation of fauna and flora for many, many years.