Journal

Blue Mountains: King’s Tableland lookout Blue Elaine An obsessive’s graffiti Wentworth Falls Coal mine entrance: a day after the Chilean miners were rescued from their entombment Dave points out aspects of the kangaroo outline Two kangaroos

Rather than drive, we opted to take an Oz Trails mini-coach out to the Blue Mountains, as recommended by Lonely Planet – and indeed it proved to be the best option. The perennial blue haze – which was particularly intense today – results from sunlight refracting through eucalyptus oil particles in the air. Took in the Olympics complex en route, at Homebush Bay, but the main purpose was to see things like Wentworth Falls. Lunch in Leura, in a light drizzle – and with pink cherry blossom falling from the trees and drifting fairly deep in the gutters.

Then visits to Katoomba and the so-called Three Sisters, a giant rock formation, involving a descent into a rainforest in a cable-car and ascent in another, running almost vertical through living rock, and an Aboriginal carving of a kangaroo – which I was told I was the first to see what was wrong with the beast when the group was asked (clue: its neck and head are thrown back at an unnatural angle, suggesting it has been hunted, killed and laid out for carving). Saw a couple of kangaroos on the way back to catch the Rivercat back into Sydney.

Morning breaks Ferry snakes Ian Kiernan’s workshop Part of the bow of HMAS Sydney Wayside artwork 1 Wayside artwork 2 Figures Elaine’s brooch Surfer and passing bird Step on ferry Sydney skyline Wayside artwork 3

The first time I came to Sydney, in the late 1990s, Paul Gilding took me out to Manly on the ferry – a trip we repeated today. First, though, we went across to have breakfast with Ian Kiernan at the Garfish restaurant, Broughton Street, Kirribilli, on the other side of the Harbour Bridge. He brought along Terri-Ann Johnson, his CEO at Clean Up Australia. We then went back to his house, just around the corner, where I did a brief filmed interview.

Stumbled across the bow section of HMAS Sydney, which I knew as the ship that in 1914 tracked down the WWI German raider SMS Emden. Then off we went, by ferry, to Manly – where I will let the pictures speak for themselves, though we also had a delightful lunch at Le Kiosk at Shelly Beach.

Chairs ready for Andrea and I Birds flock over the Harbour Bridge Crushed, I thought it was called, but can’t find it on the Internet

Across to Westpac’s skyscraper this evening, to do a panel discussion with Andrea Spencer-Cooke, organised by the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). I kicked off with a private session with senior Westpac executives, then we went up one floor to the 23rd – where there was an impressive turn-out, a lively debate, an energetic discussion period and then a very interesting networking session.

Afterwards, a number of us – Simon (Longstaff), Rosemary (Sainty) and Victoria (Whitaker) from the St James Ethics Centre, Andrea, Elaine and I –  went out to dinner at a restaurant at the end of the pier that houses the Sydney Theatre Company. Fascinating and extremely wide-ranging discussion. As we walked back to the Intercontinental Hotel, it was fascinating to see the seagulls flocking above the Harbour Bridge, illuminated by the spotlights and, presumably, seeking insects attracted by the lights.

Linda McCartney hairstyle on a ‘black boy’ – or, in these more PC times, grasstree Berowra 1 Berowra 2 Andrea sitting in a naturally air-conditioned nook Honeycomb rock Interesting grain Ant with prey Andrea inspects interesting grain Berowra Marina Spidered mirror Erin’s headwear, my arm – shot backwards

We took a train this morning to Beecroft, where Andrea (Spencer-Cooke) now lives with her family, and then she drove us out into the countryside – where we took a walk alongside Berowra Waters and then ate a truly delicious al fresco that she had prepared on the dock at the nearby marina.

Andrea was a colleague and Muse during the time I was developing my thinking around the triple bottom line, in the early 1990s.  She is now part of One Stone Advisors, a networked consultancy whose name refers back to a conference we did as a joint venture between SustainAbility and The Environment Foundation (which I chaired then – and still do, though it’s now The Foundation for Democracy & Sustainable Development) almost fifteen years ago, introducing the triple bottom line, and called ‘Three Birds, One Stone’.

Later in the day we headed back to pick up her children, Erin and Cameron, and then went home with them for tea. Elaine saw on of their water dragons in the garden, but I missed it – though I did see some of Andrea’s photos on her Mac. Impressed that they can stay underwater for 90 minutes – but was even more impressed by Erin’s impromptu headgear that accompanied us to the station when the time came to leave.

Waiting to land on our tables Half the view from the Museum of Contemporary Art roof Anne Measday, Elaine, Esther Lefas (Anne and Esther both from CSI) Landed Ready for Peter Shergold and I

Wonderful evening at the Museum of Contemporary Art, overlooking the Harbour, where I gave the third annual Qantas Foundation Lecture, entitled ‘Helping the Future Take Flight’. Had had a slight hiccup when I tried to use Apple Keynote ahead of a recent National Grid presentation, but have now worked out how to ride the beast.

Shirley Davies, CEO of the Foundation, kicked off. Then after my lecture, and another phase of the meal, Peter Shergold (who heads the Centre for Social Impact) and I took to the stage for half an hour’s discussion, then opening out to the audience. Strong sense of ‘The Spirit of Australia’ – and of an underlying company with a very strong set of values. I had used the latest set – ‘Care’, ‘Contemporary Australian’, ‘Forward Thinking’ and ‘Wisdom’ – as the structure of my talk. We plan to repeat the process in Melbourne next week.