This week has been my favorite! My International Finance class got a little harder, but thankfully, I did well on the exam. As our departure date gets closer, my friends and I are making plans to explore the city more often. My suitemate recommended two of the best museums she visited—the Australian Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA)—so a few of us, who luckily share the same schedule, decided to visit them after class. One thing that made me especially happy is that both museums offer free entry!
First, we visited the Australian Museum (which is located right next to the MCA). I was amazed by the variety of exhibits. The first section showcased Australian culture, including exhibits about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, which gave me a deeper understanding of their art and community. Another highlight was the impressive collection of taxidermized animals from around the world, including species endemic to Australia. Next, we explored the Museum of Contemporary Art, where we saw a mix of interactive and digital art, multimedia pieces, sculptures, and paintings. The museum beautifully showcases Australia’s unique artistic identity. One of the most immersive aspects was the collection of artworks that portray Indigenous culture through modern innovation. It was fascinating to see how traditional stories and heritage are reimagined in contemporary art, making them accessible and engaging for both Australian and international visitors.
Still in New South Wales, all the Bucknell students and I visited Hunter Valley—one of the most amazing wine regions I’ve ever seen! In total, we visited three wineries. The first winery, The Brokenwood Winery has more modern vibes. We were seated at a round bar table while the sommelier poured us wine into three different glasses, explaining the origins of each wine, the fermentation process, what makes each one unique, and how old they are. The oldest wine we tasted was a 2018 red wine, which had a very strong grape flavor with a slightly bitter finish. Out of all the wines, my favorite was the rosé—it had the crispness of a white wine but with a lovely touch of sweetness. It was the perfect balance!
The second winery that we went to was the best out of all the winery we visited. The winery is called, Earnest Hill Winery. First of all, the nature and the ambience of the place are perfect! they have wine barrels to show, the seating arrangements are good because it seems less formal and more friendly access, and the most important thing, each wine taste unique! the red wine and the deserts wine taste especially good. There are two wine deserts that the Sommelier pour us, the blue one taste a little bit like citrus while the pink one taste like lychee at the end. The last winery we visited is called Margan Wines, this one have a more romantic and cinematic ambience. It makes you feel really comfortable. They also decorated their grapes field with flowers!!
Aside from visiting the wineries, on Saturday night, my friends and I went to a beach near Bogey Hole, the famous heritage-listed sea bath. Unfortunately, since it was nighttime, we couldn’t see the Bogey Hole itself, but we still had an amazing time exploring the area with a short hike. One of the highlights was capturing stunning pictures of the stars from both the beach and the mountain—it was an unforgettable sight!
