Eight Antiques

  • May 25, 2026

Today we drove from Katoomba to Dubbo via Orange, and the total trip took about 6 hours (including charging stop) and I took nary a photo! So instead, today I’ll showcase a few interesting items I saw at antique shops these past two days…

Typewriters are a surprisingly common items at antique shops here, but this one in particular caught my eye due to the Kmart badge on it. The tag identifies it as a ‘Nakajima’ brand device from the 1970s and says it’s been restored and tested. In other words, you could write a book with it!

I know even without opening the box that this would have the thinnest of gameplay and contain fragile paper game pieces and a near-generic board. But licensed games like this one always catch my eye, and remind me of how undemanding we were as fans back in the ancient age.

Even though this was a common style back in the early 1980s, this one reminded me a lot of the devices that Bernard and I had as kids. This one appeared to be in extraordinary condition, but it didn’t say whether it actually worked or not.

I’ve never seen a Commodore 64 game for sale at an antique (or retro game) store in the USA, so it’s always a treat to see them here. But $75 for this? It was part of a larger collection of (mostly PC) Microprose games, all of which seemed overpriced.

I was tempted by these Japanese phone cards, but the store was a bit fancy and they didn’t have a price so I moved on. Years ago when I went to the stamp show while I was here there were also Japanese phone card vendors so it seems collecting these this was a (niche I’m sure) hobby in Australia at some point.

The store had three different sets of these, all labeled at $150 and the red one described as ‘incomplete’. The price was outrageous for the condition, but I would have liked to see inside regardless. Perhaps I should have asked?

I don’t remember ever seeing anything like this when I was young. Like most of the world, Australia no longer broadcasts analogue TV signals so this would be useless for TV viewing, but it very likely has an RF connector on the back so could work as a portable monitor for a retro game system. As a child, something like this would have been the dream!

This is the English version of a Japanese fantasy board game from 1986. The game asks players to survive a haunted house and apparently plays like a simplified version of Talisman. It has a beautiful big board, hundreds of tokens and cards and a large plastic spinner with an evil face on it.

The copy at the antique store wasn’t in perfect condition, and the spinner was extremely dirty, but had I seen this in America I would have been tempted even without knowing it was complete. Since the store hadn’t been able to verify that yet, it wasn’t yet priced or on sale.

The Three Sisters

  • May 24, 2026

Today we drove to Katoomba, and immediately went to view a famous landmark called The Three Sisters. Here they are from the Echo Point lookout:

We walked along a short trail for a closer view of this famous rock formation. It was early in the day but sunny and warm and the views down into the valley were wondrous.

The trail ended at an overlook just above the formation, at which point we noticed a bridge some distance below:

There was very steep staircase leading down from this overlook. It was the beginning of an infamous trail called ‘The Giant’s Staircase” and even though I was still aching from all yesterdays walking I couldn’t resist giving it a go!

This was a perilous trail! Narrow steep steps wound down the cliffside, and even walking down was a challenge. There were a fair amount of people navigating this trail, and it was clear from the looks on their faces it was more than they expected.

After a few hundred steps I got to the bridge we’d seen from above, only to find it was blocked off by a fence! It seems people are no longer permitted to cross over to the sister itself. The steps continued beyond that point, but they were even steeper and more perilous. I turned around and headed back up to where Sue was waiting. The climb was strenuous but not as bad as some of the other tourists made it seem. I suppose I’m made of sterner stuff.

There’s a lot of history here at Katoomba, and much of it is based around The Three Sisters, an attraction people have been visiting for well over 100 years. I’ve been before but remembered almost none of it, and I’m glad we went today.

Afterwards we visited many antique shops in Katoomba (watch for a future blog post about some things we saw) while Sue’s new car was charging. Lunch was at the local RSL club, before we headed to the amusingly large converted convent we’re staying at tonight. It’s been a tiring few days, so there’ll be lounging tonight!

I ate half the bag before I realized I’d lost control of myself, and made the decision to throw the other half away. That’s the power of Toobs!

Vivid 2026

  • May 23, 2026

I woke at midnight, and after hours of doing nothing shuffled down to McDonald’s for breakfast around 5 am. The streets were almost empty, and the few souls I saw were clearly still enjoying their Friday night. I remain ruined by jet lag, and felt like a passenger in my own body as I staggered into Maccas…

…And then immediately walked out. It wasn’t the refuse and unidentifiable liquid on the floor. It wasn’t the crooked miscreant unconscious at his table, broken burger dripping limply from his hand. It wasn’t even the thin-lipped juvenile watching me with villainy in his eye. It was the smell. Enough said.

As it turns out my room includes a lovely breakfast buffet, so I hastily returned and enjoyed lashings of bacon chased down with watermelon. It was sublime!

Then I shopped, for many that had given me a list and some that hadn’t. Items were purchased, and they’ve already been squirreled away in my bags. Thrice I passed this mannequin in my wanderings, and I’m sure her position changed. Even fake, she looked more alive than I felt.

Sue came down to Sydney today – we’re heading off on a road trip tomorrow – and she had the brilliant idea of us taking a Vivid cruise. Since my plans of seeing the lights were thwarted last night I was optimistic, and happily the cruise exceeded even my high expectations. It was amazing.

I’ve been to Vivid for several years now, and it’s so spread out and the light installations so large you can easily get good views. But today I learned the best view is from a boat!

The bridge and opera house both looked brilliant in the lights, and the reflections on the water only accentuated this. As you can also see they dialed the spotlights up to 11 this year and the light rain in the air made them extra visible.

The boat went from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay and back and the cruise took about an hour. The weather was great – not cold at all – and the views unbroken and much better than you see on land. While the boat sometimes rocked, I’ve long since mastered my sea legs and it was no trouble at all.

Afterwards we walked over to the installations at Darling Harbour (like the laser/sound show above) but by this point I’d been up over 20 hours and needed my sleep. And now, with this post done, that’s exactly what I’m going to do!