In my past blogs you’ve read about how I’ve butchered the pronunciation of towns in Australia (e.g., Kogarah and Maunka). But here’s a first – a town name that sounds like a communicable disease – Gymea (pronounced guy-me-ah).
Gymea is considered a bedroom suburb as many families live there and commute into the city – which takes about an hour during rush hour. And in this FlipVideo you’ll see that while there’s poverty there are also some real gems like Nina’s Handmade Chocolate – check out the chocolate penguin, koala and echidna! How cute are they! And sooo Australian!
After Sandy’s exhibition we went to the Gymea pub, dinner and then we headed to The Vinyl, which is a retro 80s dance club that we were warned “smelled bad”.
That was the understatement of the century! The Vinyl totally reeked! The smell was so bad, I felt nauseous immediately upon entering the club. And it wasn’t just the smell of stale beer it was more like kitty litter, moth balls and putrid chemicals combined! When I stepped outside the club to clear my head I talked to the guys at the door and reportedly they steam clean the carpet every weekend (although I don’t think they let it properly air out) and change the carpet every six months.
The good thing about The Vinyl was the range of ages of people at the club. It wasn’t just teeny boppers, but people in their 40s and 50s too. And you couldn’t help but feel secure as the cops (or constables as they’re called here) went through the club a few times checking for underage drinking and trouble.
The unbelievable thing is that when we left (early!) there was a long line of people waiting outside the door to get in! I felt like yelling – “it smells in there” to warn them but figured they would find out for themselves soon enough.
In thinking about why The Vinyl’s so popular – my theory is that unlike in the city where there’s a lot of competition and no smelly club could possibly survive, The Vinyl’s the only club in Gymea so patrons don’t have a choice.
On the flip side in Sydney, due to a change in the local council rules, a lot of new small pubs have opened up in the city. The little “hideaway” bars I’d recommend are Shady Pines Saloon, The Fox Hole, Stitch Bar and The Grasshopper.
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