Australia Day 2006

AUSTRALIA DAY AND AURORA PLACE
AURORA 101 SOLAR CAR SUNS ITSELF IN SYDNEY

26 January 2006

Home to magnificent beaches and a summer lifestyle, Sydney welcomed the visit of Australia's best solar car to celebrate Australia Day on 26 January 2006 and then put it on display at the leading new office centre, Aurora Place.

Aurora 101 proudly displayed in Aurora Place, Sydney

Fresh from its record setting Melbourne to Sydney run on 24 January 2006 [887 km in 12 hours 15 minutes] the Aurora 101 solar car was scheduled to be part of Sydney's Australia Day celebrations at Centennial Park in the festival to mark the passage of the Queen's Baton Relay. The Australian portion of the relay commenced at the Sydney Botanical Gardens early on the morning of Australia Day having already journeyed through every country of the Commonwealth. It will finish in Melbourne by opening the 2006 Commonwealth Games in March.

Runner 034 in the Queen's Baton Relay

But let's not take it all too seriously. This was a fun day. The dogs at Centennial Park loved it.
Unleashed in a free running area near the Federation Pavilion in Centennial Park they created a celebration of 'chase and be caught' for their owners and the hundreds of kids in attendance.

Free range dog(s)

Aurora's day at Centennial Park

Aurora101 was on display together with its fine Mazda support cars, Michelin's lovable 'Bibendum', clowns, face painters and of course the celebrated runners in this part of the Queen's Baton Relay.

Michelin's 'Bibendum' pleased the crowd

It had its importance. You could tell by the presence of the politicians, most prominent of which was the recently promoted Federal member Malcolm Turnbull. He has some great ideas for taxation or less of it.

Ian Dyk explains the solar car to Federal politician Malcolm Turnbull

Cruising the Centennial Park circuit in the solar car, driver Ian Dyk surprised many of the joggers and bike riders by the silent glide of the solar car as it completed 3 laps.

Aurora 101 glides around Centennial Park

By mid afternoon it was time to set up a solar car display at Aurora Place. Macquarie Street was jammed with interesting vintage and veteran cars including our friends with the Sunswift solar car from UNSW. Before long the solar car was proudly on show in the Sydney home of sponsors Minter Ellison and EAPG. The natural forces were also on display through images of the ABN-AMRO promotion of its two entries in the Volvo Round World Yacht Race. Now that's an expensive pursuit.

Tony Richards of EAPG admires the solar car

The display for the round world yachts

As in 101 Collins Street many tenants and visitors to the building were more than interested in the sun powered Aurora 101 and over the week of display some 300 posters saw their way out the door. Building supremo Tony Richards made all this possible with a minimum of fuss. EAPG were developers of Aurora Place along with Lend Lease and Mivac. They somehow managed to have world famous Italian architect Renzo Piano design this beautiful building which now graces Sydney's financial district. Visitors to the Pompidou Centre in Paris or Osaka's brave new Kansai Airport built on an artificial island can also reflect on Renzo Piano's work.

Did it rain? Not once.