Africa, Australia, Asia

Last Sunday, this vulture went in search of some culture...

* "Mystery Of The Nile" ranks with "Journey Into Amazing Caves" and "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure" as one of the top IMAX movies I've seen. A diverse team attempt to make history by following the Nile River (rafting/kayaking wherever humanly possible) from Lake Tana in Ethiopia to Egypt's Bay Of Alexandria. Obstacles on their journey include the rapid-packed river itself, crocodiles, a random bandit attack, a relapse of malaria for the expedition leader, and freak sandstorms and thunderstorms. There isn't really a mystery to solve, but with likeable characters, how-did-they-film-that? visuals on a giant screen, a stirring world music soundtrack and some touching encounters, who's gonna quibble?

* Adult admission to Sydney Wildlife World is $28.50 and I almost didn't bother. But, hey, everything's expensive at Darling Harbour and a chunk of the revenue does go to conservation (eg. setting up animal sanctuaries). Let's start with the negatives... If you grew up in Oz, there's nothing at SWW you haven't seen before - often in greater numbers or a more hands-on setting. Furthermore, it's laid out like an IKEA store, so you're constantly herded in one direction. The positives... As you'd expect from a new zoo, the exhibits are wonderfully presented. They make the exclusively Australian inhabitants feel at home (with water features aplenty), while allowing visitors to stickybeak from multiple angles. As for the linear design, it's done in such a logical fashion - butterfly house, other insects and arachnids, reptiles, birds, nocturnal animals, diurnal animals - that it feels right. You've also got to admire the clever use of space as the 1km+ path loops up and back over itself. Especially recommended for tourists.

* Having discovered during my IMAX excursion that Lake Victoria wasn't the "true" source of the Nile, I got another surprise at the Powerhouse Museum's "Great Wall Of China" exhibition (showing until February 25). It turns out the famous fenceline is actually a series of walls and quite higgledy-piggledy in places. The PM's displays are more about the builders than the northerners they were trying to keep out. Eye-catching items include a series of uniforms coloured by rank, painted silk scrolls of court scenes, freaky bombs and rockets (some shaped like birds), a sword and dagger that look tiny, and several official documents that indicate to me the China of yore was just as mired in bureaucracy...and just as fascinating.