Sydney

 Hyde Park Barracks

On Sunday 23 April we went with the Travel Club to the Hyde Park Barracks.  I had walked past this building many times during my working years in Sydney, but I never had an opportunity to visit it.

In 1984 the Barracks was converted into a museum containing a record of colonial Australia and also the experiences of Aboriginal people as they witnessed the taking over of their land by the British colonists.

Hyde Park Barracks was built with convict labour and was the first convict Barracks in the colony.  During the first thirty years of the colony the convicts were free to roam and live where they liked.  They lived with relative freedom and opportunity.  They were, of course assigned to work during the day and their labour was put to productive use in building the colony.  Most lived with and worked for private masters.  

The Barracks was commissioned by Governor Lachlan Macquarie and officially opened in 1819.  He hoped that by housing the convicts in a barracks, their productivity would be increased and their moral character improve. 

Conditions inside the Barracks were pretty grim.  The spartan dormitories had double rows of hammocks strung up as beds with very little room between each hammoock and buckets for their toilets.  Convicts in the Barracks faced harsher rules and restrictions and did not have the freedom of living independently in the town. 

The Barracks is a three-storey building with a simple Georgian facade and shingled roof and designed by convict architect Francis Greenway.  Governor Macquarie was so impessed with the design that he granted Greenway a full pardon. 

Here are the gates fronting the top end of Macquarie Street.  This picture is taken inside the gates and looking out on to the street.  The Sydney Tower can be seen which is the tallest building in Sydney.  It is also known as the Centrepoint Tower.

Beautiful brick work handmade from local clay and baked into bricks at government and private brickyards.  The convicts laboured on the site, climbing up and down scaffolding producing high quality brickwork.

A little side entrance gate to the left of the main entrance fronting Macquarie Street.  The Barracks can be seen in the background.

Here is another view of the same gateway.

I am sorry for the late publication of this blog as I left it in draft form and kept meaning to come back to it.  However, time has got away and I have decided to leave it as it is, as I will be writing about other travels before long.

Acknowledgment

All of the technical information for this blog entry has been obtained from a little booklet I purchased at the Barracks called Hyde Park Barracks and published by Sydney Living Museums.

Ebenezer

 Ebenezer Church

On Monday 17 April we drove to Ebenezer to visit the oldest church in Australia.  This Church was built by 15 pioneer families who voyaged on the "Coromandel" to the colony of New South Wales in 1802.  The "Coromandel" sailed from Portsmouth UK and transported free settlers, convicts and provisions, sailing non-stop to New South Wales.  The free settlers selected their 100 acre grants of land in the region of Ebenezer on the Hawkesbury River and began a life of farming in the new colony.

This beautiful stone church is built of local sandstone, cedar wood and hardwood and has been restored over the last five years, thus improving public access and enjoyment of the site.  The local environment has also benefited with the removal of weeds along the adjacent river bank.  Descendants of the 15 pioneer families who built the church in 1809 provided 60 per cent of the needed funds for the restoration work.  There has also been a high level of support from the local community including skills and labour by experienced retired tradesmen and there is a strong feeling of community ownership of the site.

There is a Schoolmaster's House adjacent to the Church where there are photographs and memorabilia to peruse about the church's interesting history.  There are also teas/coffees and light meals available and craft items, souvenirs, jams etc. for purchase from Wednesday to Sunday,  The shop is normally closed on Monday and Tuesday, but we were lucky to see inside and purchase some items from the shop as, even though it was Monday, they were expecting a bus load of tourists to arrive.

In the graveyard adjacent to the Church, the graves in the row in front of the church entrance include those of church pioneers.  I also saw the name Arndell prominent on some of the gravestones and these are memorials to descendants of Thomas Arndell, a surgeon on the First Fleet and an Ebenezer Church pioneer. 

This is a view of the Church from the front fence with part of the circular garden visible.

Owen Cavanough, donated the land on which the Church stands.  Owen Cavanough was a pioneer and the first man from the First Fleet to step ashore at Sydney Cove.

This pretty little Church is built of local sandstone.  

The Porch was added in 1929

The Church was originally non-conformist, then Presbyterian and nowdays is run by the Uniting Church in Australia.  At present the congregation is small and they cannot afford a full-time minister so they share two ministers across five congregations and hopefully they can continue in the years ahead.

Here is part of the little cemetery adjacent to the Church where members of church pioneers are buried.

Inside the Schoolmaster's Cottage which was the former residence of the early colonial teacher.  This cottage is now an interesting museum and souvenir shop.

This is an outside view of the Vestry built in 1965 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone.  In the background you can see the outdoor covered area for refreshments.

We enjoyed our visit to Ebenezer and reading about the history of Australia's oldest Church.

We then left and caught the car ferry at Sackville Ferry Crossing, Ebenezer approach to cross the Hawkesbury River to continue on our way to Wiseman's Ferry.

Acknowledgments  

1.  www.ebenezerchurch.org.au  Ebenezer Church Newsletter No. 30 April, 2023

2.  Pamphlet available at Church for a self-guided tour.

Mount Annan

 Australian Botanic Garden

On Wednesday 22 March, Nick drove a little group of us in the Village bus to the Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan.  

We drove along the Northern Road to the turn-off at Narellan, passing through rural countryside.  It is comforting to see there are still many farms in this area, despite the obvious signs of urban sprawl and the building of the new Western Sydney Airport.  

We arrived at the Visitor's Information Centre about 10 am and decided to explore the Connections Garden opposite the Information Centre.   This is a four hectare garden planted with many varieties of Australian native flora.  There is a delightful waterfall  here with a little bridge over it and a rainforest backdrop of ferns, cycads and tall palms.  After leaving this magical spot we followed the pathway that led to a small Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis).  Fossil records indicate that this species has been in existence for over 200 million years.  In this section was also a towering Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii) which produces the largest cone of any Australian conifer, up to 10 kgs. in weight.  There are three Bunya Pine trees growing in Winmalee, near the Tavern and shopping village so I am very familiar with this huge tree.  There was a sign warning visitors to watch out for falling cones.  We certainly did not want a 10 kg. cone falling on our heads!  There were other native Pine trees in this area including a Hoop Pine.  I also saw some Sago Palms.

We then climbed a steepish hill and then walked down the other side till we came back to the path opposite the Information Centre.

Nick then drove us around the whole area in the bus.  The Garden is  huge and covers 416 hectares of land and is home to many varieties of Australian native flora.   We drove past many picnic areas which would be ideal for family get-togethers, birthday parties etc.  He stopped at one or two places to allow us to get out and take photographs.  I particularly liked all the Grevilleas in the Grevillea area.  The Wattle area would also be great when the Wattles are blooming.  We stopped to take a photo looking back at Sedgwick Lake, one of the Lakes in the garden.

After our ride around the site, we returned to the Visitor Information Centre to have lunch in the newly opened Gardens Cafe.  The cafe was doing a roaring trade and was obviously very popular.  Ken and I each had a seafood platter which was delicious and served very promptly.

After lunch we wanted to look through the shop at the Visitor Information Centre, but unfortunately it was closed for a lunch break and we did not have the time to wait for it to open.  However, I'm sure we will be back again.  

This colourful tree sculpture was on display in the Connections Garden.

One of the Grass trees in the Connections Garden.  Grass trees have long thin leaves that grow at the top of a thick black trunk (originally known as Black boys)  Xanthorrhoea is distantly related to lilies.

A beautiful Grevillea, just one of the many Grevillea bushes growing in the Grevillea section.

A Rainbow Lorikeet feeding on a blossom in a Queensland Firewheel tree.  This tree was growing in the Grevillea section.

Looking back over Sedgwick Lake with a garden bed in the foreground.

A section of the garden bed beside the Lake.

This small Australian native shrub looked very pretty.  Ptilotus exaltatus otherwise known as pink mulla mulla - joey.  It is a herbaceous perennial and was growing in the garden bed overlooking the Lake. 

There is a small plant nursery attached to the Visitor Information shop.  We would have liked to look at these plants.

We enjoyed our visit to Mount Annan and are hoping we get back to this garden later in the year as there is a lot we would still like to see.  

Acknowledgments

1.  Wikipedia (for nomenclatural of native plants)

2.  Various brochures collected at Visitor Information Centre 

Doonside

 Nurragingy Reserve

Yesterday Nick drove us to the Nurragingy Reserve in Knox Road, Doonside.  This is an amazing 63 hectare bushland reserve which has several main attractions.  Prior to the 1970's, the land was part of the Cumberland Timber Forest, but it was then purchased by the New South Wales State Government with the intention of turning it into a green belt for rapidly expanding Western Sydney.  A portion of this land was to be used as a recreational area. 

The name Nurragingy commemorates one of the two men of the Dharug tribe who recived the first land grant to Aboriginal people from Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1819.  The other title holder was Colebee, whose name has been given to the Centre within the Reserve.   

We walked to the Chang Lai Yuan Chinese garden which is styled with elements from both the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty and includes a Gateway, Seven Arch Stone Bridge, a Light Mountain Pavilion and a Waterfall Gazebo. 

A Pai Lou (Gateway) is the first and most prominent building feature in the garden.  This Pai Lou has classical Chinese design character with an even number of columns creating a main centre passage and two side passages.  The roof features glazed tiles on upturned corner eaves, a design  popular in the 14th century Ming Dynasty.

A stone bridge and water is an essential feature in traditional garden designs.  The bridge forms a link between the different sections of the landscape.  The parapets are constructed in stone with carvings done by Master Stonemasons from China based on the style of the Imperial Court.

A Pavilion in the Chang Lai Yuan Chinese Garden.  The timber elements of all buildings were constructed in China and shipped here in containers.  They were reassembled by Chinese carpenters and hand painted by Chinese artisans.

The native fern Azolla growing on the surface of the Lake.  It floats in a pink mass on top of the water.  It changes from green to pink in the sun.

A little grove of Boab trees growing in the Africa section.  These trees also grow in the Northern regions of Western Australia and in the Northern Territory of Australia.  They are easily recognised by the swollen base of their trunks giving the tree a bottle like appearance.

We also walked through areas devoted to Mediterranean plants, New Zealand plants and also plants from the Americas.

We enjoyed our visit to Nurragingy Reserve and look forward to another visit soon when we shall seek out the Aboriginal Heritage Section of the garden and other features we were not able to fit in on our visit yesterday.

Acknowledgments

1.  Wikipedia

2.  landscapesolutions.com.au

3.  various signage displayed in the garden.  

Brooklyn

Postman's Run on the Hawkesbury River

Last Sunday we joined the Travel Club for a Sunday outing on the Riverboat Postman on the Hawkesbury River.  It was a wet day, not the best day for being on the river, but needless to say it was still very enjoyable.  The Riverboat Postman is a daily mail service delivering mail and provisions to the isolated water-access-only residents of the lower Hawkesury River.   There has been a mail delivery service to these remote residents for over one hundred years, but on Sundays they take a break from delivering the mail and do a sight-seeing cruise in the opposite direction.  They cruise past the several islands in the river, past the National Parks and go as far as the entrance into Broken Bay.

We arrived at Brooklyn Wharf by tourist coach in the pouring rain.  We left the bus and raising our  umbrellas, we queued up to walk through the cutest little boat shed and out on to the gangplank to board our big stable catamaran for the luncheon cruise on the Hawkesbury River.  It was warm and dry inside the boat and we sat, in groups, at long tables with a good view of the river through the wrap-around windows.  We had morning tea with home-made Anzac biscuits and cups of tea and coffee as we began the cruise past Dangar Island.  Lunch was an Aussie Ploughman's-style plate with cold meats and a salad topped with a Turkish bread roll, pickles, chutney, butter and dressing.     There was a bar on board and wine and beer and soft drinks were available.

We passed under the Brooklyn rail and road bridges and saw the rusting wreck of Australia's first warship, the HMAS Parramatta lying in the mud flats near Milson Island.  We saw sea eagles soaring high in the sky above the sandstone ridges.   We cruised in close along the waterline, so we could see several Aboriginal rock carvings.  Ken also saw some jellyfish in the water and tried to photograph them. 

I was amazed at the size of the River.  It is known as "Derrubbin" by the local Dharug, Wannungine, Darkinung, Eora and Kuring-gai indigenous people.  This means "wide, deep water".  They used the river as a source of food, such as fish, eels, water birds and mussels.  Yams, also a staple food, grew along the banks of the river.  They travelled on the river in their bark canoes.

In the early days of European settlement, the River was an agricultural highway used to transport food from the farms in the west of the Sydney Basin along its smooth waters, out through Broken Bay into the sea, before heading a few miles south down the coast and into Sydney Harbour to unload at Circular Quay.  

The River is now a nature lover's paradise.  Much of it is only accessible by boat, with no road access and attracts hermits, holidaymakers, artists, boaters, anglers, oyster farmers and retirees.

I noticed little pockets of housing sitting between mangroves and mountains and these were a mix of ramshackle dwellings of the early European settlers and refurbished retro style bungalows of later Europeans.

I climbed the stairs on our boat up to the deck on top to get a better view and hopefully to take some good photos, but there wasn't much shelter up there and the rain was coming down quite heavily at that stage so I returned to the shelter of the cabin downstairs.

Here is a photo of the cute little boathouse/office at the entrance wharf to the Riverboat Postman. 

We queued up in the rain, under umbrellas, waiting to go aboard.

The cost for cruising for 3 hours is $54.00 for seniors/concession

$64 full adult rate and school children $20.00. 

This also includes morning tea and lunch.

The wreck of HMAS Parramatta.  This was a River Class torpedo boat destroyer built for the Royal Australian Navy in the period 1909-16

Here is a little pocket of housing along the river bank.

Mangroves provide habitat for fish and they also protect the foreshore from erosion by retaining the river sediments thus helping to maintain a clean and resilient waterway.

Here is Lion Island which we saw silhoueted against the backdrop of Broken Bay.

A beautiful sandstone cave beside a little sandy beach.

Seagulls resting on a barge in the water. 

We enjoyed our Sunday cruise on the Hawkesbury River, despite the rain.  I had previously been on the Riverboat Postman cruise many years ago on a smaller boat, so enjoyed the comfort of this much bigger cataraman and also seeing the opposite end of the river to the Postman's run.  

There is no mail to deliver on Sunday, so it was a more relaxed and  leisurely cruise on the river.  We returned to the Brooklyn wharf about three hours later and boarded our coach for the trip back home.

Acknowledgments

1.  riverboatpostman.com.au

2.  wikipedia (information about HMAS Parramatta)

Bilpin

 Bilpin

To anyone living in New South Wales the name Bilpin immediately conjures up a vision of apples.  Bilpin is a small rural community in the Hawkesbury area.  It is known as the "land of the Mountain apple".  Jonathon, Royal Gala, Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples are all there, as well as lesser known varieties such as the English Bramley.  Some of these apple orchards are open during the season where people can go in and pick their own baskets of fruit.  This is a wonderful experience for families living in the suburbs as they can come and show their children where the fruit is grown.  They can then pick their own selections, which they pay for when they leave.  Bilpin is a settlement on the Bells Line of Road between Richmond and Lithgow and, at an elevation of 623 metres, the steep hillsides are covered with rows of apple orchards.  Most people, at some time, have stopped at the famous Bilpin Fruit Bowl and bought their wonderful home-made apple pies!

Well, that is what we did yesterday when our small group of friends, travelling together in a mini bus, stopped off at the Bilpin Fruit Bowl Shop to have a look around and have a serving of their delicious apple pie for morning tea.   In Summer they also sell Peach pies made from Peaches grown in their orchards.  Recent changes to the farm have seen the introduction of strawberries growing in a hothouse where there are long tables of these luscious fruit growing, ready for picking all year round.  They also grow long rows of lettuce and bok choy, also available for picking.

We then drove on to the Cellar Door at the Bilpin Cider Co. and had some non-alcoholic ciders for our second morning tea.  There are also alcoholic ciders for sale in the tasting shed and Ken and I bought a six pack of the original cider made from freshly crushed Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples.  This cider is neither too sweet nor too dry as the tartness of the Granny Smith juice is balanced by the sweeter apples.  

We then continued on further up into the Blue Mountains intending to have lunch at The Hive located at Berambing at the base of Mt. Tomah.   However, when we arrived there we found it was not open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  We turned around and headed back down to have lunch at Mountain Bells Cafe, opposite the Fruit Bowl, with a vegetarian/vegan menu and this cafe is open seven days a week.  I had a huge cheese, egg and tomato sandwich with salad and a large cup of English Breakfast tea, all quite delicious.  

The Bilpin Fruit Bowl shop is stocked with local honey, local home made jams, cider from local cellar doors, apple juice, seasonal fruits and lots more. 

Apples for sale in the Bilpin Fruit Bowl shop.

The Bilpin Cider Co. produces an extensive range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cider products using only freshly crushed Australian apples.

Inside the storage shed at the Bilpin Cider Co. where you can choose the ciders you want to buy.

These apples were for sale in the Mountains Bell Cafe in Bilpin.

After lunch it was time to head back home and Nick, our driver, drove us back down to Richmond and back home via Castlereagh Road to Penrith.  We all enjoyed our day very much.  It was an extremely hot day, but very pleasant in the cooler environment of the Mountains.

Acknowledgments

1.  www.bluemountainsaustralia.com

2.  bilpinfruitbowl.com.au

3.  bilpincider.com

Barangaroo

Barangaroo

On Wednesday 11 January, 2023 we went by bus to Barangaroo Wharf in Sydney and did a walk northwards along the foreshore through Barangaroo Reserve.   

This area was once an industrial site, a disused container terminal which has now been transformed into a six hectare parkland.  There are beautiful views of Sydney Harbour and the Harbour Bridge.  There are lookouts, extensive walking and cycling trails, idyllic coves, picnic spots and places for quiet contemplation.  More than 75,000 native trees, palms, ferns and shrubs and other plants have been planted that are native to the Sydney region.  This once-scarred promontory is now visually reunited with Goat Island and its sister headlands at Balls Head, McMahons Point and Ballast Point.  Pyrmont and various other landmarks and destinations are also clearly visible.

The sandstone foreshore follows the natural Sydney fault line so the new headland is in line with natural Sydney Harbour headlands.  93% of the sandstone used was sourced from the on-site extraction pit.  Every grain of sandstone extracted was used.  Offcuts were ground up and mixed to become the sandy topsoil required by the newly planted trees and plants.  These trees and plants are thriving and already looking well established!

You can now walk along the foreshore between Walsh Bay and Cockle Bay which was once industrial and commercial land and off-limits to the public.  This walk is known as Wulugul Walk.   Wulugul is a local indigenous word for kingfish, a prize catch for Aboriginal people long before European settlement and still a delicious treat at many Sydney restaurants.  The wulugul/kingfish has a golden band along its blue-green skin, similar to the golden sandstone lining the blue of the harbour along the length of the new walk.   

The Gadigal people of the Eora nation are the traditional custodians of the land.  Barangaroo was a leader of the Cammeraygal people and wife of Bennelong of the Wangal people who played a significant role within her community and that of the early British colony.

On Monday of this week, Marrinawi Cove in the north-east corner of Barangaroo Reserve was opened for swimming.  A shark net has been installed across the ocean end of this sandstone-edged cove and also a shower on the shore. The NSW Government says this once neglected industrial western side of the Harbour has now been cleaned up and they will consider adding ladders and decking to Marrinawi Cove in the future, if the area proves popular for swimmers.  This area was used by the local Gadigal people for thousands of years as a fishing, canoeing and swimming spot, but has been off limits for Sydneysiders for the last few decades due to pollution and neglect.  It is wonderful that it has been restored to its former pristine condition.   

We weren't quite sure where Marrinawi Cove was situated and, unfortunately, we did not walk far enough to see the new swimming pool. 

 

Crown Sydney, also known as One Barangaroo is the tallest building in Sydney and makes a dramatic statement at the Wharf precinct in Barangaroo.  The stunning curve of the building derives inspiration from nature in the form of three "petals" that twist and turn rising upwards into the sky.

These steps rise up from Nawi Cove to the Stargazer lawn in Barangaroo Reserve at the top.

A view of the Anzac Bridge taken along the foreshore on the Wulugul Walk in Barangaroo Reserve.

At the Northern end of Wulugul Walk we were able to get a glimpse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Back in the Wharf precinct stands Barangarooo House, a Matt Moran Restaurant on three levels.  Each level offers its own dining and drinking adventure.  There are plants spilling over the edges of each level.

I like the design of this building which features an innovative external diagrid structure wrapping the outside of the building.  It is the Macquarie Shelley Street Bank building behind Barangaroo House.

We had some lunch at the Bourke Street Bakery and then headed back to our meeting spot to catch up with our friends.  It wasn't long before Nick came in the bus to pick us up and drive us back home after a very enjoyable morning exploring Barangaroo.

Acknowledgments

1.  TimeOut.com

2.  Sydney Morning Herald

3.  Barangaroo.com

4.  fitzpatrickpartners.com 

5.  Wikipedia