Richmond

Smith Park, Pugh's Lagoon

Today we drove down to one of our favourite places, Pugh's Lagoon.  It was not a very nice day, very windy, in fact, blowing a gale.  We wanted to photograph birds and this is a great place to go to get some good shots of water birds.  There were plenty of ducks and waterfowl lying around, trying to keep out of the wind.  However, we soon found it was not the best day for photography and decided in the end we would leave it and come back on a better day.  We did manage to get a few good bird photos which I will post on instagram over the next few days. (shirleva471) 

One of the picnic sheds on the banks of the picturesque Lagoon.  Smith Park is a peaceful recreation space, ideal for a picnic and a spot of bird watching.  There is plenty of parking.  As it was such a windy day, I think the Swans and Pelicans had decided to seek shelter along the shoreline and consequently we did not see any cruising on the water.

Some of the geese, with their heads tucked under their wings, trying to protect themselves from the wind.

There are three ponds comprising the freshwater Lagoon and these wetlands are listed as an endangered ecological community.

A view between two trees of the other side of the Lagoon.

Pugh's Lagoon is named after Edward Pugh, transported to NSW as a convict in 1787.  He was later granted 100 acres of land immediately west of Richmond, near this Lagoon.

The trees on the far bank are bending in the wind.  The wind, every now and then, would whip up great gusts of dirt that appeared as a dust haze over the water.

Smith Park is divided into three specific areas and the boundaries are defined by the roads that run through it.

Some of the ducks down on the water's edge.

We also saw many Sparrows, Mynas, Willie Wagtails and Magpie Larks hopping around in the grass or flying around in the trees in the Park.

Katoomba

High Tea at Lilianfels

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed the indulgence of an English High Tea served in the sumptuous surroundings of the lounge at Lilianfels Resort and Spa in Katoomba.  This was a birthday gift from our son Mark and his fiancee partner, which we were finally able to enjoy yesterday.

We experienced this most English of grand traditions in the beautiful Art Deco styled lounge at Lilianfels Resort & Spa, creating the perfect setting for an afternoon of indulgence.

Lilianfels comprises a heritage listed house and a luxury Resort and Spa located right at Echo Point, Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.  The house was designed by Varney Parkes and was built in 1889 by Sir Frederick Darley, Chief Justice of New South Wales, as his holiday mountain retreat.  The house was named after Darley's daughter who had recently died.  Her name was Lilian and fels is German for high ground.  The Darleys owned the house for twenty years.  The property is now part of a Resort and Spa which provides accommodation, restaurant facilities and also caters for special events, such as weddings, birthday parties, etc.

This building is the original house and is now Darley's Restaurant, a multi award winning and hatted restaurant and one of the most popular fine dining restaurants in the Blue Mountains.  The main dining area seats up to fifty people

Darley's Restaurant overlooks this beautiful formal English garden, and the escarpment of the Jamison Valley in the background.  This section of the garden has been restored to a design similar to the original garden.  Edging tiles found on the site have been utilised around the garden beds.

Our high tea was served in the Lounge of the hotel building, decorated in the Art Deco style.  It is an effective way to create a dynamic interior with a hint of glamour, that nods to the past, without looking dated.  The lounge features luxurious armchairs and lounges and two fireplaces with views out to the courtyard and gardens.

Our high tea was served on a triple-tiered plate and included fluffy homemade scones  with homemade jam and fresh clotted cream, petite pastries and a selection of finger sandwiches.  Our tea of choice was English breakfast served in individual teapots.  Our deluxe high tea also included a sparkling glass of champagne each.

A selection of cakes to complete our High Tea.  The bold geometric pattern on the carpet is a typical feature of the Art Deco style.


We enjoyed our High Tea, very much and felt quite replete after such an indulgence.

Hawkesbury Lookout - Part 2

Hawkesbury Heights - continued

After spending some time at the Lookout, we then crossed Hawkesbury Road to visit the second part of the Hawkesbury Lookout.  There is a little run-in road from Hawkesbury Road and a place to park the car.  There are two big picnic sheds and a toilet block.  I did not visit the toilet block so cannot comment on its' condition.

There were many little tracks disappearing into the bush, but we did not venture very far down any of them, so I'm not sure just how far they penetrate the bushland.  We could hear the traffic on the Hawkesbury Bends as the Lookout is perched, quite literally, at the top of the Bends.

One of the rather basic picnic shelters with a design, that sort of made me think of an Austrian Mountain chalet.  However, nothing could be further removed from the Austrian Alps than the hot Australian bush!

The Banksias have finished blooming but there were still a few remnant Banksia spinulosa flowering,  otherwise known as "birthday candles"  with their nectar-rich blooms providing food for birds, when there isn't much else around.

The other picnic shelter, similar in design.  This design can also be found in the picnic shelters, down the road at Yellow Rock.  It is always nice to have some shade, when picnicking in the bush!

All the bark is peeling off the trunk of this tree and lying strewn on the ground around the base, revealing a lovely smooth bark beneath.  Some trees naturally lose their bark as the tree grows.  Otherwise it could be as a result of the prolonged drought, causing stress in some trees.

There were a few wildflowers blooming.  Unfortunately, we had missed the early Spring wildflowers such as the Waratahs and wattles.  I must remember to come here next year to see the wildflowers.  It has a much easier access to the bush than Blue Gum Swamp in Winmalee,  as we can drive our car right up to practically where the flowers are blooming!

Well that is the end of our trip to Hawkesbury Lookout.  I'm so glad we made the journey, down the road, to this little priceless bit of  Australian bushland, virtually on our doorstep!

Hawkesbury Lookout

Hawkesbury Heights

While driving up the bends from the Hawkesbury region today, we stopped at Hawkesbury Lookout.  This lookout is a great introduction to the feeling of being in the Blue Mountains and having the first experience of looking down from a height.  The Lookout is at the top of the Hawkesbury Bends which provides an alternative route up the Mountains via Hawkesbury Road.

Hawkesbury Lookout offers scenic views over the Cumberland Plain and the Sydney Basin and, on a clear day, views to Sydney.  This gently sloping grassy lookout is bordered by tall trees and there are picnic tables and seats placed where you can soak up the view, while having a snack or a bite to eat.  We often pass this Lookout on our frequent trips down to Yarramundi and Richmond, but it was nice to re-acquaint ourselves with this familiar landmark.

There are two parts to this Lookout.  The first part comprises the actual Lookout with views over the surrounding countryside.  The second part is across the road where there is space to drive in and park your car, picnic sheds, a toilet block and little tracks to walk into the bush.

A view over an area that is being developed into lakes and parks.  This is an area that for more than 30 years has been sandblasted and heavily quarried, but is now moving into the next stage that will see the end of quarrying.   The Nepean River is in the foreground.

 The Lookout area has been landscaped with an obelisk in the centre, indicating various points of interest.  I forgot to look at this obelisk and suspect the compass points are no longer visible.

 Looking down over some farming countryside.  The purple flowering trees are Jacarandas, in full bloom at this time of year.  The dominant trees in this landscape are Grey Box, Forest Red Gum and Ironbark.  The Jacarandas are not native trees, but I think they look so pretty.

The Nepean River, narrowly winding its' way through the Fraser Gorge at the foot of the Mountains until it meets two other rivers at the confluence at Yarramundi.

Farm land surrounding the Lakes.  I think it will be great when the landscaping of this area has been completed, because there will be parks and nature reserves available for people to visit.

Catastrophic Day

Sydney - Kingsford             
          
On Tuesday 12 November, 2019 the Sydney Weather Bureau issued a catastrophic weather warning, advising all residents in the greater Sydney area of severe bushfire conditions.  We live in the Blue Mountains in the outer west of Sydney and the whole Mountains area is within a National park with bushland virtually on everyone's back door.  The Rural Fire Service Blue Mountains chief David Jones, urged Mountains residents to consider leaving their homes to avoid the predicted catastrophic fire conditions.   Our family was greatly concerned for our safety, so a scheme was hatched whereby our son and his partner would come and pick up a suitcase from our place containing clothes, important documents etc. and transport it down to their Unit at Wentworth Point, a much safer position located on Homebush Bay on the Parramatta River.

As I had a doctor's appointment that day in Kingsford, the plan was that we would go down to Sydney on the train, catch the bus out to Kingsford and then after my appointment, travel back to Central and if the trains were no longer running back to the Mountains, because of fires, then we would telephone our son who would pick us up from Strathfield and drive us back to his Unit at Wentworth Point where we could stay until it was safe to return.  This was an excellent plan and I was confidently able to inform our friends that we had an evacuation plan and would be safe.

It was an extremely hot day and we set off in our car to drive to Springwood Station where we would leave our car and catch a train down to Sydney.  There were plenty of car spaces in the car park, as most commuters had taken the day off, in order to protect their properties, or else carry out their own evacuation plans.  Our train was practically empty and we were the only people in our carriage for most of the journey, until it reached Parramatta.  

When we arrived at Central, we had morning tea at 2000 Acres the new cafe on the Central Grand Concourse.  The cafe inside was pleasantly air-conditioned, whereas outside on the Concourse it was very hot.

We saw many of the new Sydney trams doing trial runs along the tram tracks both in the city and in the Eastern suburbs.  They are being tested carrying sandbags as passengers, so the drivers can get used to driving the trams full of passengers. 



After our return to Sydney we noted that the trains were indeed still running up to the Mountains, so we decided to catch a train back to Springwood, pick up our car from the station and return home.  The weather was extremely hot and the air thick with smoke haze, but no fires had been reported near us. The Rural Fire Service had done an excellent job in keeping us safe and all the fires under control.  Maybe the catastrophic weather warning was a little bit extreme, but most people can remember the bushfires in Winmalee in 2013 when over 200 homes were lost, so I think the RFS did the right thing in keeping us safe, rather than sorry!

 

Bathurst - continued

Beekeepers Inn, Vittoria

After leaving Abercrombie House last Thursday, we drove on in the bus to Vittoria, on the outskirts of Bathurst to have a delicious lunch at The Beekeepers Inn.   The Restaurant & Cafe is licenced to serve local wines, ciders and 1859 brand beer.  The meal consisted of contemporary Australian cuisine using seasonal produce and ingredients.  The Inn was originally a Cobb & Co. stopover.  It was built in 1859 and is now a tourist destination operated by the Lockwood family.  There is also a farm shop attached to the cafe with a range of local and regional quality foods.  There is also a unique range of Goldfields varietal honeys available for tasting and purchase in the farm shop.  Through a glass window we could watch the live bee display as the bees brought nectar back to the hive. 

The sign on this building said The Beekeepers Inn, but I think it may just be an old shed on the property that has been converted into a museum with a collection of Australiana from the days of Cobb & Co. and the gold rush days.  I didn't take a look inside as I was more interested in inspecting the large range of Irises on display in the adjoining Iris Farm.

There is an Iris Farm on the property called  Antonia's Irises.  Here they grow Bearded Irises on site and the early varieties were in full flower.  There were many different varieties and colours.  This one was called DeLovely.  The names of all the irises were displayed at the end of each bed.

Many geese, ducks and other waterfowl were wandering around the dam on the property.

After leaving The Beekeepers Inn, we drove back to Bathurst and did a lap on the Racing Circuit at Mount Panorama.  The Bathurst 1000 Motor Race is held here in October every year.

A view from the top of Mount Panorama on the racing circuit.  Our driver stopped the bus, so we could get out and take photographs from on top of the Mountain.

We then drove back into the township of Bathurst.

All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Bathurst.  We stopped for a little while here, but disappointingly, we could not see inside the Church, as it was locked. 

Opposite the Cathedral is a beautiful Park named Kings Parade containing the War Memorial Carillion which is a memorial to the soldiers who lost their lives in the two World Wars.

We left Bathurst about 3.30pm to head back to the Blue Mountains and home after a great day out.

Bathurst

Abercrombie House, Bathurst

Yesterday we travelled to Bathurst and visited Abercrombie House.  Abercrombie House is a country family mansion, in the Victorian Tudor style, built of granite stone with sandstone dressing to the quoins and window surrounds.  It sits high on a hill, with a panoramic view overlooking a broad landscape.  The house has a prominent, stepped and gabled slate roof with traceried windows and an octagonal spire and stone balustrade porch.  It was built by the Stewart family, who were Bathurst pioneers.  William Stewart was the Lieutenant Governor General of New South Wales and was granted the land in Bathurst as a reward for doing his job well.

 

Abercrombie House is of great historical significance and is listed on the National Trust Register, the New South Wales Heritage Register and the Australian Heritage Database.  There are two storeys and an attic floor.  The building's most striking feature is its array of curvilinear parapeted gables, topped by iron finials.

The 50 acre land and house is currently owned by the Rex Henry Morgan family.  Since 1969 the Morgan family has made major restorations to the house.  The house is currently occupied by Christopher Morgan and his family.  The young Christopher can remember when his family brought the house and growing up in this 50 room mansion.  Every room had to have a purpose and items of furniture were bought, at auction, to furnish the rooms.  There are many pianos throughout the house and even a pipe organ in the Gallery above the Dining Room.

This is the long wrap-around front verandah, where we sat at a table and enjoyed a lovely morning tea.  The floor is paved in a traditional design of  tessellated tiles.

 There are many unusual decorations on display throughout the house.  This Chinese Dragon was in the entrance hallway as we entered the house.  On the opposite wall was a wooden carved elephant.  It was a very hot day outside, but beautifully cool inside.

Part of the landscape from the front gate looking  towards Bathurst.  After we left Abercrombie House we set off to have lunch at the Beekeepers Inn  

Bowral

Corbett Gardens, Bowral

After leaving Camelot on Tuesday, we continued on to the Southern Highlands town of Bowral to see the Tulip display in Corbett Gardens.  Over 90,000 Tulip bulbs are mass planted to present a spectacular Spring display.  Corbett Gardens is a small public park at the entrance to Bowral where Tulip Time is an annual event.  This year the author of Mary Poppins, PL Travers (real name Helen Lyndon Goff) was a featured theme. The inspiration for writing the Mary Poppins stories came to the author whilst she was a teenager telling bed time stories to her younger sisters, when they lived in Bowral.

A beautiful garden bed filled with masses of Tulips.  This bed had mixed varieties.  On the left is the Senior Citizens Tea Rooms with tables and chairs spread out along the bank of the little stream, a perfect place to relax and enjoy the sunshine and flowers.

This magnificent Weeping Cherry Tree was in full bloom and looked amazing.  Many visitors were dressed in Spring fashions and National Costumes so they could pose to be photographed amongst the Tulips. 

Another view of the Gardens from beneath the Kanzan Cherry Tree.  There are many lovely old trees growing in the Gardens, including Japanese Maples, Red Oak, Maidenhair Tree, London Plane and Himalayan Cypress.

Mary Poppins ready to "take off" under her open  umbrella.  It is 85 years since PL Travers wrote about the perfect Nanny, Mary Poppins.

The chimney stacks forming the silhouette of Old London Town, part of the Mary Poppins theme.  Hamilton and Leen Van Der Mark Tulips are on display beneath the chimneys.

A lovely pot of pink Tulips along one of the pathways. There were many such pots placed around the Gardens with magnificent displays of the many varieties of Tulips.

We were lucky to have a bright sunny day to see the Tulips.

Camden

 A Place to Call Home

Did anyone ever watch A Place to Call Home a drama TV series on Channel 7?  Those of you who did, will remember the beautiful house featured in that series called Ash Park where the Bligh family lived.  Well yesterday Ken and I did a trip down to the Southern Highlands and on the way we called in at Camelot a grand house on the outskirts of Camden and, guess what folks?  This was Ash Park where the filming of this drama series took place.  There it was, in all its romantic glory.  Little turrets, chimney stacks, gables and balconies silhouetted against a backdrop of drop-dead gorgeous countryside.  It was just like a magical fairytale where, at any moment, I could picture Noni Hazlehurst, as Mrs Bligh, stepping down the front steps to greet us to her home!

Camelot was originally built in about 1883, although more likely to have been 1888.  It has 55 rooms and a network of long passageways, steeples, garrets and towers and many ornate fireplaces.  Some hundreds of thousands of bricks were used in the building and a reservoir was built on the hill and water pumped from the Nepean River.

This is the main entrance, front door and gravel driveway.  The actors in the television series all used this main entrance for their scenes in the show, arriving in the glamorous cars of the era.  The present owners of the house, Brendan Powers and his wife Rachel Powers. bought the property in 1999 and are lovingly restoring it to its original glory.

This is the beehive shaped Smokehouse, for smoking meat.  It has not been used for more than 50 years, but the owners now have plans to bring this back into production.  The house behind was built for the architect and builder to live in while Camelot was being built.  It is now just a shell inside, although the owners' son is slowly renovating it.

 A small corner inside the house showing an ornate Hall Stand and chaise lounge.  The distinctive arched windows are a feature of the architecture of the house.  The Architect was John Horbury Hunt and in his time was one of New South Wales' most brilliant architects.  He trained under the colony's leading architect, Edmund Blackett.  John Horbury Hunt arrived in Sydney in 1863 aged 24.  He was born in Canada.

A view from an upstairs verandah over the surrounding countryside.  The Razorback Range can be seen in the distance.

Camelot remains today much as it was more than 90 years ago.  An extra turret has been added since 1937 to enclose the upstairs sunroom.

Surveyor, John Oxley in the early days of British colonisation, received a 600 acre grant of land outside Camden where he built Kirkham, the site of today's Camelot.  The original Kirkham was demolished and in its place the present home was built.  The only Oxley building to survive today is the Kirkham Stables, built in 1816.

Yarramundi Reserve - Re-visited

South Side Lagoon

After lunch today we drove down to Yarramundi Reserve again.  We decided to do the short walk around the Southern Lagoon that we did not do three weeks' ago.  It was slightly overcast as we set off along the path through the Woods, but the sun soon came out and it became quite warm as we continued on our way.  This short walk soon petered out!   We came to a Notice announcing it was  private property and we were not allowed beyond the fence.  This was disappointing, as we were hoping to continue further.  Reluctantly, we turned around and walked back to the starting point and then walked a short distance along the longer track, that we did the other day.  We saw many different birds and had a great time trying to capture them on our cameras.  The little woodland birds were so quick, but we were happy to see a new bird for us, the Red-browed Finch.

Looking down the Nepean River from the confluence at Yarramundi Reserve.  Three Rivers meet at the Reserve.  The Grose River, the Hawkesbury River and the Nepean River.  

Here's the beginning of the walk through the Woods beside the Lagoon on the South side of Yarramundi Reserve.  It looked so promising at the start and the Woods looked dark and mysterious!  We saw some people fishing along the banks of the Lagoon.

 An old abandoned boat, looking the worse for wear, by the bank of the Lagoon.  I wonder what stories it could tell!  Who would leave a boat to rot by the river?

Here is one of the Red-browed Finch that we saw flitting through the undergrowth and on the path.  There were several of these birds, but they were so quick and hard to capture. The Red-browed Finch is most easily recognised by its bright redeyebrow, rump and beak, on an otherwise green and grey bird. Upperparts are olive green with grey underneath.

An Australian White Ibis on the banks of the River.  It was nice to see the Ibis in his natural environment and not scavenging around a rubbish bin in a suburban park!  They are called "bin chickens" in the city, where they are known for their scavenging habits.  They are great survivors and, as their natural Wetlands are slowly being denuded, they have acclimatised themselves to city living!

Our walk today was fairly short, but it was good to be out in the fresh air and enjoying the natural world.

Auburn - continued

Cherry Blossom Festival - continued

We spent a pleasant morning wandering around the Gardens.  While we were in the Japanese Garden, we saw several Peacocks strutting around and fanning out their magnificent tails.  I was thrilled to see these fantastic, colourful birds. We then made our way to a billabong, where we sat down on a park bench and watched the waterbirds gathered on a little island in the middle of the water.  By now it was after midday and we were beginning to feel hungry, so we made our way to the food stalls and bought some Japanese takeaway and then a cup of tea at another stall and sat down by the Pool of Reflection to have our lunch.

A beautiful Peacock strutting along the path, happy to mingle with the visitors.  These birds add an exotic touch to the Gardens.  The male Peacocks use their tails to perform mating rituals and courtship displays.

A Japanese Teahouse by the side of the Lake and jutting out over the water.  There were lots of little porthole windows where you could peek through and get a good view of the ducks and geese on the water.  The Teahouse made a nice little garden room with benches along the sides where you could rest or have a picnic.

A Dusky Moorhen walking around on the little island in the middle of the billabong.  There were lots of birds around the billabong and also up in the air and in the trees around the water.

Here is part of the waterfall at the far end of the Lake in the Japanese Garden.  We stood on a little decorative bridge, in front of the waterfall  and watched the water cascading down under the bridge and into the Lake. 

There were plenty of food stalls, selling mostly Japanese takeaway food.  We chose some delicious krispy chicken on satay sticks and also some prawn and vegetable gyozas.  There was also a kiosk selling tea and coffee.

After our lunch, we decided to catch the bus back to the station as the weather was becoming cold and a strong wind was blowing.  We were glad we had been able to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival and found it most entertaining.  The bus trip to and from the station was also interesting as we were able to see all the places that were so familiar to us after living for 28 years in Auburn.  It has certainly changed a lot since we left 17 years ago.