Yarramundi

Flood damage at Yarramundi

To-day Ken and I drove down to the Southern side of Yarramundi Reserve, one of our favourite places, as we wanted to escape from our self-imposed isolation, due to the corona virus outbreak. 

Yarramundi Reserve is a place for public recreation and environmental protection and is located at the confluence of the Grose, Hawkesbury-Nepean Rivers.  It is a place we often visit as we particularly like to photograph the birdlife in the area. 

We were shocked to see the devastation of this beautiful area caused by the recent floods a few weeks' ago.  We saw whole trees uprooted and lying on their sides and lots of debris lying scattered around the area. We were prevented from progressing any further at one point on the track, due to a trickle of water, too wide for us to traverse and had to be content to just look and see beyond this point.  It was heartbreaking to see many magnificent trees completely uprooted and we feel it may take many years for this area to completely recover from the impact of this destruction.

Here was a tree uprooted by the floodwaters and lying across the track at a precarious angle.  It was terrible to see trees in this state.  The force of the water must have been very strong to cause whole trees to be uplifted. 

We came to this point on the track where the water had created too large a channel for us to traverse. We turned back and went for a walk around the other side of the Southern lagoon where we saw further devastation.  Trees and branches were lying across the path and we had to pick our way carefully around the obstructions.

Here is the Yarramundi Bridge across the river and, at the height of the floods, this bridge was impassable due to the high water level.  When this happens, a flood notice is placed on a signpost along Hawkesbury Road, at Winmalee on the opposite side across from our house.  This is to warn motorists that the bridge at Yarramundi is closed to all traffic.

Some of the debris caused by the recent floodwaters inundating this area.  This picture was taken on the track around the other side of the Lagoon.  We could see, from marks on trees, that the height the floodwaters reached was well above our heads and it was hard to imagine the area being completely under water!


"During the beginning of last century, sand was mined from this area to meet the demand for high quality river sand for public buildings, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Sand and gravel continued to be extracted until 1989.  The extraction activities have altered the landform of the Reserve.  The large lagoon on the Southern side of the Reserve is a flooded former excavation pit and now a refuge for many species of birdlife." (www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au)

The Reserve is prone to flooding and I can remember other times when this area has been damaged by flooding.  In time, it will recover and I guess, when you put it in perspective, it is a natural occurrence.








                                                                                         

Penrith

East Bank, Tench Reserve, Penrith

On 12 March we drove down to one of our favourite spots, mamely Tench Reserve situated along the Nepean River at Penrith.  We took a picnic lunch with us, but noticed since we had last visited this Park, a great new Restaurant Precinct had sprung up along the Great River Walk near the boarding spot for the Nepean Belle Riverboat.  It was a surprise to see such a great complex of restaurants, cafes, bars and other eateries in one of our favourite haunts and, we decided that next time we would ditch the idea of having a picnic and head for one of these great new eateries for lunch.

Nonetheless, it was still very nice to sit outside in one of the picnic sheds and enjoy our picnic lunch and, at the same time, admire the beautiful scenery along the river.  It was a lovely sunny day and quite hot for Autumn.  Unfortunately, whilst eating our lunch I had a violent attack of hiccups and burst a blood vessel in my right eye, causing me some distress, as my eye became very bloodshot and rather sore.  However, we finished our picnic and continued to walk along the path, looking for birds to photograph and I enjoyed the rest of the day, despite the discomfort of my eye.

This was near our picnic shelter and a similar shelter can be seen in this photo.  There are also barbecues available.  There are many lovely trees in the park with great habitat for the birds. 

 A view of the river through the trees.  It is not possible to walk along the bank, as there is not enough level land beside the river as it rises steeply in parts.  There were many ducks and water birds near the water's edge.  I saw a Little Black Cormorant sitting on a branch, drying his wings.

Here is a view of the new East Bank Restaurant Precinct along the Great River Walk and along the Eastern bank of the Nepean River.  It is 8 minutes from the CBD of Penrith.  It is situated down the far end of the Reserve and near the bridge on the M4 motorway.

Here is another one of the Restaurants in the Complex.  There is also Goji Bar and Restaurant a fusion of flavours from across Asia, Maldini's Cafe and Pizzeria with alfresco Italian dining, Tella Balls Dessert Bar and Onshore Sea food selling fresh seafood and juicy burgers.

The Lone Star Rib House will be opening shortly and there is also Riverbank Wine Bar   There are so many choices and I think it will be a wonderful boost for this popular spot by the River.

The Coffee Club.  This is one of the Restaurants I would like to try.  There is one in Westfield at Penrith which we have been to many times and it is one of our favourites.


I think the East Bank Restaurant Precinct is a wonderful addition to this popular area and has brought a touch of a cosmopolitan lifestyle to the suburbs of outer Western Sydney, similar to other waterside complexes in other cities.