Cranebrook

 The Lakes Walk, Waterside Estate

On Sunday 16 January, Ken and I drove to Cranebrook and parked our car in Laycock Avenue to explore part of the Lakes Walk.  It turned out to be a much longer walk than we anticipated and we also managed to get lost!  The weather was very hot, over 30 degrees Celsius and foolishly we left our bottle of water in the car, so we were dehydrated and exhausted by the time we made it back.

The Lakes Walk is a leafy and shady track that meanders by the shores of five Lakes and waterways in the Waterside Estate at Cranebrook.   Waterside Estate is a new Lakeside neighbourhood in the heart of the Penrith Valley and not far from the International Regatta Centre, all very close to where we live.  After the heavy rain lately, excess run-off water has flowed into the Lakes.  This water is rich in nutrients which act as food for algae and parts of the Lakes are covered in Blue green algae.   Even though algae is an aquatic plant that occurs naturally in all aquatic habitats, this appeared to be out of control and parts of the Lakes looked as though grass was growing on the water.  

The first part of the walk was very pleasant, but then the track led us out on to a suburban road, which confused us.  The houses facing the Lake in this road are modern two-storey terrace style houses with nice gardens and lots of shady trees.  It did not look like a typical Australian suburban street, but the houses are probably architecturally designed with energy efficient solutions for living in the hot climate of Western Sydney.  It looked a nice place to live.  We turned right along the footpath, continuing over a road bridge to the other side of the first Lake and kept walking down the footpath.  We lost sight of the Lake, but hoped we would eventually come to a track we could follow to take us back there.  

The footpath suddenly came to an end with a barrier across it and beyond the barrier there was a grassy slope down to a road below.  I thought at this stage it might be best to try and retrace our steps, but Ken was keen to keep going forward and get down to the road.  We walked down the steep slope, which took us out on to a hot country road in a rural Cumberland Plain woodland where Grey Box Eucalypts and Forest Red Gums dotted the landscape.  We had obviously left the Waterside Estate and were lost!   

We were now both feeling very hot and dehydrated.  We wanted to sit down and looked around vainly for somewhere to rest!  Ken was very red in the face and I guess I must have looked the same to him.

We saw a young woman coming towards us as she walked her dog along the road, so we went and spoke to her.  

She was friendly and helpful in providing directions that would get us back on track to the Lakes Walk.  However, she said her car was parked nearby and she offered to drive us back to our car.  I was certainly tempted by her kind offer, but we declined as her dog was not very happy at having his walk interrupted.  He was whining and refusing to turn around and walk back to the car.  I took pity on the poor animal, as he was missing a hind leg and the walk was probably the highlight of his day!   We assured the woman we would be OK once we were back on the shady lakes walk.

We thanked her and said good-bye, then walked down the road until we came to the track she had pointed out to us.  It was good to get out of the sun and back into the shady tree lined Lakes Walk.   This final walk took us longer than expected and I was wishing we had accepted the woman's kind offer of a lift, but eventually we  made it to the point where we had entered thus completing our circumnavigation of that first Lake.  

This bridge was the first one we crossed, after we entered the Lakes area from Laycock Avenue.

There were several water spouts in the Lakes, which look very pretty and assist  in keeping the water moving.  They also provide algae control.

Here is a crop of blue green algae growing on the surface of the water.  Exposure to blue green algae can cause skin and eye irrations in people who are sensitive.  However, I'm sure nobody would want to swim in the Lakes during an algae infestation.

This young Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) was very friendly and came right up to us.  Obviously, some of the birds are used to getting scraps of food from people passing by.  However, there were signs up requesting people not to feed the wildlife.

The Lakes are a very peaceful spot and a cool retreat on such a hot day.

By the time we finally made it back to our car, we were dry in the mouth and gasping for a cold drink of water.  We had left a bottle of water in a cooler bag in the car, so thankfully, we had a nice cool drink to quench our thirst and revive us! 

We decided next time to make sure we were better equipped for walking and carry backpacks containing essential items such as water, snacks, cameras and first aid kit.  We had not expected the walk to take so long.

We shall be back as there are more Lakes and parks to explore in this area.

Acknowledgments

1.  NSW Government Blue Green Algae Fact Sheet.

2.  Waterside Your New Home by the Water.  Stockland.

 

Cranebrook

 Grey Gums Oval, Cranebrook

On Sunday 9 January we set out to explore a little bit more of our new neighbourhood.  We drove to Grey Gums Oval in Cranebrook, not far from our home and parked the car at the entrance to the Oval on Grey Gums Road.  We then walked past the grandstand, down the hill to an area set aside for the newly created wildflower meadow.  

Penrith local City Council was granted funds under the NSW Government's Greening the Great West Walk Programme and they have used these funds to create a temporary wildflower meadow called "Let it Bee".  The project has been designed to improve the inferior clay soil so that 78 new trees can ultimately be planted.  These trees will boost canopy cover and help in reducing temperatures along the Walk by creating some welcome shade. They will also provide shelter for local wildlife and help enhance biodiversity.  The Great West Walk is a 65 km walk from Parramatta to the base of the Blue Mountains.  

Here is the path inside the gate.  As the gate was locked we left the car on the grass beside the entrance to the Oval.  Maybe the gate is kept locked on days when there are no sporting events taking place, but it was a shame we couldn't drive in and park in the car park.

There were beautiful flowers growing in the wildflower meadow including Bulbine bulbosa, Calotis lappulacea, Pultenaea villosa and Wahlenbergia. These flower species have adapted to Penrith's soils, temperatures and climate over millions of years.   

One of the many bee "hotels" set up in the wildflower gardens.  We saw many butterflies and birds flying amongst the flowers whilst we were there.  These bee hotels provide fun for the children and are also an educational experience.

The flowers will be cultivated back into the soil next May 

This is the area set aside for the wildflower meadow.  In the middle there is the framework of a bee and flower seeds have been planted in it.  There were park benches placed along the pathways where you can sit and enjoy the gardens. 

Seeds from the flowers will be collected for propagation in Council's nursery.

There were many Ibis birds gathered on the Oval.  After the recent rain, the Oval was quite wet with lots of pools of water and this obviously was an attraction for these waterbirds.  From a distance it looked as though the Oval was covered with a flock of sheep!

We enjoyed our time spent in the wildflower meadow.  I was pleased that our local Council is environmentally conscious and involved in a programme to improve our local area and, at the same time, educate the population about climate change and what can be done about it.  Over the coming Summer weeks, we hope to explore a little bit more of our new neighbourhood.  I am especially keen to explore a little bit more of the Penrith Lakes area.

Acknowledgements

1.  Inside Local Government.

2.  Penrith City Council

3.  Australasian Leisure Management

4.  The Western Weekender.