Cranebrook

 Mountain View Reserve

Last Sunday we visited a bushland reserve nestled on the outskirts of Cranebrook, just 5 minutes drive from our house.  It is on the traditional lands of the Darug people and is an easy 1.8 kilometre track with another steeper track leading up a hill to a lookout and viewing platform over the Penrith lakes and the Blue Mountains.

I was very keen to visit this bushland area and let that desire get in the way of common sense!  We chose an extremely hot day and, as most of the path is on a treeless plain with no shade cover, it didn't take long for us to start feeling the heat!  To make matters worse, it is a paved path which retains the heat from the sun that was beating down upon it.  The heat was bouncing back on to our bodies and in no time at all our faces began to look like bright red tomatoes!   

We had spotted this Reserve on our earlier Lakes Walk and I was keen to explore it.  However, I had tried to curb my excitement and refrained from suggesting to Ken that we do it in the hot Summer weather, mainly because there appeared to be no shade.  However, as rain was forecast in the coming days, curiosity got the better of me and, we decided to attempt the walk in the blazing heat of a hot Summer's day, before the Autumn rains set in.

Here is the start of  the Mountain View Reserve   containing bushland only found on the clay soils of the Cumberland Plain in Western Sydney.  It is set out on approximately 13 hectares of bushland and 8 hectares of wetland.  There are not many trees on the lower portions but higher up on the hill there are Grey Box Eucalypts and Forest Red Gums.

As we set off on the path, we saw the dirt bush track and steps leading up the hill to the lookout and viewing platform but decided to leave this for a cooler day.   It appeared to get very steep, but I'm sure the view over the Lakes and the Blue Mountains would be totally worth it!

There were many drawings etched into the pathway,  representing the local wildlife and plants of the area.  Also along the pathway were some stone benches and pillars with metal sculptures adorning the tops of the pillars.  Here is one with a Kingfisher holding a fish in its beak.

We came to a track leading to a  bird hide and  walked down this track, into the hide.  There were viewing windows in one side, with ledges to rest a camera or binnoculars to view the native birdlife.  The hide is close to Melaleucas, where finches and Cisticolas may be seen.  We didn't see any birds, so made our way back to the paved walkway.

We saw many wildflowers,  especially this purple flower, which was in abundance.  I used my Plant Identifier app and it described it as Purpletop vervain or Clustertop vervain.  It is a Verbena plant native to South America and the lavender flowers are perfumed.

There were also many native grasses including Kangaroo grass (Themeda australis).

I spotted this insect on a tree trunk and I think I have correctly identified it as the Botany Bay Diamond Weevil sometimes called the Diamond Beetle (Chrysolopus spectabilis).  It was discovered during James Cook's first voyage to Australia by the Naturalist Joseph Banks in 1770 and was one of the first insects to be described as native to Australia.  It is black with irregular blue spots and has a long snout.  It feeds on wattle trees.  

We kept a lookout for the endangered Spiked Rice-flower (Pimelea spicata) which we had read is found in the bushland in this Reserve.  It is very rare and is a protected plant under State and Federal law. 

We soon came to a track leading to the freshwater wetland which is an endangered ecological community and subject to periodic flooding.  It is located on low-lying parts of the floodplain.  Most of the time it lacks water and is dominated by dense grassland surrounding it.  The soil, rocks and plants act as natural filters for stormwater pollutants before the water flows on to the Penrith Lakes.  We thought we would feel a bit cooler in this area, but it was intensely hot and we felt suffocated by the grass and sedges arching above our heads as we walked along the path.  We could hear the buzzing of cicadas ringing in the air as we crossed a little bridge over a dry creek bed.  We could imagine, in wet times there would be water beneath the bridge and the sound of frogs croaking.

We continued along the path until we reached the end of the Reserve with an exit into Soling Crescent.  Here we noticed a sign warning people to beware of snakes in the Reserve.  

Across the road we noticed a fenced in wooded area with tables and chairs under shady trees.  We made our way to this area and saw a sign declaring it was a leash-off area for dogs.  We opened the gate to go  inside and sat down in a cool spot to have a drink of cold water which we had brought with us in our backpack.  We didn't see anyone exercising their dogs, probably much too hot!

After a short rest we walked back through the Reserve and returned to our car.  By this time we were exhausted and feeling very hot and sticky and glad of the cool air-conditioning in our car as we drove away.   We decided to come back again when the weather gets cooler as there is still much to explore and we wanted to look for the Spiked Rice Flower and do some bird watching!

Acknowledgments

1.  Brochure by Penrith City Council on Mountain View Reserve.

2.  Free Hikes & Bikes by Penrith City Council

3.  Picture This - Plant app.

4.  Fresh Air & Feathered Friends blog.

Waterside Estate, Cranebrook - continued

 Knot Street Lake

It was just what we needed;  a walk in nature.  It was Sunday afternoon and good to be outdoors and exploring another new lake, for us, in the Waterside Estate.  We parked the car in Knot Street and walked across the grass to the path around the Lake.  We stooped to pick up a handful of leaves lying on the ground and rubbed our fingers through them, just to get a feel for the natural environment.  I also ran my hands over the bark on several nearby trees, feeling the different textures. We admired the beautiful scenery around us and the splendid trees planted along the pathway and watched the antics of some Purple Swamphens strutting around on the shore of the Lake.  

At one end of the Lake is the Sanctuary Community Centre which is the Leisure Centre for Waterside residents.  There is a very nice swimming pool, a hall, children's playground and a tennis court which was being used on our visit.  It all looked very nice.  The residents of this community seem to be well catered for.  There was a notice advising that the hall can also be booked by the residents for private functions.

Across the Lake, on the other side, is a deck overlooking the Lake.  We walked across a wooden bridge to reach the deck, which housed a double-sided chair dedicated, in memorial, to a past citizen.  We sat there for a while, listening to the sound of water as it rose up like a fountain in the centre of the Lake and watched the tiny droplets, shimmer like diamonds, as they descended in a silver spray.  Now and then we saw a fish rise to the surface before diving below.  I saw a dragonfly, hover in mid air, before landing on a tall bullrush by the edge of the lake.  There is a gabion wall at the back of the deck, to stabilise the shoreline.  This provides a good home for lizards, ants and other insects amongst the nooks and crannies between the rocks in the wire crates.

The native fern Azolla is growing on the surface of the Lake.  It floats in a pink mass on top of the water by means of numerous small overlapping scale-like leaves, with their roots hanging in the water.  It  changes from green to pink in the sun.

A water spout in the middle of the Lake seems to be keeping the Azolla under control, as it ensures the water is constantly churned up and moving. The fern can grow very quickly.

Here is the swimming pool  in the Sanctuary Community Centre for the Waterside Estate.  It was a hot day in Summer, yet there was nobody in the pool!  I wonder why?

The Sanctuary Community Centre is situated at the far end of the Lake.  There were two people using the tennis court on our visit to the Centre, but no children in the playground.  It seems a shame if these facilities are not being used.

We noticed this beautiful flowering Gum tree in the front yard of a property in Knot Street facing the Lake.  The flowers are very pretty.  They look like little tutu skirts that the *Gumnut babies might wear.  Flowering gums are grafted Eucalyptus trees   They make great feature trees in small yards and attract nectar hungry birds.   

We enjoyed our walk around this small lake with many features to take our interest.   In future weeks we shall look for other Lakes to explore in Waterside Estate.

Acknowledgments

1.  Wikipedia (for information about Azolla)

2. Flower Power (for information about Eucalyptus trees)

3. *The Gumnut babies are Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, children's books written by May Gibbs and loved by generations of Australian children.

Waterside Estate, Cranebrook

 Kingfisher Park

It was a typically hot Summer's day in Penrith with the thermometer already climbing above thirty degrees Celsius.  The temptation to stay home in our cool air-conditioned Unit was high, but the desire to get out and do a bit more exploration of our new neighbourhood was greater.  After all, Waterside Estate was just a ten minute drive from our place and the delights of discovering new places to visit in this Lakeside Estate were irresistible.  We had already discovered the Lakes Walk and had walked around the first of the five Lakes, so this time we decided to look for Kingfisher Park along the shores of another Lake in the Estate.

It was a little bit tricky finding our way to this Park as I have not yet mastered how to use the GPS in my new car.  I  prefer to rely on the old-fashioned method of actually studying a map beforehand and working out how to get to my destination!  However, I did not have a map of this fairly new area, so I had to rely on Google maps on my mobile phone.  I find using my fingers to expand the map challenging, as I tend to lose sight of the street I am studying when my fingers enlarge it and it pivots out of control getting bigger and bigger until it disappears off the screen!  I managed to write down some rough directions on a piece of paper and handed it to Ken, who was acting as my navigator.  

Unfortunately, Ken found my directions a bit too rough so I had to pull over in the car every now and then in order to decipher my writing and work out what street was next.  Eventually we arrived in Avocet Court and saw a sign announcing it was indeed Kingfisher Park.

The heat hit us as we stepped out of our cool car, but we were excited to see what lay ahead.  There is a grassy area and children's playground facing the street, as well as a barbecue area and then a track leads down to a bridge crossing a lake.   

This is the sign Kingfisher Park on the corner of Avocet Court and Spinebill Place.   We could see the water of the Lake shimmering through the trees, as we walked down the leaf-strewn path towards the bridge.  We stopped to admire the views and then walked over to the other side of the Lake.

A number of water spouts are in the Lake which helps keep the water moving and controls the native red azolla from growing.  Azolla is a floating native fern growing on the water in the Lake.  It is  non toxic, but seems to grow quickly and changes green to red when exposed to the sun.

We saw this grand Australian Eastern Water Dragon moving along the shore of the Lake.  He had a very long tail which was far too long to fit in this photo!  We saw other lizards and many birds amongst the wildlife of the Lake and were happy to see the wildlife thriving.

Walking along the track, we had a good view of the Lake.  There are also plenty of seats along the track where people can rest and enjoy the scenery of this beautiful Park.  Down one end there is a pretty waterful where we saw more lizards.

Here are the houses along Waterside Boulevarde, across the bridge and on the other side of the Lake.  They are all modern two-storey homes with glorious views of the Lake.

We enjoyed our walk in Kingfisher Park and hope, in the coming weeks, to discover more Parks and nature reserves in the beautiful Waterside Estate, such a sparkling jewel in the crown of Sydney's western suburbs.

Acknowledgments

Donna Carroll -  Manager, Robinson Strata & Community Association 22.1.2015 (information on Red Azolla).