Parramatta

Parramatta Park, Parramatta

Last Saturday we attended a family celebration at Lachlan Restaurant in the grounds of Old Government House in Parramatta Park.  This Restaurant, set within the grounds of the most important National Trust House in Australia, is a great place for special celebrations.  We sat at a table on the long vine covered verandah and enjoyed a delicious lunch overlooking the sandstone courtyards and low English hedges at the back of the old house.   

We took a walk after lunch to view some of the various historic landmarks in the Park.  The Park is over 160 years' old and was gazetted as a public park in 1858.  The Darug people were the traditional owners of the land before it was a park.  The present parklands comprise 85 hectares and straddles the Parramatta River on the western edge of the Central Business District.  It is a beautiful recreational space and a great place for the local Parramatta community to gather.  There are wide open spaces for picnics and play areas for games while there are gardens, waterways, remnant bushland and paths for walking and admiring the idyllic beauty of the parklands.  There is also an amphitheatre where concerts and music festivals are held.

Old Government House is the oldest surviving public building in Australia.  It is a two storey Georgian House built in 1799 and completed in 1818.  Little of an original sandstone cottage built in 1790 remains and what we see to-day are the later additions.   It was the country residence of the first ten Governors of New South Wales and the permanent home of Governor Lachlan Macquarie and Mrs. Macquarie.  This elegant Georgian House was built by convicts and is heritage listed

The Boer War Memorial was erected in 1904 to commemorate Australia's involvement in its first overseas military engagement.  The first of Australia's troops to arrive in Africa in 1899 to take part in the Boer War came from the Lancer Barracks, Parramatta.  There are two Georgian cannons standing alongside the Memorial   The Memorial comprises four fluted sandstone Doric columns bearing entablature blocks and cornice all standing on a sandstone base and paved area surrounded by a wrought iron fence.  There is a nine-pound field gun mounted on top of the structure.

The Bath House was completed in 1823 for Governor Brisbane.  It was designed by two colonial architects, Francis Greenway and Standish Harris.It contains archaeological remains related to a pumping system which brought water to the building from the Parramatta River and heated it as well.  

These gates (on the right) stand at the entrance to Old Government House.  We walked along the driveway taking a peek inside the entrance foyer of the house.  On this occasion we did not have time to do a tour of the house.

Old Government House is an elegant Georgian House overlooking the Parramatta River.  It is heritage listed and owned by the National Trust.  It contains furniture, textiles and homewares from the time of the Governors.  It is open again to the public from Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 4 pm.

The Boer War Memorial stands in a prominent position on the ridgeline in the Park looking towards the CBD.    It is a comparatively rare Memorial to the Boer War which was the first overseas engagement of troops representing a federated Australia.  A symbolic broken column stands within the four Doric columns.  

The Governor's Bath House was built in 1823 for Governor Brisbane as he wanted a private place  to have warm baths to assist in the treatment of his war wounds.  He served under the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War of 1812.  In 1886 the Bath House was converted into a Pavilion, as it stands today.

The high rise skyline of Parramatta.

I took this photo from Old Government House looking down the Park towards the CBD of Parramatta where there are many high rise buildings being erected.

The City of Parramatta is forging ahead in its development and the boundaries of the CBD are being expanded.   It is currently a construction hotspot with major infrastructure projects taking place.  The heights of residential and commercial buildings are being increased to enable the construction of an estimated 12,000 new dwellings over the next 40 years.  

It has changed a lot since we left the district twenty years ago.  

Acknowledgments

1.  council@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au (information about development of Parramatta)

2.  warmemorialsregister.nsw.gov.au (information about Memorial)

3.  National Trust NSW (information about Old Government House)

4.  parrapark.com.au (information about Bath House)

Bathurst

 Bathurst

On Sunday we joined the Travel Club for a much anticipated coach tour to Bathurst.  The weather was disappointing and rained for most of the day.  This was our first long trip since the intervention of Covid and the first trip for the Travel Club in two years, since the pandemic began.  It was therefore a big disappointment that the windows in the bus were fogged up for most of the trip and the journey up the Blue Mountains was in heavy fog and little better when we drove down the Victoria Pass to the Western plains beyond.  However, it was nice to be out and about again and exploring a bit more of New South Wales.

It is a few years since we were last in Bathurst, but it was nice to be back again and see that everything looked much the same.  Not much has changed in the main street, but probably a little more development has taken place around the railway area and around the Rail Museum where we were headed.  The Museum is housed in an extension of the Railway Institute building which also holds a scale model of the Main West railway from Tarana to Bathurst during the 1950's and 1960's and is complete with operating model trains.   

Bathurst is a railway town and the completion of the railway between Sydney and Bathurst over mountainous country in 1876, was hailed as a marvel of engineering and opened up trade in the developing colony of New South Wales.  

The Bathurst Railway Station is a heritage listed High Victorian Gothic building built in 1876.  It has Dutch gables topped with finials, bay windows and a cast iron verandah.   There is still a regular daily train service to Bathurst.

Locomotive 5112 is on display outside the Railway Station.  It was driven by Ben Chifley, when he was an engine driver, before becoming Prime Minister from 1945 to 1949.  Ben Chifley was born in Bathurst and did courses at the Bathurst Railway Institute.  

The Station Master's Residence is a grand two-storey brick house built around 1876 in the Gothic Revival style.  

The slate roof has been restored which will help it to survive for many more years.

Cambria Terrace.  This lovely old row of Terrace houses is in Havannah Street.  It was built prior to 1882, after the Gold Rush days.  

I like the wrought iron balustrades on the upstairs balconies.

War Memorial Carillon with memorial to Surveyor Evans in foreground.  I took this photo under cover from the rain across the road looking into King's Parade.  

The Carillon has 35 bells and was built in 1933 as a memorial to the men of Bathurst and surrounding District who served in the First World War.   I think there are plaques honouring other wars.  The doors around the base lead to an interior featuring an eternal flame.  However, I am not sure whether this flame is still in existence.

St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church.  This Gothic red brick church was built in 1872.  It was designed by Sydney architect Thomas Rowe and built by James Douglas.  

It was too wet to get any closer to this church so I took the photo standing under an awning on the other side of the street.

We had lunch at Jack Duggans Irish Pub in George Street where I had a traditional Irish Stew which was simply delicious.  Ken had Fried Liver and Bacon with onion gravy, which he couldn't resist, as it was a favourite meal when he lived in Liverpool in the UK many years' ago. 

After lunch, we had a short time to wander around taking photographs of historical buildings.  I would have liked to visit All Saints Anglican Cathedral, but there was no time as we had to leave on the bus for the journey home. 

We had a great day, despite the terrible weather. 

Acknowledgements

1.  Wikipedia (information about Ben Chifley)

2.  NSW War Memorial Register (information about Carillon)

3.  The Experience Heritage Bathurst brochures series produced by National Trust Bathurst.

Emu Plains

 Emu Hall, Emu Plains

After the deluge of rain in recent weeks, the sun finally made an appearance last Thursday.  It was too good an opportunity to miss, so we decided to go and check out our local Nepean River to see if its level had subsided.   There has been widespread flooding of areas around Penrith caused by the Warragamba Dam overflowing into the swollen Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers,  flooding the low lying land along the river banks.  

We drove in our car to Memorial Avenue and parked near the beginning of the walk to the Yandhai Crossing which is the footbridge over the river.  There is a lot of building work going on around this area due to the new Log Cabin Hotel being rebuilt on the banks of the River.  We safely negotiated the construction site and reached the entrance to the bridge where we noted that the level of the river was pretty much back to normal.  There was evidence of damage to the banks of the river with a lot of vegetation debris hanging around and piles of dirt and mud.  The river itself looked very muddy.

It was a nice, sunny afternoon and very hot as we walked over the bridge.  We noticed that Emu Hall, which is now a Restaurant on the Emu Plains side of the bridge, seemed to have new car parks surrounding it, so we decided to investigate further.   When we reached the other side of the river we left the bridge and walked down a path that led to the grand entrance gates to Emu Hall.  We walked through the entrance and and took a stroll around the gardens and grounds of the building.  Emu Hall is now much more accessible with plenty of parking for visitors.  There is also a cafe, bar, beer garden as well as the Restaurant.

We decided to pop in for a cool drink and were shown to a table on the verandah.  It was lovely sitting there in the shade, enjoying our drink.

Billionaire, Arthur Laundy is spending $35 millon redeveloping the Log Cabin Hotel.  The old Log Cabin Hotel was destroyed by fire several years' ago.  

There will be indoor and outdoor bars and dining areas overlooking the Nepean River.  It will be a feature of the Great River Walk.

The Yandhai Crossing, a footbridge over the Nepean River.  This is a popular bridge and there are many alcoves and lookouts along the way to gaze out over the river.

I love the modern architecture of the bridge and how it is a complete contrast to the old Victoria Bridge alongside it.

The Nepean River is very muddy after the recent flooding of the river.  We could see lots of damage to the river banks and uprooted trees and loose branches strewn in the water.  However, the water level now seems back to normal.

Historic Emu Hall, gaily festooned with fairy lights for night dining.  

This historic homestead has been refurbished into a modern 21st century setting while maintaining its remarkable features, including cast-iron lacework and large French windows and doors that open onto a beautiful garden.

We sat out on this side verandah sipping our cool  Iced Chocolates.  The verandah was the ideal shady place to sit on a hot afternoon.  It was very pleasant.

We looked in at some of the beautiful original indoor rooms which are now dining areas, furnished with modern decor. 

Here is the Victoria Bridge built in 1862-1867 which carries two lanes of the Great Western Highway and alongside it is a later bridge built in 1907 to carry the western railway line up and over the Blue Mountains.  

The M4 Motorway bridge further down the River is now the main arterial road up the Mountains.

Acknowledgments

1.  realcommercial.com.au article by Lisa Allen (information about Log Cabin Hotel).

2.  emuhall.com.au (information about Emu Hall)

3.  Wikipedia (information about Victoria Bridge).

Glenbrook

 Art Exhibition in the Community Hall

On Sunday we drove up to Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains to visit The Nepean Art Society's Summer Exhibition in the local Community Hall.  This Exhibition is popular with the local community and also collectors, as there are many gift items as well as paintings for sale.  The Nepean Art Society was formed in 1967 by a small group of local artists and continues to be a vibrant Society today with over 150 members.

Glenbrook is located 63 kilometres west of Sydney at an elevation of 163 metres and has a population of over 5,000 people. Glenbrook is over the Nepean River and at the top of Lapstone Hill.  It is a lovely little township, conveniently located just off the Great Western Highway, with many trendy cafes and boutiques along its main street.  There is also an entrance road, through the township, into the Blue Mountains National Park.

 

Along the Highway, before entering the town, there is a great Visitor Information Centre. 🠊 

It also stocks maps, books and a good range of gift ideas.  The staff are very helpful and they were able to give me information regarding the closure of the road in the Blue Mountains National Park due to floooding of the causeway during recent rain.  We are hoping to explore this region soon.

🠈 The Community Hall, where the art exhibition took place, is behind this stone wall.  The Glenbrook Cinema is also here, alongside the Community Hall.  

The wall announces that Glenbrook is the gateway to the Blue Mountains.

This oil painting is titled "Silverton". 🠊

Silverton is a small town in the far west of New South Wales and 26 kilometres north-west of Broken Hill.  

Silverton has attracted artists, photographers and cinematographers for many years due to its stunning landscape and superb light.  

Silverton thrived back in the late 1800's during the Gold rush days.

🠈"On the Murray (Barham NSW)".  Barham is a small town on the banks of the Murray River.  It  is a pretty town surrounded by rich river flats.

From the early 1870's timber cutters began to set up camps and log the River Red Gums that grow in the surrounding forests.  Koondrook, on the Victorian side, developed more quickly than Barham and soon became the centre of a large forest industry with the timber being used to build boats and paddle steamers.

 

One of my favourite birds is the Pelican and I think this is a lovely painting of a Pelican.🠊

I have seen Pelicans in the Nepean and Hawkesbury regions.  They are large water birds characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before swallowing.  Their plumage is mostly white.

 

🠈"A view from Streeton Lookout" at Freeman's Reach, New South Wales overlooking the Hawkesbury River with views from the edge of the escarpmnt over the Richmond Lowlands and looking towards the Blue Mountains.

This is a popular spot where local artists gather to paint or sketch the landscape from this historic location.

The lookout is named after Sir Arthur Streeton (1867 - 1943).  Sir Arthur visited the Hawkesbury in 1896 and it was here that he painted some of Australia's most famous paintings.

We have an oil painting called Hawkesbury River which we purchased in recent years and it looks very much like this painting.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was painted from this same lookout. 

These are just a small selection of the many outstanding paintings at the Exhibition that took my fancy.  Despite the rain over the 3 days of the Exhibition I believe it was their most successful Exhibition ever with sales of  oils, water colours, pastels, acryllics, pen and ink, paper toille, sculptures and gift cards.

Acknowledgments

1.  Silverton destination brokenhill.com.au

2.  Wikipedia (information about Barham)

3.  Australian Bird Life (information about Pelicans)

4.  Hawkesbury People and Places (information about Streeton Lookout)

5.  Nepean Art Society Facebook page.

 

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).