We finish the visit by climbing up to the top of the headland, where we got spectacular 360 degree views. The view south was particularly good. We could see down Dee Why Beach to the lagoon…
And beyond to Manly and North Head.
Long Reef – Photography
We walked further along the headland, and I wasn’t the only one who was trigger happy that day.
Long Reef – Fossil
The great thing about such an ancient sedimentary layer being preserved is that you also have a good chance of finding fossils from the era. We found a few that day, mostly of bits of ferns and leaves from the Triassic age, however this one looks to be of a flower.
Long Reef – Layer Upon Layer
Apart from the investigating the marine life, we had a look at the geology of the headland. As you can see, it’s made up of layers of sediment. My resident geologist (ie. BB) told me that these cliffs were formed during the Triassic age, before the time of the dinosaurs who dominated during the Jurassic age. It is even older than the Hawkesbury Sandstone layer that makes up much of the Sydney Basin, so when you’re gazing at this cliff face you’re really looking at history.
Long Reef – Blue-Ringed Octopus
There is a wealth of marine life to be had. Most are to be found hiding underneath rocks and in the multitude of pools. Many are friendly, but always be careful, because some aren’t when roused.
This little blue-ringed octopus was in its hiding hole but the blue-ringed tentacles immediately blazed when roused. Dangerous, but beautiful all the same.
Long Reef – Low Tide
And now for something different! Being from the south side of Sydney, I rarely go to the north side, however a few weeks ago I did have the opportunity to explore Long Reef. This is a headland between Dee Why and Collaroy beaches that is characterised by claystone cliffs, a golf course, and an extensive rock platform.
It was very low tide when we visited, hence we saw the rock platform exposed in all its glory.
Towards Collaroy Beach.
The rock platform.
A Floral Interlude
That’s enough food for a little while at least. Hope everyone had a celebratory Easter. It’s all about resurrection and new life, and what can be more apt than celebrating with a spectacular bromeliad flower from BB’s Central Coast garden.
Favourite Feeds – Yum Cha
Living in Sydney, one starts to take good, cheap yum cha for granted. Yum cha is the Cantonese ceremony of taking tea and snacks while gathering with family. In Sydney it’s no longer only Chinese families that gather for yum cha but literally everyone, judging by the clientele of a typical Chinatown establishment on a Sunday.
There isn’t any ceremony when I go though. My parents not actually liking this style of food my visits are usually with friends or work colleagues, and these visits most resemble feeding frenzies as we greedily sample plate after plate off the passing carts until everyone’s hunger is sated. And my favourites are the more traditional steamed dumplings and rice noodle dishes, especially those that contain whole prawns, like the one below. It is simply prawns, wrapped in delicate sheets of rice noodles, finished with soy and peanut oil.
Favourite Feeds – Minestrone Soup
It’s far from winter at the moment, but it is raining cats and dogs outside. Perfect soup weather, and a satisfying soup to make and eat is minestrone. For me it really consists of whatever vegetables I have at hand, plus pulses and pasta. For an indulgence you can add sausages, but the one below are simply the basics, brought together by beef stock and tomatoes. Yum.
Favourite Feeds – Teriyaki Salmon
It’s a wonder that I haven’t posted a Japanese dish yet because Japanese is one of my favourite cuisines. And it’s not all about raw fish or zany chefs throwing food at you. Remember that Japanese food is one of the most refined cuisines in the world. That said, Teriyaki Salmon isn’t refined. More… homely to me. Forget about the store-bought sauces. They’re not the real deal. You’ll get a more fresher, authentic sauce if you make it yourself. Strangely enough, this dish has a shorter ingredients list than a stir-fry. It consists of:
– soy sauce
– sugar
– rice wine vinegar
– mirin (a Japanese sweet rice wine available at most supermarkets)
Here’s a good recipe to follow.
Served with steamed rice and a few greens, you’ve got a super quick mid-week meal.
Static and Silence 