Unlike Adelaide and Melbourne, Sydney is rather bereft of long jettys like this one in Port Noarlunga, just outside of Adelaide. It’s a historical jetty, but one that is obviously well maintained. I like how the water is turquoise, and the planks and piers roughly weathered and mangled by shellfish.
On a Sunday morning, the jetty is a hive of activity with fisher-people, walkers, and in the water, divers, even on a cold, June day.
While scoffing a bottle of D’Arenberg GSM the other day, I was reminded of my long weekend in Adelaide, four years ago now. A group of us from Sydney stayed at KK’s place near McLaren Vale. We had met through the C19 forum, drawn together by our love of period dramas and good wine. Yes, they do go together superbly, especially on a cold winter’s day. We’d tasted some great wines that weekend, from both the Barossa and McLaren Vale. KK was a superb host, and although our group has drifted apart since then, I still have fond memories of that long weekend in the Vale.
I’ve never had a dog. As a kid, whenever I asked my parents for one, the answer I inevitably got was, “Are you going to feed it, walk it, wash it, play with it, pick up its poo every single day?”
“Why? Aren’t you going to help?” I asked.
“No, since it’ll be your dog.”
Being an extremely pragmatic child, I wasn’t going to all the trouble of doing everything, even if it was the cutest dog in the world. So my childhood passed without a dog; in fact, without any pets at all, and this state of petlessness was sustained into adulthood.
But things change. I’ve now discovered the joys of dog walking on the beach. The dog is a ‘borrowed’ – very naughty beagle, who rejoices in digging holes and marking territory whenever and wherever she can – but her joy is infectious, even on a dreary, overcast day.
Ah, Australia Day. Hot and humid during the day, it thankfully cooled down by the time we arrived at Carrs Park, Blakehurst, for an Australia Day dinner. The park was filled to the brim, with an eclectic mix Anglo, Asian, Arabic and Southern European families (with a few Africans for variety) – the usual mix around the inner south Sydney. And after dinner, everyone was treated to a pretty spectacular fireworks display – almost 10 minutes of it! So that’s where our rates go to…
We found a lot of flowers blooming around the track mid-January:
Grevilleas, mini waratahs, the last blooms of the Christmas bush…
A few unnameable blooms, but most spectacularly, different types of banksias.
We passed some great scribbly gums on the walk. The different coloured bark is great on the eye, however the insects here look as if they have been having a party.
What a difference six months makes. Where as Karloo Pool was full to overflow back in June, and one needed to get one’s boots wet to cross Kangaroo Creek, by midsummer the water level had significantly gone down, and the creek was reduced to a rambling trickle again.
We made our pilgrimage on a 30C day (most of my visits in the summer tend to be on days like these). The cool water of the pool was perfect, and this time there wasn’t half of the Shire down there. We stayed in for a long time, had lunch, and afterward was around to watch the pool return to its original stillness.
A perfect summer’s day.
This tree was rather interesting too – very monochrome, even though I was shooting in colour.
I’ve heard a lot about Bouddi National Park, especially about the camping spots, but have never been until recently. It turns out that the park is very accessible, and the first place I visited was Tallow Beach. It’s a 30 minute walk down a fire trail, and even though it was New Year’s Day, fairly deserted.
Despite being overcast, it was warm and rather muggy, so a swim was very welcome. There were also lots of interesting shells to be found, and the beach is good fishing spot when the tide is right.
The other side of the lookout also affords a view of Umina Beach. Yes, it is a built up little part of the coastline, but from this angle one is reminded that Umina is surrounded by bush and water.
From Umina Beach, you are once again greeted with views of Lions Head, making this quite a lovely, if understated part of the NSW coast.
Static and Silence 