Tag Archives: sydney

Holiday

Bundeena – A Retreat – Part 4

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Many people choose to stay in Bundeena due to its proximity to the Royal National Park. It is Australia’s oldest national park and the 2nd oldest national park in the world after Yellowstone National Park in USA. It has many, many walks, but I was interested in the easier, shorter walks that are accessible from Bundeena. So I tried the Jibbon Head Loop track.

After walking out of the southern reaches of the village, the walk started on a track across the sandy heath. Here, only hardy sand-loving plants such as banksias and tea-tree shrubs seem to grow. There were also signs of the many bushfires that have run through this part of the national park.

It wasn’t long before I sighted the water, with distant views of the Sydney city skyline.

Holiday

Bundeena – A Retreat – Part 1

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In May 2024, I spent a lovely week retreating in the village of Bundeena. Bundeena is a village that’s uniquely placed – it is surrounded by the Royal National Park, and yet it’s just across the Hacking River from the suburban expanse of Cronulla and the Sutherland Shire.

The week was spent having dips at its beaches, and walking the National Park and around the village. I was almost completely on my own, and yet since I was in the village, I wasn’t alone really. I had nice little chats with locals every day.

I think I’ll start the series with beach views. Bundeena is blessed with quite a few. They’re not ocean beaches, hence not spectacular or expansive. I like them because they have a cosy feeling about them and are rarely crowded. And staying in the village meant that they were always just a short walk away.

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Natural (or Unnatural) Spring Wonders

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Two completely unrelated photos, the only connection is that they are of the natural world.

Some Egg and Bacon Pea flowers besides the walking track at Mount Ettalong on the Central Coast last spring. Drought or not, the show must go on.

Blooming peas

And this is a sight that most of us won’t forget in a hurry – the sight of a blood-red bushfire sunset in the middle of the autumn bushfires last year, as seen from my backyard. This scene was repeated for weeks. Spectacular but not one I really would like to see repeated.

Bushfire Sun

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August Frost

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Hope you’re going alright out there in isolation. I’m alright here in Sydney. It’s certainly given me a reason to complete things that were let go months ago.

At the moment, I’m going through my photo archive for things that I missed out on posting in recent years. I’ll be posting these in the coming weeks. They might not always be related, but a bit of randomness these days isn’t a bad thing.

These pictures hail from all the way back from winter 2018, when we had a run of frosty days in the suburbs. Frost is a rare thing in our part of Sydney so I had to get my camera out.

August Frost

August Frost

August Frost

Winter might be just around the corner, but as long as you’re warm and dry, it’s not such a bad thing. It certainly gives me a better reason to hibernate, and not regret it.

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Newtown Walk – Part 4

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What makes Newtown very striking these days is the proliferation of street art.

Newtown Walk

It’s everywhere from the main to the back streets.

Newtown Walk

I like it a lot. As well as brightening the suburb up, it deters much of the vandals and gives Newtown’s substantial creative community much needed exposure.

Newtown Walk

Newtown Walk

Newtown Walk

It makes for an interesting walk, I think. Turn a corner, and you can come across touching tributes like this.

Newtown Walk

Newtown Walk

Newtown Walk

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Newtown Walk – Part 3

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Being an old suburb, it also has one of Sydney’s oldest cemeteries, Camperdown Cemetery, located behind St Stephens Anglican Church.

Newtown Walk

I find cemeteries fascinating places to walk through, and this one is the oasis of the inner west. I can indulge in my love of big moreton bay fig trees.

Newtown Walk

It’s no longer in use, but retains a very restful atmosphere. I think the plaque below is a reference to the many paupers buried here in unmarked graves.

Newtown Walk

However, I didn’t find the grave of Eliza Emily Donnithorne, whose story may or may not have inspired Charles Dickens.