Queen Victoria Building is one of those Sydney rarities – a 19th Century building that hasn’t been knocked over but restored! It’s also very photogenic with its Romanesque arches, domes and mosaic tiles.
Nowadays it’s a good place to have a coffee while contemplating the view.
It’s funny how places really close to home often get ignored. Well, I’m posting about somewhere really close to home now. Oatley Park is a very well-kept secret to those who live in and around the St George area of Sydney. It’s a little peninsula of pristine bushland on the banks of the Georges River. I often went here when I lived in nearby Mortdale to walk the 40 minute track around the park.
It also has a netted swimming area that’s popular with the kids during summer and a jetty to fish on.
It’s also fascinating to see the changes in the bush from season to season – the flannel flower flowering, the bark peeling off the gum trees…
And the Christmas bush in bloom at, well, Christmas.
This will be a series on secret places in and around Sydney; places that only locals know of.
First up is Gordon’s Bay, in the Sydney Eastern Suburbs. It’s a little bay between Coogee and Clovelly that’s popular with divers and snorkellers. The coastal path passes through here, and I particularly like the old-fashioned dinghies lashed on to wooden racks.
A sunny autumn day – a perfect reason to explore Sydney. Today it was the waterside suburb of Balmain.
Amazing how many beautiful pockets of Sydney there are – and for me Balmain is one of them. Sydney Harbour positively sparkles in the autumn sunshine.
For the past few years I’ve been lucky enough to work on the 28th floor on the western edge of the city. That means an unobstructed view west, all the way to the Blue Mountains on a clear day.
On the weekend I saw the view in reverse from the Blue Mountains foothills at Bellbird Hill, high above the Richmond plains. Whereas from the city only the suburbs are visible, from Bellbird Hill the view is surprisingly rural.
Another visit to Bungalow8. This time I had the fish pie, whose presentation seemed to have improved since last time.
My friends meanwhile had the lamb rump, which looked quite scrumptuous indeed.
A thunderstorm brews over Sydney.
I’ve re-discovered my love for black and white photography.
There’s something about black and white photos that can render the most mundane subject atmospheric.
Static and Silence 