Statues of Dogs, and 'Trim' the cat

The following pictures are a collection of dog and cat statues we have come across, on walks around Sydney. 

 

In a busy part of Sydney, outside the Queen Victoria Building, near a statue of Queen Victoria herself, is a statue of her favourite dog 'Islay'. The statue presides over a wishing well, with donations going to Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children.    [c.1987 by Sydney sculptor Justin Robson]  

'Biggles' (1980 - 1994) the subject of this statue, can be found at the corner of Atherden and Playfair Streets. I'm not sure how he managed to roam The Rocks, but he was regarded as a loved friend, among the residents and shopkeepers of the area. location map
[c.1995 by artist, Anne Dybka] Ref: monumentaustralia

 A plaque near Central Station tells us 'Donna' (1975 – 1995) (below), was a hearing guide dog, the friend and constant companion of John Hogan of Pyrmont, who travelled on trains extensively, throughout NSW.

 The memorial also recognises the love and companionship that all Guide Dogs give to the visually and hearing impaired.
(Sculptor: Ian Shaw)

                                                                                                                                                         

 “For 17 years (1953 – 1978) ‘Billy’ (above) was a familiar figure in Mosman as he went on the daily rounds beside his master, Cliff Williams, a street sweeper. The statue was given a gift as a reminder of the reliance of animals on man and the debt mankind owes to animals.”  - memorial plaque.  [Billy, c. 1978 by Denis Adams]  Located in Balmoral Beach Reserve. location map
 

Next to the State Library, in busy Maquarie Street, is a statue of 'Trim', Matthew Flinders’ intrepid cat who circumnavigated Australia with his master 1801 -1803.  [c.1996 by sculptor John Cornwell]

“The best and most illustrious of his race, the most affectionate of friends, faithful of servants, and best of creatures. He made the tour of the globe, and voyage to Australia, delight and pleasure of his fellow voyagers…”

'Foxie', a bronze sculpture by artist Clary Akon, was commissioned in 2006 to adorn the pedestal of the  'Jessie Broomfield Memorial Dog Drinking Fountain' built by North Sydney Council in 1953. We passed through Bradfield Park North, Milsons Point, early this year, on our way to visit Wendy's Garden. (view post)

Knapsack Viaduct - Lapstone

Knapsack Viaduct, completed in 1867, was originally built as a rail bridge, and formed part of the zig-zag* railway at Lapstone, on the Sydney side of the Blue Mountains.

In 1926 this sandstone viaduct, designed by the railway engineer John Whitton, was widened to accommodate use as a road bridge. The viaduct remained part of the Great Western Highway until 1993, when it was replacing by a section of the M4 Western Motorway.

                                           Elizabeth lookout

The viaduct, 57Km from Sydney, is now a pedestrian path/cycleway which continues down the hill to the end of the Great Western Highway at Emu Plains.  Lucasville platform (left), can still be seen nearby.
When the first Glenbrook deviation was opened in 1892, the Lapstone ZigZag was abandoned, and John Lucas (Minister for Mines), lost the convenient rail link to his country retreat.                   

location map            'WildWalks' notes             

* Sometimes known as the "Little Zig-Zag" to avoid confusion with the Zig-Zag railway on the western side of the Mountains                                             

Fungi

Late autumn and early winter is a good time for observing and enjoying the different forms and colours of fungi. This post is a small collection of photos I have taken on different walks, and as you might be able to tell, some were taken on bush walks and the others on urban walks.

Amanita muscaria

Coral Fungi

      

         

Stinkhorn fungi

  Some informative blogs:  'Fungimap's Blog' and Australian Fungi Blog

Australian Botanic Garden

The Australian Botanic Garden, at Mt Annan, south west of Sydney, has plantings designed to display the diversity of the Australian flora.

The Water Garden, Aust. Botanic Garden - Mt Annan

While there we also visited the Australian PlantBank (photos below) which is located within the Garden. With an estimated 50 per cent of the world’s plant species under threat of extinction, PlantBank aims at safeguarding our plants from an uncertain future. It houses thermal efficient seed storage vaults, climate controlled glasshouses, state of the art laboratories, specialised teaching facilities etc. The photo below shows reflections in the building's stainless steel panels.

 

               Location Map                              More Photos of the Botanic Garden

     Australian Plant Society

            Aust. Botanic Garden info                          Sydney Transport Trip planner

               

Nielsen Park and Parsley Bay

This harbour walk in Sydney's eastern suburbs continues on from my last post.        map link

Shark Beach, Nielson Park

Nielson Park  is part of Sydney Harbour National Park, and while the name might put some off swimming there, part of the popular 'Shark Beach' was netted when I visited. (not in photo)

There is a cafe/restaurant (left) opposite the beach, and a walking track within the park.

Nearby Vaucluse House  is 'one of Sydney’s few 19th-century mansions still surrounded by its original gardens and wooded grounds'. It was purchased by William Charles Wentworth, colonial explorer, barrister and politician, in 1827.

A little further on and hidden from the road, is Parsley Bay, a spot I have wanted to visit for sometime.

'The Parsley Glen' pedestrian access, a cable suspension bridge between the two shores of the bay, was built in 1910 at a cost of £500.

The Parsley Bay Reserve enclosure provides a swimming area ~150m long and 95m wide (subject to tidal variations).

Parsley Bay   & Woollahra Library Local History Centre PDF
More walk information

For more photos of this area, see my Hermitage Foreshore post

I caught a Route 325 bus from Edgecliff station. These turn off New South Head Rd. at Vaucluse Rd and go to Watsons Bay

Rose Bay

I stopped off at the Point Piper side of Rose Bay, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, on my way to Parsley Bay.

(above) It was beautiful weather, but as it was a week day, it was quite on the promenade next to New South Head Road.

Rose Bay Park

Looking east across Rose Bay

To get to Rose Bay I caught a bus from Edgecliff Station.  (route 324 or325). Ferries also run from  Circular Quay.                   Area Map                  

Birdwood Gully - Springwood

This attractive short walk can be found not far from Springwood railway station. Whilst the track was still quite rough in places, sections had been upgraded since our last visit.
 
 

The circular walk can be accessed from two spots on Bednal Rd, and also from Boland Ave, and follows Springwood and Birdwood Gully Creeks. There is also a side track further along Springwood Creek, which we didn't explore. 

     Location map 

On a previous visit our walk leaders combined this walk with a look at the blue gums in Deanel Forest Reserve 

Birdwood Gully has a Bushcare group

The Paragon Cafe - Katoomba

The Paragon had closed down when I visited in February 2019 

The heritage-listed 1916 Paragon is one of the best known Art Deco restaurants and function rooms in New South Wales. The Paragon Cafe is in Katoomba Street, not far from the railway station. A meal, or coffee and some of their handmade chocolates, are often part of our Katoomba visit.

'Taking its present form between 1925 and 1936, it reflects the flair and taste of a Greek immigrant family with a wide experience in catering, and the need for a high-class tea-room, sundae parlour, confectionery and ballroom in inter-war Katoomba for locals and for visitors'. NSW Heritage

Wendy's Garden - Lavender Bay

Wendy Whiteley created this special spot, known locally as ‘Wendy's Secret Garden’, on an area of railway land below Clark Park. It is currently leased to North Sydney Council for public use. The garden sits above North Sydney car sidings, which are used to store rolling stock between the morning and evening peaks.                     Location Map

 

Wendy was awarded an OAM on Australia Day 2009 ‘for service to the community through the establishment and maintenance of a public garden at Lavender Bay, and as a supporter of the visual arts’                                           

Our walking group reached the garden from Milsons Point Station via Alfred and Lavender Streets. After visiting the garden, we followed the narrow strip of foreshore which links Quibaree Park to Luna Park and the Harbour Bridge. Continuing the garden theme we crossed the bridge to the Botanic Gardens via the expressway pedestrian walkway above Circular Quay.

 

Lavender Bay from the foreshore walk

The Norman Lindsay Gallery

The gallery at Faulconbridge, run by the National Trust, displays the work of artist and writer Norman Lindsay (1879-1969). Various rooms of the attractive sandstone cottage house oil paintings, watercolours, sketches, ceramics and ship models.                 

 

While Lindsay is known for his paintings of voluptuous women in classical poses, he was also a political cartoonist and wrote and illustrated the 1918 children's classic 'The Magic Pudding'.                   Location map

The gallery has a limited bus service from Macquarie Rd near Springwood station (about 5Kms). The 690C bus Check the Mid Mts Bus timetable