Wolli Creek and Cooks River

Our walk started at Bardwell Park, around 12Km SW of Central Sydney. The Two Valley Trail led us through bushland, parkland and riverside to Canterbury along the Wolli Creek and Cooks River Valleys, via their junction at Tempe.



The Wolli Creek Valley was filled with orchards, market gardens and other farms in the mid 1800 and early 1900s.
Our walk leader showed us a pond, which once supplied a farm house, can still be seen filling with water dripping down from the rugged sandstone escarpment above. The pond is obscured by ferns in the photo above. [more history]

This 'fishway channel' at Turrella, allows fish to travel between the saltwater section of Wolli Creek and the freshwater on the other side of the weir.
 Many native species need freshwater creeks to feed, breed and avoid predators.




below: 'At the beginning of the 1900s, the Schwebel family had quarries in Marrickville and Undercliffe, on each side of the river, and William Jackson opened a quarry above Wolli Creek. The street of six stone cottages he built for his family, Jackson Place, is an important site in the heritage of the area'.  
Judy Finlason, The Place That Jackson Built: The Story Behind Six Stone Cottages, Wolli Creek Preservation Society, 1999

The Cooks River (left) 'runs through some of the most heavily urbanised and industrialised areas in Australia, but many parts of the river and its foreshores offer beautiful riverside walkways, cycle paths and wonderful parks ...' - Cooks River Alliance

The Australian Sugar Company once refined sugar at Canterbury. The 'Sugar House' (right) near the Cooks River was a sugar mill from 1842 until it closed in 1854, due to a labour shortage caused by the gold rush. The building, built with local standstone, was converted to residential apartments in 2002.     more industrial history


We finished our walk at Canterbury and returned to the City by train.          

Ref: The Wolli Creek Preservation Society pdf

 

Birchgrove Wharf to Ballast Point Park

Balmain East

The photo above was taken from the ferry as we approached Birchgrove wharf on our trip from Circular Quay. Yurulbin Park (below) with its rocky outcrops and native garden beds adjoins the wharf.

Yurulbin Park

(below) A short walk along Louisa Rd led us to Birchgrove Park.

(left) This is one of the houses that caught my eye as we walked along Wharf Road.



The Ballast Point site was purchased in 1928 for use as an oil terminal. Over time the company, which latter became Caltex, built 30 storage tanks at the Balmain terminal.

Caltex sold the site for development in 1997, with a provisional completion date of 2005. After a major campaign by residents, to preserve this and other foreshore sites for public use, the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, on behalf of the Carr State Government, purchased the site in 2002 for use as public open space. The lookout below offers great harbour views.

        Location map


        More photos of Ballast Point


It was only a 2 to 3km walk from Birchgrove Wharf to Balmain Wharf, via Ballast Point Park and  Mort Bay Park.

 My thanks to Jean who led us on this walk.                          Reference           

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Hermitage Foreshore Walk & Vaucluse House

The Hermitage Foreshore track begins at Bayview Hill Road or Nielsen Park, Vaucluse and is part of Sydney Harbour National Park.

Hermit Point, Vaucluse

Queens Beach

Our group stopping off at Vaucluse House, the sandstone mansion, built in the 1830s, for William Charles Wentworth and his family.
 
I was familiar with the front view of Vaucluse House (see Nielsen Park post), but found much more to see as we were led around to the back of the house beyond the 'castle' facade.

I saw inside on a previous visit, and thought it was well worth the visit. (Vaucluse House link)

Vaucluse House stables & carriage loop

                            

 

The estate reflected the owner’s pre-eminence in colonial affairs, and is one of the few 19th century houses on Sydney Harbour retaining a significant part of its original estate.

The stables are Gothic revival style (as is the house facade) and even the stables (above) are substantial, well designed and constructed of stone. Fine horses were another status symbol of this time. Some of the seven stone paved stalls are seen in the interior photo (left)

It was important to have a good kitchen garden and the garden (below) recreates part of the Wentworth's kitchen garden.

Vaucluse House Heritage Info

                                                                                                                             

   

Our walking group started at Watsons Bay after catching a ferry, stopping off at Vaucluse House, before continuing on to Rose Bay, where we caught a bus to Bondi Junction.  I have shown the photos above in the reverse order to this.

For more photos of this harbour walk:  Nielsen Park and Parsley Bay - click on photo below

  Woollahra Council PDF                          wildwalks link                             location map
 

Wascoe Siding

Preparing the locomotives

Wascoe Siding is a miniature railway situated in a former railway cutting. The deviation and refuge siding between Glenbrook and Blaxland in the Lower Blue Mountains, was in use for twenty years from 1913.

The area was acquired in the 1960s by the founder of the Blue Mountains Railway Society, which celebrated its 50th birthday this year.
The society hold open days running model steam and battery operated locomotives, such as the impressive models shown in these photos, on the first Sunday of the month, (except in January, wet weather & fire-bans).

The open days are quite popular for family outings and children's birthday parties. A charge is made for the train rides, but entry to the grounds is free. All passengers are required to wear "fully enclosed shoes" to ride the trains. 

                              Wascoe Siding Facebook                  Location Map    

 

Iron Cove 'Bay Run'

'Our Excursions' visited part of 'The Bay Run' in 2010 to photograph Callan Park.  Recently I returned to Lillyfield to meet up with a long time friend, to walk around Iron Cove.     Location map

Iron Cove near King George Park

Iron Cove Run - King George Park

This pleasant 7.2 Km run/walk and cycleway that follows the foreshore around the cove, is mostly flat, apart from the incline up to cross the bridge.

Iron Cove Bridge

The current steel truss bridge replaced an earlier wrought iron bridge build shortly after WW2.

Work on the duplication of the Iron Cove Bridge (see left) was completed in January 2011. It's on the western side, has three traffic lanes and a nice wide walkway/cycle path.

Along the walk are signs giving information about Mangroves, Saltmarsh etc found in the intertidal zone around the cove.

Rodd Park - Rodd Point

UTS/Haberfield Rowing Club

We started and finished our walk from the Leichhardt North Light Rail stop, and stopped off at a cafe for lunch. There is also a Club at Habberfield (above)

Bay Run info links - Canada Bay - Leichhardt (with map)

 

Balmoral to Middle Head

This blog has looked at North Head several times as well as South Head, but until recently I had never visited 'Middle Head' opposite the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

Hunters Park Rotunda

Our walk of around 3.5Km started at Balmoral Beach, followed the path around Balmoral Oval, through Balmoral Park (map link) then up a long series of steps to the ridge top. (see photos below)

Balmoral Beach

To see the spectacular view from above Obelisk Bay (below), we took the side path that leads down to Chowder Bay and Taronga Wharf (see earlier post), before returning to Middle Head Rd.

Historic gun emplacements, Middle Head

    Location map

Middle Head is part of Headland Park, on land formerly occupied by Defence bases. Tunnels and gun emplacements can be seen at the end of Old Fort Rd. and there are other unfenced gun pits around the site.
The fortifications were mostly built between 1870 and 1911.

See also Rocky Point Is. post                                                       'Wildwalks' info

We caught a 244 (Chowder Bay to City) bus back from Middle Head Rd.  (map link)   Doing the walk in reverse may be easier.           

Australian Botanic Garden (3)

 

Mount Annan was once part of Glenlee estate, acquired by James Fitzpatrick in the 1850s. His descendants ran a dairy farm on the estate until 1978. Beyond the area near the Visitor Centre, Cafe & Restaurant, is an extensive site of over 400ha scatted with feature gardens such as the Banksia & Grevillea Gardens.

Under the shade of a 'Peppercorn tree'

Although the Peppercorns are from South America, they were commonly grown in Australia as shade trees. The gently undulating hills and small lakes add to the charm of the area.

Another feature of interest is the Sundial of Human Involvement.  The person in the photo above is standing on the spot indicated by the date, facing in the direction of their shadow, with arms stretched above their head.

  

 

Australian Botanic Garden (2)

White Faced Heron with 'Kangaroo paws' behind

After my earlier enjoyable visit to the Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan, I have wanted to return in better weather. This post has some photos from my return visit to see the spring flowers and complete a longer walk around the site. 

The Wattle Garden picnic area

Lechenaultia biloba

Garden near visitor centre

Australian Botanic Garden
    -map          -information



PlantBank visit 

'Everlastings' or 'paper daisies'

Rocky Point Island - Balmoral

Rocky Point Island separates Edwards Beach from Balmoral Beach on Hunters Bay, Middle Harbour. The small island is connected to the Esplanade by a bridge, built as a government employment project during the Great Depression, as was the Bathers’ Pavilion.

 

Rocky Point Island, looking towards Sydney Heads

The Mediterranean style 'Bathers' Pavillion' on Edwards Beach (below), was built in 1929, and now houses a restaurant, cafe and function rooms. See also Balmoral to Middle Head post

 I travelled to Balmoral by ferry to Taronga Zoo, then bus from the wharf

and returned by bus to Wynard station.  

  Location Map (Chrome)

Ref: Mosman Historical Society - 'Historic Guide to Balmoral'