The Royal National Park is south of Sydney and north of Woonona, and is the second oldest national park in the world, created in 1879. Originally intended as a place for entertainment (like the dance hall above) and recreation (like the boatshed) it now provides a sanctuary for biodiversity, environmental protection and education. We attended one of the outdoor classes for children that the rangers hold, this time led by Angela’s sister Michelle. After learning about insects, we had a picnic surrounded by the cormorants, kookaburra (who was eyeing our food the whole time) and the runner duck. I feel particularly drawn to the fabulous birdlife in Australia, as you can tell by the many photos I take of them!
Jon’s family and I somehow chose a cloudy, windy day right at the end of Evie’s school holidays to take a ferry ride on Sydney Harbour from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay, which is on the south side of the Harbour. We’d heard there were markets set up for the weekend. The ferries in the picture on the left are classic Sydney Harbour ferries, used by locals and tourists alike.
On our Watsons Bay adventure, we first passed the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House as we moved out into the Harbour. That’s when the full force of the gale winds hit us, but we managed a photo anyway! The clouds cleared for a bit as we arrived to see the markets set up along the beachfront. After lunch, including a sad attempt at a Philly Cheesesteak, and some shopping and fun at the markets, we walked past the calm Camp Cove beach and the nudist Lady Bay Beach (only one patron that day.) We then “walked the path” to a colourful lighthouse. The clouds had returned as we headed back, and we glimpsed a different view of Sydney’s clouded skyline. Massive cruise ships are now often docked at Circular Quay, and one of them was blocking our access to the ferry wharves. We had to manoeuvre around the ship, almost under the Bridge, and back to the wharf – all something that was new and a bit exciting for me and Jon’s family.
Later in February, I traveled by train along the stunning South Coast line up to Hurstville. The truly stunning parts are the views of the coast and ocean, but I did get this photo of some of the deep bushland the train travels through. I was actually on my way to pick up a church car to drive down to Canberra for the weekend. But first I wanted to see some friends from the Hurstville New Church
Two things to add, closer to home (Woonona) after my Canberra trip in February. Evie had her outdoor Swimming Carnival, an event that most schools hold annually early in the year while the weather is still warm. There are competitions for various swimming strokes and distances, with individual prizes and points for houses (like in Harry Potter!) Evie is pictured doing breaststroke, for which she placed in her heat. Also pictured are some Lilly Pilly berries on a random tree in the neighbourhood. There were several Lilly Pilly trees on our street when I was growing up, and we would eat the berries while walking to and from school. It was definitely a “memory lane” moment when I saw the tree!
