Category: Places

Canberra’s Arboretum

When we were last in Canberra we went twice to the National Arboretum, which is fast becoming one of Canberra’s star attractions. It was conceived of and established during Jon Stanhope’s time at Canberra’s helm following the 2003 Bushfires. Arguably, it was his governments greatest achievement. Policy comes and goes and changes, but trees tend to hang around for a bit longer. Generally. We hope.

Apart from the many tree plots within the park which showcase a variety of trees from around the globe, there is an outstanding visitors building. I love this building because it is full of elegantly curving wood and is spacious and airy.

I love wood.

I love wood when it’s in a living tree.

So I love the Arboretum. Or, I love what it is growing into.

Pod Playground. That is the new kids area next to the visitors centre. It is, hands down, the best playground I’ve been to or at least taken my kids to. It is not completely adult friendly – which is what makes it totally amazing for kids. It takes the kids up into the sky, away from the adults below, through kid-sized tunnels and acorn rooms and down a couple of steep slides.

The Banksia seed pod rooms house dingy-dongy things for kids to bang on. It again is kid friendly rather than adult friendly with doors only so high. Perfect.

After getting exhausted with the kids we went and had a coffee at the overpriced cafe. I guess you are paying for the view and it is worth it, I think. The Visitors centre has got the mix between rock, timber, concrete, steel and space just right and even though it can absolutely fill with people voices float up into the ceiling and we didn’t find ourselves raising voices at all.

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July 15, 2013
Fog on the road back to Young

I am enjoying Winter fogs and frosts, which are too few and far between. Back in Young yet again. Soooo ready to just finish this bus so we can get going.

July 10, 2013
Canberra Walks

Canberra owns many fine walks.

One of my very favourites is along a road that I used to pedal along as a child.

When my family first moved to Canberra it was during ‘the recession we had to have’ in the early 1990s. So we lived cheap. For the first few years we managed to exist without a car! Just imagine. So we rode everywhere and I am glad we did because those days of riding have become cemented in my memory and those memories are not bad indeed.

We rode, once a week, from Curtin to Yarralumla, where we didn’t cross a road at all, except the one leading to the Governor-Generals house, which is not really a road at all, more like a very long, hot-mixed driveway.

This ‘driveway’, Dunrossil Drive to be exact, has become slightly iconic in Canberra, immortalised in many wedding photographs over the years as about half of them have been taken along the oak and pine forests on either side of the road and very often in the very centre of the road where one gets the classic framing of receding road behind with overhanging Elms on either side. Yes, it’s a lovely picture.

Staying at my Nonnas last week I organised a walk with a couple of friends, new to Canberra and needing to be shown all the iconic spots. This was a good opportunity.

We headed to the Brickworks first, which we found was in fact closed to ‘the public’, and I was glad I had not known that the previous day when I took myself down a dirt track along its side! Ignorance is a friend sometimes.

Into the pine forests of my childhood. They are much sparser now, having been cleaned up following Canberras 2003 bushfires, but still shady and serene.

We stopped many times for children to climb trees and just do what children do.

There are a few patches of land either side of Dunrossil Drive and I was very worried at first, but I thought that surely they wouldn’t strip this beautiful drive of its beauty!? Surely not! And I was right. They are simply replanting.

I really love this photo of Sophia and her friend. They can fight hard sometimes but they love hard too, being pretty similar in nature.

The Royal Canberra Golf Course skirts this drive. That’s where all the posh people play golf.

After coming off Dunrossil Drive you pretty much come to a little wooden bridge straight away. This bridge has essentially remained the same, aesthetically, over all the years I’ve been over it, with a few wooden planks replaced as needed.

It was much safer to peer through the cracks then hang over the edge!

That, friends, is another Canberran icon, Telstra Tower, which looks over all of Canberra like a sentinel. Past the bridge there is a sweet little forest which borders the lake and hides the golf course fence. Bikes zoom past. Serious bike riders. So it was a bit of a hazard with little children buzzing around like little bees.

Coming out of this little forest you come to the grounds of the English Gardens where Sequoias and other very large trees tower, trees that may or may not be cut down very soon in the interests of public safety. For now it is a gorgeous area where there are Mulberry trees, Persimmon trees, Fig trees and Olive trees. There should be more public places where fruiting trees are grown. I really don’t know why fruit trees aren’t planted as a matter of course. We finished this walk so much later than we thought, though it was glorious. The moon sprung up and darkness descended, though walking through the well lit suburbs of scenic Yarralumla was no burden. The houses here are just as delightful as the forest along the lake. In the end my brother picked us up, though I was sure we were only 10minutes from the house!

June 3, 2013
Yarralumla Brickworks

I wish I had more photos for you. The day before these were taken I took myself along a little dirt road which ran lengthways along the Brickworks building (I found out later this was ‘not allowed’). All along the road I was just awestruck at the size of this industrial infrastructure. Nothing computerised, everything just massive and manual. Chutes coming from and leading to nowhere in particular. I could not comprehend how men would have worked here, the machinery seemed immense to my very inexperienced eyes. And how the building stood up was another matter, everything appeared to be made out of corrugated iron, rather dilapidated and very exposed. There were tunnels many feet above the ground, just hanging there.

Granted the building is 100 years old, built in 1913. It was apparently one of Canberras first buildings and many of the older buildings (which are slowly being demolished, although my Nonna still lives in an original specimen) are made of the stuff. The iconic red bricks this Brickworks produced can be recycled and are sold for $1/brick, and they are rather beautiful to my mind.

The tall chimney, which can be seen from around Canberra proved difficult to get to, the whole site being closed off excepting the workers of Thors Hammer. You can get in to buy wood from these guys. For now they are the caretakers and I am glad such a worthwhile business has their hand in it.

The building stopped functioning as a brickworks in 1976 and has had a few attempts at a new life since then. When I looked at it I saw a potential vibrant community of craftspeople entrenched in history. It is a perfect venue for a craftspersons marketplace, a music venue, gallery, even perhaps a recording studio and artists space. The kind of things that should happen here ought to reflect the building itself and in a way hearken back to the days when most things were done by hand and by people with real skill. Bootmakers, woodturners, painters, glassmakers, weavers, spinners, food producers and makers, musicians. I would love to see something like this installed in this beautiful old building and if, one day, I had the money I would invest it heavily into this place, it is worth restoring for the preservation of Canberras history and ought to belong to all and be freely accessible, and not as it is now, locked behind fences with security signs strung up.

Here’s a photo from wikipedia. I don’t often include these pictures, but the Brickworks is a very sentimental building to me. My childhood was spent very much under its gaze in the surrounding suburb of Yarralumla and its beautiful pine & oak forests. The chimney is worth showing off.

This is the back of the Brickworks, I kept my walk to the other side where there are piles of discarded bricks embedded into the side of the hill and the old quarry where the red clay was mined can be clearly seen.

This is the entrance to the brickworks, I remember going under the front part of this building while it was still neglected and there were no fences to keep anyone out. We saw the smaller kilns and invented spooky stories for the vast, darkened interiors. There used to be market days here, held in the outer area.

The road leading to the Brickworks passes Yarralumlas beautiful pine forests and antique houses, the Brickworks are hidden at the back of this suburb.

June 1, 2013
Chinamans Dam

Chinamans Dam in Young, NSW is a quietly glowing sapphire on the Southern outskirts of the town. It is very close to where we are living at the moment.

As hubby is back in Canberra for the weekend the kids and I took a lazy Saturday morning picnic at the dam, fed the ducks, took some photos and paddled in the water.

This lion bears scars wrought by young Henry. That lower tooth is a falsie. I’m not sure how but somehow young Henry destroyed the original…!

Over the bridge into the heart of the garden is where the real magic happens. Bridges, waterfalls, boulders, they even managed a Japanesey type balancing rock structure in the middle of their little pond.

Winding paths lead to many intricate surprises. The garden is compact, but cleverly laid out, some leading to the tops of small waterfalls, others right to the waters edge, there are stone seats all along the way, and Miss Imp and Master Dashing were constantly delighted.

I really appreciated the layering of a variety of textures of leaf, bark, berries. Garden design is very similar to interior design (though, not so trendy), colour, texture, layout, it all plays a part.

Here’s a picture of a man with a mo to keep you happy.

And the girl with imp eyes.

xo

April 20, 2013
Sutton Walks

Many evenings after the dinner dishes are done the kids and I go for a final frolic out-of-doors. We have been doing this all Summer as, truly, the best part of those hot Summer days is when that fierce sun sinks down into the faraway hills and his glow dims to a deep golden. It is best for young porcelain skin and my light-sensitive eyes.

For us it is the best of ways to relax, a way for my kids to witness nature going to sleep, and a time to stretch our limbs in new ways. Sophia, such a monkey, climbs higher every time up the tree next to the park. We hunt for natures goodies, climb down rocks to be near the tiniest pond which flows under the bridge, and find that there is beauty even in the smallest details. We watch the bees, find where ladybugs set up for the night (a few dozen all on one plant), we see galahs cawing to eachother before they go off to sleep and we always see the rabbits out on the grass eating up before they wriggle into their burrows for bed time. I love seeing these things through my childrens eyes. Everything is unique and wonderful to them and I find myself joining in and encouraging this wonderment. We say goodnight to all the living things as we go back to our house. I point out the ants who are extra busy before it rains. I follow the flight path of the bee, one of my favourite of all living creatures. I share their enthusiasm entirely and I hope I foster it too.

I will miss this wonderful space we have had in this little village. It has been most pleasant for our family to have this massive expanse as basically an extension of our backyard. I am totally grateful to Australia for the vastness it provides. I love this feeling of space, room to stretch legs and be private whilst being utterly surrounded by practically nothing but nature and while still have neighbours in calling distance. It is perfect. I am thankful.

We actually found some leeches in this water hole, so this is the last time we will be doing this here!

Frogs eggs, it has been many months since there was such a big batch of eggs, today also we saw many bugs mating and I think it must be time for the Autumn baby boom.

That lovely, dominating, fatherly structure, the Sutton Village Hall. Here, in this village, the community spirit of the past still carries on. Just one reason why I love this village so much.

Lady bugs seem to love this plant. Plantain is great for so many things, not least totally alleviating insect stings. The leaves, roots, seeds are all edible & also can be used medicinally as a poultice.

Yes, we did eat these, and no, we did not die. I am growing more confident in my ability to identify and cook wild mushrooms, so far there are only about 3 that I am totally confident with. Books and experienced mushroomers are the most help here.

Another day:

To me, this picture is Sophia all over, free, abandoned, expressive, wild. She is a lot of fun.

The humble bee. This creature is not to be underestimated, as those around the world experiencing colony collapse disorder in their hives are now learning first-hand. (Many American fruit/nut growers ship hives upon hives of healthy Australian bees over to their shores where our bees are destined for certain death. They pollinate and await the Varroa Destructor mite which heralds their demise. Thankfully this mite has not made it to Australia…yet…let us hope it never will.) Decades of pesticides are biting us in the rear-end. I hope Australia learns before it is too late. Anything we can do to ensure the vibrant future of our natural habitats and animals is not enough! I never understand people who couldn’t care less about these creatures. If it were not for these tiniest of animals the naturalist and scoffer alike would have no food; no fruit, no nuts, no veges, even flowers would shrink from sight. God built all sorts of wonderful systems into the way this world works and it is out of a pure love of His creation that I am driven to protect it. I can not understand the apathy.

This one I did not eat, often these mushrooms, if they are too close to trees, will carry slaters, and this one did, though in every other respect a superb mushroom.

Sophias finds.

This is a tree I never see in flower. I suspect it is a brief, once a year event.

And an au natural slippery slide.

Beautiful Dancers.

This boy, that face, that hair! <3

March 9, 2013
Yarrangobilly

Yarrangobilly hides a surprising and rich past. Our family has made this our semi-annual holiday destination for the past five years with good reason. It was once (in the early 20th Century) a premier holiday destination in NSW. I guess that was when people believed thermal pools to hold healing properties and before swimming in the ocean became more mainstream. There have been a variety of owners in this area including a farmer who lived near the river. I really don’t know how he got his cattle in and out of this valley, it’s quite challenging terrain even for a vehicle. The farm is long gone and was superseded by holiday goers who spent time in the still present historic Caves House. It sounds like it was a fun place to come to and was well set up for day visitors, who most likely stayed in the then nearby Yarrangobilly Village, as well as the live-in visitors. There is an old bus shelter with a bell placed in the nearby cliff which summoned people for the trip by cart down the mountain to the pool, a short but slightly taxing journey which must be walked these days. The cord is still able to be pulled and the bell rung, which only adds to the charm of this delightful enclave. Tennis courts were built, now vanished, and the old caves house where we stayed was set up for a communal kind of living arrangement with shared bathrooms and a dining hall, obviously people did not come for privacy!

On a tour around the recently restored two storey section (you can see the scaffolding around that in the picture below), the manager of National Parks was telling us that it is in fact quite a miracle that this historic home wasn’t knocked down like the majority of the houses and villages in the area. When ‘Parks’ took over in the 70s they took the liberty of removing as much trace of man as they could in this wilderness area. And so, driving around the Snowy Mountains, you do in fact pass many places of former settlement: Long Plains, Yarrangobilly Village, Kiandra, they are gone and all but forgotten. Those monuments to times past, which would have enriched this whole landscape with their ode to history (white settlement), have been bulldozed into the dirt, and are now covered by lush alpine vegetation, with nothing but brass plaques to speak for them.

This area is (so far) one of my most favourite places in Australia. There is something about the mountains, their proximity to the clouds, the underground formations they hide, the spectacular wilderness, their particular flora and fauna-including brumbies (who couldn’t love that?). The towns around here are some of my favourites: Talbingo & Tumut being two where I have spent a bit of time. It excites the imagination to imagine this area overrun with immigrant families working on the great Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme from 1949-1974, a great ‘discovery centre‘ for which is in Cooma. The area in fact has a slight European feel to it, and this, surely, is why. I am greatly looking forward to seeing a similar scheme in northern WA, the Ord River Irrigation Scheme.

For the third time we visited the caves and there is no way we are bored of these yet. It is an awe inspiring place, rather damp and refrigerator cold – just the way I like it! – the best way to escape the awful Summer heat.

‘Us girls’ went on a few walks together, even making it twice (two ways) to the lookout which overlooked our house. It seemed impossible to get up there but was actually surprisingly easy & a lovely walk. I will not forget that feeling of being entirely surrounded by the elegant and mysterious Australian Alpine bush for as far as the eye can see. It ought to be normal to be surrounded so by trees, that most necessary, wonderful & supremely useful of creations. It is probably my love of trees that has, in fact, pushed me into studying Sustainable Development.

Then of course there is the pool. A 1.4km walk from the house, down a steep incline and you are faced with an impossibly beautiful turquoise pool. It is fed by a thermal spring so is a constant 27C. We came here every day and so our holiday was full of nature and walking and swimming and board games, good food & laughter.

January 29, 2013
Corinbank 2012

A photo blog post of the Corinbank 2012 festival held in the beautiful Brindabellas near Canberra.

This was one of the best festivals I have been to. I tried to make the best of it, dragging the kids around from the wee small hours to the early night hours, but kids move slowly and they do not tolerate too many and varied adult type activities, so…? What can you do.

Things I didn’t manage to photograph:

Nudist in the nudie hot tub

Swimming in a secluded (freezing!) bush pool early in the morning

Swagging it

Getting henna tattoos

In the chai tent, where we spent a bit of time each day! (This was the best chai most of us had ever tasted, by the way.)

The smells

The sounds

December 10, 2012
By the Creek

This is a snippet of Sutton Country Living that I’d like to remember: our dapples in the creek. There are some stunning waterholes around this little village. This is a favourite one as it’s so close to our house. The day I took this we were ‘fishing’ (with sticks) in this little pool & Soph tried very hard to go swimming in it, but resisted as I urged her to think about how cold it was – and it was that day. It’s so pleasing to see ones child use their brains and set their own limits, limits that vary from, though are not so very far from your own, and I’m happy with that. I’d rather she use her own head than do exactly as I say.

October 22, 2012
Sutton Hall

We were married in an old woolshed. It had a history and reeked of Lanolin and the ingrained dirt of a working sheep station I loved its ‘realness’. When we moved out to Sutton once we were married I was thrilled to see a woolshed type building just across the Sutton Reserve, which we lived directly opposite. Having been married in one I considered myself to have some affinity with woosheds everywhere. However, I soon found out that this one is and never has been a woolshed. As far as I know it was built purposely as the Sutton Village Hall a place to get married, celebrate birthdays, vote & hold the monthly Sutton District Community Association meetings. The Community Association is an industrious one. I have gotten to know several of the members through playing tennis with the local tennis group. It is the one community sport which I can find and is open to all, so join it I recently did, though I knew nothing about tennis at the time. I now know something, but not much.

The Community Association has managed to tremendously improve the hall and the Sutton Reserve while we have lived here. The hall has sprouted a new staircase and deck, trimmings have turned a dark burgundy, trees have sprouted around the hall in strategic locations. All results, I suppose of the Community Associations biddings.

The hall has a resident population of rabbits and the entrances and exits are found all around the underneath of the hall embedded in the vibrant red clay on which it sits.

My children and I love the rabbits and watch for them when we go walking. I love how children are always excited by such simple sightings. The wonder of such things seems to, too often, escape adults. I often think about how large the Halls rabbit population is, I wonder how extensive their warrens under the hall are. This is not Peter Rabbit soil, they are lucky to make a dent in it with their long claws, so probably their living spaces are much more cramped than flopsy, mopsy & cottontails were.

July 21, 2012