SEPTEMBER 2020 : NSW SOUTH COAST TRIP : Gourmet delights

We decided to take my mother down the coast for the weekend, expecting warm Spring weather. It was unusually cold and wet, so we took advantage of some special eateries.

Our first stop was Braidwood, an hour’s drive from Canberra.

Braidwood, near the Shoalhaven River, was established in the 1840s and built with convict labour. It is a very popular stopping point for Canberrans en route to the coast. It is now coming back to life after the devastating effects of the Summer bushfires and the Covid restrictions.

An artist’s impression on Wallace Street

Rebekah Rice Hamilton

We found a great little cafe, Provisions on Wallace Street

Our waiter was a Frenchman from Brittany who has made Braidwood his home. The cafe sources authentic products. The charcuterie platter was to die for.

Saturday was also overcast so we decided to drive south,from our coast house near Moruya, along the coast towards Tathra.

We booked a table at the Drystone Restaurant at the Mimosa Winery.

Another delicious meal in spectacular setting

Another favourite restaurant is the quirky Quarterdeck in Narooma on the lakeside, which now has a Mexican flavoured menu.

PS Near our coast house we discovered a perfectly made ‘bower’ that our native bowerbirds create as a mating ritual.

From the Internet..

M&M

SEPTEMBER 2020 : URIARRA FOREST : Blue Range Hut - Sherwood Homestead - 9 kms return

My friend, Pam, suggested we walk in Uriarra Forest to see the daffodil grove at Sherwood Homestead.

A 45 minute drive from home to Uriarra then a dirt road to Blue Range Hut.

A wombat scampered across the road and a wallaby grazed by the roadside as we drew near the hut.

A well-marked path

We set off from Blue Range Camp, which was established as an Italian internment camp during WW2. They burnt timber to create charcoal for transport fuel for the war effort.

As novice orienteerers we found the markers well spaced.

Most of the track was on dirt road, so accessible for cyclists as well.

Morning tea break

Native wildflowers and spring shoots

Nearing the homestead

Walking into the Sherwood Homestead site

The property was established in the 1860s by English immigrants, the Phillips family. A very remote site by a small stream.

Eliza brought acorns and seeds and planted trees and daffodils, naming their homestead, Sherwood, after Robin Hood’s Sherwood Forest.

The original homestead which burnt down in bushfires after the family left Uriarra in 1922

We were a little late for a full display but appreciated the last few blooms. Some cyclists told us it was worth returning in May when the whole area is transformed with autumnal colours.

The 150 year old oak tree planted by Eliza

A leisurely lunch in the sunshine

We slowly ambled back to Blue Range Hut

A fascinating day of history and stories

M

SEPTEMBER 2020 : SYDNEY : Barrenjoey Lighthouse Walk

A weekend in Sydney for our son, Nick’s birthday.

Sunday morning. An early start. Perfect for a sunrise girls’ walk up to Barrenjoey Lighthouse.

We started by the Boat House on the Pittwater side of Palm Beach.

Two enthusiastic walkers, Pippa and Harrie

A short meander along the beach

Well sign-posted track, past old cottages

Up the sandstone steps

Wildflowers along the path, with views down the peninsular- one side Palm Beach and the other Pittwater

Impressive rock formations

The light house buildings, the original structures built in 1881

At the top

Views north to Lion Island and the Pacific Ocean

We took the steep flat path down back to the beach

M&M

SEPTEMBER, 2020 : CANBERRA : Spring

Kingston display

 

Breakfast at Manuka

Exhibition at Strathnairn Homestead

National Museum of Australia spreading the Floriade message

Another excellent exhibition at the Museum

The dramatic entrance of the exhibition with the water spouts that were witnessed by both English sailors and native people on the shore as the Endeavour neared the coast near Botany Bay

Indigenous perspective

English colonist perspective

Our contribution to Spring - azaleas in our courtyard

Some fabulous irises in a garden nearby

M&M