North Head

Hanging swamp, Memorial walk, Fairfax walk and Third Quarantine cemetery

After nearly two weeks of rain it was time to revisit the hanging swamp at North Head. The last time Sydney Nimble was there in early January the swamp did not exist. Bone dry!

Well the swamp is back with plenty of water.

A hanging swamp occurs when water soaks through sandstone and then hits harder to penetrate rock such as claystone or shale. The water percolates back up creating moist peaty soils which support swamp heath plants.

Close to the hanging swamp is Memorial Walk, a paved track that links 5 memorials dedicated to conflicts which have involved Australia, whether that be war or recent peacekeeping.

During WWII the whole of North Head was a significant defence base and one of the most fortified places in Australia.

The memorials have an oblong shape with information on raised plaques and have been tastefully built with sandstone.

After Memorial Walk we continued our walk east to another track, Fairfax walk, which has been re-opened after a major upgrade in 2023.

This walk provides access to two well designed lookouts, Burragula and Yiningma lookouts. Burragula is an indigenous word for ‘sunset’ and Yiningma means ‘cliff edge’.

We finished where we started (car park behind the café) and this loop takes around 60-75 minutes to complete.

A small detour to the Third Quarantine cemetery was made before getting into the car.

It is only a short walk from the car park and has many graves of Australians who died from diseases we no longer think too much about: smallpox, bubonic plague and scarlet fever.

What swamp? (January 2024)

Bone dry

A recovery story (May 2024)

time to reflect

one of 5 war memorials that can be accessed from Memorial Walk

9.2 inch coastal gun

visitors from afar

Third quarantine cemetery at North Head

Ninety years ago today (19/3/1932) the Sydney Harbour Bridge was officially opened.

Celebrations were organised to celebrate this milestone, which included light shows, a concert at Campbells Cove and vintage ferries and trains running during the day.

Historic double decker buses took passengers over the bridge from North Sydney to Wynyard and return for a number of hours.

Bridge climbers received a discount of $90. Strangely there were a lot of climbers on the bridge today!

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of those imposing structures that you never get sick of looking at when commuting across it.

It is too large and imposing to ever be ignored.

Happy birthday, Sydney Harbour Bridge.

What name should we give this bridge?

Why do they all have to sit upstairs?

grey sky, grey steel

And so they climbed, no not because of the discount, but because it’s there.

Perception is often everything in determining how we feel about things. The Sydney Harbour Bridge (SHB) is a structure that can be perceived in many ways. What do you see when you look at the SHB?

From one perspective the SHB is a large steel bridge that allows for the efficient transport of commuters. It provides a crucial transport corridor connecting the north shore of Sydney to the city and several expressways.

Alternatively the SHB can be evaluated from an engineering perspective.

The construction of the SHB began in 1924 and finished in 1932. It was built during a period when computer assisted design and manufacture did not exist. The bridge was built from both ends so that the arch was complete when the two halves of the bridge met in the middle.

Would the two halves align when it was time for them to be joined and how would a steel bridge of this scale deal with expansion and contraction in varying weather conditions. Would the bridge be strong enough to take the large daily load of passenger vehicles and trains.

From an identity viewpoint the SHB is one of Australia’s most well known and popular symbols. It was a brilliant achievement for a young nation and the 100th year anniversary of the commencement of construction is only four years away.

That achievement came at a price. Sixteen workers lost their lives during construction and it took over 50 years to pay off the cost of building the bridge (1988).

Aesthetics as opposed to any functionality was behind the decision to build two massive granite covered pylons at each end of the SHB arch. The four pylons are 89 metres in height and the light grey colour of the granite complements the bluey grey colour of the arch.

The pylons project strength and provide symmetry when the bridge is observed from the distance.

The SHB offers ongoing activities, although a lot of people would not see it in this way.

You can simply drive across it and enjoy the view, walk or cycle across it, climb it, visit the Sydney Harbour Pylon or see it sparkle on News Year Eve when it is used for spectacular fireworks displays.

One final perspective on the bridge is captured in the words of John Bradfield (chief engineer of SHB) who described it as ‘the blue arch of Heaven’.

view from Lavender Bay

pylon power

Sydney Nimble Tours visits Georges Heights on our Northern Beaches, Sydney Harbour, National Park tour.

This area has spectacular harbour vistas that include the entrance to Sydney Harbour, Watsons Bay, Rosebay and Shark Island. A good view of the city of Sydney is on offer if you look south west.

The harbour aspect also provided a solid location to install defensive artillery should Sydney Harbour come under attack.

Military memorabilia in the form of gun pits, fortifications, canons and anti-aircraft guns have been well maintained and are on display at Georges Heights.

A former military hospital which was built for patients from World War I houses the anti-aircraft gun.

Close to the gun pits is the Gunner’s Barracks, a fortified sandstone building built in the 1870s. This building was constructed to accommodate artillerymen whose job was to look after the artillery and if necessary fire it.

In the course of a recent visit to Georges Heights we came across a chilled kookaburra resting on a sign near the Barracks.

Our feathered friend was most accommodating and happily posed for photographs.

The kookaburra is a member of the Kingfisher family and has one of the most unusual bird calls.

The laughing Kookaburra is not laughing at another kookaburra’s jokes! The cackle of the Kookaburra is a territorial call aimed at warning other birds to stay away.

Be gone, the insects, lizards, rodents and small snakes in this patch are mine!

The word kookaburra is yet another example of an indigenous word enriching our language and originates from the Wiradjuri word “guuguuburra”.

a delightful Australian bird

boom

loud and proud

At times Balmain seems to have no end of small, narrow and windy streets. These streets contain a plentiful supply of heritage architecture, ranging from tiny cottages to grand colonial sandstone homes. It is a colourful suburb that is largely overlooked by visitors to Sydney.

Balmain is located across the water from Barangaroo and can be accessed by ferry or road.

We like Balmain’s history, heritage architecture, harbour panorama and vibrant atmosphere. It’s a nice place to take a stroll.

The East Balmain Wharf at the end of Darling Street and adjacent Illoura Reserve provide spectacular views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Barangaroo.

Nearby Fenwick Store was built in the 1880s and used for storage by a local tug boat operator. A first class restoration of this stone heritage building has recently been completed and it will soon commence a new life as a café/gallery.

There are other heritage houses nearby such as Ewenton House and Clontarf House that can be seen whilst walking on the Tom Uren walking route. Have a look at the Balmain Watch House (179 Darling St) which was built from Hawkesbury sandstone in 1854.

In the 19th century Balmain was known for ship building, engineering and boiler making. For a period of time the area even had a coal mine.

Balmain was a working class area. The industrialisation of the suburb resulted in many tiny cottages being built for workers and surprisingly drinking establishments flourished in this environment! Many of these pubs (public houses) still operate in Balmain today and they are great places to visit even if only to admire the architecture.

Balmain began to move away from its working class origins in the 1960s when its industry began to wane and Sydney siders started to appreciate the suburb’s desirability. The Balmain basket weavers, as famously referred to by a former Australian prime minister, began to move into the area. Gentrification and renovations followed bringing back to life many decaying historic homes.

If you have time squeeze in a short walk around Ballast Point Park, which is only a 5 minute drive from the East Balmain Wharf. The park was created in 2009 after an oil refinery was demolished and the land decontaminated.

This urban renewal project has given the community several different recreational areas and provides a great place for a picnic or BBQ on the harbour’s foreshore.

Sydney Nimble Tours would be delighted to take your small group on a walking tour of Balmain and Ballast Point Park https://www.sydneynimbletours.com.au/inner. This activity can form part of our Inner Sydney Tour or added to one of the other days out. We visit Balmain for about two hours.

Fenwick Store was in a dilapidated state for many years. The recently completed restoration is a job well done.

Ewenton House with exquisite oriel window

The Exchange Hotel is part of the fabric of Balmain.

No this is not a tribute to an Easter Island Moai. The rustic quote at Ballast Point Park reads ‘Stone statues of ancient waves, tongue like dingoes on shore’. These words are taken from a poem (The Death of Isaac Nathan) by recently deceased Australian poet, Les Murray. The font is designed in dots to represent the rivets used on this former industrial site.

The bright colours of Mort Bay as seen from Ballast Point - Barangaroo and city buildings in the background.

butcher and candlestick maker?