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Showing posts from 2013

Theme Day: Pink

Taken in my garden today When thinking about pink, at this time of year it is hard to go past the blossom that is appearing in streets and gardens all around the mountains. For more Pink in cities around the world visit City Daily Photo

Theme day: Street Lamps

In 1913 the citizens of Lawson erected a street lamp as a memorial to mark the centenary of the crossing of the Blue Mountains by Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth in 1813. With the passing of another 100 years in May 2013 the citizens of Lawson again gathered to celebrate the crossing. The party reenacting the crossing unveiled a bust of Lawson in the park where the street lamp still stands -- you can see it in the background. For more images of Street Lamps visit City Daily Photo Theme Day .

Theme Day: The Beauty of Decay

My garden last week Click here to view other theme day participants

Cliff Drive, Katoomba 7 of 7

As Jim commented the other day it was a beautiful autumn day, perfect for a picnic or stroll in the bush. The Cliff Drive breaks at this point and starts again a little further along winding its way from Katoomba to Leura.  I love this drive and take it whenever I can, even when it's out of my way.  I hope you have enjoyed this quick peak at its delights.

Cliff Drive, Katoomba 6 of 7

Around the corner you come across Scenic World, a popular tourist destination with it scenic thrill rides. I didn't get any shots on this trip but I have posted them before -- the Scenic Railway , the Skyway   and Cableway . Also this vicinity there a couple of Christian convention centres.

Cliff Drive, Katoomba 5 of 7

At key points along the drive there are lookouts.  This one gives you a look at the iconic Three Sisters without having to fight the crowds at Echo Point. A closer view of the Three Sisters below.

Cliff Drive, Katoomba 4 of 7

A mountain escape.  One of the many tourist accommodations in this town.  I can imagine myself sitting on the verandah enjoying the view.

Cliff Drive, Katoomba 3 of 7

Here we go, a look at just some of cliffs that are all along this drive. No wonder it's a tourist drawcard.  I never tire of these views.

Cliff Drive, Katoomba 2 of 7

Over the road from the golf course is the ever present bushland and already the promise of the cliffs that have been drawing tourists since the 1800s.    This is very much a tourist drive.

Cliff Drive, Katoomba 1 of 7 - A Road the Beckons

Cliff Drive is a name with much promise.  But interestingly, like Sublime Point Road, also starts with a golf course.    In the distance you can see the chimney at the Carrington Hotel, a Katoomba landmark.  It's a relic of the power station that brought electricity to the town 100 years ago,

Sublime Point Road, Leura 7 of 7

And after a short easy walk you reach Sublime Point. The people you can see through the trees are at the lookout.  I was too lazy to walk down the steps.

Sublime Point Road, Leura 6 of 7

But no matter how much the gardens are planted and tended the native forest is never far away in the mountains.  As we head down the road the exotic gardens give way to native gardens and not much after to the native bush itself.

Sublime Point Road, Leura 5 of 7

And the land of the old very tall cypress hedge.

Sublime Point Road, Leura 4 of 7

This is the land of the clipped hedge.

Sublime Point Road, Leura 3 of 7

Leura is where the more expensive real estate in mountains is located -- high fences, locked gates, tantalising driveways and a solid wall of vegetation hiding the sweeping views that I know are just over that rise.  Big gardens with hired help and signs on the gate saying "bore water in use" or "tank water" to stop us getting upset at them using water during drought.   Some of the gardens show during the Leura Garden Festival in spring if you want a chance to glimpse behind the walls.

Sublime Point Road 2 of 7

Leura, along with most of the older settlements in the mountains is replete with "exotic" trees which colour beautifully in Autumn (unlike the evergreen native forests which encircle us).

Sublime Point Road, Leura 1 of 7 - A road that beckons

It was a glorious sunny Autumn day on Sunday so the perfect opportunity top choose a new road to walk.  This time we are in the up-market village of Leura and walking Sublime Point Road -- who could not want to walk a road with a name like that. It is a longish starting with Fairmont Resort and Leura Golf Club at one end.

Hat Hill Road 7 of 7

It's a long road and at the end of the bitumen there is a further 5 kilometre of dirt track to go which ends at Anvil Rock and the Wind Eroded Rock .  We didn't drive out there this time even though it is one of the easiest tracks in the mountains to see great views.  Click the links above to see them.

Hat Hill Road 6 of 7

It was a surprise to see the cliff face through the garden growth.  All of the houses on that side of the road must have cliff views, you just can't see it from the road other than this glimpse.

Hat Hill Road 5 of 7

The derelict windmill is a testament to some sort of farming past at this property.

Hat Hill Road 4 of 7

It is a long road with lots of quite lovely older style houses, many with huge old trees like this one.

Hat Hill Road 3 of 7

The Hat Hill Gallery is just down the road from the park.  They were showing some fabulous art glass.

Hat Hill Road 2 of 7

The Anglican Church is over the road from the gardens.  Autumn is getting into swing now.

Hat Hill Road 1 of 7 - A road that beckons

We were in Blackheath to follow our next road that beckons ... in this case Hat Hill Road. At the top of the road where it intersects with the highway there is the Blackheath gardens.  Here we found the only 'hats' on this adventure.

Theme Day: The Creative Artisan

At the Craft Market in Blackheath among the predictable stalls of knitted goodies, costume jewellery, silk scarves, paintings, photos, cards and wooden toys we found Rik crafter of beautiful pens, clocks and mirrors. To see other images relating to this theme, visit City Daily Photo.

Theme Day: Pedestrians Crossing

Walkway across the top of Wentworth Falls The Blue Mountains are all about bush walking.  This is one of the heavily used and hence highly maintained tracks.  The fence is protecting people from the huge drop of the waterfall, a small slip on those rocks and you'd be gone over the edge. Click here to check out the other creative posts on this theme from City Daily Photo bloggers.

Festival of the Equinox

Evans Crown Reserve, near Tarana in the Greater Blue Mountains region. Working on the theme of the Equinox and thinking of balance, mineral, vegetable and spiritual -- Zen balance rocks immediately sprung to mind.  Now I don't have the patience to balance my own rocks so I checked through my archives to find some that nature had done for me. Click here to see contributions from other City Daily Photo members on this theme.

Tollgate Drive 7 of 7

I saw a number of native plants on this walk.  These hakea pods interested me because they were still quite soft -- I've only ever noticed them when they are hard and dark brown.

Tollgate Drive 6 of 7

There is quite a nice view from the drive.

Tollgate Drive 5 of 7

Strata in the rock revealed by the road cutting.

Tollgate Drive 4 of 7

The drive itself is typical of mountain roads that are not suburban streets.

Tollgate Drive 3 of 7

The railway runs beside the highway most of the way up the mountain.

Tollgate Drive 2 of 7

A view of the highway from the overbridge.  The has been a major highway widening project going on for years and years.  This section was finished some time ago.

Tollgate Drive 1 of 7 - A Road that Beckons

I decided to move up the highway to the next town.  Linden is one of the smaller towns that make up the City of the Blue Mountains.  There are not many streets to choose from so I decided on Tollgate Drive, the highway passes under it.

Theme day: Cafe Chairs

To me the perfect cafe chair is set in dappled light in a beautiful garden ... Everglades Garden, Leura.

Magic Pudding Place 7 of 7

Gum blossom Now that's magic.

Magic Pudding Place 6 of 7

The end of the road It's a very short street and we've reached the end of the road. Let's go look for one last piece of magic.

Magic Pudding Place 5 of 7

Ah ha a touch of fun.

Magic Pudding Place 4 of 7

Blue I am beginning to feel a little blue, this is such an ordinary neat and tidy street.

Magic Pudding Place 3 of 7

Zen Garden The gardens are all neat and tidy, some with their own touch of magic.

Magic Pudding Place 2 of 7

Grevillias It's a very ordinary street but these Gevillias are magic and so was the weather that day.

Magic Pudding Place 1 of 7 - A Road that Beckons

Magic Pudding Place When I looked at the map at Faulconbridge trying to choose the Road the Beckoned I really couldn't go past Magic Pudding Place.  With the name like that there must surely be something interesting to photograph.  Mind you Bunyip Blue Gum Road came a close second. These whimsical names come from characters in Norman Lindsay's children's book The Magic Pudding which seems to have everlasting appeal rather like the magic pudding that always has something left no matter how many slices are taken.

King Parrot

I rather liked this shot I got of an adult King Parrot last week. Even though he isn't doing anything he is looking very impressive.

Australia Day

Meet Megan one of our attendants on the Great Southern Rail train The Overland which runs from Melbourne (current tennis mad because of  the Aussie Open) to Adelaide. Rolling along a railway track through gold, wheat and sheep country reading the recently published anthology  The Words that Made Australia - How a Nation Came to Know Itself  seemed like a pretty nice way to spend the day to me ...  up there with the best of them. Celebrate Australia day with others in the CDP community here.

Bird practise

Following on from my Festival of the Belly Button post I am trying to capture more action in the birds. This is a juvenile King Parrot.  The whole family was visiting the cherry tree this morning.

Bee Farm Road, Springwood 7 of 7

Shooting club I was surprised to find a shooting club at the end of the road. That's it for this road.  The next one Forty Bends Road is at the foot of the mountains in the west. I will be showing it over at Sweet Wayfaring .

Bee Farm Road, Springwood 6 of 7

Bushland I was not at all surprised to find that the road ended in bushland.  Most roads in the mountains do.

Bee Farm Road, Springwood 5 of 7

Older home Not all of the homes in the street are modern.  Some have a very nice art deco type of charm.