AUG 2012 VOL 3 Wollongong - The Garden Of Oz

We spent yesterday (Father's Day) sitting by the lake, and towards evening, as the light became softer, the people became quieter, some packing up, thinking perhaps of the working week ahead. The birds ventured out into the lake whose surface had become smoother and took on the soft grey blue of the afternoon sky.

That's when I reach for the camera

Enjoy....

Narrabeen Lakes is only 28 kms North of Sydney CBD, and a very popular spot all year around for campers and weekend visitors. When Summer gets underway, sailing, boating swimming and fishing are the favourite pastimes here.

The adjoining caravan park consists of 26 acres. It's also within easy walking distance to the surfing beach.

Flathead, bream and whiting are easily caught during Spring and Summer. Fishermen can wade out through the shallows and cast their lines into the deeper channels, or fish from the shore at high tide.

A variety of birds can be seen in and around the lake, including plovers, ducks, gulls, magpies pelicans, parrots and lorikeets.

If you love gardening like I do, and always have, you'll get inspiration from all types of gardens. I'm most inspired by the tropical gardens I have seen overseas. Fiji and Singapore have the most beautiful plants, but so many are not available here in Australia.

I live in Sydney, a temperate climate offering a vast range of plants to gardeners. When you visit The Blue Mountains however, less than two hours from Sydney CBD, the choice changes. Some plants do better, (such as Rhododendrons), while the tropical types struggle.

These photos were taken at a garden in Leura, near Katoomba, in The Blue Mountains.

The garden designers have relied on "order" and "structure", rather than colour display. Conifers, Hedging Plants, Mondo Grasses, All easy to grow in any back garden, have been used very creatively.

I hope this garden is as inspiring to you as it was to me. i.e. the beauty of a garden does not have to rely on a green thumb and high maintenance, but instead, the wow factor can come from simplicity itself.

Wollongong (affectionately known as The 'Gong) is a seaside city located on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between a mountain ridge and the Pacific Ocean. We drove 82 kilometres (51 mi) south of Sydney and spent a couple of days on North Beach, near Wollongong Harbour. In this pic taken at North Beach about 6.30 am, you can see a lone swimmer about to take the plunge.

A pleasant early morning stroll from the beach to the small boat harbour takes you past coffee shops, breakfast bars and seafood restaurants, not to mention rock pools and lighthouses. In this next pic., you can see a lighthouse on the horizon. That lighthouse features in the next pic. as we continue our walk.

As we arrive at Boat Harbour, the light is getting brighter.

Continuing our stroll from North Beach to the harbour....

Wollongong Harbour was given heritage listing in 2010. One reason was it's beauty and 19th Century charm. Local festivals include Seafood and Sail at Wollongong Harbour in mid-February. This morning, camera in hand, I was surprised at how many great photographic subjects presented themselves.