Autumn is a delight my little village of Blackheath. I do joke and call it Bleakheath, but only with affection. It’s in the upper Blue Mountains of New South Wales, so the seasons are well defined. Spring is gorgeous and snow can occasionally transform it in winter. However, it’s in autumn that it shows its full glory.
Cherry trees provide a welcome at the railway station.
Tourists snap away along Wentworth Street, and so do I. The trees are liquidambars.
Tourists risk life and limb as they try to capture the best images. There are not many places where you can risk sitting down in the middle of the road, but motorists are very understanding.
I love this roofline of this little weatherboard cottage next door to the police station.
The photograph below is at the southern end of the same street, close to the village centre.
One tree seems to have every colour in an artist’s palette. Yes, that’s me underneath it. For a writer, Blackheath is an inspirational paradise, except that I spend too much time out and about with my camera!
I managed to persuade my partner Rob to pose (well,stand reluctantly) below some American pin oaks.
The oaks also make a great show at the intersection of Wentworth Street and Gardiner’s Crescent, and ‘storybook’ red and white toadstools pop up across the road. There are also plenty of edible orange ‘pine’ mushrooms around.
Pine mushroom, best fried in butter with garlic.
Golden colour outside the medical clinic cheers us up when we go for our autumn flu shots;
Boston Ivy turning crimson on a wall beside the bakery in Wentworth Street;
More crimson from a male king parrot feeding on maple seeds.
Park Avenue is noted for the cherry trees, planted by residents in the1950s.
MY OWN LITTLE CORNER OF BLACKHEATH IN AUTUMN
Old gardener enjoying the season. 😎
My associate Editor Des loves riding his bike through the maple leaves;
Wrap up warm Des.
The birds in our garden love autumn too; plenty of nuts and seeds to feed on.
A Crimson Rosella enjoying the seeds of the tulip tree.
Japanese maple trees are a favourite.
The black cockatoos arrive for a feast of hakea nuts.
View from the window of my top floor study;
Down by the letter box.
Maples in front of the deck.
AUTUMN TRANSFORMS THE GROUND AS WELL
As the leaves fall and the weather gets colder it’s lovely to have a cheery wood fire.
And a scarf is a good idea too.
Come on up everyone!
Here is a little piece on why Blackheath became my home…..TREE CHANGE
FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW, OR TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT BLACKHEATH.
Pauline, i thoroughly enjoyed your article about Blackheath, a town i have stayed in a few times and it has never ceased to disappoint. I shall certainly be wanting to stay during the autumn next time. I shall recommend an autumn holiday for my fellow book club friends next year maybe. I think we would really love it there.
Thanks Perry. Yes, really looking wonderful right now. Spring is gorgeous, but somehow autumn is my favourite season. Let me know if you come up and we can have coffee.
Well that sounds like a great idea, i’d better set the wheels in motion for Autumn 2018.
Excellent!
Great Fall colors. I love the photos of the outdoors near your home.
Thanks Heather. Yes, the whole village is looking wonderful. Mild, sunny days too.
Pauline, thank you for your wonderful Autumn photos of Blackheath which was my ‘home-town’ from 1950 until I departed for the big-smoke in 1965 to find work. My Mum lived in Arcadia Street from 1948 until 1993 bringing up 3 children on her own and being involved with many Charities, Schools and C of E committees always baking cakes for stalls and functions and doing part-time work in the Village shops. Mum was also on the organizing committee of the 1885-1985 Blackheath Village and School Centenary celebrations which were fantastic.
I have a few ‘huge’ Calendars for 1985 which are very interesting indeed.
I still visit Blackheath as much as I can as I have fond (and un-fond) memories and also visit one of my Blackheath Kindergarten lifelong friends who still lives there.
I enjoyed reading your ‘Collins’ story and wonder if Linda Collins is related (she is a longtime Blackheath lady who runs a shop there) ??
Keep enjoying !!
Thanks Lorraine. I write a lot about Blackheath. We have been here 16 years, having moved up from Sydney to enjoy the birdlife and the seasonal changes. Are you sure the lady you are thinking of isn’t Linda Collier, who runs the crystal shop in the arcade?
Just beautiful, thank you.
Thanks Chris. A special time of year.
Lovely Pauline,
hope to get up to Blackheath some weekend soon and look for leaves and birds…
Brad
Will be looking great in a couple of weeks Brad. As long as the damn rain stops!