Nobody loves our beautiful Australian birds more than I do. I photograph them and write about them daily. BUT, this is a plea not to feed the Sulphur Crested Cockatoos here in the Blue Mountains (or anywhere else for that matter). The population of these birds has
Read more →EARLY HISTORY OF BLACKHEATH DUCK POND When the Great Western Railway crossed the Blue Mountains of New South Wales in the 1860s a reliable water source was required for the steam engines. In the village of Blackheath a catchment area to the north and east of Gardners
Read more →A WANDER ALONG WENTWORTH STREET. Since the Great Western Highway from Sydney to the Blue Mountains was upgraded there has been a huge rise in visitor numbers. My home of Blackheath is one of the highest villages, and in autumn Wentworth Street in particular is a joy
Read more →Mrs Eva Hallett arrived in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba by rail in the autumn of 1916, accompanied by her 16 year old daughter Violet. For a few days the pair stayed in a well known boarding house. However, Mrs Hallett then visited a local estate
Read more →Recently I conducted a little social history survey on how the various towns and villages of the Blue Mountains are perceived. Do they have a distinct character? Well certainly most of them do. Most surprising of all to me was that Glenbrook is considered by many to
Read more →Lonicera nidita is a type of honeysuckle used in topiary and hedging. It’s often known as box honeysuckle. Tiny birds such as blue wrens love to hop about in it…… and on it, searching for bugs. It will cope with frequent, light clipping and becomes dense and
Read more →In a now famous reference to Queen Elizabeth; ‘I did but see her passing by, and yet I’ll love her until I die.’ Prime Minister of Australia R.M. Menzies. (1963) Early in February 1954, a group of WWI diggers travelled down to Sydney to see the young
Read more →I can’t say that I like spiders, but I have become quite fascinated with the ones I see in my garden here in the Blue Mountains. Of course most of them I don’t actually see….only their intricate webs. People on an Australian spider ID site told me the
Read more →Specimens of of the Australian native Banksia serrata were collected by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770 and later named for him. They are funny, gnarled trees that look ancient long before their time (rather like weather beaten Australian gardeners). Serrata refers to the tough, saw edged leaves; Their knobbled
Read more →A favourite shrub in my woodland garden is the spikey Australian native shrub Lambertia Formosa. It was once known as the honey flower, but today is more usually called Mountain Devil. It is related to the proteas. The shrubs grow to about 2 metres. They are great
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