For what seems a very long time I have been following two building projects here in the Blue Mountains’ village of Blackheath. I am beginning to wonder whether either of them will ever reach completion. The first of the intrepid owner builders is Mr Satin Bowerbird, of
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Recently, Marney Daniel posted on the Blue Mountains Community FB site that a sulphur crested cockatoo had stolen a bag of pegs from her clothes line. She was from further ‘down the hill’ at Glenbrook. Marney apologized if the pegs were littering someone’s backyard, and asked everyone
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Warwick and Wendy Wonga from Blackheath have been using a rustic wooden ‘courting seat’ in my garden for quite a few years. These Australian native pigeons are monogamous, and mate for life. Unfortunately, their seat has begun to show signs of wear and tear. Well, they do
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June the Wonga chick was hatched completely out of season, here in Blackheath in the Blue Mountains. It hasn’t been easy for the dear little one, with rain, sleet and heavy frosts to contend with. I call June ‘her‘ even though I don’t really know if that’s
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Roll up and grab your popcorn everyone. On offer is free entry to the Wongas’ unique theatrical performance. We all need some distraction in these troubled times. Australia’s native Wonga pigeons are engaging birds even when they are just pottering about, so expect something VERY special. After
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From the 1863 New South Wales Police Gazette. Bushranger Ben Hall strikes again; This tiny snippet was the only mention of the robbery at that time, and no-one was ever charged. In those days, travelling the country’s rural roads was a dangerous business and outlaws led the
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The following extract on whaling is from The Mercury, July 1929, re-posted from The New York Post. Please don’t take offence at its tone my fellow Taswegians; The whaling industry is to be restored to Hobart, capital of Tasmania, the little island lying south of Australia. This
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The Wattle Cafe, on the Great Western Highway at Blackheath, has been around since the 1940s. My Blackheath born friend Larraine tells me they used to serve hot milkshakes, which had to be drunk quickly, before the straw melted. It is such a warm sanctuary on a
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After publishing my website stories about the crimes of Sydney society matron Mrs Edols a reader called Sue left the following message; Well, of course I had to find out. During her court appearance in August 1931 the tabloid Truth newspaper reported on Aimee Edols’ demeanour; Her
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April 30 2020 – How extraordinary, today we spotted our resident Wonga couple snuggling up together whenever they weren’t foraging or feeding their most recent chick, Spirit. The Australian native pigeons mate for life and we thought they were just ‘bonding’, but no….there was a lot more
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