Walk the walk that never bores.

I consider myself to be very fortunate to be living in Australia and in particular in a leafy suburb which is a forty minute train ride from the city of Sydney.

For the past twenty odd years, I have walked every morning in my suburb around 6.00 To 6.30 am and I never get tired of the view even when the scenery changes with the seasons.
The change is mainly the light rather than the vegetation, because our local pine trees and gums trees don’t shed their leaves to the same extent as European trees, and in many cases the gum trees shed their bark, rather than their leaves.
At the moment it is still Spring (November) and most of the early flowers have bloomed and died off.
Our National flower the Golden wattle has bloomed and faded.

I took the above picture just before dawn some weeks ago – the flowers are reflected in a ‘duck pond’, which is really a run off from the surrounding cliffs, but there is a small dam to hold back any rubbish from entering the river.
On leaving home I have a slight climb – my house is at the bottom of this hill.

Looking down the other side of the hill.

The river below, which is tidal.

I can see fishermen getting ready for an early morning outing.

Bottom of the hill and this view always catches my eye.

Further along the fishermen are making their ‘tinny’ read. (Tinny = aluminium small boat) A 3.7 mtr tinny boat and trailer can be had for around $950 (USD $720).

Someone is making ready for a dawn kayak paddle.

The children’s area of the park. A lonely trike forgotten from yesterday – there would have been tears in someone’s home last night.

Part of the park with wood fired BBQ and picnic shelter.

I prefer the picnic table to overlook the river – the sun is just coming up behind me.

The notice on the shoal marker states that the speed limit is 8 knots, I doubt that our kayak friend will be breaking the speed limit.

Drinking in the views

I’ve reached the end of my walk and cannot go any further, so it is time to make tracks home for breakfast.

My camera is only a point and click, but I tried to use the trees to protect the lens from direct sunlight. Taken as I turned to return home.

Homeward bound, the river is now on my right.

 Civilisation in the distance.

This is the end of the road on which I live (it is a cul-de-sac, but quite a long road). The end of the road is behind me.
Further up on the left-hand side, near where the fishermen were putting their boat in the water, there is a bird nesting.

It has been nesting for the past few weeks and managed to stay alive. Someone has painted a circle around the bird (several metres from the bird) and written that the bird is nesting to keep people away. I have seen foxes around the area, and I am surprised that the bird has not been disturbed.
In this area I have been dive bombed by magpies who are protecting their nest. In certain areas of Sydney children on the way to school wear their peaked hat on backwards to protect the back of their neck from nesting magpies. The attacks don’t go on for long just while they are nesting.

This area also has a number of kookaburras who are meat eater so I don’t hold out much hope for any chicks. The kookaburras around 5.30 am in the Spring are our local ‘dawn chorus’ – not unpleasant unless you’ve had a late night.

Kookaburras are not frightened of us, so why would they fear a small bird nesting – this fellow joined us in our back garden for lunch.