Mark's Blog: Hats, Apples and Vistas

Springing in to autumn: this species of the Narcissus genus evidently flowers in autumn

Sunday featured a trip to the Blue Mountains, about an hour and a half west of Sydney. First stop for brunch and a tour of the shops, in which a new hat acquired a tourist, was followed by a trip out to Sublime Point, with majestic views across the mountains and the Three Sisters, unspoilt by the hordes of tourists at nearby Echo Point.

Shopping in Leura

Tourist, being modelled by a new hat

Mountain Devil (Lambertia formosa)

Gill at Sublime Point lookout

Smoke, probably from 'back burning' - a controlled fire that aims to reduce flammable material and the likelihood of a spontaneous bushfire starting in hotter/windier conditions

Hat, with tourist

We drove back to Sydney via Bilpin, the main apple growing region of NSW. Our friend Tycho was at his parents orchard on Sunday (welding, when we arrived) so we swung by to pick (and eat) some apples, and for a tour of the 24 acre orchard.

Keeping bees: A decline in native honey bees is the result of an invasive beetle and a lack of wildflowers in the bush in recent years; bees are important for pollination, so forty hives are being brought in that will house a cross between native and European bees to provide greater resilience.

Citrus fruits are also grown on the orchard, conveniently coordinating with Gill's shirt

High quality netting keeps out the birds, but is designed to allow large ~~hale stones~~ hailstones to pass through

For their last full day in Sydney on Monday, we had breakfast in Darling Harbour before taking a walk to the Sydney Tower via the Queen Victoria Building. The views from the 309m tower stretch for 80km, offering a fine view of the city, harbour, and surrounding areas. Afternoon tea at the Hyde Park Barracks was followed by a stroll through the Domain to Mrs Macquaire's Chair, and back through the Botantic Gardens to Bennelong Precinct for a drink at Opera Bar. We took a ferry to Balmain East and had a drink at The London Hotel (where one of my ex-students was working behind the bar!) before meeting up with Gill at The Exchange for dinner.