It was the last Sunday in winter, and one of those glorious Sydney winter days. There were a ludicrous number of them this year. Where better to be than on the Illawarra Escarpment Walk, looking down on places like Stanwell Park, Colecliff, and Scarborough?
We were on the lookout for wild waratah flowers. Should have been some out by now, we thought, and we'd come across lots along here in the past. Our state's floral emblem can be a little unpredictable and elusive though.
We did come across one fine specimen, but it was in the garden of the cafe at Sublime Point, so maybe doesn't count.
One (somewhat unexpected) floral discovery was a Wollemi Pine tree. This is the 'dinosaur tree', not seen for 70 million years, since it went extinct in dinosaur times, or so they thought. It had been hiding from the dinosaurs in remote canyons in the Wollemi National Park until its rediscovery about 20 years ago. It has since come out of hiding, and managed to get itself widely propagated and dispersed around the joint, by the helpful modern humans. It doesn't plan to go extinct again any time soon.
Below: Looking south to Wollongong, Port Kembla, and beyond
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