Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden

I think it's 20 years since I last visited the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden in St Ives. I think there used to be an entry fee, and that might have kept me away. There isn't one now, and I can report that it's well worth a visit. They've done lots.

 

There are picnic facilities, lots of educational signage, short tracks, long tracks. Some are bush tracks, and there's a bicycle track.

 

 

There seems to have been some hazard reduction burning here recently. It's a bit contested, whether this does more good or harm, and how best to do it when we do. But from a photographer's point of view, there are always spectacular images to be got,with the resulting colours and patterns.

Nurragingy

It's 15 years or so since I last visited the Nurragingy Reserve. At that time it was probably in its infancy as a local attraction, and my memories were of a patch of scrubby bush with a few picnic tables and an uninviting bush track or two. Plus a couple of blacksmith's huts, I remember.

Since then it was in the news because of a prominent 2010 murder case - a young child was murdered and her body was dumped here. Not something to enhance one's image of a beauty spot.

Well it's actually come on quite a lot, as we discovered the other day. It's now very inviting indeed, with lots of appealing facilities. The blacksmith's huts are still there, and there are now lots of lawns, picnic areas, specialist gardens, a good value for money kiosk, playgrounds, cycle paths and water features.

We didn't have time to do justice to the place. Just enough time to have a quick lunch and a brief sojourn into the Chinese Garden, but we plan to return soon to explore it all a bit further.

Nurragingy Reserve is in Doonside in Western Sydney, and is managed by Blacktown City Council.