Rockdale 2216

 

I explored Rockdale today. Lots of interesting shopping and eating experiences to be had here.

I had an excellent burek for lunch at this Macedonian burek bakery. I'll be back!

Caddies Creek - the dark side!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A shopping trolley in the creek, and a tastefully decorated toilet cubicle. It is Western Sydney after all. There's only so far upmarket a suburb can go.

Jannali 2226

 

Jannali is on the Cronulla/Waterfall line, and it's the stop before Sutherland. I stopped and checked it out the other day, and it's a thoroughly nice little suburb.

Several pleasant cafes and a very nice feel to the place.

 

And there are excellent little bushwalks to be done around here. Like in the Burnum Burnum Sanctuary, where there are forests of Gymea Lilies. I guess there ought to be, as it's not far from Gymea here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Pipeline Track, alongside the very rusty old Woranora water pipeline.

Malabar Headland

The headland between Maroubra and Malabar beaches has in recent years become a national park, and more accessible to the public. Part of it is still a rifle range though, and not always open. It was the other day though, so I was able to stroll at leisure.

Queen St, St Marys

Green Square 2017

Green Square was just a station on the Airport Line for quite a while. But there was a plan for a magnificent new suburb with 40,000 people.

I heard that things were happening there now, so did a quick tour of inspection. There's lots more to come, but some interesting things have appeared, and a town centre is indeed taking shape, right alongside that railway station.

One's the Infinity building, said to be described by some as a doughnut, a rollercoaster, or an armchair.


And there's the public library, mostly underground, and very avant garde. I spent a while searching for the free magazines to read, before finding them upstairs, in the cafe. Which is quite logical really.


I'll head back in a year or so for another progress report.

Extreme postcodes: 2179

I went to explore Leppington the other day. It was much in the news a year or two ago, when Sydney's latest bit of suburban train line was opened. The area, south west of Liverpool, and 50km from central Sydney, is designated as a growth centre, with enormous new suburbs being built all around.





At least they're building the public transport before building the suburbs, which is probably the right way round.








So what is there now at Leppington proper? I had no idea before I got there and stepped off the train at the sparkling new station.

Well, not much. Here's that station, with an attached convenience store.

Here's a sign advertising the dream home experts, with only two or three dream homes so far.









Otherwise it's still mostly farmland and cacti.


I had an interesting encounter with one local farmer. I was taking photos of his happy and healthy herd of dairy cows. He came out and enquired about my motives. It turned out people purporting to be from the council had been doing the same, and allegations had been made that

he was not looking after his animals properly. I suspect there were ulterior motives of land developers involved. Could they be trying to shift him off his soon-to-be-residential-suburb property before he's ready to go?

Extreme postcodes: 2560

Campbelltown is at the extreme southern edge of Greater Sydney, and at the end of the line for a lot of suburban train services. I made the trip out there this morning to see what's changed since I was last there a few years ago.

It's not such a bad little spot either. Some of its neighbours have a bit of a bad reputation, but I think you could have a very wholesome and pleasant life here. Certainly it's a comfortable place to visit.

I came across a Mawson Park, and looked for any memorial to or information on the Antarctic explorer, but it turns out the park is named after famous Mawson's less famous doctor brother.
 
The main Campbelltown Mall shopping centre has certainly had quite a makeover recently. I enjoyed my morning coffee there, made by a very friendly and capable chap in the food court.