You can get there by car but it is a long trip through the Royal National Park. It's also possible to get there by train and ferry so while Marianne and Robin were off to down town Sydney, I headed off on the train.
But first, a hibiscus to brighten the day.
A few yards away, a variegated hedge.
A croquet game across from Tempe Station. Marianne reckons she would like to play the game sometime.
We are relatively close to two stations, Marrickville and this one Tempe. It's handy for trips going south.
The Georges River, on my way to Cronulla where the ferry leaves for Bundeena.
Sydneysiders complain all the time about their suburban train service, but it actually is an excellent service. The carriages are double-decker and quite comfortable and quiet and you don't have to wait too long for your train to arrive.
Cronulla is at the end of the suburban train line. It's only a couple of hundred yards to the ocean from the station through this park.
The usual Norfolk Pines.
Sulphur crested cockatoos. These are big birds (17 - 22 inches long) and they can be taught to imitate human voices. 'Hello cockey'.
Surf Pavillion at Cronulla.
Rock swimming pool.
In the distance, Kurnell. If you are flying into Sydney Airport from the south, you fly over that area at the southern side of Botany Bay.
The ferry leaves on the hour so I had a bit of time to walk around the Cronulla shopping area.
Cronulla has a very prosperous shopping street. Since this suburb is beside the ocean, you need to have a lot of money to have a house in the region.
What is left of the old picture theater.
The station has an Art Deco look.
It's a short walk from the station to the wharf where you catch the ferry.
The ferry arrived. This boat has been making this trip for seventy years.
I sat at the back end of the boat. I've discovered over the years that it's more pleasant at the back than up the front.
It's a very pleasant ride that takes about 25 minutes. It was made even better with a conversation with a couple who live in Bundeena.
They pointed out some of the high-lights of the suburbs around Port Hacking.
Fifty or more years ago, Bundeena was an area where people would have a small weekend shack. Some of them still exist.
Inside the ferry.
The conversation with the couple from Bundeena led to them inviting me for a coffee at their house. I had been telling them about house exchanges and they wanted to know more. It was not far from the jetty to their house which was built about five years ago.
The view from their house. The photos do not do the view or the light justice at all.
Way in the distance (20 kilometers) is the city. We discussed a possible house exchange next year and perhaps it will come off. Even if it doesn't, I really enjoyed talking with them and hearing about life in this isolated suburb. It was obvious that life for people who lived here had many of the same problems and good things that we have living in Chesapeake Isle at the top of the Chesapeake Bay.
Since there was some time before the next ferry back to Cronulla, I had a walk round the back streets.
Pathway down the local beach.
Plane flying into Sydney Airport. The planes fly around Bundeena but they don't fly directly over it.
It's a really peaceful beach area.
The shopping street. There is not much in the way of shops, but there is a supermarket.
Bundeena Creek.
Play ground for the kiddies.
One of the old houses.
The ferry wharf. Yes, it goes under water.
I've never seen a wharf that deliberately submerges with the tide.
Interesting house on the northern shore of Port Hacking in Cronulla.
One of the old shacks.
It's an intriguing suburb but housing is quite expensive, even by Sydney standards.
The ferry ride is really quite lovely. A group of three old women who lived in Bundeena were sitting on the ferry next to me. One of them remarked that you couldn't find a better place to live. I suspect she was correct.
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