A Wander through the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
On our second day in Sydney, we went for a wander--along Circular Quay, then up an ancient set of stone steps into the Botanic Gardens--where we enjoyed the garden's beauty and ran into a rainstorm.
Sherpa and I had noticed sets of staircases leading upwards from the promenade yesterday on our way to the Sydney Opera House. Now, we had time to explore.
On our walk along Circular Quay, past the ferry terminal, and towards the Opera House, we noticed gold disks on the sidewalk and delightedly discovered they were part of the NSW Ministry for the Arts Writers Walk. Some of the writers we knew, others were unfamiliar to us, but they were all from Australia or had written about the country. It was a fun addition to our wander.
After climbing the stairs, we reached one of the thirteen gates that lead into the Botanic Gardens. We wandered through a treed area and had just come out onto a grassy knoll when the first raindrops began to fall. Luckily, we were near the Vista Pavillion and ducked under the shelter. It took us only a few minutes to put on our Pepto Bismol-pink emergency rain ponchos, and we headed out in the rain to explore.
We were surprised to see flowers we recognized in the floral beds near the gift shop and restaurant—even our favorite, the purple coneflower! We expected to see all sorts of new-to-us flowers. But if the flowers weren’t different, the birds sure were!
We were excited the first time we saw these two birds, but we soon saw them everywhere—especially near outdoor eating spaces—and were less enthused! Meet the Australian Ibis, a common white and black ibis. According to eBird, it has “developed a reputation as the ‘Bin Chicken’ due to its habit of scavenging food.” The black and white Australian Magpie is more of a charmer—singing a flutey melody, and we often saw it hopping in grassy areas with a mate.
Bug art, anyone? There’s a metal sculpture in the flower bed. By now, the rain was off and on. At times, there was just a sprinkle, but then the heavy downpour came, so we ducked into the gift shop and browsed until it was safe to go back outside. We bought an umbrella decorated with an Aboriginal design to add a second layer of rain protection. And we were glad we did, as the rain continued throughout the early afternoon. Plus—we now own a useful souvenir!
Do not ask why, but once we entered the succulent garden, the land of desert plants, the rain stopped, the sidewalks were dry(ish), and it was okay to put away our umbrellas. Temporarily…but still, we were no longer walking through a downpour. Some of the cacti rivaled the plants we saw when we lived in Arizona. Nicely done!
We passed the zig-zag fountain, the administration buildings, and the row of flags before arriving at the Wooloomooloo Gate and exiting the park. We were searching for the New South Wales Museum of Art, only a few blocks away. We were also searching for a dry place to park our wet bags and umbrellas and dry out. And, of course, we were looking for Aussie art!
Next up: Art in Sydney.
Another day I envy- even with the rain! Beautiful!
Our visit to the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden was also in the rain.... I had my very effective raincoat with a hood and it kept me dry. Beautiful place and lovely views!