Oh, Barmah! Tales from the riverbanks of the mighty Murray River (Dhungala) in Yorta Yorta country

We're in Victoria's Sun Country region at Barmah, looking at maps showing off-road tracks, significant wetlands and camping spots along Dhungala, the Murray River, Australia's longest and the third longest navigable river in the world. With or without the impressive statistics, this particular area is quite simply stunning, too good not to share. 

Dhungala, the mighty Murray River. (Image ©AP)

This is an assignment that's brought us to the wider region without a fixed prior plan and it's a luxury to go as we please, choosing accommodation to suit. Barmah, the only Victorian town north of the Murray (I still haven't worked that out!) is on our radar as it is beside the river with a connecting bridge to NSW.  The Barmah Bridge Caravan Park has cabins and the kind owners give us the spotless Cockatoo cabin a short walk from both the riverside and the Barmah Hotel –  we're just in time for dinner at 6pm. The hotel bar/dining room has historic photos around the walls and it seems that bushranger Ned Kelly played cards here. We're masked up because of Covid – maybe cause for a philosophical discussion with Ned here?

There's hardly anyone about as the VIC/NSW border only opened the day before we arrived so we're beating the crowds, lucky to find this place to stay ahead of what is shaping up to be a huge weekend for camp grounds and accommodation along the river. Nine hours' drive from Sydney via Wagga Wagga and along back roads through plains of golden wheat fields – it's been long day reaching the heartland of Yorta Yorta country, but there's still time to wander by the river at dusk, to the tune of a cacophony of corellas!

Pre-dawn we're heading in to the Barmah National Park where the Barmah-Millewa river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) forests meet the Moira and Barmah Lakes systems.  There's movement in the trees and a group of brumbies appears, ghostly shapes blending effortlessly into the setting, as do the kangaroos and emus we see along the way. The brumbies have had a reprieve from the planned muster the following weekend, cancelled due to Covid. The heritage listed Muster Yards stand empty. 

Tracks to the left lead to flooded areas but we hope to drive the loop road without incident. No such luck, the road ahead is closed, even to our rugged 4x4 with an intrepid driver! Backtracking we follow loops and turns to the river, where camp sites beckon and the idea of settling in to camp for a few nights is extremely tempting. There are huge trees and everywhere a sense of calm, as if every part of this place is sacred and protected, which it obviously is. There are canoe and shield trees, scarred trees, markers, cooking mounds and ceremonial and burial grounds. Signs for an interpretive walking track from the Dharnya Aboriginal Centre (closed) help visitors focus on details it would be easy to overlook, such as how the burls on the huge river red gums are formed.

Brumbies and burls. (Image ©AP)

Self-guided trails. (Image ©AP)

Still looking for the lake system we try several tracks, finding car parks on the edge of the river but still no lake. Parts of the forest are flooded, the dark waters reflecting the trees in a mesmerising fashion, like a mystical/magical film setting. Backtracking again we follow another side road and find a large group of fishermen poised to launch their boats. This is Barmah Lake and it's sensational, the river widening, lined with beaches and reed beds, reflecting the clouds from its calm surface. 

Stunning Barmah Lake. (Image ©AP)

Following tracks back beside the river we pass named points that are obviously favourite camping spots, a few occupied with campers looking decidedly happy and relaxed. No doubt they'll have the luxury of time to experience the fascinating features of these significant freshwater wetlands, recognised under the international Ramsar convention and home to around 550 plant species, more than 200 species of birds including Superb Parrots, mammals, frogs, native fish, turtles and much more. 

Reluctantly we leave the park for our next location at Moama in NSW opposite the historic VIC river port of Echuca. Our choice for the next two nights is a yurt at the eco-friendly Talo Retreat, the glamping section of the large Moama on Murray Resort offering, the Talo Retreat video says, an experience you will never forget. Biking and canoeing are options or just lazing, swinging in a hammock, looking out for parrots and kangaroos. But there's no relaxing for us today as we must be elsewhere and leave as the place fills up with a film crew and two media groups. Luxury glamping facilities are among the future plans for the resort, we're told.

Yurt at Talo Retreat. (Image ©AP)

Barmah Hotel. (Image ©AP)

After a busy couple of days we're due to head north again, but somehow we're drawn back to the Barmah National Park and happily there's a vacancy for one more night at Cockatoo cabin! I'm not sure why I feel so elated but we'll have another opportunity to enjoy the great bacon and egg rolls at the Barmah Post Office/store and it's like going home for a meal again at the Barmah Hotel, experiencing that timeless sense of reality that country Australia has to offer if you can slow down a bit and tune in to the surroundings. It's all so uncomplicated, very simple and very real. 

Back on the tracks, driving through the river red gum forest beside the Murray, we again experience the sense of peace and presence and an atmosphere of wellbeing that will definitely not be forgotten.

All words, photos and video © Alison Plummer. 

The annual World Wetlands Day on 2 February celebrates extraordinary places like this. https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2245

Up close: http://www.kingfishercruises.com.au

Hairy clairy and Christmas bush put on a spectacular show in Wollombi NSW

Angophora and Christmas bush. ©AP

Spring has been beautiful at our place in Wollombi NSW and we've spent time documenting plants here and in the neighbourhood, continuing our ongoing study begun in the year 2000. In all that time we haven't seen flannel flowers as prolific as they have been this year or Christmas bush (Ceratopetalum gummiferum) which has been extraordinary with red trees dotting the landscape around the ridges and cliffs. We have clerodendrum tomentosum,  too, covered in creamy white blossom followed by green berries surrounded by red – the berries turn black in yet another photogenic colour combination. The leaves are hairy underneath and the common name is hairy clairy or hairy lollybush!

Clerodendrum and scarlet honeyeater, above.
Clerodendrum berries, below. ©AP/KPM

Things to do and places to stay in Wollombi/Laguna: http://visitwollombi.com.au

Sandstone springwatch – flannel flowers.

 Flannel flowers on our hillside, NSW 2020. ©

Sandstone springwatch 2020, Wollombi Valley

Patersonia sericea. ©AP

People often ask about our place in the Australian bush in the Wollombi Valley. In contrast to my beloved English cottage garden, this wide treescape with its soaring sandstone ridges and deep valleys is a little harder to explain, especially when I talk about the plants.

Sandstone cliffs, our place. ©AP

While the wider view is fabulous, hidden here in the woods are treasures that are often hard to spot. I've been cataloguing the native plants and wildlife here since we came in the 1990s, always particularly excited about orchids and the beautiful carpets of Patersonia (flag irises) that appear in spring.  I have a ton of reference books, but some of the plants come in many varieties ... !

The irises like certain parts of the property and knowing if they are flowering takes a little guesswork – they like a warm sunny morning so it's not hard to harness the energy and take off for the 30-minute walk around the ridge to see if they are flowering. I thought the anomalies between one area and another were solely the shade or the soil, then I realised there were two varieties. The first to show is Patersonia glabrata, usually standing shoulder-to-shoulder on tufted stems, but razed to the ground by a very hot fire (aided and abetted by the dropping of incendiaries!) three years ago this spring. While the ground is still barren, the irises have re-appeared and I hope will thicken out to cover the hillside as before. This is the first of the 2020 season - a little early?  They are on a very sheltered, north-facing sandy slope. I don't think it is Patersonia fragilis as that's rare.

Patersonia glabrata, Leafy Purple Flag. ©AP

The top block is flat and the irises bloom later there. On closer inspection in other years I found that they are a different type, patersonia sericea. These aren't out yet, but hopefully soon. Note the tufted stem:

Patersonia sericea.  Photo: October 2016. ©AP

Meanwhile  I've seen tiny Pterostylis – greenhood orchids again for the first time since our fire. Over the years I've seen several different varieties and they are notoriously similar so difficult to pin down. As a friend said, they resemble little triffids and it's hard to think of them as orchids. These have little 'waists' and are green and white.

Pterostylis, Greenhoods, July 2020. ©AP

Next to erupt throughout the bush has been the Hardenbergia vine, a vivid purple people pleaser, seen here blooming over a burnt area that's still struggling to recover even after three years.

Hardenbergia. ©AP

There are more plants in bud and the birds are gathering. So thrilled to have seen the white goshawk again today for the first time for years! Also spied this Wonga vine, Pandorea pandorana:

Pandorea pandorana, Wonga vine. August 2020. ©AP

Revving up for 'The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire' at QAGOMA.

Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art
28 November-26 April, 2021

Featuring over 100 motorcycles from treasures of the past to the electric bikes of the future, this summer exhibition is world exclusive curated by US-based design curator/physicist Professor Charles M. Falco and writer/filmmaker Ultan Guilfoyle in collaboration with Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA).

 Indian Scout Streamliner 1920. Courtesy Clyde Crouch Collection.
Photograph: Robert Laprelle.

The exhibition explores pioneering motorcycles including the steam-powered 1870 Perreaux Vélocipède à vapeur, on loan from Paris, classic commuters, off-road bikes, custom creations and futuristic designs such as the Savic C-Series Alpha 2020 release from Australian Dennis Savic.

Savic 2020. Courtesy Savic Motorcycles.
Photograph: Jason Lau.

QAGOMA Director Chris Saines says, ‘The Motorcycle’ offers multiple interactive experiences for visitors of all ages and it includes a green screen motorcycle riding experience, a motorcycle design studio where you can build and customise your own virtual bike and a mobile companion site to help you navigate 150 years of motorcycle design history and learn the stories behind each of the bikes on display.'

Harley-Davidson Chopper c. 1973 (engine 1941). Private collection, Mackay.
Photograph: Andrew Beavis.

Highlights will include:

A rare 1906 Spencer, one of the very earliest Australian motorcycles designed and manufactured in Auchenflower, Brisbane;

A 1920 Indian Scout “Munro Special” created by the legendary NZ rider Burt Munro;

A 1927 Harley-Davidson FHA 8-valve speedway racer with sidecar;

The 1951 Vincent Black Lightning that set an Australian land speed record in its day and more recently a world record for the highest price paid at auction for a motorcycle;

Impressive speed machines such as a 1916 Indian 8-valve board track racer, a 1974 Ducati 750SS and a 1994 Britten V1000, created by New Zealand design engineer, John Britten;

The 2016 Dakar winning KTM Rally 450 motorcycle ridden by celebrated Australian motorsport champion Toby Price;

Accompanying the exhibition is a major film program screening in the Gallery’s Australian Cinémathèque that includes classics such as The Great Escape 1963 starring Steve McQueen and contemporary interpretations of motorcycle culture captured in films such as Akira 1988, The Motorcycle Diaries 2004 and Finke: There and Back 2018.

‘The Motorcycle’ is accompanied by a hardcover 320 page book co-published with Phaidon. Celebrating the history and future of the motorcycle, the book includes images of the motorcycles featured in the exhibition and essays from the exhibition co-curators. Purchase at GOMA store or online at qagoma.store.

Tickets to 'The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire' are now on sale at
qagoma.qld.gov.au/motorcycle

'The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire' is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It's Live! in Queensland events calendar.

Source: QAGOMA media news release.

Vespa GS150 1960. Courtesy Vespa House and Frank Tonon.
Photograph: Anne -Marie de Boni.

Janet Luxton Online Exhibition, Paintings & Works on Paper, Australian Galleries

Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo 2019 by Janet Luxton ©
Oil on Belgian linen, 120cm x 175cm

One of my favourite artists is Janet Luxton and I'm excited to see her current online exhibition with Australian Galleries. I often look at Janet's art and love her animals, cockatoos and other birds, not to mention the detail of works such as these lobsters.

Lobsters 2004 by Janet Luxton©
Etching and aquatint, 59.5cm x 85cm

Fat-Tailed Dunnart – Under Siege 2020 by Janet Luxton ©
Oil on Belgian linen, 150cm x 115cm

Janet studied painting at the San Fransisco Art Institute with photorealist artist Richard McLean and studied etching and other printmaking techniques with Arik Kilemnick at the Jerusalem Print Workshop in Israel.

Yeni Cami, Istanbul, by Janet Luxton ©
Etching and aquatint, 30cm x 30cm

See the online exhibition here: 

http://australiangalleries.com.au/exhibitions/paintings-works-on-paper/

Million Stars Hotel - Forget Counting Sheep

How uplifting! These inspiring images just came through on a release from Switzerland Tourism and I'm in love! Not a great fan of skiing, I get my mountain fixes in the summer and these places look like they tick the boxes. If only I could go now ...!

Summer in Switzerland and reopening borders mean some lucky souls can stay in 50 rooms around the country in amazing locations with uninterrupted sky views!  Named the Million Stars Hotel, locations feature views of the mountains, lakes, rivers, the countryside or cities with accommodation in the likes of gondolas, bubble tents, pods, tree tents, huts, exposed beds, rooftops and more.

Chosen by Switzerland Tourism for their characteristics and exceptional locales, 33 of these “rooms” are situated along the 'Grand Tour of Switzerland'. “Forget about counting sheep,” says Martin Nydegger, CEO of Switzerland Tourism. “During the Swiss summers, people can now enjoy counting stars from the comfort of these cosy rooms instead. This is relaxation at its purest!”

Available from now until end October 2020, the Million Stars Hotel will be open for booking again in summer 2021. Price guide between CFH80 - CHF800 (AUD122-1233), see Bookings.

Source: Press release.

But first into the blue, Pearl Beach NSW

,

Just glorious. Sunset foreshore walk from Pearl Beach enjoying the fascinating rock pool formations as well as the views to Lion Island (left) and Palm Beach.

Into the green, Hunter Valley NSW

View from the ridge. ©AP

Just the place to soothe the mind, feed the soul. Ready for the next chapter ... writing about our beautiful Wollombi Valley and beyond. So many stories ...

Virtual Indulgence: Nine places to visit in Austria without leaving home

View a streaming of a Vienna State Opera performance, visit the Belvedere Galleries, famous for the works of Gustav Klimt and dip into Lake Wörthersee. Or take an Austrian cooking  class, all thanks to Austrian National Tourism. Start  your journey below and see more through the portal at www.austria.info/en  Source: Austrian National Tourism ©

9 Places You Can Visit Virtually... #1 Schönbrunn Palace © Österreich Werbung/Sean Byrne; Schönbrunn Palace Take a virtual stroll through the imperial family  dining room of Emperor Franz Joseph and his  wife, continue to the breakfast chamber before  getting to the Yellow Salon – furnished in  neo-Rococo style – and on to the magnificent  Mirrors Room.  Start your journey

National Photograhic Portrait Prize winner 2020 The mahi-mahi by Rob Palmer

The mahi-mahi 2019 by Rob Palmer.©

Rob Palmer’s portrait of Sydney whole-fish chef Josh Niland is the winner of the 2020 National Photographic Portrait Prize (the NPPP). 

Titled The mahi-mahi 2019, the winning image captures the renowned restauranteur deftly handling a dolphinfish. Palmer, a professional lifestyle and food photographer based in Sydney, describes his subject as a trailblazer. “Josh is reinventing what can be done with fish and – most importantly – with every part of the fish, in a huge effort to drastically reduce wastage,” Palmer said. 

Winner of the 2020 NPPP Highly Commended prize was awarded to Hugh Stewart for his portrait of 105-year-old dancer Eileen Kramer. Judges noted, “Eileen Kramer is a dancer held on to us. The colours and her gesture made us feel the warmth of the sitter’s presence even though her eyes are closed.” 

NPG Director Karen Quinlan AM describes the NPPP as, “one of our most popular exhibitions, offering equal billing for amateur and professional photographers. This year we see works of astounding quality and breadth from across the nation – many pushing the boundaries of photographic portraiture, and each reflecting quintessentially Australian stories.”

Jason McLean, Director – Canon Imaging & Services, Canon Australia: “The NPPP is an opportunity for every Australian to celebrate excellence in the purist elements of photography – the portrait and the print. I am thrilled to extend a heartfelt congratulations to Rob Palmer, Hugh Stewart, and the 46 finalists for their achievements, and hope this collection of portraits inspires Australians to pick up their camera to capture and print moments that matter to them.”

The announcement of the 2020 NPPP winners comes a week after the NPG announced Anthea da Silva’s portrait of Australian contemporary dance pioneer Dr Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM as the inaugural winner of the Darling Portrait Prize. Both exhibitions are currently on display at the NPG. 

Tickets are on sale at portrait.gov.au and include entry to both exhibitions.

Source: Press Release

Best of Foodie Maitland NSW: Maitland Taste 14/15 March with Chef Adam Liaw, Slow Food Earth Markets, edible gardens, sustainable living.

Maitland NSW is one of Australia's oldest heritage regional centres, built on the banks of the Hunter River and with a growing reputation for a food scene including fresh local produce, restaurants, working farms and bakers. Just the place for a foodie weekend.

Maitland Taste (March 14-15, 2020)

Grow, Create and Taste is the catchphrase for Maitland's foodie weekend, Maitland Taste on March 14 and 15, 2020. Headlined by celebrity chef Adam Liaw, the weekend includes cooking and gardening demonstrations, street food, local wines, live music and kids' entertainment. The gardening demonstrations are designed to provide insights on growing produce, permaculture, sustainable living and edible gardens. The “Farmers Table” will feature produce sourced from the region. Festival entry is free. 

For the full program, visit www.maitlandtaste.com.au. 
Where? The Levee, Central Maitland, NSW 10am – 4pm.

Celebrity Chef Adam Liaw will headline Maitland Taste March 14-15.

Maitland Slow Food Markets (first and third Thursdays of the month)

Maitland's Slow Food Earth Market is one of just 60 such markets worldwide with  freshly picked produce and the chance to meet the people who grow our food and support local growers who work hard to keep our food system “good, clean and fair for all”. The market operates on the first and third Thursday of each month from 8.30am.

More in Maitland

Get hands-on with a range of foodie experiences. Make sourdough with the iconic family of bakers at the Historic Arnott Bakehouse in Morpeth. Learn about sustainable farming practices that can be applied to apartment balconies, backyards or working farms at The Purple Pear Farm.

Sample regional ingredients at café/ bar/deli, Coquun, enjoy quality Italian with  handmade pasta at  Fratelli Roma and visit Melbourne-style wine bar, cocktail lounge and restaurant, The Rigby.

Maitland is home to the Bitter & Twisted Boutique Beer Festival in the historic setting of Maitland Gaol each November, but year-round craft beer pubs include The Pourhouse, The Old Victoria and The Whistler. Try a local brew by the Morpeth Brewery and Beer Co's at the Commercial Hotel.

Complete a foodie weekend with must-haves: brunch, coffee and sweet treats. The Icky Sticky Patisserie offers beautifully handcrafted pastry and cakes; cleanse the soul and the palate at the Organic Feast; or enjoy your eggs with a side of culture at Seraphine in the excellent Maitland Regional Art Gallery (MRAG).

www.mymaitland.com.au 

Source info: Press Release

Loving Wollombi and Lake Macquarie NSW 2020

I've recently been rendered speechless (in print!!) by politics in general and the bushfires in Australia, particularly those surrounding me in the beautiful, historic Wollombi Valley NSW. How to support our own backyard and businesses affected by the bushfires?  Currently my comrades in the ASTW (Australian Society of Travel Writers) are busy reporting from areas including Stanthorpe in the Queensland Granite Belt, the beautiful NSW South Coast, the iconic Blue Mountains and more.  I'm on the case in the Hunter Valley/Wollombi and have been further encouraged out of my bushfire-induced apathy by some great updates from nearby Lake Macquarie, the largest coastal salt-water lake in the southern hemisphere (who knew?) with over 30 kms of coastline!

Wollombi, Hunter Valley NSW

Twine Home Store and Myrtle House (on the left), Wollombi NSW.
Photo: Ken Martin.

It's raining just now (yay!!) and everything will be open for locals, weekenders and visitors including our cafes, cellar doors on the Wollombi Wine Trail, the Wollombi Tavern, Laguna's GNTP, Panino Caffe Restaurant and Myrtle House cafe and bookshop. We have the Providore at GNTP, Laguna, for fresh produce, cheeses, oils and yummy things and the lovely Wollombi General Store and cafe for all kinds of things including delicious gelato!! There's divine shopping at Twine Home Store (above) and innovative upcycled jewellery next door at Kes Harper's Studio Gleaned.

Noyce Brothers cellar door and Panino Caffe Restaurant, Wollombi NSW.
Photo: Ken Martin.

Fossick for all manner of collectables and second hand things at The Forge, find art at the Little Yengo gallery (Aboriginal), the Fireshed and others. For a snapshot of fascinating local history duck into St Michael's Church and the Wollombi Endeavour Museum. 'Our' wildlife includes kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats, glossy black cockatoos, yellow-tailed black cockatoos, gang-gangs, our celebrity lyrebirds, king parrots, eagles, tiny wrens, yellow robins, honeyeaters and heaps more. Wildlife angels are currently hard at work with feed and water stations in the burnt areas of Wollemi and Yengo national parks and in my neighbouring Corrabare Forest.

Book a Valentine weekend away in the Wollombi Valley in accommodation including 5-star indulgence and cosy cottages and cabins to explore this special place!

https://www.visitwollombi.com.au

The Hunter Valley region is famous for its vineyards and wine, but we have coastline, too. The City of Lake Macquarie is a government region within the Hunter and part of the Greater Newcastle area. So 'Lake Mac' is our neighbour for a taste of coast and country.

Lake Macquarie, NSW

Pulbah Island. Photo courtesy of Lake Macquarie Tourism.

20 reasons to Love the Lake!

1.      Lake Macquarie sand islands (swim, explore by boat)
2.      Caves Beach (extensive network of sea caves)
3.      Speers Point Park (think kids play space, flying fox etc)
4.      MACMuseum of Art and Culture (arts, culture, fresh ideas)
5.      Gap Creek Falls, Watagan Mountains (hidden in rainforest)
6.      Belmont Baths (lagre netted swimming area)
7.      Creative LAKE (sculpture trail)
8.      Redhead Beach (red, rocky headland, iconic shark tower, Cargo Espresso Bar)
9.      Float Your Boat (June, when the boats light up!)
10.   Warners Bay (9km Foreshore Shared Pathway)
11.   Catherine Hill Bay (historic mining town, wreck diving , surfing)
12.   JetBuzz (jet boating)
13.   Dora Creek (kayaking, picnics)
14.   Skydiving (Newcastle's beach skydive)
15.   Blacksmiths Beach(sheltered swimming beach)
16.   Glenrock State Forest (beach, bushwalking, skydiving)
17.   Fernleigh Track (restored heritage railway corridor for walking cycling)
.18.  Matt Hall Racing (aerobatic joyflights)
19.   Pulbah Island (only accessible by boat, bushwalking tracks, picnics)
20.   Rathmines Aviation Heritage (Catalina seaplane heritage)

Above and beyond! Phtoto courtesy of Lake Macquarie Tourism.

 http://www.visitlakemac.com.au 

Lake Mac Source: Press updates.

Dora Marr Retrospective at the Tate Modern

Dora Marr. Untitled  (Hand-Shell) 1934.
Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper 401x 289 mm
Centre Pompidou, Musee national d'art moderne, Paris. Photo © Centre Pompidou, 
MNAM-CCI, Dist.
RMN-Grand Palais/image Centre Pompidou,
MNAM-CCI. © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2019.

So many exciting and enthralling exhibitions on for autumn and winter in the UK. DORA MARR runs from 20 November 2019 to 15 March 2020 at the Tate Modern, London. Dora Marr's works became 'celebrated icons of surrealism' and the 200 works on show will span six decades and include social documentary photographs, commissions and paintings. Growing up between Argentina and Paris, she studied art before switching to photography. (Source: Tate Modern.)

Other exhibitions include Tim Walker: Wonderful Things at the V&A, London, Gaugin portraits at the National Gallery, London, and Vivian Suter at the Tate Liverpool, Liverpool. October is Charles Renee Mackintosh month in Glasgow, celebrating the architecture, design and arts and crafts of the great man.

See Visit Britain's list of major exhibitions around the UK for autumn and winter,  here.

Autumn in London and Paris

Oak tree in London's Richmond Park. Photo ©Alison Plummer

Autumn in the UK is a beautiful time of year for travelling, especially if you have the chance to appreciate the woodlands, which you can even do in London. Richmond Park is the largest London park, created by King Charles I as a deer park. There are still plenty of deer about today and it's a special conservation area. The oak trees are really beautiful. According to the Woodland Trust, oak forests support more life than any other types of native forest – hosting insects, birds and bats and supplying acorns for deer, squirrels and badgers. In autumn the leaf mould is home to bells and fungi.

I also have a hankering for Paris at this time of year – today inspired by news from the five star luxury Hotel Esprit Saint Germain on the Left Bank. Tempting offers include five-night packages to enjoy for autumn, the festive season and beyond!

The Church that would not Die, St Michael the Archangel, Wollombi

Book cover image photographed by Ken Martin.

Launched in Sydney last Tuesday and in Wollombi, NSW on Saturday, The Church that would not Die, St Michael the Archangel, Wollombi is a book about a tiny church with a turbulent past. Flooded many times with the water going over the top of the church in 1893, the church was moved stone by stone by the people of the village and re-built on higher ground. It was damaged in the Newcastle earthquake and then put up for auction on the same day as St Patrick's, Nulkaba. The village went into full defence mode – and the outcome was that the church became the property of a group with Trustees and a committee to oversee day-to-day matters, the Friends of St Michaels.

The church was still a church but it required huge efforts with fundraising for upkeep and restoration ... at one point a dynamited wall led to the discovery of stencilling on the interior walls, which then required restoration. I'm still investigating the provenance of the intriguing stained glass window of St Michael – the likely makers have been narrowed down to a few. I'm on the case. The idea for the beautiful modern leadlight windows by glass artist Margaret Ella was the brainchild of St Michael's treasurer, Mrs Mary Fortey.

Like the church itself, the book is the sum of the involvement of many people. Drawing on a heritage architect paper by James Phillip of Weir Phillips Heritage Architects and research into the auction years by Gael Winnick, I tell stories of those involved with the addition of early chapters regarding the arrival in Sydney of the first Catholics and Bishop Polding who laid St Michael's first foundation stone in 1840. The 'mapping' of emerging Wollombi and the incredible engineering feat of the convict-built Great North Road are also included. Also proud to have handled production and publishing, including design with my company True Blue Cockatoo.

Published by the ACU, Sydney, the book will be available to buy in Wollombi via St Michael's Church or contact me, info@bluecockatoo.com.au for sales enquiries (proceeds to St Michael's).

Book launch, Grays Inn Garden at Noyce Brothers' Wine, Wollombi.

Grays Inna and Noyce Brothers' cellar door, Panino Caffe Wollombi Village, NSW.

Blues Point walk, Sydney

There's nowhere like Sydney Harbour on a sparkling blue sunny day! The foreshore holds many secrets, walks and vantage points and it was a special experience today to walk along a path beside the water at Blues Point, admiring the city from afar and then rounding a bend to a spectacular view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Photos©Alison Plummer

Find more Harbour secrets at https://www.harbourtrust.gov.au