Burraneer, Gunnamatta Bay

Gunnamatta Bay, looking back towards the southern suburb of Burraneer.

Dolans Bay

 The clouds roll in over the southern suburb of Dolans Bay.

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Gymea Bay Baths

The heritage-listed Gymea Bay Baths are a popular attraction on Gymea Bay, part of the Port Hacking estuary in the southern suburbs. The Gymea Bay Swimming Club have been using the baths for over 40 years.

Gymea Bay

Gymea Bay is on the Port Hacking estuary. The bay and this southern suburb are named after the Gymea Lily which is found in this area.

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Grays Point

The shoreline at Swallow Rock Reserve (top) in the southern suburb of Grays Point and boats on Mansion Bay (bottom).

Lilli Pilli, Port Hacking estuary

Fluffy white clouds moving quickly through the sky on a sunny day at Lilli Pilli Point, on the Port Hacking estuary. The tide was low enough that a sandbank was visible in the middle of the estaury and people could easily walk out for most of the distance from the shore. The point and the suburb of Lilli Pilli were named after the Lilly Pilly native myrtles that grew here.

Sylvania Waters, canals

Most of the southern suburb of Sylvania Waters has been built on land reclaimed from Gwawley Bay on the Georges River. A series of artificial islands and canals provide waterfronts and boat ramps for many homes. This was also the location of one of the first factual/reality television series called 'Sylvania Waters', co-produced by Britain's BBC and Australia's ABC networks back in 1992, which followed the lives of a family that lived here.

Sylvania, Georges River

These waterfront homes are on the Georges River, in the southern suburb of Sylvania. We've had a couple of rainy weeks in Sydney but even when it's overcast, the river can still look quite picturesque.

Blakehurst, marina

These two photos were taken only a short while apart at sunset after a hot summer's day. The boat was moored on the edge of the marina on Shipwrights Bay at Blakehurst, looking out onto the Georges River.

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Chiswick, shops

A traditional corner shop in the inner western suburb of Chiswick (top). This business operated from 1928 and was attached to the shopkeeper's residence. The building has been used as a museum after being restored in recent years, including handpainted reproduced advertisements of the original time on the wall outside. The Chiswick shopping centre (bottom) is located just up the road with a distinctive decorative roof from the 1960s, in front of a rather unattractive block of flats from that era.

Yowie Bay, shops

Corner Shops were once common throughout the suburbs of Sydney. Sometimes also known as General Stores, the introduction of supermarkets, shopping centres and convenience stores has seen the end of many of these small businesses. Yowie Bay is a suburb that doesn't have many shops, so the Yowie Bay General Store (top) thrives in this community. Apart from a liquor shop and a cafe, the only other major business in the suburb is the Yowie Bay Marina which uses this old timber house for its front office (bottom).

Yowie Bay marina

Shades of blue at the Yowie Bay marina.

Yowie Bay

Yowie Bay is on the Port Hacking estuary (left) in southern Sydney. Many of the waterside homes feature boat ramps (right). Curiously, there is no definitive explanation for how this bay and the suburb were named. Yowie or Ewey is an Aboriginal name that means 'place of echoes'. In the early days the area was known as 'Ewey Bay' and it has been suggested this was a corruption of ewes, which are female sheep. A Yowie is also a mythological Australian bush creature and a creature from Aboriginal folklore but there doesn't seem to be a connection to either of those.

Burraneer Bay

The Burraneer Bay Marina sits on the picturesque bay between the suburbs of Burraneer and Caringbah.

Ramsgate Beach

Cook Park is a perfect picnic spot on the shores of Botany Bay, in teh southern suburb of Ramsgate Beach.

Kangaroo Point, Georges River, sunset

After a perfectly sunny day, the clouds rolled in to produce a glorious sunset. This view is from Blakehurst, close to Tom Uglys Bridge, looking over the Georges River towards the suburbs of Sylvania and Kangaroo Point.

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Botany Bay, kitesurfing

Some more kitesurfing scenes from the beach at Monterey, on Botany Bay. A couple of kitesurfers launched their kites into the breeze while on the sand (top), before jumping on their boards that took them out into the bay. Another kitesurfer, who just returned to the crowded beach, searched for a spare spot to rest his kite (bottom).

Botany Bay, windsurfing

I knew that windsurfing was always a popular sport on Botany Bay but what I hadn't realised was how popular kitesurfing had become. Another heatwave on the weekend sent the crowds out to the beaches and the strong breezes over the bay provided the perfect conditions for the windsurfing and kitesurfing enthusiasts. This lone windsurfer (top) was outnumbered by the kitesurfers on the bay. On the beach (bottom), the resting kitesurfers were outnumbering the swimmers with their colourful kites scattered around them. Windsurfing or Sailboarding uses a board attached to a sail. Kitesurfing, also known as Kiteboarding or Parasurfing, involves a kite held by the hands and a board strapped to the feet.

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George Street, theatre

The George Street Theatre is one of the few surving heritage buildings in what was the theatre district. It is a stucco building in the Californian Spanish Mission style. The building housed a 'Planet Hollywood' restaurant back in the 1990s. The globe that was used by the once popular chain throughout the world has been retained by the current tenant, the 'Star Bar'. A gelato shop and fast food restaurant occupy the ground floor.

Laiki Bank House, Castlereagh Street

This heritage listed building in Castlereagh Street was once the City South Telephone Exchange, built in 1922 and designed by commonwealth architect John Smith Murdoch, in the commercial palazzo style. To deal with the expanding city, a new telephone exchange was built next door many years later, with a less attractive facade. When advances in technology meant that telephone exchange equipment could be contained in a much smaller site, so the older building was vacated and sold by Telstra, the telecommunications company. The building was restored and now houses the Consulate of Greece, as well as a bank branch and headquarters of Laiki Bank (Popular Bank of Greece).

Martin Place, Seven Network

The Colonial Centre is a more contemporary building on Martin Place that now houses the television news studios of the Seven Network. This glass and marble commercial building opened in the 1980s as the corporate headquarters of the State Bank of NSW, in the heart of Sydney's financial district. It featured office space, a bank branch on street level and a small shopping centre underground, linked to Martin Place railway station. It became the Colonial Bank in 1996 and then was taken over by the Commonwealth Bank in 2000, which aleady had other branches in Martin Place. The Seven Network moved its studios into the space occupied by the bank branch in 2004. I chose to run this photo today because it also happens to be the first day of the official television ratings season in Australia, when all the top television shows return to our screens. The Seven Network has been the top television network in terms of audience for the past two years. News and current affair programs are broadcast from these studios, including 'Sunrise', the breakfast program that often ventures into Martin Place outside.

Railway Square post office

Continuing the theme of converted buildings is this boutique hotel. This heritage building at Railway Square was the old Parcels Post Office. Railway Square was once a major commercial hub featuring major retailers including the Marcus Clark department stores, banks and hotels. These hotels were often occupied by visitors from the country, who arrived in the city on trains that terminated at nearby Central railway station.

The Downing Centre

The Downing Centre is a large court house complex on Liverpool Street that features local courts, district courts and a law library. This iconic building was originally known as 'The Piazza' and was the site of Mark Foy's department store which operated here from 1909 to 1980. Following its demise, another iconic department store called Grace Brothers traded at this site until 1983 before the building fell into disuse. Thankfully the building was acquired by the New South Wales Justice Department which partially restored it when they converted into a legal facility.

Hyde Park, Frazer Fountain

This magnificent monument is Frazer fountain, a drinking fountain located up the stairs from College Street, opposite Sydney Boys Grammar and the Australian Museum. It was originally located at the entrance to Hyde Park at Oxford Street around 1908. It was later moved to the centre of the park and then moved again to this location in 1935, to make way for the Anzac Memorial and Pool of Rememberance.

Sandringham Gardens, Hyde Park

This decorative fountain is in the middle of Sandringham Gardens, which are located on the eastern side of Hyde Park, on the corner of Park Street and College Street. Sandringham Gardens were developed to commemorate the intended visit in 1952 of King George VI, which was cancelled due to the sudden death of the King. The gardens were then created as a memorial to King George VI and King George V.

Hyde Park, kick

Sydney was sweltering through another scorching hot day but that didn't stop these two blokes from kicking the ball around in Hyde Park in the midday sun.

Cronulla, Gunnamatta Bay

This view of Cronulla is from Burraneer, across Gunnamutta Bay. A picture perfect day.

Cronulla, Dunningham Park (Theme Day: Paths and Passages)

This path through Dunningham Park at Cronulla, is the gateway to the beach at North Cronulla.

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