Hyde Park, Captain Cook statue

This statue of Captain James Cook in Hyde Park was sculpted by Thomas Woolner. It was unveiled by Governor Sir Hercules Robinson, on Tuesday 25th February 1879. The statue was erected to commemorate Captain Cook's discovery of the east coast of Australia in 1770.

Kurnell, Captain Cook Memorial Obelisk

The Captain Cook Memorial Obelisk sits behind Silver Beach in the Botany Bay National Park at Kurnell. Captain James Cook was an English explorer, navigator and cartographer whose expedition became the first recorded European one to navigate and map the eastern coastline of Australia. On the 29th of April 1770, his crew arrived in Botany Bay on the Endeavour and made their first landing on Australian soil at what is now known as Kurnell, claiming Australia for the British Crown.

Chifley, war memorial

There aren't many landmarks in the small eastern suburb of Chifley, except for this war memorial flanked by a couple of cannons and a flag pole. The Bob Clarke Memorial Reserve, sits between the carriageways of the divided Anzac Parade, which was once a tramway.

Padstow, war memorial

The Padstow war memorial,  sits in a prominent position along Memorial Drive, in the south western suburb of Padstow. The curved stone wall featuring a large cross in the centre, dedicated in 1967, is located beside the railway station.

Cronulla, war memorial

The Cronulla war memorial sits in the middle of Munro Park, in the southern suburb of Cronulla. It is an obelisk with a paved sandstone base, a sandstone block mid-section and a polished granite top section. It features a 1914-1919 Honour Roll.

Randwick, war memorial, Anzac Day

The Randwick war memorial is a sandstone cenotaph located in High Cross Reserve, in the eastern suburb of Randwick. It was dedicated in 1922 and contains within the structure the names of over four thousand World War One veterans, inscribed on a parchment roll. Today is Anzac Day, a public holiday which commemorates one of Australia's most important national days, when Australians remember those who have served and died in wars. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and the date marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Anzac forces during the First World War at Gallipoli, Turkey.

Lidcombe, war memorial

This Lidcombe war memorial sits in the middle of Wellington Park, in the western suburb of Lidcombe. The memorial is topped with a statue of an Australian soldier in a solemn stance, resting on his rifle. Four columns form the plinth for the statue with gilt name plates for both World Wars mounted on the flat internal faces.Anzac Day is commemorated in Australia and New Zealand tomorrow.

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Burwood, war memorial

The Burwood war memorial arch featuring an impressive sandstone archway, is located at the entrance to Burwood Park, in the inner west suburb of Burwood. The Memorial was dedicated on 11th November 1922 and unveiled on Anzac Day 1923. We're coming up to Anzac Day on Saturday, the day that Australians remember those who served and died in wars, so I'll feature a few memorials around Sydney over the next few days.

Burwood Park

Burwood Park, in the inner west suburb of Burwood, features a lake and a row of palm trees on the eastern border beside Burwood Road.

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Rockdale, Macedonian Orthodox Churches

The Resurrection of Christ Macedonian Orthodox Church at Rockdale (left) is located on Frederick Street and was formerly a Uniting Church. Not far away, St Petka Macedonian Orthodox Church (right) on Railway Parade is a newer building. You don't usually have two churches of the same denomination in the same suburb in Sydney but in this case there has been some sort of dispute within the church which has resulted in a split.

Strathfield, Intercession of the Holy Virgin Ukranian Orthodox Church

The Intercession of the Holy Virgin Ukranian Orthodox Church is on the western border of Strathfield. Most people wouldn't realise it's actually part of Strathfield because it's close to Flemington railway station and Lidcombe and most of the surrounding area is known as West Homebush.

Kogarah, Resurrection of Christ Greek Orthodox Church

The Resurrection of Christ Greek Orthodox Church is in the southern suburb of Kogarah. It was constructed in the 1980s but due to modern day noise restrictions, the planned bell tower on the left was never completed. The entrance to the church is decorated with palms for Palm Sunday.

Strathfield, Sts Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church

The Sts Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church is in the inner west suburb of Strathfield. It's a bit hard to find because it's located in a quiet street but the white steeple can be seen from a distance, so it doesn't remain undiscovered.

Burwood, St Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church

St Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church is located in the inner west suburb of Burwood. This heritage listed church on Railway Parade was formerly a Methodist Church. I chose this photo today because it's Good Friday for Orthodox christians.

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Surry Hills, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Surry Hills was the first Greek Orthodox church in Australia, consecrated in 1898. This week is Holy Week leading up to Easter, for Eastern Orthodox denominations. The reason for the variation is complicated and goes back to the 4th century when the Church of Rome decided that the date of Easter would be computed independently of any Jewish calculations to determine the date of Passover, so that Easter is observed on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox. The Eastern Orthodox Churches continue to use a lunisolar cycle to calculate the date of Easter, which is also used to calculate the date of Jewish Passover.

Penshurst, West Maling

West Maling is a magnificent house located high on King Georges Road, in the southern suburb of Penshurst. It's one of the earliest examples of Queen Anne style built in Australia. These days it is used for church services by the Assemblies of God Church.

Penshurst, St Johns Anglican Church

St Johns Anglican Church in the southern suburb of Penshurst is located at the intersection of King Georges Road and Forest Road. The church on the ridge once dominated the skyline, before the highrise apartments and office blocks were built on the opposite side of the road at Hurstville.

Randwick, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a magnificent looking church, located in the eastern suburb of Randwick.

Today is Easter Monday, the day following Easter Sunday, which is a public holiday in Australia.

Waverley, Mary Immaculate Catholic Church

Mary Immaculate Catholic Church is located in the eastern suburb of Waverley. Today is Easter Sunday, the biggest Christian holy day on the calendar, along with Christmas. The Catholic Church in Australia is the largest single Christian denomination.

Haberfield, St Davids Uniting Church

St Davids Uniting Church is located in the inner west suburb of Haberfield. The Uniting Church in Australia is the third largest single Christian denomination in Australia and was formed by the union of the Methodist Church of Australasia, Presbyterian Church of Australia and Congregational Union of Australia. It's Easter Saturday and I'm continuing the religious theme by looking at a few more churches around the city.

Naremburn, St Leonards Catholic Church

Today is Good Friday, one of the most important days on the Christian calendar and also a public holiday right across Australia. The steeple of St Leonards Catholic Church (left) dominates the skyline of the northern suburb of Naremburn. It is a prominent structure on the horizon of the adjacent suburb of Crows Nest (right), as can be seen here from the popular restaurant and cafe precinct on Willoughby Road. Another adjacent suburb, St Leonards, took its name from this church.

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Cronulla, St Andrews Anglican Church

St Andrews Anglican Church is an art deco church built in 1935 in the southern suburb of Cronulla. For most Christian faiths, today is known as Holy Thursday and this week heading to Easter is known as Holy Week, although the Orthodox faiths celebrate a week later this year. The Anglican Church of Australia is the second biggest Christian denomination in Australia, which has its origins with the Church of England.

Bonnet Bay, Twilight Inlet

Twilight Inlet is a serene spot off the Woronora River, in the southern suburb of Bonnet Bay.

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Jannali Inn

The Jannali Inn is a contemporary hotel that features some historic designs.

Como Hotel

The Como Hotel is a historic hotel in the southern suburb of Como. It was originally built circa1878 and extensively rebuilt after a major fire in November 1996. The suburb takes its name from Lake Como, at the foot of the Bernese Alps in Italy.

Oatley town clock

The town clock in Frederick Street at Oatley was dedicated by the community in 1983. The suburb was named after James Oatley senior, the convict watch-maker who was granted a conditional pardon. He owned a watch shop in George Street in the city and was appointed as overseer of the Town Clock for his work installing the clock at Hyde Park Barracks. He received several land grants in this area that were inherited by his son Frederick, who also went into the family business and took over his father's watch shop.

Hurstville Grove, Oatley Bay

This view of the mangroves and trees at Hurstville Grove is from Oatley Bay. The sunset shots that I featured yesterday were taken from the middle of these mangroves.

Oatley Bay

A crisp Autumn evening provides a clear and colourful sunset. The sky went from yellow to orange to purple to blue. Oatley Bay sits on the Georges River and provides a natural border between the suburbs of Oatley, Hurstville Grove and Connells Point.
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Moore Park, Eastern Distributor, traffic island garden

A few weeks ago, I noticed the installation of a couple of unusual planter boxes on the traffic islands at Moore Park (above), at the intersection of Cleveland Street and South Dowling Street, which is part of the Eastern Distributor. The planters were created by splitting a small car in two. I thought this was an innovative and adventurous installation by the local council. It turns out, the local council wasn’t responsible but it was actually part of a new reality television, gardening makeover show called Guerrilla Gardeners, where they spruce up certain parts of the city that they feel have been neglected. It is an interesting concept that has created controversy with local councils because the gardeners do not obtain their permission and also because show highlights the council’s neglect. The media has been reporting about councils preventing them from completing their work or altering them once completed but locals seem to support them. The installation here is an improvement but unfortunately, without regular maintainenance, it's already starting to look a bit neglected compared to what it looked like at the start.

Darling Harbour daisies (Theme Day: Yellow)

This contemporary piece of art at Darling Harbour featuring five daisies is very yellow.

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