Category: Sydney

Weekly Photo Challenge : Hue

A few weeks ago, I posted some shots relating to an early start to the bushfire season around Sydney.

Thursday, 17th October was a truly awful day. Very strong winds gusting to over 80 km/hr, together with temperatures over 35°C, made this one of the worst days for bushfires in many years. Over two hundred homes have been lost in the Blue Mountains alone. As I write this, many fires are still burning, although a couple of cooler days have enabled the fire-fighters to regain some control.

While the worst fires were some 50 km west of Sydney, the prevailing winds ensured that the city was blanketed in smoke all afternoon, casting a somewhat eerie orange light.

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The photos of the sun (above) were taken at 4:55 pm daylight time, more than two hours before sunset. How appropriate for this week’s challenge!

Half an hour later, the gardens were still bathed in this all too familiar hue.

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Bushfires : Early Summer

We are only in the first month of spring. Yesterday, after a long dry winter spell, we experienced temperatures over 30C and strong north westerly winds. Some parts of outer Sydney suffered several bushfires. One or two homes were lost and a few injuries incurred. It suggests we may be in for a long danger period this coming summer, especially for those living near ‘the bush’.

While the fires were well to the west of us, the smoke added ‘heat’ to the setting sun.

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I wish I could claim credit for catching the bird in full flight!

Around Sydney – Gordon Station, Then and Now

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THEN (c. 1960): All suburban trains were single deck. They were coloured dark red. Everything was stamped “NSWGR” (New South Wales Government Railways). Windows could be raised about 75mm to achieve some ventilation. The scheduled time to Wynyard (eleventh stop, closest City station) was 27 minutes. Timetable adherence was generally good. I travelled on these trains every day, to school and university.

The station has three platforms: two ‘through’ and one ‘terminating’. This train had a minor derailment before the morning peak hour, possibly overshooting the terminating platform. City bound trains were disrupted for most of the day. It must have been school holidays and I heard about it on the radio. I had plenty of time to walk from home to watch the recovery efforts. (It’s a boy thing, age irrelevant!)

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Gordon station

NOW (2013) : There is now a car park where I stood to take the old photos.

All suburban trains are double deck. They are stainless steel with some yellow trim.  The identification is , but that is in the process of changing to Sydney Trains logo .  Most trains have air-conditioning.  The scheduled time to Wynyard is 30 minutes! Timetable adherence is generally good. I rarely travel by train but it is still our preferred way to travel to the city.

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The station still has the same platforms. There are now lifts (elevators) servicing both platforms and pedestrian ramps to facilitate access. The gardens have always been attractive, and well maintained.

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