Botanic Gardens, bench

This weathered rock formation provides one of the more unusual  places for a bench to be located in the Royal Botanic Gardens. A hidden spot below the cliff where visitors can soak up some sun.

Botanic Gardens, Woolloomooloo Gate, fountain

A pair of these simple fountains sit outside the Woolloomooloo Gate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, along Mrs Macquaries Drive. The gate was originally built in 1873 as the main southern entrance to The Domain. It was moved during the construction of the Cahill Expressway to its present position and became known as the Woolloomooloo Gate because it overlooks the suburb of Woolloomooloo.

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Botany, Sir Joseph Banks Pleasure Gardens

The Sir Joseph Banks Pleasure Gardens are located in the eastern suburb of Botany. They were the main attraction of the old Sir Joseph Banks Hotel in the 19th Century. From 1845 through to the 1910, the hotel and its famed pleasure gardens were Australia's equivalent of a European spa resort. It was bought by entrepreneur Frank Smith in 1884 by who set up famous running races from 1884-92. When the hotel was sold in the 1920s and much of the land subdivided, the remnant gardens became a public park. In 1988, an interpretative recreation of the former gardens was created featuring a sports oval, thematic gardens, a maze and pergolas. Structures in the park include this arbour and formal terrace.

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Botanic Gardens, Pyramid Glasshouse

The Sydney Tropical Centre in the Royal Botanic Gardens, comprises of this Pyramid glasshouse and the Arc Glasshouse. The Deutshe Bank Place building is the skyscraper that rises in the background.

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Botanic Gardens, plants

The plants in this display in the Royal Botanic Gardens have changed throughout the year. It currently features cactuses and succulents.

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Barangaroo, art

This giant spider and web are located in an abandoned stairway in the sandstone wall at Barangaroo. This part of Hickson Road is now officially named The Hungry Mile, recognising its nickname during the Great Depression. It came from harbourside workers lined up along the road opposite the wharves as foremen chose the casual labourers for the day and those without work were often left hungry. I had trouble finding information about this artwork and then noticed a sign in the corner for Guerrilla Gardeners, which was a short-lived reality television, gardening makeover show. The gardeners would spruce up certain parts of the city that they feel had been neglected and created controversy with local councils because they did the work without permission and the show highlighted the council’s neglect. Strangely, this doesn't appear in the website's list of episodes but the show was axed, so maybe the work on this project never screened. Without regular maintenance, some of the plants on the stairway look rather neglected, just like another of their installations at Moore Park.

Kogarah, water feature

This water feature runs almost the entire length of Kogarah Town Square. The water rises from the three fountains which spill into a pool. The water cascades down a number of terraces and drains into a spiral amongst the grasses. It was installed around the time that the square opened in 2005. On the 28th March 2009, a memorial was installed dedicated to International Workers Memorial Day. Today is a day that workers, union, families and communities remember and mourn those who have been killed or injured at work and fight for the living.

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