Saturday, April 14

Today, Maie and Kevin Barrow took us on a tour of Sydney and Botany (where Maie works as the archivist for the area). It was fascinating to learn more about the history of Sydney and to see some beautiful homes and neighborhoods. Maie had worked with a pub owner in Botany to renovate his property, with attention to the historical architecture. She supplied him with many old photographs of the pub in early days, which he has displayed on the walls there. We enjoyed a nice lunch there, before going to see more of the Botany area, including an old hotel renovated into apartments, a park which honors the botanist, James Banks and to the airport, where we walked around the outer grounds to see evidence of old buildings and areas where the land has been reclaimed from the sea.

Maie knows so much about the history of this area, and her explanations are peppered with interesting stories about the people involved in the history and development of Sydney as it is today. And Kevin, with his scientific background told us a lot about the botanical and marine life. It was a real special experience and something we’ll remember. Here’s a photo of the four of us at “The Gap” – the entrance to Port Jackson, more commonly known as Sydney Harbour.