Sydney Nimble Tours in Sydney, Australia | Travel and transport

Sydney Nimble Tours

Locality: Sydney, Australia

Phone: +61 447 146 741

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25.01.2022 SYDNEY DOLPHINS Dolphins at Eagle Rock Sydney Nimble Tours took a newly married American couple to Eagle Rock two days ago. ... Whilst at the rock we had the good fortune of coming across a group of dolphins playfully surfing the waves. The view from the cliffs above offers great clarity and it was splendid to see the dolphins enjoying themselves. The waterfall at Eagle rock cascades directly into the Pacific Ocean and it has a good flow at the moment. For a private Sydney tour of the Royal National Park we have three options for different journeys in the Park. You may get to see dolphins, a distant whale or even an echidna!

23.01.2022 Sydney Nimble Tours visited Wedding Cake Rock yesterday. We then left the Royal National Park and headed to Symbio Wildlife Park. One option available with our Royal National Park Tour is to include a visit to Symbio. One of the favourite animals at Symbio is the koala, which is a herbivorous marsupial native to Australia.... It is often a rush to make the park by 3.00pm for the Koala Presentation. The effort to see the koalas in an active state is time well spent. Koalas sleep a lot (up to 20 hours a day) due to the poor nutritional value of the food they eat (mainly gum leaves). Sleeping conserves energy. We were very fortunate to get some close up photos of the koalas whilst they were with staff for a short period after the 3.00pm presentation. These guys are a joy to behold and one of the cutest animals on the planet.

21.01.2022 The Bells Line of Road provides access to many places of grandeur. #wilderness #gorgeous bluemountains #natureseyecandy #sydneynimble

21.01.2022 Bells Line of Road The majority of people visiting the Blue Mountains from Sydney will travel on the Great Western Highway. The road less travelled to the Blue Mountains is the Bells Line of Road. This name was derived from the efforts of Archibald Bell jnr, who in 1823, with the help of local Aboriginal guides marked out the route of this road. The Bells Line of Road provides access to some great lookouts, walks and gardens. ... The gardens One of these gardens is the Royal Botanic Garden at Mt Tomah, which sits 1000 metres above sea level and features over 5000 species of cool climate plants. Cool climate vegetation from Africa, South America, Asia and Europe can be found here. The Mt Tomah garden has one of the best collections of advanced Wollemi pines, which is not unexpected as these trees were found (1994) in the nearby Wollemi National Park. Another much smaller garden, Windyridge Garden, is located further west in the historic village of Mt Wilson, and has many wonderful trees, shrubs, ponds, waterfalls and sculptures. The amount of work maintaining a garden of this nature is not to be underestimated. The garden is not only beautiful but has a calming tranquillity. It is one of the highlights of any day trip. The lookouts There are many lookouts on the drive along Bells Line of Road. Some are marked, while some are not so well marked, or not marked at all. Walls lookout is very impressive and the walking time is around 30 minutes each way. Scribbly Gum trees On the way to a lookout you may come across a Scribbly Gum. Scribbly Gums are a variety of Australian Eucalyptus trees which play host to the larvae of the Scribbly Gum Moth. Scribbly Gum Moths lay their eggs in Autumn and the larvae develop in the bark throughout winter. The scribble patterns are caused by the boring and eating process. Initially the larvae bore through the bark creating irregular loop tunnels, followed by zig zag loops. Scar tissue forms and the tunnel is filled with highly nutritious thin walled cells. The larvae then eats its way back along the same path it created. When it leaves the bark cracks off leaving the scribble patterns underneath. A fascinating process! Sydney Nimble will soon be announcing a new tour to the Blue Mountains that will include the Bells Line of Road.

21.01.2022 We shivered at vivid A visit to Taronga Zoo Vivid last night was only for those who had already bought tickets and the ill advised. Im not sure which group I fit into. It was seriously cold with occasional drizzle. Still we braved the elements and enjoyed the show. As long as you kept moving and had warm clothing the unusually cold blast currently being experienced in Sydney wasnt any bother.... The Vivid visual juggernaut is on until 15 June. It is amazing how much the face of a building can change when the Vivid moving animal and scenery show is projected onto the main entrance of Taronga Zoo. The range of colours and images are dazzling. The heritage building comes alive with flora and fauna in different coloured themes. This year the story is about how humans are pressuring the animals on the planet. Vivid is currently on display at a number of locations in Sydney and the Taronga Zoo lanterns and multi-media projection lightshow is up there with the best of them.

20.01.2022 Royal National Park Video Sydney Nimble Tours has just released a new video clip featuring the Royal National Park. If you interested in either our Wedding Cake Rock Tour or Eagle Rock Tour the footage will give you an idea of the coastal vistas, wildlife and flora that you may encounter on these tours. ... We hope you are inspired by this footage which required a day of long walks to put together. https://youtu.be/R6bkrblkWX4 Thanks to Ernesto Ortiz for his tenacity and slick production work. www.ernestoortizstudio.com/

19.01.2022 Once a gaol Sydney Nimble recently had the pleasure of going on someone elses tour. Our guide Tom took us around the National Art School, which was formerly the Darlinghurst Gaol. The buildings in the National Art School represent one of the most formidable collections of sandstone colonial architecture in Australia. ... For those of us who like colonial architecture they are right up there - well preserved and swirling with stories. The Darlinghurst Gaol specialised in bushrangers, rapists and murderers. It operated from 1841 until 1914. 76 people were hanged in the Darlinghurst gaol, and Sydneys most notorious 19th and early 20th century criminals were provided with either short or long term accommodation: Captain Moonlight; Jimmy Governor (aka Jimmy Blacksmith) and the Rennie boys. Famous Australian poet, Henry Lawson, did some time for failing to pay alimony and child desertion. Henry used the time well writing a number of poems. The tour focused on the history of the buildings when they were used as a gaol. D Block housed women prisoners and in one corner of this building plug marks can be seen on the wall where a padded cell was kept for more difficult customers. D Block was connected to the prison chapel by a walkway as those in charge were uncomfortable with the idea of female prisoners going outside into the general grounds of the gaol. Probably a good idea in some ways in view of a number of rapists residing in the vicinity. D Block was used as a theatre and for other events from late 1950s through to the 1970s. Catherine Hepburn and Robert Helpmann visited D Block in 1955 to assist in promoting the theatre whilst it was being restored. The prisons chapel has a cupola, which is a small structure placed on the dome or roof of a building. Cupolas are used to provide light and or ventilation. The first two photographs below show the chapels cupola from inside as you look up from the floor and from the exterior. The sandstone for the prison walls was cut and hewn by convicts working in a chain gang at nearby quarries. Each sandstone block was marked so that a tally could be kept (third photo). The fourth photo shows D Block, which was comprised of three levels when the gaol operated. If you look behind the projector the markings can be seen where the stairs used to be located. We highly recommend Toms tour which can be booked through the National Art Schools website. The Darlinghurst Gaol was a cruel place and tormented those persons that were incarcerated here. Nevertheless stories about the prisoners, jail conditions, executions, and the publics reactions to the gaol are fascinating.

19.01.2022 Sydney Art Deco Architecture Art Deco is a style that was adopted in both the exterior and interior of buildings, light fittings, carpets, ceramics, clocks, furniture, machines, household appliances, cars, ocean liners, jewellery, ornaments and posters in the period between the two world wars. Art deco is unashamedly flamboyant and reflects the larger than life mentality of the 1920s. ... The term Art Deco evolved in the 1960s from a shortening of two words, ‘Arts Decoratifs’, as used in the title of a 1925 design exhibition held in France: Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes. Some of the characteristics and features of Art Deco designs include: geometric shapes in the form of triangles, trapezoids, zigzags; chevron patterns; straight lines and sweeping curves, layered shapes and symmetry; vibrant colors; stepped forms and modern materials. Art deco buildings may include elaborate panels and ornate carvings. Sydney has rich vein of Art Deco architecture both in the city and surrounding suburbs. If you look for it you will find Art Deco commercial buildings, apartments, cinemas, hotels, shops and lift foyers. We recently visited a few of our favourite Sydney Art Deco buildings. The towers in the entrance to Luna Park (last photo) have classic Art Deco features including vertical and horizontal straight lines, trapezoids, vibrant colours and scalloping in the upper part of the tower. If you would like to visit some of Sydney’s best art deco buildings let us know and we can design a half day tour or adjust another tour to include an hour or two visiting these buildings.

19.01.2022 Mountains Recovery Its time we had a conversation about Epicormic growth and lignotubers! Sydney Nimble Tours visited the Blue Mountains to enjoy a bush walk and see how the bush is recovering from the January fires.... And the news is we have a compelling recovery story. The new growth is vigorous and brilliant to see. Lush ferns have come back in a small gully we visited, whilst the remarkably fire resistant grass trees look like they were never touched by fire. Many of the Eucalypt trees are bursting with fresh pockets of growth. Some of the Eucalypts have within a few months completely shed their burnt bark revealing a new layer of bark underneath (see first photo below). The Australian bush is a fire prone ecosystem. It is a tough place. Two ways in which Eucalypt trees may regenerate is through epicormic growth and lignotubers. Epicormic buds are dormant growth buds located deep beneath the bark of gum trees. Their positioning under the bark provides insulation from fire. In normal times they are not active due to the hormones of buds above them. However after a fire or other stressful event these buds are activated. Once activated the epicormic buds allow the tree to resprout with new growth in different places on the trunk and branches of the tree. Lignotubers provide another way for some Eucalypt species to survive a bushfire. Although a Eucalyptus tree may not survive an intense fire this form of regrowth occurs via large underground roots which remain alive. New growth will sprout from these roots which are close to the fire damaged tree. Can you see the two types of growth in the photos?

18.01.2022 This Eclectus parrot, which is found in North Eastern Australia, was spotted today in a Sydney cafe. A large beautiful parrot with fur like feathers made his presence felt with frequent loud shrill squawks.

18.01.2022 Rare King Koala spotted A rare King Koala was spotted today in Sydneys Royal Botanic Gardens. This super sized creature is bound to impress. The sheer bulk of the animal is amazing. A normal adult koala can eat up to a kilogram of gum leaves in one day.... Some scientists have estimated that the King Koala may be able to gorge up to 10 kg of gum leaves in a single sitting. This has serious implications for Australias gum forests. Although Sydney Nimble Tours cannot guarantee it, there is a possibility that our in house specialist tracker may be able to locate this fine specimen on our Sydney Bespoke Tour. Dont be intimidated, despite the koalas large black fangs there have been no reported injuries to park visitors.

18.01.2022 It is not every day that you come across a museum that has antiquities and a lego display. The Nicholson Museum at Sydney University however has just that. The Museum came into being in 1865 when the second chancellor of Sydney University, Sir Charles Nicholson, donated his private collection of antiquities. Hundreds of Greek, Roman, Southern Italian and Etruscan antiquities were acquired by the chancellor in the course of several trips to Europe in the late 1850s. ... The museum has since grown in size and has the largest collection of antiquities in the Southern Hemisphere (approximately 30 000 artefacts). It also has an ongoing exhibition of a reconstructed pre-catastrophe Pompeii, made out of Lego. There is a dedicated room titled Death Magic which includes the mummy of a six year old boy and two Egyptian coffins. The museum is open on week days, and the first Saturday of the month. Dont expect to see a massive museum. It is a small museum that has an interesting collection, particularly if you like ancient history and or lego. A visit to the Nicholson Museum complements a visit to Sydney Universitys wonderful historic building, the Quadrangle. We recommend visiting both. The Chau Chak Wing Museum is currently being constructed and is set to open in 2020. This new museum will include the contents of the Nicholson Museum along with two other museums located at Sydney University. Sydney Nimble can visit the Nicholson Museum in our bespoke tour or we could adjust the itinerary of one of the other tours to include the museum.

17.01.2022 Barangaroo is a 22 hectare inner city suburb of Sydney located on the north west side of Sydneys CBD. The suburb is named after an aboriginal woman who had a significant influence in early contact between Aboriginal people and British authorities. The urban renewal of Barangaroo has been a landmark project in Sydney for over ten years. The area was formerly docklands and known as the hungry mile. ... It was a tough, competitive and sometimes violent place. Workers from the 19th Century until the 1940s were known to walk from wharf to wharf searching for low paid work. Barangaroo includes a 6 hectare headland park (Barangaroo Reserve) which was completed several years ago. The reserve is essentially an artificial hill, but it doesnt look like one. Its contouring with the harbour, terraced plantings and dimensions generally make it fit in with its surrounds. Clever engineering and earthworks have given it the look of a hill whilst allowing a large void, known as the Cutaway, to exist underneath the parkland above. The roof of the Cutaway required the fabrication, transportation and installation of massive concrete spans, which underpin thousands of cubic metres of rock, soil, grass and trees. The Cutaway provides a unique area for events and is 120 metres long, 45 metres wide and the height of a six storey building. Natural light enters the space through a long vent on its east side. A large scale planting of native plants, shrubs and trees (75 000 in total) has been undertaken at Barangaroo Reserve and the horticulturalists have largely chosen native flora that existed in the area prior to European settlement. An incredible amount of sandstone has been used around the foreshore and throughout the reserve, showcasing the attractive look of this beautiful stone. Barangaroo Reserve is a pleasant green addition to the City of Sydney which will improve over time as the trees increase in size whilst providing a unique multipurpose area that can be used by all Sydneysiders.

16.01.2022 Sydney Nimble Tours visited the Symbio Wildlife Park (Symbio), with three clients yesterday. The name Symbio is a shortened version of the word symbiosis. Symbiosis is a relationship between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both. Symbio is a well run wildlife park and has a good mix of native and animals from other parts of the world. The native animals include: kangaroos and wallabies, dingoes, echidnas (including an... albino echidna), koalas, cassowaries, emus, wombats, goannas, Tasmanian Devils, and a variety of birds and reptiles. At certain times during the day there are presentations where a representative of the zoo talks about a particular animal. Koalas sleep a lot so a feeding at showing time brings these marsupials out of their slumber. Zoo staff advise that they get quite active at night. Unfortunately the zoo is not open! Our small group also enjoyed the kangaroos and wallabies, which are remarkably tame and had no trouble with our presence. A paper bag of kangaroo feed gains you additional attention and affection, or just hang out with them without food. These guys are very relaxed. The red pandas are cute and the monkeys (Tamarin and Marmoset monkeys from Central and South America) were not what we expected as they are some of the smallest types found. They looked very different to your typical monkey. We give Symbio a big thumbs up. Symbio is an excellent addition to the Royal National Park Tour. The only problem is deciding which part of the itinerary has to be dropped off to fit in the visit to Symbio. We recommend allocating at least 90 minutes for a visit to Symbio, but you could easily spend more time here if you wanted to see a few of the animal presentations.

16.01.2022 A perfectly shaped fresh banksia flower as seen today whilst walking to Wedding Cake Rock.

16.01.2022 A stony faced encounter at the Nicholson Museum. #Sydney University #Sydney sightseeing #Sydney museums #Nicholson Museum

16.01.2022 Mountains Recovery It’s time we had a conversation about Epicormic growth and lignotubers! Sydney Nimble Tours visited the Blue Mountains to enjoy a bush walk and see how the bush is recovering from the January fires.... And the news is we have a compelling recovery story. The new growth is vigorous and brilliant to see. Lush ferns have come back in a small gully we visited, whilst the remarkably fire resistant grass trees look like they were never touched by fire. Many of the Eucalypt trees are bursting with fresh pockets of growth. Some of the Eucalypts have within a few months completely shed their burnt bark revealing a new layer of bark underneath (see first photo below). The Australian bush is a fire prone ecosystem. It is a tough place. Two ways in which Eucalypt trees may regenerate is through epicormic growth and lignotubers. Epicormic buds are dormant growth buds located deep beneath the bark of gum trees. Their positioning under the bark provides insulation from fire. In normal times they are not active due to the hormones of buds above them. However after a fire or other stressful event these buds are activated. Once activated the epicormic buds allow the tree to resprout with new growth in different places on the trunk and branches of the tree. Lignotubers provide another way for some Eucalypt species to survive a bushfire. Although a Eucalyptus tree may not survive an intense fire this form of regrowth occurs via large underground roots which remain alive. New growth will sprout from these roots which are close to the fire damaged tree. Can you see the two types of growth in the photos?

15.01.2022 Breaking news: Sydney Nimble Tours announces the addition of a new tour, the Inner Sydney Tour. Listed below are places that are often missed by visitors to Sydney. They pass our highly discerning great place to visit filter: White Rabbit Gallery and neighbouring green building, Central Park Brett Whiteley Studio (Friday to Sunday)... Sydney University Short walking tour of Balmain including the wharf area, Fenwick House and the dry dock State Library The Grounds of Alexandria Artisan distillery or microbrewery at or near the end of the day All of these places are close to the city (within 10-30 minutes). Why not check some or all of these places out? For more information see https://www.sydneynimbletours.com.au/customised-inner-city-

15.01.2022 Sydney Nimble Tours visited the Blue Mountains yesterday. It was our first tour since the recent fires and we did so with some trepidation. The bush has been badly burnt in some parts whilst in others it has been left untouched. The beauty of the Blue Mountains still remains and it was pleasing to see new growth on many eucalyptus trees. Due to recent rains there was plenty of cascading water at the Bridal Veil waterfall.

14.01.2022 Another ordinary sunset at the Spit. Looking forward to a good one.

14.01.2022 Symbio on the go - great wildlife park near the Royal National Park - a few images from recent tour - albino echidna, kangaroos and kbear. #Sydneywildlife# #Royalnationalparktour# #Sydneywalkingtours# #Weddingcakerock# @ Helensburgh, New South Wales, Australia

13.01.2022 BY GEORGE A KOOKABURRA Sydney Nimble Tours visits Georges Heights on our Northern Beaches, Sydney Harbour, National Park tour. This area has spectacular harbour vistas that include the entrance to Sydney Harbour, Watsons Bay, Rosebay and Shark Island. A good view of the city of Sydney is on offer if you look south west. ... The harbour aspect also provided a solid location to install defensive artillery should Sydney Harbour come under attack. Military memorabilia in the form of gun pits, fortifications, canons and anti-aircraft guns have been well maintained and are on display at Georges Heights. A former military hospital which was built for patients from World War I houses the anti-aircraft gun. Close to the gun pits is the Gunners Barracks, a fortified sandstone building built in the 1870s. This building was constructed to accommodate artillerymen whose job was to look after the artillery and if necessary fire it. In the course of a recent visit to Georges Heights we came across a chilled kookaburra resting on a sign near the Barracks. Our feathered friend was most accommodating and happily posed for photographs. The kookaburra is a member of the Kingfisher family and has one of the most unusual bird calls. The laughing Kookaburra is not laughing at another kookaburras jokes! The cackle of the Kookaburra is a territorial call aimed at warning other birds to stay away. Be gone, the insects, lizards, rodents and small snakes in this patch are mine! The word kookaburra is yet another example of an indigenous word enriching our language and originates from the Wiradjuri word guuguuburra.

13.01.2022 Returning to the Royal National Park yesterday was like seeing an old friend. This park never ceases to provide a wonderful natural environment. The colourful tour group who were great company had no trouble with the Eagle Rock walk and followed up with a visit to Symbio Wildlife Park.

13.01.2022 Its jacaranda season in Sydney . . #Sydney #sydneyaustralia #jacaranda #sydneytours #sydneynimbletours #lilac #ilovesydney #sydneylife #sydneyprivatetours @ Sydney, Australia

12.01.2022 Eagle Rock Tour Sydney Nimble Tours took at a client to Eagle Rock on Friday, walking north from Garie Beach. The walk provides fantastic views from the headland of Garie Beach to the south and also of the coastline facing east. It is a special walk and finishes at Eagle Rock and the waterfall just near it. This place is spectacular and when a large wave hits the cliff a loud thunderclap can be heard from a considerable distance. The ocean near the Eagle Rock is not deep and the sand can be seen when you look down from the cliffs. The water on a sunny day takes on a light emerald green colour. A walk to Eagle Rock can be included in our Royal National Park Tour.

11.01.2022 Things to do in Sydney - cooking crabs @seafood_school @sydneyfishmarket - yum! @ Sydney Seafood School

11.01.2022 Sultry North Curl Curl Beach late yesterday afternoon. Water temperature perfect #Sydney Northern Beaches Tour #sydney private tours

09.01.2022 Waverley Cemetary Tours of Sydney are unlikely to have a cemetery on the list of must see locations. Waverley Cemetery is however an interesting place to visit for two reasons. The first is its proximity to the Pacific Ocean - drop dead views!... The coastal walk way from Bondi to Coogee runs just below the eastern edge of the cemetery. A walk along this scenic pathway offers the chance to make a detour into the cemetery. Waverley cemetery contains an expansive collection of death memorabilia, including sculptures, graves, vaults, mausoleums and memorials. There is a vast quantity of stonemasonry on display including sculptures of angels, neo classical symbols and tombstones. The cemetery is well laid out and designed with many internal roads and retaining walls. Fatigued cortege members may choose to rest in a number of sandstone shelters interspersed throughout the grounds. The stand out monument in Waverley Cemetery is the Martyrs Monument which is dedicated to the 1798 uprising against British rule in Ireland. The remains of one of the leaders of the rebellion, Michael ODwyer and his wife, reside here. The memorial includes a large Celtic cross and also commemorates the Easter Rising of 1916 and the Long Kesh Hunger Strikes in 1981. It is estimated that around 100 000 people have taken up digs at the cemetery, ranging from poets (Henry Kendall and Henry Lawson) to well known business people, politicians and sporting stars. A Sydney Tour of the cemetery is easily accommodated in our Bespoke Tour or the Eastern Suburbs, Woolloomooloo, Barangaroo day out. Get in touch and we can discuss.

09.01.2022 SYDNEY SUMMER A bush walk followed by a cooling swim in the heat cant be beaten. Sydney Nimble Tours recently visited a waterfall and refreshing pool in the Blue Mountains. ... The next few months provide a great opportunity to enjoy the water, whether that be a swim at the beach, lounging in a rock pool or visiting a freshwater pool. On a recent Sydney Harbour, Northern Beaches, National Park tour a visitor made the point that Sydney beaches have a lot of swimming pools. The comment is spot on and if you are interested we can easily include a short visit to a saltwater pool or a protected harbour beach as a part of the day. By only taking small groups, including solo travellers, Sydney Nimble Tours can be truly nimble getting you to places that Sydney visitors often dont see.

08.01.2022 STILL ROCKING On Friday, Sydney Nimble took a visitor on the Royal National Park Tour. The main game was to see Wedding Cake Rock. The construction work at the site, which detracted from the ambience of the rock as construction work does, has finished and the new fence is in place. ... The new fence is a significant improvement. It is less clunky than the previous fence and allows visitors to get a much closer look at the rock. The rock still has the goods and the walk to the rock provides the chance to see some spectacular coastal scenery. The naming of the rock came from its white appearance and cuboid shape, that can be compared to a piece of wedding cake. Wedding Cake Rock is best seen on a sunny day and on Friday we had the sun. It is also preferable if rain doesnt precede a visit as surface puddles form and these take a bit away from its appearance. There are numerous interesting sandstone formations on the way to the rock if you take a few detours. Sandstone is found around the world and has many natural variations in colour, shade, tone and grain. Variation in sandstone colours is on display in the photos below, ranging from white, grey through to yellow, orange, brown and tan. The last photo is from another place in the park. A Wedding Cake Rock Tour is one of the highlights of a visit to the Royal National Park. Join us and keep rocking.

08.01.2022 Waterrun in the Royal National Park is loaded with water after recent rains #Royal National Park #wedding cake rock tour

05.01.2022 Southern Highland Waterfalls As part of the plan to add to our range Sydney Nimble Tours visited Belmore and Carrington Falls. These two waterfalls are located in the Southern Highlands and the drive time from the Sydney CBD is around 2 hours, or slightly more depending on traffic.... First stop was Carrington Falls which is located in the Budderoo National Park. Carrington Falls is a two pronged waterfall. Water cascades from two separate points. Another smaller waterfall and pretty pool is also located nearby at Nellies Glen. After Carrington Falls we visited Robertson which is a town near Belmore Falls. Robertson has amongst other things, a good pub, a highly popular pie shop and a gimmicky big potato, which we refused to photograph! Belmore Falls is exceptional in that first waterfall drops into a pool (midway pool), and water from that pool then flows down to another cliff face where a second waterfall starts. The surrounding sandstone cliffs and Eucalypt forest add to the brilliance of two waterfall spectacle. Belmore Falls can be seen from two main vantage points. One is accessed by parking on the roadside after driving across a small portion of road which dissects the Barrengarry Creek. It had a few centimetres of water running across it during our visit. From this point you are at the start of the falls and the midway pool is almost directly underneath the lookout. It is a long drop down to the pool. Focus on the gentleman in red who posed for us in the fourth photo to gain a perspective of the distance down to the pool. The other vantage point, has several lookouts. It is a short drive away and allows you to photograph the Kangaroo Valley and the falls from the distance (last photo). We enjoyed our day in the Southern Highlands and will be adding it to a new tour.

05.01.2022 A rare moment of engagement with a Tassie Devil at Symbio yesterday. Often these furry ones are not easily found preferring to stay inside their log. #Tasmanian Devil #Sydney Tasmanian Devil

04.01.2022 Cape Solander It is late May 2020 in Sydney and the seas have been up due to a low pressure system off the coast of New South Wales. There are a few places in Sydney that surfers seek out when large swells arrive. ... One of these places is Cape Solander, which is located just south of the entrance to Botany Bay in the Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Cape Solander was named after the Swedish naturalist, Daniel Solander, who visited Australia on the Endeavour in 1770. Cape Solander is a hair raising break that is suited to surfers who are highly skilled, courageous and fit. A give away for a large wave is the spray you can see at the top of the wave (second photo). The waves at Cape Solander only start to perform when a reasonable swell is around, otherwise there is nothing to catch. The boogie board rider in the second photo was not being toed in whilst the stand up surfer at a nearby cliff break to the south was assisted by a jet ski. If the seas are up and you want to experience the raw power of the sea Cape Solander is hard to beat. You may also be treated to some spectacular surfing. Sydney Nimble Tours can include a visit to Cape Solander in one of our days out.

04.01.2022 An exhausted koala hanging in there. #sydney nimble tours

04.01.2022 Easter Monday sunset photos looking west from the Blue Mountains taken by Blackheath local . . #blue mountains sunset #Sydney Nimble Tours

04.01.2022 At times Balmain seems to have no end of small, narrow and windy streets. These streets contain a plentiful supply of heritage architecture, ranging from tiny cottages to grand colonial sandstone homes. It is a colourful suburb that is largely overlooked by visitors to Sydney. Balmain is located across the water from Barangaroo and can be accessed by ferry or road. We like Balmains history, heritage architecture, harbour panorama and vibrant atmosphere. Its a nice place to... take a stroll. The East Balmain Wharf at the end of Darling Street and adjacent Illoura Reserve provide spectacular views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Barangaroo. Nearby Fenwick Store was built in the 1880s and used for storage by a local tug boat operator. A first class restoration of this stone heritage building was recently completed and it will soon commence a new life as a caf/gallery. There are other heritage houses nearby such as Ewenton House and Clontarf House that can be seen whilst walking on the Tom Uren walking route. Have a look at the Balmain Watch House (179 Darling St) which was built from Hawkesbury sandstone in 1854. If you have time squeeze in a short walk around Ballast Point Park, which is only a 5 minute drive from the East Balmain Wharf. The park was created in 2009 after an oil refinery was demolished and the land decontaminated. The urban renewal of this area has given the community several different recreational areas and provides a peaceful place for a picnic or BBQ on the harbours foreshore. Sydney Nimble Tours would be delighted to take your small group on a walking tour of Balmain and Ballast Point Park. This activity can form part of our Inner SydneyTour or added to one of the other days out. We visit Balmain for about two hours (www.sydneynimbletours.com.au/inner-sydney-bespoke).

03.01.2022 Shelly Beach is a small beach located to the east of Manly Beach. It takes between 10-15 minutes to walk to Shelly Beach from the Southern end of Manly Beach. Shelly Beach forms part of the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve and provides a protected area for marine life and swimmers of the human kind. Snorkelling, scuba diving, stand up paddle and lazing on the beach are popular activities. ... Last Sunday there was more action than usual. A cancer research fundraiser event was in full flight when we took this walk on the Sydney Harbour and Northern beaches tour. The event involves a one kilometre inflatable boat race starting and finishing at Shelly Beach. All sorts of inflatable crafts can be seen on the water and there was no shortage of entrants. Great to see so many people enjoying themselves.

03.01.2022 Gymea Lily One of the most delightful plants in the Sydney region is the Gymea Lily. It is flowering at the moment and if you keep your eyes out there are plenty to see on a drive through the Royal National Park. The leaves are sword like and sprout from the ground. The flower is located on the top of a long narrow green shoot which can reach up to six metres.... When these plants are not in flower they are just your average plant in the bush. When they flower it is a whole different story. Arising from the leaves below is a crimson red flower that will immediately catch your eye. The Gymea Lily takes a while to flower, at least five or more years. They are a hardy native and a bush fire does not set the plants back for long. The word Gymea originates from the local aboriginal people and is attributed to either the Dharug or Dharawal Language group. The word means a small bird. When you look at the plant in flower the name makes sense. The flower is a long way from the plant, many metres, and looks like it could be flying if you dont take in the long narrow stork supporting it. It is roughly the size of a small bird. Two nearby suburbs also go by this name, Gymea and Gymea Bay. If you take the Royal National Park tour with Sydney Nimble Tours in Spring you will see the Gymea Lily and a number of other native plants in flower. The flowers of the Gymea Lily are followed by oval shaped capsules and in late summer the capsules split and release seeds. It is a great time to be out and about in a Sydney national park.

01.01.2022 Remarkable weekend in the Southern Highlands This weekend Sydney Nimble went outside of its usual patch and visited the Southern Highlands. A group of like minded individuals bonded by their sense of humour and children stayed at a working sheep station, known as Markdale. The patriarch of Markdale, Mark, took the group on an outstanding tour of the sheep shearing shed on the farm. ... There was no marking time on this outing and Marks explanation of the shearing process and sheep husbandry business generally was refreshing and enlightening for a group of city slickers. There is another world outside of the Sydney bubble. Markdale has an outstanding garden which includes a small lake with a tiny island and row boat, arched timber bridge, stone retaining walls and an assortment of trees. The garden was designed by acclaimed Australian landscape artist, Edna Walling. The layout of the trees which include golden elms, aspens, silver birch, and eucalypts frame the garden in a way that allows the delightful heritage homestead to be seen from the surrounding countryside. The property has significant history with the previous owners (the Ashtons) having held it for four generations. On the drive to Markdale from Goulburn several places of interest were observed: Pejar Dam, Crookwell Windfarm, and some pretty stone cottages in Binda and beyond. The closeness of the road to the wind turbines provides many vantage points from which to appreciate the massive structure of these winged warriors. The Crookwell area has plenty of wind and clean air. The shire is known for its fine wool, fat lambs, beef cattle and potato cultivation. The drive to Markdale takes around 3-3.5 hours and this duration excludes it from being within the day tour range of Sydney Nimble Tours. If you would like to visit the Southern Highlands we recommend a minimum of three nights, which allows two full days to explore this charming region.