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Sydney Nimble Tours, Mosman (2025)

10/11/2024

Bluebottle

In recent weeks beaches around Sydney have been inundated with bluebottles. You will see them either on the sand or in the water.

So what is a bluebottle?

A good place to start in defining a blue bottle is to say what it is not. Although related the bluebottle is not a jellyfish. It is known as a siphonophore.

The most common bluebottle found in the waters around Sydney is Physalia utriculus.

The discussion becomes more interesting when you realise that the bluebottle is not one animal but a grouping of four different colonies of polyps. The word collective comes to mind.

The colonies rely on each other to survive.

One of the colonies is the gas filled sac that floats on the surface of the water. You may see a grouping of bluebottles on the sand as they are often left stranded on the beach waiting for the tide to rise and take them back into the ocean.

The three other colonies in the collective are ones for catching prey by stinging it, one for digesting the prey and of course a colony for the continuation of the species, reproduction.

The bluebottle does not mate but instead reproduces asexually.

Bluebottles are carnivorous feeding on larval fish, small crustaceans and molluscs (snails and clams).

These creatures come to their earthly end when the bluebottle zaps them with venom located in the long tentacles that trail the sac, resulting in the creature being paralysed. The prey is then drawn to the mouth of the bluebottle by the tentacles and consumed.

In Spring and Summer strong winds are responsible for bringing bluebottles to Australian shores. In the other months of the year they exist offshore.

The bluebottles that appear in Australia are sometimes called Pacific Man o’ War. They are less venomous than the Portuguese Man o’ War which is found in the Atlantic.

The name Portuguese man o’ war originates from the resemblance of this siphonophore to 18th-century Portuguese warships when those warships were at full sail.

There you have it a floating warship that can declare war on you whilst swimming or surfing at the beach.

28/10/2024

Sculptures by the Sea 2024

Scultpures by the Sea 2024 is through its first week and comes bearing a payload of exceptional works. 100 artists from 16 different countries have their work on display.

The sculptures stretch from the coastal track near the Icebergs club at South Bondi through to Tamarama Beach.

Two of the sculptures on the sand of Tamarama beach have the unexpected theme of skin cancer. One is made of black fabric which changes shape to resemble a cancer and three pieces of toast draw further attention to the risks of sun exposure.

Another sculpture that will appeal to beach lovers is a shark emerging from a peeled banana skin. The shark appears to be a great white with a wide-open mouth. You can’t help but have a second look.

An amazing contrast! Banana gives birth to shark?

Local surfers with any anxiety towards sea life that bites are advised to ignore this one. Nothing like seeing a shark to raise confidence as you head out to the surf.

A white spaceman by the artist known as Malarky is perched on the cliff above Tamarama Beach. The statement behind the work is that our species failure to care for the earth makes it destined to return to nomadity.

King Kong makes an appearance courtesy of the artist Denis Defrancesco.

This large reclining fellow was a crowd favourite with his golden balls providing an irresistible photo opportunity.

One spectator put her dog just near the two lumps and took photos from all angles!

That’s gold!

Moving onto another metal, stainless steel, a rocket ship has captured one of the most sort after positions on the sculptures circuit. It is just over 8 metres tall.

The second last photo is of a sculpture comprised of granite and rock created by Professor Shen Lieyi. In a highly competitive field this work was judged the winner of the Aqualand Sculpture Award of $100 000.

Sculptures by the Sea is a fine outing and the entry price is zero. Try to avoid the weekend if possible or get there early or late.

On the walk back to our chariot we had the pleasure of passing a wonderful art deco house painted in sky blue. Last photo below - congratulations to the owners.

12/10/2024

Sydney Nimble had its first encounter yesterday with a wallaby joey, Olaf, at Symbio Wildlife Park.

Olaf is an albino and is indeed a rarity, with the chances of being born an albino estimated at 1 in a 100 00. He is the offspring of two proud red-necked wallaby parents!

Olaf was born seven months back but it took a while for zoo staff to recognise his albinism.

No they weren’t sleeping on the job, it just takes a while to pick out albino features as wallabies are on the tiny side at birth, around half the size of your thumb.

This small joey is named after a character in the Disney film series franchise, Frozen.

We look forward to seeing Olaf becoming a full grown albino wallaby in the months and years ahead.

Whilst on the topic of joeys we couldn’t help but take a photo of a koala joey who was happily sleeping just before the 3pm koala exhibition. The arrival of fresh eucalyptus branches did however get the joey alert and moving.

Whilst at Symbio we came across a member of the Honeyeater family, an Eastern Spinebill. Note the long curved beak and warm colours.

These small pretty birds are not easy to photograph and move quickly so it was nice to see one first hand!

A staff member of Symbio made the task of taking a photograph easy as she was holding the Eastern Spinebill in the palm of her hand after the bird collided with a glass window at Symbio.

The bird was stunned and it was anticipated that the small bird would recover after a short period of rest, and fly off.

Fly birdie fly!

We wish the Eastern Spinebill a speedy recovery!

The final photograph from yesterday is of two dingoes who came unusually close to the fence. Its the closest I have been to a dingo!

27/09/2024

Sydney's new surf break

Sydney Nimble recently visited the premises of URBNSURF’S wavegarden at Sydney Olympic Park.

The same company has been running a wavegarden in Melbourne for several years (2020).

The visit was timed to observe one of the more advanced sessions (Advanced turns). May as well see the place at a more challenging level.

Just check the bookings page to select a session you like. It can be as easy or hard as you wish - Cruiser, Progressive Turns, Intermediate, Advanced Turns, Advanced and Expert.

And the verdict – looks pretty cool. Next step is to dig into the pocket, dust off the board and head out there myself!

An option to book either lefts or rights is available as two distinct waves are generated in different areas at the same time. There is a barrier separating the area where you catch either wave (see third photo - set up).

It’s not a long wave but what you get is quality and the quantity of waves is spectacular, around 15 per surfer in one hour. Tell me of a beach where you will get that many waves in 60 minutes.

And we observed surfers queuing in a relaxed harmonious order!

No snaking or disappointment in missing out on waves due crowded breaks, or having to paddle through pounding beach breaks.

The surfers we watched were catching the waves with ease, just one miss – should have paddled a little harder. One or two came off but most were having no trouble with riding the waves.

The water temperature was around 18 celsius. It can get cold in winter (as low as 12 celsius) whilst in summer my guide, Luke, advised me that the water temperature can get to a very pleasant 25 celsius.

All the necessary gear can be hired, board, wetsuit, etc, or bring your own.

The hire option is handy for learners, someone wanting to try a different size or type of board and surfers visiting from other regions or countries who don’t have their equipment with them.

At the end of the session you can hang out and have a burrito and or beer, and video footage from your session is screened for one hour.

Go forth and check out a unique place in Sydney’s west, with surf!

Update (27/9)

Sydney Nimble has added URBNSURF to the list of places that can be visited on our custom tour or as an inclusion to one of our other tours.

Maybe a stop on the way to the Blue Mountains?

28/08/2024

Hiking in Hokkaido

Sydney Nimble encourages employees to travel and share holiday experiences.

On a recent holiday in Hokkaido (Japan’s large northern island) we stopped at an area known for geothermal activity, Lake Akan.

The lake is part of the Akan-Mashu National Park and whilst there why not do a hike!

The selected peak was Mt Meakan and we started the trek from the Meakan Onsen . The hike was described in the national parks pamphlet as taking the shortest time to hike and being slightly more challenging than the other two trails up Mt Meakan.

The trail was classified as a Grade 3 hike. It took us over 5 hours to do the hike whilst the pamphlet estimated time was 4 hours 10 minutes.

For the most part the trail was hard work. The first 40 minutes are through a forest stepping over and around large tree roots and intermittent pockets of bright green moss.

We came across several different and interesting types of fungus ranging from bright red to yellow. Love a new fungus!

After the forest the trail makes its way up the mountain doing its best to avoid many large rocks.

With a great sense of relief we made it to the top of the mountain and started walking on the rim of the main crater.

By that stage the cloud cover was strong and we could see very little in any direction. It is what it is a fellow hiker quipped.

After walking along the rim for about 150 metres and taking a few very average photos in the process, we decided to head back.

No point stumbling around on a creater rim in a white out.

However as luck would have it the cloud cleared in the crater just as we were about to descend. We could now see Mt Meakan’s main crater.

What a sight! Gas was fuming out of several vents and in the distance across the rim a larger plume of gas was whisking into the sky.

The strong smell of sulphur was present with Mt Meakan being one of Japan’s most active volcanoes.

After observing and enjoying the activity in the crater we headed back.

The descent was more difficult than anticipated with volcanic scree being very slippery in spots. Easy to fall, hard to get up!

At last we made it to the bottom. If you ever get around to doing this hike allow five hours for the venture and expect a grade 4 hike by Australian standards.

If you get clear weather the effort is well worth it!

19/08/2024

Sydney Nimble on holiday in Hokkaido, Japan hiked to a hell hole, the main crater of Mt Meakan.

09/08/2024

ONE BARANGAROO

Pecking order

One Barangaroo is Sydney’s tallest skyscraper (275 metres).

The Sydney Eye Tower is in fact greater in height (310 metres) but is not a skyscraper.

Although One Barangaroo is Sydney’s largest skyscaper it is only the 4th tallest skyscaper in Australia. The largest is located on the Gold Coast, and positions 2 & 3 are held by buildings in Melbourne.

What’s in it

One Barangaroo is a 75 level mixed use venue containing a luxury resort with 349 hotel rooms and suites, 76 luxury residential apartments, retail shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and a casino.

Design concept

One Barangaroo was designed by a firm of Brittish architects, WilkinsonEyre, after winning an international design competition in 2013.

The brief was for a building that would create a landmark design of high quality, which would reflect Sydney’s vibrancy, relationship with water and its role as an international city.

WilkinsonEyre’s design narrative is based on the concept of three petals. Two petals twist towards the sky whilst the third petal peeled off to the side and provides the bulk of the hotel accommodation.

When I look at One Barangaroo the concept of petals does not really hit me.

If the different sections are comparable to petals they are indeed very long petals. It is only after looking at early sketches that the idea begins to make more sense.

Features

What I do like about the building is as much as what it is not as what it is. It is not your standard rectangular skyscraper and the architect has gone to great lengths to avoid right angles.

Instead there are many turns, twists and curves.

If you walk around the building from street level it is not an easy shape to take in or describe.

One Barangaroo is an imposing building and by not being capable of simple definition it keeps you observing and guessing.

The provision of many discrete balconies for the apartments and the fact that the building narrows as it reaches its peak are both attractive features.

Who doesn’t like balcony access to fresh air in a high rise apartment.

When you look up from ground level it is noticeable that the balconies are aligned to compliment the buildings spiraling curves.

By narrowing the building as it approaches its pinnacle One Barangaroo does not overwhelm the surrounding environment.

The progressive drop in height of the completed next door buildings (One Sydney Harbour and International Towers) works well when you see One Barangaroo in the setting of other buildings in Barangaroo South.

This feature is particularly noticeable from a vehicle driving south on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The buildings drop in a relatively sequential line to the east.

If you look at the building from the north west side the shape of the podium resembles the bow of a ship, (see photograph 5 below ).

The external glass provides for different reflections throughout the day depending upon the time and weather.

It can certainly sparkle in the afternoon when you look at it from the west as you drive into the city.

A visit to One Barangaroo is one of many places that are available to visit on Sydney Nimble’s Custom itinerary tour.

02/08/2024

Seal spotted this morning just south of Spit Bridge.

02/08/2024

Seal just south of Spit Bridge - unedited.

28/07/2024

Chilled and dusted in Blackheath

26/07/2024

Is it a bimbo, is it a bumbo, no its Bombo

The Bombo Headland Quarry is located north of Blowhole Point at Kiama.

It is an annoying place to get to by car if you are at the blowhole as there is no coastal road to it. A short trip on and off the Princes Highway is required.

The quarry can be accessed by a short walk from either Boneyards Beach or the car park at the north end of Bombo Beach.

Hopefully the wind direction is favourable as you may encounter an experience you wish to avoid - sweet odours emanating from the very nearby Bombo Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Anyway lets move on!

As you walk through Bombo quarry clumps of rock are scattered in a number of areas with the larger clumps closer to the ocean.

The rocks are hexagonal basalt columns created approximately 270 million years ago when lava cooled, contracted and fractured. It is thought that the hexagon shape is formed in response to stress as the solidified lava cracks.

The unusual name of ‘Bombo’ originated from an aboriginal word of the Wodi Wodi people for thunder. However it was not adopted completely as the indigenous word for thunder was in fact ‘Bumbo’.

A local religious minister was of the opinion that the name was too risque and it was subsequently modified to Bombo.

The Bombo Quarry was mined for its blue metal from 1880 to mid 1920s, and then off and on again (stopped during the depression) until 1944.

It is difficult to ascertain how much quarrying went on at Bombo but the answer is likely to be ‘a lot’. It was the major source of blue metal for the colony and subsequent state of New South Wales.

A significant number of hexagonal basalt columns do however remain.

Walking around the former quarry, which is now a heritage listed, provides access to the tall columns of basalt.

The basalt columns are of varying heights, some as high as five or six metres.

There are a few places where incisions in the rock platform create wonderful opportunities for the waves to form and break with great force.

If the swell is up, the bay in front of the quarry is a cauldron of moving sea water. In large swell conditions it is a site to be seen.

The basalt columns of the quarry and nearby surging ocean make for an interesting visit, and form part of Sydney Nimble’s South Coast tour.

Who knows you might even spot a bird of prey whilst there.

16/06/2024

A wild day at Eagle Rock - powerful wind, surging seas and a partially reversed waterfall!

19/05/2024

North Head

After nearly two weeks of rain it was time to revisit the hanging swamp at North Head. The last time Sydney Nimble was there in early January the swamp did not exist. Bone dry!

Well the swamp is back with plenty of water.

A hanging swamp occurs when water soaks through sandstone and then hits harder to pe*****te rock such as claystone or shale. As a consequence the water percolates back up creating moist peaty soils which support swamp heath plants.

Close to the hanging swamp is memorial walk, a paved track that links 5 memorials dedicated to conflicts which have involved Australia, whether that be war or recent peacekeeping.

During WWII the whole of North Head was a significant defence base and one of the most fortified places in Australia.

The memorials have an oblong shape with information on raised plaques and have been tastefully built with sandstone.

After Memorial Walk we continued our walk east to another track, Fairfax walk, which has been re-opened after a major upgrade in 2023.

This walk provides access to two well designed lookouts, Burragula and Yiningma lookouts. Burragula is an indigenous word for ‘sunset’ and Yiningma means ‘cliff edge’.

We finished where we started (car park behind the café) and this loop takes around 60-75 minutes to complete.

A small detour to the Third Quarantine cemetery was made before getting into the car.

It is only a short walk from the car park and has many graves of Australians who died from diseases we no longer think too much about: smallpox, bubonic plague and scarlet fever.

01/05/2024

Blue Mountains Zig Zag Railway

A zig and a zag

The Zig Zag Railway provides an entertaining and fun day out.

The action is a trip into the past with a ride on a heritage train hauled by a steam locomotive.

Sydney Nimble took a group of five on the steam train, including a two and half year old.

The atmosphere was cheerful amongst the many passengers as the train moved away from Clarence.

We were rewarded with a unique experience and could not have been more impressed with the staff.

They are all volunteers, doing it for the love. The men on the train from the driver to the rest of the crew were dressed in authentic overalls (or something close to) from the era, and some with caps!

It just added to the charm. Happy train workers waived us in as we arrived at several stops and when entering the station passengers were greeted by enthusiastic staff who provided old fashioned tickets.

At different stages of the journey we went through tunnels and crossed sandstone viaducts which were built on the back of hard labour in the mid 19th century.

Zig Zag opened in 1869 and operated until 1910.

Well done Zig Zag, we appreciated your efforts and recommend a visit to anyone who wants to do something fun and different.

Choo choo!

Postscript

Availability

Plan this one carefully as the Zig Zag railway only operates for around 6 days a month and the trip takes 90 minutes in total from Clarence.

And yes if you are doing a Blue Mountains Tour with Sydney Nimble Tours on one of these days it can be included!

Name

So why is the railway called Zig Zag?

A zig zag track design using reversible ramps makes a steep gradient more manageable although the train will have to travel a greater distance.

Original content: no AI assistance

17/03/2024

One sided eagle

Eagle Rock is a large sandstone overhang in the Royal National Park. It has the shape of an eagle’s head, with a beak, eyes and mouth on display.

When entering the park from either the north or south visitors are greeted with a sign depicting Eagle Rock.

The only way to reach the eagle is by foot and it takes at least an hour and up to an hour and a half depending on how often you stop and your walking speed.

And there are no shortcuts back!

Eagle Rock can be accessed from the coastal track starting at either Garie Beach (south of the rock) or Wattamolla Beach (north of the rock). Alternatively walkers can take the Curra Moors firetrail which starts at Sir Bertram Stevens Drive and head east.

As you approach Eagle Rock from the North you will see a large rectangular protruding block of sandstone.

The top of the rock is relatively flat and fits in with the northern view of the rock being rectangular in shape.

To see the rock from the south side it is necessary to cross Curracurrong Creek and if you look at it directly from the other side of the bay it is indeed very different.

You will now enjoy the view of an eagle’s head. There is no rectangle.

Weathering and erosion processes have carved out a shape that resembles the head of an eagle although some visitors see a less glamorous turtle’s head. We are going stick with an eagle’s head!

It is quite perplexing that from one angle you see a rectangle whilst from another angle you have the head of an eagle.

The first two photos below show the rock from the north and the third and fourth photos are taken from a southern vantage point.

Whilst on the topic of protruding rocks with facial features another overhanging rock has been identified in the Royal National Park.

The relative (third last photo) is not as pretty as Eagle Rock but there are some distinct features: a forehead, eye, flattened nose or beak and a mouth.

Grumpy rock?

The final two photos are the real deal, taken at Symbio Wildlife Park.

Sydney Nimble Tours

10/11/2024

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02/08/2024

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