So, a trip to Bunnings and later to the bullion shop from the hotel gave me a few options. Take an Uber, take public transport... or just walk it! And, I had a day off... and so lots of time to kill, and I have been meaning to do more exercise and a 2-hour walk would definitely fit that bill!
On the way, I passed through this inner-city park reserve area of Fitzroy Gardens... I had never really walked in this direction before... my work trips generally keep me confined to the concert hall, CBD, and the arts district.
Ah, this is already looking to be a nice walk... lush and green, and no need to dodge e-bike and e-scooters belting down a pedestrian footpath. I say this as a fan of e-bikes, but Australia's infrastructure has made it so that the paths and roads are bit of an adversarial battle ground between all the users... and whilst most people are fine, there are those who behave like dickheads.
There was something that was bothering me though... why did so many trees have these weird metal sheaves on them? I suspected that I knew the answer...
... and after googling it up, it turns out that I was right. To stop possums from climbing up the trees. But then that led to a different question, why certain trees and not others? It seemed to be a bit random as to which trees were protected and which weren't, but this is to a complete layperson... so, perhaps there was reason... just not to me!
But it was interested how the trees were growing underneath the sheaves when they came undone! It was like they were growing new roots under them!
A little peaceful pond installation to commemorate the Emergency Services Workers.
I did end up sitting here for a little bit... a nice little rest, before heading on further!
I'm not sure what it was, but this tree really had me... the colour of the leaves, the sheer size of it... wow, I'm actually more surprised that it has survived wind gusts and storms for so long!
A conservatory for indoor plants... a pity that it was closed for an updating and renewal of the plants inside.
Really... Cook's cottage... disassembled and then brought to Australia and reassembled! So, technically, the oldest European built building on the continent!
It is a cute little thing... and there were actors dressed up to entertain the tourists!
So many paths to take...
... but I did make a special detour from my shortest path to Bunnings to have a look at the Fairy Tree! Not quite what I was expecting, but still cool!