Canada Bay Walk – 28 March 2024

After my two recent visits to Hen and Chicken Bay, I was keen to see more, and suggested a walk to Sue and Valerie – going around the larger Canada Bay than includes Hen and Chicken Bay. It would be a pleasant trip to do – taking the Rivercat Ferry to Abbotsford, then walking around the bay, and then the Rivercat back to Circular Quay from Cabarita.

This turned out to be an easy and very interesting walk. The weather forecast was not the best – but that wouldn’t matter.

After meeting at Circular Quay – we were soon off on the Rivercat.

On the way, we passed the historic Abbotsford House –

And we soon arrived at Abbotsford Wharf.

The route first took us through Battersea Park –

Next was the Quarantine Reserve –

This was used for farm animals being imported into Australia. Their droppings were burnt in this incinerator –

And some of the pens and stables –

Our next place of interest was the Henry Lawson Park. This had some sculptures –

The famous poet had lived nearby for a time.

Across the Bay. we could see this impressive building with the letter B. We wondered what it was. It didn’t  look like Concord Hospital. We would later find out.

We were now in Hen and Chicken Bay. No Godwits – the tide was too high. But we did see a few Pied Stilts –

Just before Haliday Park, Valerie noticed these strange trees. They looked like Angophoras of some type –

We then made slight detour to Pasticceria Papa café for coffee and a snack. A pleasant break.

The next part of the route took us around a golf course. We wondered about walking through it along the foreshore. Lucky we didn’t.

There was a canal on the far side of the golf course.

We then regained the foreshore on a nice path.

We were now in Bayside Park – where there is a memorial to French Canadian convicts.

Here is an Australasian Darter –

This White-faced Heron seems to have caught a worm –

We now passed the large building we had seen earlier. It was once a Bushells Tea Factory. It is now set for demolition and then becoming a high rise housing estate.

Another canal to cross –

Exile Bay

We had lunch in this pleasant gazebo in Prince Edward Park –

Here, we can look across the bay to see our stating point –

Pied Cormorant

White-faced Heron

Some birds were resting on a closed off pier –

Pied Oystercatcher

Pied Stilts

Bar-tailed Godwits

Pelican

Pelican

Sculpture at Cabarita Park –

France Bay

And then we walked through Cabarita Park to the wharf –

And then a nice Rivercat trip back to the city.

This was a very pleasant walk. I think it was about ten kilometres.