A bit of choo-choo history

I am fortunate to live near some great walks and beautiful bush, which is a great thing for me as I train for expedition #2.

Talking of trains, here is the story of how the first trains climbed the Blue Mountains escarpment from Sydney - in 1867 a zig-zag was built so that the trains could go up the steep hill and continue on to the west of the state.

Here is the cutting of the top of the zig -

The trains would drive along the bottom zig, then reverse up the next part of the zag, before zigging off again. Get it?

There is the complementary zig- zag at the other end of the mountains near Lithgow where you can still go on steam trains ans see how the system worked.

Here there is still an old station platform.

Before the zig-zag the railway line had to cross a deep gully, Knapsack Creek which was done by building this beautiful sandstone bridge.

 After the railway was re-routed the bridge was widened to fit a road, and now the road has been re-routed so the bridge is just for walkers and bikeriders.

A view of the old bridge (foreground) and the new railway bridge,the new road is out of sight but not out of sound!

Strange to think that all the drivers rushing out of Sydney to the west and beyond are probably unaware of these historic remnants and the beauty of the bush here.

Using up more bits and bobs - my creative space

A couple of weeks ago I posted about using up my odd bead stash to make bracelets - this week I gone crazy making rings.
These use up some of the lovely czech and venetian glass beads combined with artistic wire.
Sometimes I also use nice quality stones too.
This is a very portable project - I have it on my shoe box lid with a piece of fuzzy beading mat.















What's in your creative space this week?

Would you like to join in or look at other creative spaces? You can over here - My Creative Spaces at Village Voices on Kidspot.

Another day - another bushwalk : wordless wednesday

Today I'm joining in with wordless wednesday on My Little Drummer Boys blog

Blue gum forest one day...swamp the next!

I am so lucky! There are some great bushwalks withing half an hours drive of where I live and even more within an hours drive.
I guess living in a city in a national park is the reason why.
The other day I posted pictures of my walk in the Blue Gum forest - today I am in the Blue Gum Swamp.

This walk is a great little 9km circuit, through some Blue gum forest.
They are the lovely pale straight trees.

Because it is a valley and dampish - hence the swap, there are moist area plants - ferns and such.
It is quite lovely.

Then the track clims out of the valley onto a typical Blue Mountains rocky ridge - drier and so different.
One of my favorite plants grows here in abundance - Flannel flowers
If you look closely you can see that they have little green tips on their petals.

They are thriving in the sandy soil here.

The new leaves on the baby gum trees are so colourful.

Up here on the ridge the trees just have to grow where they can! How do they hold on?