Riverside Paradise: Woronora

This next suburb is another example of the absolute variety that makes this city great.

Woronora

Last time I wrote, I had just left Sutherland and was wandering somewhere in the bushland of The Shire.

Well, the bushland eventually opened up, leading me onto a road.

I could see through a clearing in the gums that I was sitting next to the water,

and I could also see an enticing fish and chip shop on my map, so I continued on along the road towards my goal of fried lunch.

This led me away from the bushy bit of Woronora and to the suburby bit.

Here, I was able to enjoy inclines and unfriendly footpaths,

and plenty of well-to-do homes nestled in the trees.

I continued through the tree-lined streets,

past some pollie's ute,

and an aggressively orange van,

soon reaching the bit of Woronora intended for public access.

What an idyllic little spot.

Obligatory ducks.

Crossing this particular bit of the Woronora River are two bridges, one for the fast moving traffic above, and one for the local traffic (including pedestrians like me).

Here, you get a slightly more open view of the river and suburb,

and, more importantly, you also get access to Riverside Takeaway, the local fish and chip shop.

A piece of fried fish, some crispy chips with chicken salt and a small tub of tartare for a wonderful weekend lunch. What more do you want?

Filled and fulfilled, I continued on, down the other side of the riverside park.

Realising that the path doesn't continue all the way around,

I took a path back out onto the street and continued on.

Suburban Woronora is nestled in a valley of trees, which makes you feel small as you walk along the street.

It's a rather pretty place.

When this pathway presented itself to me, I thought there may be another path to walk along the water instead of through the houses.

Giving it a try took me to this great dog statue,

but also a dead end with a view.

Since that wasn't an option, I continued through suburbia instead,

eventually reaching a more southerly spot at Woronora River.

This spot was perhaps even better than the last, with an awesome pedestrian river crossing,

gorgeous views,

and, most importantly, ducks.

On the other side is the kind of wholesome family park that you read about in the paper.

But alas, I had places to be, so I kept moving, heading past this Comic Sans canoe centre,

one more river crossing,

and back into the thick trees of residential Woronora.

Just around the corner from here was supposed to be my next suburb, so I continued on.

Now, my map told me that if I headed down a street innocently known as "The Crescent", I would enter the next suburb. What the map didn't tell me was that The Crescent is a bloody tall hill.

I took a sip of water, apologised to my calves in advance and got started.

Woronora: Is this The Shire's best kept secret?