After an urban bushwalk, I recuperate with some loss-leading multinational nourishment.

Tempe

Tempe is an Inner West suburb just by the airport. It can be accessed by road, rail or on foot by taking this bridge across the Cooks River.

This immediately took me to Tempe Station carpark,

where some folks have cared enough to donate their children's books, but not enough to worry about them getting ruined in the inevitable rain. Nor have they cared that this a clothing donation bin, and so they're really just chucking their things on the ground for a charity to clean up.

Anyway,

I crossed the railbridge over the station,

down to the street and this splotchy yet dilapidated building.

Here, I found the world's lamest park (two benches on a rectangle of high grass by the road and a home's prison windows).

Regardless, I was here in residential Tempe so it was time for a stroll.

As tends to be the case in the Inner West, this revealed some interesting older houses on the particular narrow, tree-lined street I chose.

Here's a selection.

Bonus stained glass window.

After not too long a journey,

passing Tempe's tiny home revolution,

I reached the Princes Highway, or as the Melbournites call it, "The best thing to come out of Sydney".

On Tempe's slice of the Princes Highway - a Harry's pie shop with a hotdog on the roof,

an acceptable level of urban grimeyness,

and the historic looking local tavern.

Other highlights include Kevin who can deal with pests... and birds,

and, quick! Look over there!

I turned the corner off the Princes Highway,

and past the Cooks River once more,

to reach a local reserve.

And one fine watch tower, or whatever this UFO thing is.

Despite this park's opening getting delayed,

it turned out to be a very nice bit of grass to go for a stroll on. According to the map, past this park is a path you can take along the water across from the airport, so that seemed like the logical way to go.

That path turned out to be a lie.

This meant backtracking,

and heading into some park-adjacent suburbia.

This took me past this suspicious trail into the bush (which I didn't take),

more houses,

and a dog park.

This is lucky because there's a good barking spot nearby,

and a couple more unusual houses.

Soon, this residential patch of Tempe ended and I reached its industrial/commercial quarter.

This contains things that look like this,

and a tease at where I'd soon be eating.

To get there however,

I did have to get back onto the Princes Highway at this rather tired strip of shops.

My walk onward was direct,

pausing only for a traffic-laden temple shot.

Just a few steps later is the Ikea clocktower where the Swedes keep an office,

and of course, the big box store itself.

As a lover of bargains, I can never go past the Ikea hotdogs. I mixed it up a little today, adding a meatball sub into the mix, and never forgetting to wash it down with an unlimited-refills cup of soft drink and a cinnamon roll. Of course, they make this stuff cheap so that you'll come in for a quick feed and leave carrying out a Kuttersmycke, Pådrag and Fejka, but if you manage to control your impulses, you too can enjoy a cheap and romantic dinner for two.