We've got everything, from this rich human history. It was one of the first places of European settlement. If you look up at the top of George's Heights, there are heritage listed almost convict era dwellings. Then there is this natural untouched beauty that we see. A remarkable beach that is right in the middle of Sydney, probably less than four kilometres from the CBD. You look around, often there's just one person on the beach, that almost feels like they could be anywhere in the world, as opposed to in the middle of a city that has got five million people in it. I think that makes Chowder bay, just by itself, a very unique part of not only Sydney, of Australia, but globally.
It got a bit rough right as I sort of went around, as I turned onto the ocean facing side of the harbour. So I thought I'd turn around, but as I turned around, there was a seal right there. It was just sunbathing, laying on its back, floating in the water, sun-baking.
Here I was in part of a city with five million people, sitting just a metre or two away from this beautiful sea creature, kind of having this moment with it. It was just really nice, and I didn't want to hassle it - I didn't want to be that guy - but I turned around to come back, and it swam and followed me back, pretty much all the way back to Chowder Bay. It is impossible, just as a human, not to be touched, by something so special in what is one of the busiest harbours in the world.
It is impossible, just as a human, not to be touched, by something so special.
We've got everything, from this rich human history. It was one of the first places of European settlement. If you look up at the top of George's Heights, there are heritage listed almost convict era dwellings. Then there is this natural untouched beauty that we see. A remarkable beach that is right in the middle of Sydney, probably less than four kilometres from the CBD. You look around, often there's just one person on the beach, that almost feels like they could be anywhere in the world, as opposed to in the middle of a city that has got five million people in it. I think that makes Chowder bay, just by itself, a very unique part of not only Sydney, of Australia, but globally.
It got a bit rough right as I sort of went around, as I turned onto the ocean facing side of the harbour. So I thought I'd turn around, but as I turned around, there was a seal right there. It was just sunbathing, laying on its back, floating in the water, sun-baking.
Here I was in part of a city with five million people, sitting just a metre or two away from this beautiful sea creature, kind of having this moment with it. It was just really nice, and I didn't want to hassle it - I didn't want to be that guy - but I turned around to come back, and it swam and followed me back, pretty much all the way back to Chowder Bay. It is impossible, just as a human, not to be touched, by something so special in what is one of the busiest harbours in the world.
It is impossible, just as a human, not to be touched, by something so special.
Iss Bautista is an Aklan-born nature writer and poet whose works explore the intersection of ecology and self. A product of UP Diliman's Creative Writing program (University of the Philippines), Iss has honed her craft through a multifaceted career in marketing and decades of “obsessive” note-taking.
The geographic terrain of the northwest Panay peninsula reveals fascinating nooks containing some of the most extensive and highest-quality lowland forests remaining in the Negros and Panay Endemic Bird Area. This makes it a top conservation priority, writes Aklanon photographer, mountaineer and conservation advocate Klyvin June Torres Reyes.
This article published in Heredity highlights the importance of genetic monitoring alongside other conservation actions in saving the exquisite endangered forty-spotted pardalote.
The Bruny Island Bird Festival celebrated its 7th festival in March this year. Held every two years, the biennial event is becoming ever-more popular, thanks to a dedicated and passionate cohort of bird ecologists, ornithologists, Nature lovers and the Bruny Island community. Join film-maker Marcio Conrado as he goes behind the scenes to capture the wonder.
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