This is a shopping mall not far (20 mins drive) from where we live. It opened it's doors in the year 2000. It is a lovely shopping experience, but even better is the walk along the Canal. We always knew there was a walk along the canal but we had never ever bothered to find it until just the other day. We had a few moments to spare and so here are the Photos. The first are the interior and the last will be the Canal.

I am open to correction here, but I think it has 10 entrances and the shops are split into a sort of circular walk, with two floors.

Coming out onto the Canal.

This last image is looking back at the Piazza where you exit the mall for the canal.

This is one of two statues, that I think are supposed to be Roman Centurions




A view of one of the domed roof's

I loved the two lion statues unfortunately this one has become a victom of the seagulls





A view from under the bridge

A pedestrian walkway under refurbishment, leading to one of the three Crystal Towers buildings, which I think are apartment blocks

A view from the bridge that crosses the Canal

A view of the Terrace where you come out taken from the bridge

There is a fantastic amount of birdlife here on the canal as it has bird sanctuary status somewhere along it at a place called Intaka island, which we have yet to visit. We plan to go there some time, and then I can add some photos onto here.

This image is going back into the mall

Oops I forgot these ones, this has been put here by the Science Centre

What a stunning shopping mall, Dawn. It is beautiful & would be quite an amazing experience to shop there.

Loved the lion images, too, especially the ones with seagull. The whole area looks wonderful. Is it a very big development??

Thanks for posting these pics. They are terrific.

PS Keep trying to post this but you are much quicker than I am, Dawn. As I can see from the rest of the images, it is a large development. So my question is answered. It really is a magnificent site.

That is a fabulous sundial, Dawn. Quite amazing.

The palms are outstanding, too. It is truly remarkable how the experts can move such huge trees, so successfully.

, again, for posting these images. It is fantastic to see such scenes from exotic places.

You were quicker than you think, my three last images aborted

I will finish them off just now. Yes it is really huge Joy, as it is a "City" with office blocks and residential buildings as well as the Canal Walk mall.
InTaka Island is a bird sanctuary
We have never been to Intaka island but we do intend making a visit when the weather gets better. Here is a link about it. When we visit will post the images I get on the end here.

Intaka Island

I never explained myself in the last post properly, by saying "city" with the inverted commas I think that is what the architect's had in mind this *huge* piece of ground set aside is really just like a suburb and over the last ten years slowly buildings have gone up. The mall was the first to come and the popular theory at the time is that it would be a white elephant well it was for a while but has only come into its own over the last couple of years when the office and residential buildings started to go up. I am excited about the bird Island as I never knew it was there. Oh well we shall see if it is as nice as they say it is.

Some of the trees on the boulevard.






I wonder how many survived the transplanting! You are right Joy it is amazing how they can transplant these huge things. The root systems are not very big and believe me some of them especially the ones at ratanga junction which is the theme park there, were as big as these ones in the last image at the time of transplanting. They must have had them staked until the roots took hold properly

It is wonderful how quickly the birds have taken to the wetlands around Intaka Island, after it was made.

When the Olympic complex was being built prior to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Bruiser worked on a tug which towed a large barge loaded with huge Moreton Bay fig trees. They were going to be planted along a boulevard in the complex. These trees were from a property north of us, near the NSW/QLD border & were loaded on to the barge at Tweed Heads which is right on the border. They were then towed, by sea, for the (at least) 500 nautical miles to Sydney. They went back & forth for about a month.

One day, an elderly lady, who lived on the coast, was on the phone to her daughter, when she said an island had just floated past. It was one of the loads of trees.

I can bet her daughter must have wondered what was going on !!.... I think I would have thought the same had I have seen it. It *is* totally amazing that they can transplant such huge trees.
I have a problem getting seedlings to survive a transplant. to the experts.

So true, Dawn.

These trees, also, had to survive an ocean voyage. Bruiser said the leaves suffered saltwater damage but soon rebudded when back on dry land. He said they did six round trips & delivered a total of 90 trees. Think they all survived. Read where the trip was 1000kms one way. They also had to tow the barge load up Sydney Harbour with all its boating traffic & up the Parramatta River to Homebush. Quite a feat.

Here is a link which will show a pic of the tug & barge at Homebush, with trees & a pic of a large fig on a truck. Just click on to Our Cl next to Gallery to reach this page.

Moreton Bay Fig Trees

that is impressive, it's so nice to have these links to check these things out, and That fig is gi-normus. .


BTW I waved Bruiser but I don't think you saw me !

Same here when he rang me to say they would be passing here shortly, on one of his trips to Sydney. Walked to one of the breakwaters, waited ages to see them & they were just a mere speck on the horizon.