Peace, tranquillity and the ability to step out of our busy daily lives – that is something we all long to do. That’s why we value our leisure time so much – it’s why we like to watch tv or movies, it why we want to go on holidays. It isn’t easy to achieve that feeling for a few minutes during the day, so for me finding a place you can go for a leisurely stroll during the day in the suburbs is an absolute Godsend.
My husband (your dad) and I have found a little sanctuary near our favourite drive-thru coffee / hot chocolate shop and not too far away from our home. It is the type of place that reminds me of what a duke would have had in his gardens. These grounds would require a few full-time gardeners maintaining it – mowing the lawns, weeding and pruning the flowers. The duke and his duchess would sometimes go for a leisurely walk on their grounds, arm in arm, deep in conversation about whatever dukes and duchesses speak about.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many dukedoms going in Perth at the moment, and even if there were, we wouldn’t be high on the list of having them bequeathed to us. If we were to go down the path of those who bought into large properties with luscious green grounds, we currently don’t have the kind of wealth to finance that. So in the meantime, we will go to this sanctuary, owned and beautifully cared for by a local council.
It has two large water fountains in the middle of this artificial lake, which is in a figure-eight shape. It has a sturdy wooden bridge that crosses it, which is excellent for watching the fish and birdlife go by underneath or overhead. Plus, it has a lookout out in the middle of one half of the eight, which gives you a great vantage point to see a good chunk of the lake. In addition, it even has a little sanctuary for the birds that visit this lake – a tiny island full of tall trees and just too far away for any of their predators.
This lake has lots of large fish, which, depending on the weather or time of day, are visible from this picturesque lake’s path. It is also the home (or temporary residence) for a number of birds, both Australian natives and hybrids. Regular visitors to this lake include:
- Australian Magpie,
- Australian Raven,
- Australian White Ibis,
- Australian Wood Duck,
- Common Bronzewing,
- Darter,
- Domestic Duck,
- Dusky Moorhen,
- Eurasian Coot,
- Great Egret,
- Hybrid Ducks,
- Laughing Turtle-Dove,
- Little Corella,
- Little Black Cormorant,
- Magpie Lark,
- Pacific Black Duck,
- Red Wattlebird,
- Spotted Turtle-Dove,
- Western Wattlebird,
- White-Faced Heron,
- Willie Wagtail, and
- Yellow-Billed Spoonbills.
Plus, you get to meet new chicks and ducklings, depending on the time of year. We’ve seen up to a dozen new additions to some of these families.
Not everyone can come here, but I hope you find somewhere near where you live that allows you to find some peace and tranquillity from the hustle and bustle of your daily life. We can’t always go on holidays, and we don’t always want to relax watching a screen. I hope the sharing of one of our special places helped you relax, even if it was just a few minutes.
Australian Magpie 
Australian Raven 
Australian White Ibis 
Australian Wood Ducks 
Common Bronzewing 
Darter 
Domestic Duck 
Dusky Moorhen 
Eurasian Coot 
Great Egret 
Hybrid Duck 
Laughing Turtle-Doves 
Little Corella 
Little Black Cormorant 
Magpie-Lark (Male) 
Magpie-Lark (Female) 
Pacific Black Ducks 
Red Wattlebird 
Spotted Turtle-Dove 
Western Wattlebird 
White-Faced Heron 
Willie Wagtail 
Yellow-Billed Spoonbill