Walk in the Parramatta Park with a Three-year Old

I go regularly to the park with my husband for a walk which is not only a bit of exercise but also very relaxing in the peace and sounds of birds. Though I did take a few weeks out during this winter, when it was cold and wet, or when I felt dizzy and in pain. But then living with chronic illness like UCTD, there is not guarantee of anything and plan even for the day sometimes needs to be abandoned. So the good days are precious and even more so when I walk around the park or go to the beach. A wander in nature and by the water are my favourite pass times and Parramatta Park serves on both counts as the river flows through the park.

Going to park with children is always a different experience, especially when they are just toddlers. The view, from three feet high, is entirely different and the curiosity of a three year old is very cheering as it makes you think and shows you a different perspective too. So even when it is something you do often, just add a child in the mix and it becomes an entirely new and invigorating experience. Last week, I persuaded my niece and her daughter to come to the park for a walk. I have been trying to get them to come for nearly 2 years! We do have to go in their car, for I do not have a child’s seat and so cannot take the little one by herself.

There was excitement getting into the car, and she had her little pink lunch box with, she said her biscuits for the park. However, while we all got settled and strapped in she had chomped through the last one. All the way to the park the conversation revolved around what she took in her lunch box that needed the use of a spoon, which was slotted into the lid of the box. From ‘I use it to have my lunch’, to ‘it’s for eating my lunch’, to exasperated ‘pasta’ was the answer finally elicited. Since it was a weekday, we had to park the car inside the park, under a tree. Hats were donned and water bottles picked up, push chair set up, in case the little one got tired and refused to walk. Of course she had seen the playground as we drove past. The swings and slides and see-saw all a big attraction! So we had a deal that we would do a walk around the park, see the birds, flowers, trees and then end at the playground. She was happy with that deal. 

Right next to the car there were parrots pecking away at the ground covered in grass. So right away the bird watching started. There were 2 kinds – the white parrot which has a bit of red on either side of the beak and a small red patch on the breast – long billed corella  and the other a white parrot with a yellow crest - sulphur crested cockatoo. They seem to form a large gang and fly about from tree to tree and swoop down on the grass and find the small insects come out to warm themselves in the winter sun.

 Long billed Corella

 Suplhur Crested Cockatoo

Then we moved on to the path around the park. I showed her the small closed garden which is open for a couple of weeks in September when the wisteria and cherry trees are in full bloom along with other flowers. The trees with the big bats hanging in large numbers were now within sight. She was fascinated to see these ‘big birds’ hanging upside down and puzzled at the fact that these were not birds but animals (I think trying to explain the concept of mammals would not have gone down too well). The notice board said this is the biggest grey headed flying fox camp and a site for conservation. Something had disturbed them, we think, as they bats were making a lot of noise and flying about from tree to tree, where as they are usually pretty quiet in the daytime. We had gone there on the Sunday before and there was a booth with the conservationists to ‘meet a bat’. You could see the bat being held by the man and be educated about this wonderful and endangered mammal. That is when we realised that the furore in the bat camp was most likely a protest at one of them being held captive….. how very human!  

Grey Headed Flying Foxes

Across the river there usually is one tree with white ibis but today there were a couple and had a large congregation of these birds, presumably warming themselves in the winter sunshine. I have had one or two of these wandering in my garden sometimes. They are also found in large trees along the road or wandering about the large parks in the city. 

 

 Ibis in my front garden

After the excitement of bats we moved along the river back and started on the small flowers blooming in winter. The reeds, ‘grass in the water’ were dried out and required an explanation as to why we could not walk on that grass. There were rustling sounds of the lizards darting around. There were so many tiny blooms on trees and also on the small plants. The child had a fascinating time rushing from one to another. Looking at the colours – blue and yellows seemed predominant with a few odd red ones– as she said look at the sun flowers when she saw the bright yellows. Of course she enjoyed those as they were at her level and we stopped and admired each one and also dutifully photographed.

Then we reached the bench in the sunshine, right by the river bank, and it was time to stop and see the water birds – coots, moorhens, ducks and their ducklings, there were no cormorants today and neither the lone pelican ( a lost one I think, this far inland) we saw a couple of weeks back. After a few minutes rest we moved on. The next bit of walk is on the footpath as there is work being done on the other side of the road, to make a curved crescent shaped paved area, where usually concerts are held. So it was easier to sit the little one in her carriage! Once we got past this area she was out and running again. She soon learnt to walk in the lane meant for pedestrians and not stray into the bicycle lane. Her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, the hat abandoned for the hood of the jacket as it was pretty windy, and of course the non-stop chatter.

The remnants of the observatory were inspected and out of mouth of babes that’ these stones were in prison’, since a fence is built around them to stop vandalism and canvass on top, to protect them from the elements. The cannons on and by the war memorial were a hit as she wanted to sit on top of each one, plus an explanation of how the big gun worked. 

Then we proceeded to the lane that cuts across the park to lead us a little more directly towards the playground. The start of that is by the largest flat grassland in the park. This was the site of the first flight landing in Australia by Williams Hart, a dentist. It was on 18 November 1911 that Hart flew 47 miles from Penrith, via St Marys to Sydney, completing the first cross-country flight in New South Wales in 55 minutes; he was awarded a special plaque. Our little one pretended to read it as she repeated what I had just told her and then posed for a photo. 

The lane through the park has some lovely eucalyptus trees and a faint fragrance of its oils. There is a slightly sweet perfume of yellow mimosa like flowers of golden wattle, added to that. Then we passed a couple of pine trees and found a young pine cone that was still closed and oozing resin. Just holding it in the hand warmed it enough to get the resin softening and a wonderful perfume 

emanating. This one was taken home by the little one in the hope that it will make some nice perfume in the room. Next time, I collected a couple for my home. I hope to keep an eye out for the next round of pine cones and will try to fill my fireplace grate with them. They reminded me of the really large cones I found in Madeira all along the mountain walks. 

By now the young lady was tired out and sat in her push chair. Her mother was taking a unilateral decision to call it a day and go home. However, since I had promised the child a ride on the swings and slides, I asked her what she wanted to do. This is always wise if you wish to get the child to trust you and come along again to have some fun and run around in the park. Can you guess what she chose? Yes it was the playground. It was like she got second wind and had a good 20 minutes of going on every appliance there. And it was one happy but tired child who had to be persuaded to come away with a promise of another trip. The plans for the afternoon were made in the car, a jacket potato and baked beans for lunch and a nice long nap.