Kurnell is a Sydney suburb on the southern headland of Botany Bay.

Botany Bay used to be synonymous with transportation/convicts/early colony. As generations pass, I’m not sure if it is any more.

Before Governor Phillip and the first fleet arrived, Botany Bay and Port Jackson were pristine, touched only gently by Australia’s indigenous peoples. Back then, you might be hard-pressed to find evidence of human inhabitance, maybe a small shell midden, remnants of a fire, small bark huts, or canoes.

Today, Botany Bay’s suburbs are full of humanity, a hub of industry, sea and air traffic, and home to thousands.

There are parts of Australia that remain relatively pristine. Sharyn Munro, my cousin and fellow blogger, frequently finds these places and takes us there. If you aren’t already, I highly recommend subscribing! https://sharynmunro.com/

From my earlier years living in Sydney, Kurnell was known to me as having a waste plant, not really a place for a Sunday drive.

But in 2020, I read that the best place to see the whales migrating north for winter was Kurnell!

Lil and I bundled up and went exploring!

We found Kurnell; I mostly remember a quiet place with a mix of industry, suburban houses, and hardy, bushy coastal trees. We drove past the waste plant and the desalination plant, but they haven’t made an impression on my memory.

Beyond Kurnell, we arrived at the great sandstone cliffs of Botany Bay’s south headland in Kamay Botany National Park. COVID was new and scary, so there weren’t many folks around. We found a single food truck and a few folks milling around. Everyone keeping their distance from each other.

There was an old two-railing wooden fence to stop folks from going out onto the cliff tops, but everyone was ignoring it. Being good lemmings, we did too.

We found comfy seats on the ancient, eroded sandstone, perfectly curved for our bottoms, and settled in to be entertained by the migrating whales.

Not a fin or a fluke was to be seen, and no manner of patience brought them forth.

Before heading home, we took some photos. The creamy, soft pink sunset made everything a bit dreamy, a little Picnic at Hanging Rock feeling.

Today’s painting is from this spot looking north up the coast toward Port Jackson/Sydney.

Kurnell Sunset

Acrylic on canvas 30.5cm x 30.5cm (12×12 inches) by Arwen Munro, May 2024. Painted at The Music Box, Ambleside, West Vancouver, Canada.

It’s full Autumn here in Vancouver now. I wish you could all see what I’m seeing out my window: the deciduous trees from up here are mostly golden with splashes of red, pink & orange, vibrant against the dark green conifers and cedars they live amongst.

Have a wonderful day! 🍂