The Royal Botanical Gardens are a colorful oasis in Sydney’s downtown and provided a pleasant diversion for most of a day. I played Mr. Photographer while Deborah, who was feeling a bit off, laid on various nearby benches impersonating a homeless person. She said she only lacked a newspaper to drape over her head. Still, she enjoyed watching the birds and the clouds from this unaccustomed vantage point while I wandered about aiming my lens at anything stationary and interesting. The gardens are divided into several different sections, each featuring a particular type of plant life. We only managed to see a few of these but we will definitely make a return trip.
A big surprise was the discovery of a colony of rather large fruit bats hanging in the trees. I had always pictured bats as residing in dark caves during daylight hours but these were out there in broad daylight, hanging upside down in the trees, squawking at each other, and pooping on the unwary pedestrians below. Occasionally one would fly from one perch to another and you could see that iconic batwing shape and also get a sense of just how large they are. Very cool.
The Royal Botanical Gardens
In the cactus garden
Looks like an explosion but it's just another cactus plant
Bottle Tree
Fruit Bats in the trees
Dracula's kitty