I don’t know what to say about Hyde Park. It hurts every time I go down there. This should be the start of the most beautiful tome, but the place is a ruin. Certainly opportunities for taking photographs is very limited.
You are not allowed into the native area:
The beauty of the plane trees has been compromised by the lopping of all their lower branches:
The island where all the bottle brush flowered?
Do you remember this? (last September)
Now it looks like this:
The graceful avenue around the ponds?
Many of the paths are compromised – behind this hoarding is a huge trench where they are laying pipes. I was told they were intending to establish a reed bed to clean the water as it flows down the hill when (if) it rains, but I don’t understand what the pipes are for:
And it is not just the plane trees that are being lopped:
But I found a few angles:
A small moreton bay fig
Trees as frames
An unspoilt corner:
A heron in one of the ponds:
Finally, some plane trees in the strong, hot light of a supposedly Autumnal sun:
It hurts, seeing the park in such a state, and I am not the only one horrified by what is happening. I have been told the works are not following the guidelines laid down by the conservation society and I will be following that up over the next couple of weeks.
& I took some other photos here and there:
a lovely pink rose & red roses in a roadside garden:
Cloud blossom on a tree in William Street – with a bee!
Galahs on a telephone pole in the evening:
And finally, a hibiscus flower caught in the lowering light of a hot day:
bit of a mixed bag, this post, fill of as much ugliness as beauty.
I am so saddened by what is happening in Hyde Park. I don’t know that I will be producing a calendar this year 
I understand your feelings. It really looks bad. Hope it will look better eventually. Love the bird and the flower shots though.
Thanks Inga – the lopping off the tree branches won’t ever repair though. & yes, life is never totally ugly, so bird & flowers
Glad you enjoyed them.
Such a tragedy Keira! Graham is right, you have to hope they know what they are doing….
The lopping off of the lower branches is terrible – & any who argue it is to keep the branches out of the water is to forget that these trees are now nowhere near the water – they have infilled, which is good, but they are also cutting off huge areas of thecorners so the ponds will be quite small. Makes sense for the lack of water we have now, but doesn’t make sense for the branches. And that island? No-one can tell me what is happening there because no-one seems to know & they keep changing their plans. In other words – they don’t know what they’re doing!
This is sad of course dear Keira, hope the problem would be solved. I love your tree photographs and you know we both crazy with them. This heron photographs are so beautiful. I love to see nature around myself, not concrete
Thank you, have a nice day, love, nia
thak you Nia. I hope I can continue to take photos…
You have to hope that the gardeners know what they are doing.
Sadly, that might turn out to be the problem, Graham. They are certainly not following the wishes of the residents in the area or the conservation guidelines set down.
Deeply saddened to see the destruction of a beautiful park . Surely someone should contact the conservation society and put a stop to any further works until it is reviewed . It is really awful
I don’t know that it’s destruction as such, but some of the work they’re doing seems rather ill-advised – & contrary to the original conservation plans, I believe. It is very sad. Especially the trees.