Located on the eastern shore of Wallis Lake in Tiona, on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, the Green Cathedral, is a unique outdoor church. Part of the Community of Christ, this is a place of worship, so it is important to remain respectful when visiting.
A small carpark off the main road makes access to the church safe. The church itself is located only a short walk behind the carpark.
Surrounded by palm trees and with pews made from tree trunks, this really is a unique church. Sitting on the pews and looking at the alter, the backdrop is a view over Wallis Lake. Overall, this is a beautiful and very tranquil place and an interesting stop when in the area.
If you are interesting in a coffee or snack after your visit, the caravan park just up the road offers both.
Dedication board of the cathedralLooking into the Green CathedralInside looking towards the front of the cathedralThe altar
Standing over 70m tall, The Grandis is the tallest known tree in New South Wales. Only a 20-minute drive from Bulahdelah on the NSW mid-north coast, it’s easy to get to, although some of the access is over dirt road. A small parking area is located next to a small picnic area and toilets. Just past these a very short walk takes you to the tree.
Driving there takes you through the Myall Lakes National Park and coastal rain forest which makes for a beautiful trip. Although not the tallest tree in Australia, that record belngs to Centurion, a Eucalyptus regnans or Swamp Gum (called a Mountain Ash in Victoria) which is over 100m tall, however it is still impressive.
The surrounding forest comprises younger Eucalyptus grandis, (commonly known as the flooded gum) as the area was logged in the 1970s. They are much thinner than Grandis, but at least the area is regenerating. Fortunatley this tree remains for us to see what once filled the area.
The road in to see the treeSurrounding re-growth forestRemains from previous tree-felling in the areaGrandis
Built between 1886 and 1888, the Boothtown Aqueduct was part of the Upper Nepean Scheme to convey water from the new Prospect reservoir to the new Potts Hill reservoir. In 1907 the aqueduct was by-passed with a 3 metre wide, reinforced concrete syphon, built on the southern side that allowed the water supply to cross the valley using gravity to push the water up into the canal on the other side. Nearly a century later, the Lower Canal and syphon was superseded after a pipeline was established in the 1990s, and the bush reserve surrounding the canal opened to the public in 2003 as a cycleway.
Now heritage listed, the aqueduct is an interesting part of Sydney’s past. For anyone with an interest in civil engineering this is an excellent example of how technology has changed over 150 years. The original aqueduct was similar to those used by Romans 2,000 years ago. Even the support arches look Roman.
We parked on Macquarie Road and walked over the public reserve to the syphon. We then walked over the top, which is now a cycleway where an information board details the areas history. Walking back, we went into the Boothtown Gully because we wanted to see the support arches. This was a great opportunity for a close-up look and photo opportunity.
An interesting place to visit if you are this part of Sydney. It’s a short walk, but be careful of snakes if you visit in summer.
