Walk 072 - Mt Nasura

Date: 30th November
Distance: 4.00 kms
Locality: Mt Nasura

Streets walked:

• Wangoola Terrace
• Angorra Road
• Kaloomba Street
• Binburra Way
• Mirria Way
• Bilkurra Way
• Carawatha Avenue
• Ophelia Grove
• Caradine Road
• Molong Street
• Wyong Place
• Barranduna Drive

Running street count: 881
Running distance count: 305.83 kms

Much like any hilly area in the district, walking Mt Nasura is hard on the calves and easy on the eyes. Great views are the reward. Angorra Road has a few empty blocks that still have vestiges of the vineyard terraces of the areas past as Derry NaSura. Subdivision started in the 1950s (Derry Avenue) with a big push of further subdivision in the late 1970s.

Back when I was at uni I delivered the junk mail to this area, which was one of the routes available (surprise surprise), as was Mt Richon. No-one enjoys tackling the hilly bits with a sack of advertising papers on their back, but it had its advantages ;)

Looking down Angorra Road towards Mt Richon.

Ophelia Grove, close to the Neerigen Brook.

At the bottom of Carawatha Avenue.

How things up there looked in 1912. Courtesy of Birtwistle Local Studies Library.

Walk 071 - Springtime in Haynes

Date: 29th November
Distance: 2.50 kms
Locality: Haynes

Streets walked:

• Boatwright Avenue
• Hack Lane
• Markwell Avenue
• Laverick Street
• Rickett Street
• Jordan Street
• Nesbit Drive
• Bristow Street
• Bright Street
• Dorset Street

Running street count: 869
Running distance count: 301.83 kms

Again this is a situation where Runtastic's maps aren't quite up-to-date with the rate of building in Armadale, which is going at a crazy pace. This development is called Springtime, and it has a suspiciously simple and traditional road layout with street names that are unpretentious (unusual as far these things go). At any rate, the image below gives a better idea of how it currently looks:

As with the other new estates in town the following points occur to me as I walk around:

• high energy vibe with lots of young families doing their thing
• the public open spaces look fantastic
• these public open areas are desperately needed because the properties have almost no yard space
• vehicles block the footpaths every few metres because the double garages are either full of stuff that would normally be in a shed (which these houses can't fit into the tiny backyards), or because everyone owns a massive Nissan Navara, Ford F250 or people-mover van which leaves bugger-all space to fit a second vehicle (and many houses have three cars)
• Lack of space on these blocks for new trees to grow and a lack of established trees means the estate is a giant heat-sink. To be fair, there weren't any established trees to keep...
• Artificial lawn can still get weeds in it.

Give it five years to settle in and Springtime will look tremendous (heck, it's already fairly nice). Give it 20 years and it could be nightmarish.We'll wait and see.

Walk 070 - Chidzey (Chedzey) gap filler

Date: 29th November 2015
Distance: 3.06 kms
Locality: Seville Grove

Streets walked:

• Snook Place
• Abernethy Grove
• Ainstey Close
• Bothe Court
• Sutcliffe Close
• Denning Court
• Piesse Place

Running street count: 859
Running distance count: 299.33 kms

Another quick gap filler, another seven streets added, a nice return to Seville Grove. The most pleasant surprise was finding three alleyways (three! count 'em!) in such a small neck of the woods. Obviously this is a result of being so close to a school, where some actual consideration has been paid to the fact people will want to walk directly somewhere without zipping around curvy dead-ends and dodging local traffic (in fact it cuts down local traffic quite nicely). The alleyway is the walker's best pal, while understandably being a nemesis to homeowners living next to one. Stiff biscuits to them. People need a shortcut to school, not to mention Mathew Stott Reserve and the excellent flying fox & basketball halfcourt therein.

Walk 069 - Brookdale gap filler

Date: 29th November 2015
Distance: 2.26 kms
Locality: Brookdale

Streets walked:

• Trotman Court
• Munday Avenue
• Flematti Circuit
• Kilkenny Loop
• Massell Way
• Trouchet Way
• Edsell Entrance

Running street count: 852
Running distance count: 296.27 kms

Double walk today in an attempt to fill two gaps in the map. The first was a quick hike around Brookdale Gardens, so early it was just me and the neighbourhood cats skulking around. Another seven streets added to the tally, putting it over the 850 mark. Not long to go now. I shall miss it.

What it says on the tin.

Walk 068 - Piara Waters: Newhaven

Date: 26th November 2015
Distance: 4.52 kms
Locality: Piara Waters

Streets walked:

• Isla Place
• Highland Rise
• Edgehill Walk
• Chapel Way
• Pipeline Boulevard
• Genomics Rise
• Adenine Bend
• Paspalum Street
• Southampton Drive
• Letts Lane
• Bremerhaven Garden
• Marsielle Gardens
• Lee-Steere Crescent
• Birmingham Parade
• Broadway Boulevard
• Kalinda Pass
• Kobuk Street
• Mina Close
• Cellular Lane

Running street count: 845
Running distance count: 294.01 kms

It always seems to be bin day when I want to get a flattering shot.

This blog bemoans the death of the alleyway, but there's at least one here!

Weeds or fake lawn? Both options for the lazy. My place has weeds.

The familiar staining of bore water is a comforting sight, reminding me of Westfield (Camillo).

This section of Newhaven looks exactly like the designer's concept drawing must have done. Full marks.

Walk 067 - Roleystone pt 3

Date: 24th November 2015
Distance: 6.06 kms
Locality: Roleystone

Streets walked:

• Kuseana Grove
• Raeburn Road
• Parkin Road
• George Road
• Heath Road
• Bettenay Road
• Sefton Road
• Gilmore Road
• Winstanley Road
• Brownley Court
• Trestrail Avenue
• Hart Street
• Hassett Road
• Tyers Road
• Welch Road
• Westborne Road
• Hookway Crescent
• Northward Road
• Lenore Street

Running street count: 826
Running distance count: 289.49 kms

If you want to know what Roleystone bush looks like, this is it.

This pic doesn't do this house & garden due justice. It's an attractive 'personality' yard.
Roleystone has nice soil in general, but a lot of gravel...

Walk 066 - New Industry

Date: 23rd November 2015
Distance: 3.84 kms
Locality: Armadale

Streets walked:

• Edison Circuit
• Da Vinci Way
• McCook Street
• McGill Pass
• Hensbrook Loop
• Alex Wood Drive
• Watt Link
• Cartwright Drive
• Einstein Link

Running street count: 807
Running distance count: 283.43 kms

Crushed metal mountain - hey, it's gotta go somewhere.

Walk 065 - Golden Triangle pt 3.

Date: 20th November 2015
Distance: 4.65 kms
Locality: Armadale / Kelmscott

Streets walked:

• Lathwell Street
• Serls Street
• Haslemere Drive
• Mader Crescent
• Sinclair Street
• Flinn Avenue
• Lindley Avenue
• Valentine Road
• Sonego Avenue

Running street count: 798
Running distance count: 279.59 kms

Not a park, not a reserve, simply a generously-landed alleyway. More please.

Walk 064 - Harrisdale pt 3.

Date: 17th November 2015
Distance: 5.00 kms
Locality: Harrisdale

Streets walked:

• Chariot Turn
• Ascot Lane
• Canterbury Trail
• Derby Lane
• Tenterfield Green
• Northerly Drive
• Binnia Mews
• Macdougal Way
• Kersley loop
• Baystone Parade
• Oakleigh Pass
• Willoughby Ramble
• Cheltenham Approach
• Randwick Bend
• Trainers Loop
• Archer Brace

Running street count: 789
Running distance count: 274.94 kms

Getting back to Harrisdale (currently one the country's top three fastest-growing suburbs) I saw something totally new to me that a clever homeowner did to their verge: a putting green made of two types of astroturf. So much cooler than pebbles, weeds or failed lawn ;)

Walk 063 - Roleystone pt 2, Chevin Woods.

Date: 16th November 2015
Distance: 3.55 kms
Locality: Roleystone

Streets walked:

• Costata Cove
• Chevin Road
• Brooks Road
• Kobus Heights
• Dealbata Green
• Salicina Garden
• Surman Place
• Caprea Boulevard
• Tenhave Place
• Moseri Road

Running street count: 773
Running distance count: 269.94 kms

Walk 062 - South Armadale Industrial Area: the great British writers

Date: 11th November 2015
Distance: 3.20 kms
Locality: Brookdale

Streets walked:

• Byron Road
• Keats Road
• South West Highway
• Browning Road
• Burns Road
• Dickens Place
• Stone Street
• Eliot Road

Running street count: 763
Running distance count: 266.39 kms


The only poetry happening in these streets, despite the names, is the innate truth of an honest day's work for an honest day's pay for the tradespeople working here. Mind you, that could just be romantic claptrap to link the nature of the place with the theme of the roads. I'll buy in and say it's all true.

Just next to all that scrap, steel and concrete is this remnant of agriculture.

Walk 061 - Golden Triangle pt 2

Date: 8th November 2015
Distance: 6.80 kms
Locality: Armadale

Streets walked:

• Galliers Avenue
• Hambledon Crescent
• Damerham Road
• Brackley Road
• Rogers Lane
• Ringwood Road
• Badbury Road
• Murray Court
• Sheoak Place
• Ash Court
• Mallee Place
• Clarence Road
• Sherbourne Way
• Frys Lane
• Netley Place
• Glastonbury Road
• Newton Court
• Blythe Place

Running street count: 755
Running distance count: 263.19 kms

As mentioned in Walk 31 (and a little of Walk 2) this is my home turf, a strip of land between the railway tracks and the Albany Highway that people in the real estate biz like to call 'the Golden Triangle'. Why? No idea, but I like the way it sounds and I love this area to bits. Most of its houses date back to the 1960s (my parents' home included, as with my own) and some earlier. A few streets went up in the very late 1970s / early 1980s, such as Fountains Court. There are a ton of parks dotted around, it's close to the town centre (very close) and being near the railway line has tremendous advantages. It's not glamorous but it's a handy place to be.

Walk 060 - Fancote

Date: 6th November 2015
Distance: 3.26 kms
Locality: Kelmscott

Streets walked:

• Davis Road
• Fancote Street
• Gilwell Avenue
• Page Road
• Horseshoe Court
• Dean Street
• River Road
• Church Street
• Denny Avenue

Running street count: 737
Running distance count: 256.39 kms

Walk 059 - Ecko

Date: 4th November 2015
Distance: 3.18 kms
Locality: Kelmscott

Streets walked:

• Lefroy Road
• Dale Street
• Albany Highway
• Brookton Highway
• Doradel Avenue
• Parker Avenue
• Wandoo Street
• Ecko Road
• Billabong Way
• Salter Road
• Glenfield Place

Running street count: 729
Running distance count: 253.13 kms


Another installment of hill-fest 2015 took me up the dreaded Ecko Road. Luckily it has an entrance to the hospital running off it in case of collapse but despite my lack of fitness no emergency care was needed ;)

Having grown up just across the highway, this was literally a walk down memory lane and I loved every second of it. Got into a conversation with a lady who wondered if I was 'from the Shire' there to do something about paving the alleyway next to her house. She'd spied me taking as photo of it and thought I may be a City worker there to get things moving re: the constant requests she's apparently been making over the last eight years to get the alleyway seen to. Sadly I had to tell her that wasn't the case, and mentioned she was lucky just to have it still functioning and open; many have been closed down, probably explaining my need to document the ones citizens can still use.

The Alley.

Ecko Road - you nasty steep bastard - I like you.

Walk 058 - Roleystone pt 1

Date: 3rd November 2015
Distance: 6.88 kms
Locality: Roleystone

Streets walked:

• Tyers Road
• Jarrah Road
• Andreas Road
• Robin Road
• Holden Road
• Heather Road
• Taree Place
• Dreyer Road
• Wygonda Road
• Attunga Road
• Barbigal Road
• Berrima Road
• Hall Road
• Glebe Road
• Blackett Court
• Peet Road
• Stonegate Road
• Merton Road
• Eskdale Street
• Madew Street

Running street count: 718
Running distance count: 249.95 kms

A leisurely walk around Roleystone may involve some hills, but it's great for the soul. Everything is green, trees dominate and the people are cheery. It was so enjoyable that the stroll ended up being twice as long as planned.

Personality. When people name their houses, you're in the right place.

Nature rules in Roleystone - turn your back for a moment and the plants take over.

Believe it or not, there are homes in that wilderness.