Living in Botany is a bit like living on an island: it’s quiet, bypassed by traffic and, depending on the weather, you might get stranded.
uncertain
you → live → weather
Surrounded by golf courses, industry, a port and an airport, you need to keep one eye on the radar if you come on a late-summer day because if a storm rolls over you may have to stay put.
uncertain
you → surround → day
Botany has only a handful of ways in and out and, because it sits on an aquifer, each way is prone to flood.
asserted
way → have → flood
But if you do get stuck you’ll be in safe hands – the people are friendly, the mix of food is plenty and the pubs are lively.
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pubs → get → food
Continue through the traffic of Alexandria, Mascot and Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport until the pace slows down and the world becomes quieter.
asserted
world → continue → Alexandria
You’ll cross a bridge over wetlands where you might be greeted by a pelican or black swan.
uncertain
you → cross → pelican
Next, beyond the shade of Moreton Bay figs, is the gothic-inspired Botany Public School, Sydney’s first and one of the oldest in NSW.
asserted
School → inspire → NSW
Now you’ve arrived in downtown Botany, which you could easily confuse with the main street of a country town.
uncertain
you → arrive → town
Take a left into the residential side where rows of Victorian-era workers’ cottages lead to apartment blocks, vibrant townhouse complexes and a few sleek semis.
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rows → take → blocks
At the end of some driveways you’ll spot proudly painted white rabbits from 2014, the year the Rabbitohs beat the Bulldogs in the NRL grand final.
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Rabbitohs → spot → final
Today it’s abundant with wildlife, bike tracks, a dog park and play equipment.
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it → ’ → wildlife
It’s a haven cherished by locals, particularly during the COVID lockdowns when we were forbidden to travel outside a two-kilometre radius.
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we → ’ → radius
The reserve was home to the Botany Bay Gift – once the richest running race in the country – and a zoo, which many claim was the colony’s first.
uncertain
many → claim → country
Today you’ll see life-size statues depicting the zoo’s animals, including an elephant, tigers, gorillas and bears.
asserted
you → see → elephant
Before the airport and park, this area was submerged by the waters of Gamay, Botany Bay.
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area → submerge → Gamay
I’ve peered into the blue to see ripples of silvery fish and been surprised by a group of fairy penguins.
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I → peer → penguins
We’ve dived into the shallows to marvel at pearly shells as big as our hands.
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We → dive → hands
Yes, sharks live here, too; so do turtles, dolphins and seahorses, and only recently a southern right whale and her calf visited.
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whale → live → ?
Whether it’s a morning swim or an afternoon dip while the sunset sparkles over the bay, locals enter the water grateful (and a little perplexed) that such beauty can co-exist with an international port and airport, and thankful for the continuous care of this sanctuary from its traditional owners, whose connections still run deep.
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connections → ’ → owners
If you’d prefer to keep your feet dry, Halloween is a highlight in household calendars; it’s when Botany’s creativity, generosity and streets come to life with ghoulish children and sugary treats.
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creativity → prefer → children
It attracts families and onlookers from all over Sydney, and the occasional TV camera, too.
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It → attract → Sydney
You can grab a selfie with a frightful US president or pass the mysterious invisible child.
asserted
You → grab → child
If sitting back to enjoy the show is more your thing, wander into the side streets where you could stumble across a pet cemetery complete with real-life pig heads.
uncertain
you → sit → heads
Here you can pull up a chair to savour a hot sausage sanga and a cold beer while a DJ plays nearby.
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DJ → pull → sanga
Some brag about their “five-minute suburbs”, where you’re always a five-minute ride or walk away from the essentials like groceries, schools and transport but, as a mum barely recovered from sleep deprivation, I’ll take my “three-minute suburb”.
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I → brag → suburb
Here all the essentials a weary mum needs are a three-minute pram push away – think excellent coffee served by baristas who know your name, parks and green space to soak up serotonin and wear out active children, and always a friendly face to say hello to.
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who → need → children
If you’ve ever been to a Rabbitohs home game your attention was likely captured by The Burrow, where vocal, diehard fans sit on the eastern side of Accor Stadium, putting modern spins on old tunes.
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fans → capture → tunes
John Denver’s classic Take Me Home, Country Roads becomes a catchy “Take me home, Botany Roooaaad/To the place/I belooooong ...”
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I → take → place
Like so many families who left Sydney in recent years, we considered taking Botany Road the other way – up the coast, tempted by affordable real estate.
asserted
we → leave → estate
But at the decisive moment, that sense of belonging kept us here.
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sense → keep → us
No one tells you that kids ground you down into an area; that their friends, activities and endless need to be moving and social will root you down deeper into a place with every interaction until one day you realise you’re stuck, in the best possible way, with all you need.
asserted
you → tell → all
So come, get stuck for a little while – you may never want to leave.
uncertain
you → come → while
The Aporia
