Chinese Garden of Friendship – 15 June 2023

I attended a work conference this week at Sydney’s Interntional Conference Center, which turns out to be next door to the Chinese Garden of Friendship. This is cultural ambassador type thing showing off some Chinese themed decorations, but more to the point, I’d heard it had some bonsai displays. On the one hand, it’s early winter, which is not a great time for bonsai. On the other, Sydney is fairly warm even into June – my Victorian plants have entered winter-mode, but not so much here. On the gripping hand, I was there and had had enough conference action. So I slipped out of the conference over lunch and took a peak.

The park is laid out as a walk around the central lake, forming a 20-ish minute stroll.

Bonsai Display 1

The first display area is immediately after the entrance.

The display is at a firm distance… no grabby hands. There’s a few more off-screen to the left.

A pretty penjing, without the constructedness of a waterscape.

Unusually, I rather like the deadwood on the right tree. It also has the bonus of controlling the composition.

Landscaping

The whole garden is carefully landscaped to look like China. (The effect was spoiled on the day since construction work nearby had a jackhammer going most of the time we were there.)

Here’s the honest version of the carefully angled picture on the brochure.

Just to show off the landscaping exit, on the trip to the airport we passed the back of the gardens. This is from the road behind the waterfall.

Omono and Hachi-yue Bonsai

Scattered around the part were some larger bonsai – between 4 and 6 feet, but definitely styled to look like full size trees, or at least like a bonsai interpretation of a full sized tree. Time to learn some terms.

This one is six plus feet. I don’t know whose hat that is.

A very solid 5 feet, with rather better control over the aerial roots.

Critters

Have some snapshots of assorted wildlife in the park.

White Ibis (or apparently, bin-chicken)
That red stuff is something different.

I strongly believe this to be a different ibis.

I choose to believe these are wild ducks sticking it to the man by sneaking in without payment.

There were also rather large koi in most of the streams, which I did not attempt to photgraph.

Stone features

The garden also has a series of stone decorations, a mix of clearly constructed and allegedly natural.

This pebble mosaic floor was enjoyable to walk on.

This was proceeded by a sign saying “these rocks are chosen like others in the garden for their animal likeness”. I saw some that reminded me of dragons and turtles and ducks. What likeness do you see here?

This grotto effect is actually one wall of the rather expensive restaurant in the grounds.

Bamboo Forest

One corner of the garden was given over to a black bamboo forest.

Bonsai Display 2

This display is at the other end of the circuit, just before the restaurant.

Again, let’s not let anyone get anywhere close.

This one annoyed me: it’s clearly **the wrong way around**. There were trees on the other side of the rock, but I couldn’t say anything about them.

Wrapup

We had lunch at the Chinese restaurant just after the second bonsai display, which was all right but overpriced, especially considering it’s $12 just to get into the grounds.

The bonsais were fair, but felt a little unkempt, which is probably fair for a winter display.

Official site here.