Sunbury resident Andrew Connor loves nature, and captures that delight through his lens. Sharing his magnificent snaps in local social media groups sparks joy for many who see them, commenting their pride about their region. Andrew tells Elsie Lange all about it.
Tell us a bit about you and what you do?
I love being out walking, and spend every moment I can doing this, capturing nature’s happy moments along the way. The world truly is so beautiful. I think with age, you appreciate the simpler things more and more every day. My working life is an office admin role, and I worked in city for 30 plus years, but with Covid-19 and work from home, I got to discover so much more of Sunbury than I ever knew was there. Now I work in a wonderful hybrid arrangement – so now I still get to go out a few times a week.
What’s your connection to Sunbury?
I have lived here for over 30 years.
What do you like about where you live?
While it has changed dramatically over time, it is still filled with parks and so much wonderment to explore. I like the Blind Creek- Kismet creek areas, Spavin Lake, the Wetlands, and Jacksons Hill parkland areas too.
[I like] the smaller trails that connect estates too, [there’s] so much birdlife in our town. I love that the roos still visit us on the outskirts, helps it retain that country feel.
Shopping wise, you really can get almost anything you need here too. So many wonderful food options too.
What, if anything, would you change about where you live?
I’d love to see the Wetlands connected to ‘The Nook’ with nature trails developed all the way, I think there may even be a plan in the early stages for this. That would be a great walk. The town itself has grown, but it still feels like home.
I think we have been disrespected with the soil and tip issues along Bulla Road, and of course the Calder [Freeway] issues. However, we truly do live in a lovely spot. I guess my ‘inner hippie’ comes out here, but one wish is for people to remember that in the darkest of times over the last two years, we saw families outside all the time, connecting. They were walking as families, talking to each other, walking the pets, riding bikes –it really was wonderful to see. It seemed to have disappeared so fast.
Where is your favourite local place to spend time?
Locally, the Spavin Lake is where I watch the day begin when I can, and the walks you can do from there. I love the birdlife on and around the lake too. Not too far out of town is Conglomerate Gully, or Woodlands (near the airport), and even Mount Macedon’s trails. These places are all so different from each other, and so delightful to explore anytime of the year.
