THE KIRRAWEE COMPENDIUM

Kirrawee is an eclectic suburb, an amalgamation of suburban, bush and industrial chic. Like if Marrickville took the Great Australian Dream House of 1.8 kids, lawn and a dog by the arm and moved into the Royal National Park. The warehouses are dotted with bakeries and breweries, the streets are canopied by gums, and in 10 minutes you could be scrambling up rocks, completely immersed in bushland and wildflowers. 

But there is no coffee in the bush, so we wont start there, but there is coffee in Climb Fit – actual good coffee (Liberty Blend. Yum) – along with some rocks to scale. Not your usual way to start the day, but who likes normal? Not me. Not Kirrawee.

So when your arms, legs and little pinkie fingers are jelly on a plate, it’s time for breakfast. Take your time in the spacious and leafy Botannica Lane before settling into neighbouring Pan and Stone for sauteed mushrooms on sourdough, or a bowl of granola if a knife and fork is an unrealistic expectation after rock climbing.

Later on we’ll be going bush, so grab some goodies for lunch from Bourke St Bakery or Thoroughbread. But before that, you’re visiting

Hazelhurst Art Gallery. It’s not in Kirrawee. That’s okay. It’s a delightfully curated gallery, it hosts the travelling Archibalds, Art Express, and has an emphasis on print and paper, and locally based exhibitions. Book a guided tour, take an art class, stroll around the manicured yard (with more curated rocks. Don’t climb on them. These ones are sculptures, which are different), stay for the cinema club. Nap on the lawn. And now you’ve got your land legs back, let’s take them to

The Royal National Park. The Kirrawee Bushwalk has an abundance of wildflowers that change over the seasons, so it’s always a good time to go. Do bring as fully charged a phone you can bring, do download a good map of the area. The tracks are like a rabbit warren, or an ant farm, and it’s oh so easy to take a wrong turn. But you’re never far away from civilisation so any deviation from your chosen path is just getting you closer to adventure rather than farther from your car.

Now you are well and truly deserving of an ice cold bevvy and a sit down. Head to

Sunday Road Brewery for a hazy, a lager, or a pina colada sour. Live music on Sunday arvos, and food trucks Thursday – Sunday, you can sink a snack here before meandering over to 

Moim, a highly reputable and highly splendid Japanese restaurant in an unassuming setting. And after a spread of edamame, sushi and sashimi, karage chicken, udon and buta shoga yaki, it’s home time. Grab some Japanese grocieries from the shelves on the way out so you can attempt to recreate the experience at home, fail dismally, but gain memories.

Which may be symbolic of your Kirrawee day as a whole. Unless of course you stuck to every hold in rock climbing and every path in bushwalking. If you did, good on you pal.