How do you capture the essence of your street in words?

As I was writing this piece, I realised it is so much more than a physical description. For me, it is a combination of nostalgia, natural beauty and people who have made me love my street. Halls Rd bears the name of George Hall who was granted 600 acres by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1819. It was the Western boundary of that original land grant. Like most of the area, our street was originally used for timber getting, then citrus and stone fruit. Now it is mainly “lifestyle” acreage and what a lifestyle that has given my family!

When my husband and I stumbled upon Halls Rd in Arcadia over 25 years ago, we were drawn to its feeling of peace and safety. It felt like finding the final piece of a jigsaw. We were looking for a place with some land to raise children and animals so our grassy block with an old house seemed perfect. Halls Rd is still a very quiet, narrow, treelined road with a steep, winding bend through the middle which our family refers to as “the cutting.” Our street has something for everyone. There are bush blocks with mountain views and beautiful horse properties with arable acreage. However, the memories of my children growing up, the things we loved to do and beautiful neighbours have made Halls Rd special to us. From the time my children were born we would walk down the road to Knox’s egg farm at the Wylds Rd end. First with prams, then with bikes and dogs, it became a weekly ritual to get the freshest and cheapest eggs around. We would often pick up a jar of Edna’s delicious preserves as well. We really missed that ritual when Knox retired a few years ago.

Then there were the animal encounters!

The six tame chickens that would cross the road every day to fossic in our garden and let my toddler pat them.

A stray cow that my city mother tried to shoo away from our back verandah with a broom!

The echidna in our hedge.

Various reptiles in the cutting – both venomous and benign. An assortment of beautiful waterbirds on our dam, including two pelicans who stopped by many years ago.

The larrikin lorikeets that make sure we never get an apple from our tree.