Post No. 15,356
Date uploaded in Sydney, Australia – 24 January 2026
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My Visit to Sydney Shakti Temple and Lisgar Gardens (Post No.15,356)
During my last two visits to Australia, I covered Sydney Murugan Temple, Venkateswara temple and Nantien (Wollongong) Buddhist temple. This is my third visit and so I decided to explore new temples in New South Wales state in Australia. We went to Sydney Shakti temple, also called Durga Temple, yesterday. It is a small temple started by Hindus from Fiji Island country in the 1990s. The present temple building was constructed in 2010. Since it is in a residential area, the opening times are restricted by the local council. It is opened two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.
In spite of restricted hours, devotees visit the temple in good numbers. I saw a constant flow of devotees entering and leaving the temple. On either side of the tall and attractive main deity Shakti, it has Lord Ganesh and Lord Skanda (Murugan in Tamil). It is a small hall which can accommodate 150 people. All the Hindu festivals are celebrated here. During weekends and festival days the opening hours are extended. It is better to consult the temple website for precise information.
Shiva linga, goddess Meenakshi are also worshipped in the main hall. Devotees come with plates filled with flowers and fruits and do the Archana through the priest there. Outside the main hall there is a shrine with Navagrahas (Nine Planets). In the outer prakara/corridor Hanuman statue is also installed. One big hall is there for Ayyappa Puja.
The temple wall is decorated with different forms of goddesss such as Bhuvaneswari, Visalakshi, Mariamman. One needs just half hour to complete the Darshan / viewing.
Following are the contact details:
Sydney Shakti Temple
271, Old Windsor Road, Old Toongbbie, NSW 2146.
Telephone- o2 9636 1171
Website – www.sydneyshakti.org
Photography is not allowed inside the temple.
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My Visit to Lisgar Gardens
In the heart of busy shopping area in Hornsby Shire council in Sydney we have a beautiful gardens spreading over 6.5 acres. It is very near the Westfield shopping mall. It is a woody area bought and developed by Max Cotton about 150 years ago. It is famous for two things:
70 Varieties of Camellia Plants
Water Lizards known as Eastern Dragons
Max Cotton loved camellia flowers and so he planted 70 different varieties of the plants. Now there are 300 such plants.
The day before the temple visit, we went to Lisgar Gardens. Though we saw only few flowers, the woody area with creeks, streams and small waterfalls allowed us to breath fresh air. We could smell the fragrance of the flowers. We also saw the water lizards. The eastern water dragons grow up to 90 CMS. The Hornby Shire council bought these gardens and opened it for public. It looks like a forest and one has to go down and down. Those who are adventurous can take the loop walks and go deeper into the bushes.
The garden is closed at 5 pm and signposted to guide the visitors. A surprising thing in Australia is there are well maintained gardens and woody areas very near the cities. Public are not even allowed to cut native trees even inside their houses.
–subham—
Tags- My visit, London swaminathan, Sydney Shakti temple, Lisgar Gardens, Water Dragons, Lizards, Camellia flowers
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