HILLS INDEPENDENT HILL 96 June 2023 | Page 22

OUT & ABOUT

Enjoy your place , Grove Square - The Hills

Conveniently situated in the heart of Baulkham Hills Town Centre , Grove Square - The Hills is easily accessible by car , bus or foot and is located on the corner of Windsor Road , Olive Street and Old Northern Road .
Grove Square - The Hills is owned and operated by Mintus and offers a onestop-shop destination to enjoy a fusion of fresh flavours , shopping , lifestyle and community .
With a bustling enclosed shopping environment , Grove Square boasts three supermarkets , Woolworths , Coles and Aldi and is complemented by a variety of popular and authentic specialty stores .
The centre has a strong fresh food presence , including Panetta Mercato Fruit Market , Elie ’ s Butchery , Baker ’ s Delight ,
KB Chicken , Live Life Organics , BH Fish Market , Surbhi Indian Grocer and soon to re-open in a fully refurbished store and under new management , E-Life Mart Asian Grocery .
Grove Square - The Hills has a village atmosphere with an abundance of delicious casual dining venues to enjoy meals with family and friends . These include the lovely Chantilly & Co , the good mood foods from Soul Bowl , the spacious and comfortable settings provided by Charlie Lovett and Little Rock Café , which are conveniently located adjacent to the purpose-built children ’ s play area . There ’ s also the delicious Korean BBQ restaurant , The Yook and many tasty and quick bites to eat available from the food court .
This adds to the established health
and medical precinct anchored by Priceline Pharmacy , Soul Pattinson Chemist , Specsavers , Eyekonic Optometry , two medical centres and two dentists , MyPhysio and Bay Audio hearing experts .
There ’ s also a range of fashion , beauty and wellness offerings , from laser , beauty and skin care at Mouda and Glimmer & Glow to hair done by La Coup , Christiane ’ s or TNT Stylists and for the gents , look no further than Boyz to Men and Pro Hair Boutique .
Grove Square - The Hills has all your services covered from dry cleaning , clothing alterations , shoe repairs and car wash to banking and finance with Commonwealth Bank and the newly refurbished and shared space of Westpac and St George , as well as Aussie Home
loans , Australia Post and three real estate agencies .
There ’ s always something to see and do with fun and games for the little ones at Toddler Tuesdays , held on the last Tuesday of every month . There is also a variety of free school holiday activities to seasonal celebrations , promotions and giveaways .
Grove Square - The Hills is your place to meet friends , interact with the community , and enjoy all the conveniences of a modern shopping centre with a full range of services !
Grove Square – The Hills , 375-383 Windsor Road , Baulkham Hills . Visit www . grovesquare . com . au and join our socials to keep up to date with all the latest information and events .

HIDDEN IN THE HILLS

by Lachlan Turner
As you might expect during winter months , there are not as many wildflowers in bloom in our bushland reserves . However , there is a particular banksia that displays its brilliant colour alongside some of the region ’ s walking tracks during this time of the year .
The heath banksia ( banksia ericifolia ) can grow to around five metres in height tall . Its dramatic , bright orange , almost red coloured flower spikes can grow up to 200 mm in length and up to 60 mm wide when mature . They are quite visible amongst the bright green / grey foliage of this bushy shrub .
In its preliminary stages the flower is a much paler yellowish colour . Like other banksias the spent flowers will develop into wood-like cones which contain the fruit and seeds . The plant grows best in fairly open woodland and heath where there are sandy soils on the ridge lines and plateau . It is prominent around Sydney , particularly around the Hawkesbury sandstone regions .
The flowers produce an abundance of nectar that is attractive to bees and numerous honeyeaters . This sweet tasting liquid was used by local Aboriginal people to mix with water as a tasty drink .
Touching the mature flowers will leave some of this quite sticky nectar on your hands . Like its relative the hairpin banksia , written about in a previous column , this plant is popular in household gardens as it adjusts well to the more open home garden environment .
Propagation can easily be achieved from seed rather than by cuttings . If a more compact bushy appearance is desired the plant may be tip pruned to remove any straggly growth . Looking closely into the flowers of this banksia , the observer can only be amazed at the structure of its intricate form and beauty .
20 ISSUE 96 // JUNE 2023 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT