Some milestone birthdays had been missed during the pandemic, so a plan was hatched to do a catchup at a taverna in Cronulla in the southern part of Sydney. (Albi's Taverna. If you're in the neighbourhood, it's highly recommended.) That split the travel distance for those coming from Wollongong, and those coming from Sydney.

Cronulla is part of "The Shire", though in this case it's Sutherland Shire which has more surfing dudes than hobbits. We parked in the carpark of the main shopping centre which has, I think, seen better days. The number of empty shops (you can see one here on the right) made Crown Street Wollongong look bustling, and the number of centre features that had "out of order" signs on them made Wollongong Council look competent in comparison.

But only in comparison.

Of course, it could be that my feline friend here which was painted on the outside of the wall was scaring people off.

I wasn't fussed. I of course live with a brave and ferocious tiger, so a mere lion didn't really bother me.