Lifestyle

The North Turramurra Shops, located on Bobbin Head Road, have a great little village atmosphere. You can buy all of life’s necessities (and quite a few of its luxuries) in the one little strip of stores.

The IGA is a fantastic grocery store, there is easy parking behind and the staff always offer to carry your bags to the car. They also have a selection of British sweets that keep the expats happy. North Turramurra Cellars has a great range of both international and Australian wines and home delivers to the local area. Ku-Ring-Gai Veterinary Hospital is one of the biggest in Sydney and has won numerous industry awards.  Like any good village there is also a fruit and veggie store, a newsagent/post office and an award-winning butcher.

For a quick meal you have a selection of four restaurants, Quattro Trattoria: a family owned Italian eatery that specialises in pizzas but also has a nice range of steak and seafood dishes. The Cooks Garden: a café/restaurant with a modern Australian menu and a beautiful garden dining area. Phantom Thai: a fantastically priced authentic Thai restaurant with money bags to die for and Happyland Asian Cuisine: a family friendly diner with great atmosphere and fantastic Chinese food.

There are no shortage of places to grab a quick coffee or cake with five coffee shops and three bakeries. If it is a small gift you are looking for, The Cook’s Garden has a lovely little gift store that sells fair trade crafts, simple jewellery and beautiful stationary amongst other things. North Turramurra Pharmacy also sells beautiful gift ware and home delivers for customers in the local area.

There is a local bus service that runs three times an hour along Bobbin Head Road to Turramurra train station that has been newly renovated to increase accessibility for less mobile passengers.

Located next to The Landings on Bobbin Head Road North Turramurra, is Australia’s largest dedicated rehabilitation hospital, the Lady Davidson Private Hospital.

The hospital provides care for both in and out patients in it’s state of the art facilities that are scattered throughout landscaped gardens. It has a calm, quiet homely atmosphere, without any of the sterility or stress that usually comes with hospitals.

Previously a veteran’s hospital, Lady Davidson is at the forefront of international rehabilitation practise, onsite there is; four speciality gymnasiums, a large hydrotherapy pool and an independent living assessment unit where rehabilitated patients learn to develop the skills they need to cope at home.

Every aspect of the hospital has been designed to provide comfort for patients and their families, keeping in mind rehabilitation processes can be lengthy; because of this, visitors are welcome from 10 am to 8pm.

There is an inpatient rehabilitation program for patients who have a functional disability and need advanced support and nursing care following recent illness or surgery. An outpatient and day rehabilitation program is also provided, suitable for rehabilitation patients who don’t need complete nursing care.

Onsite there are numerous health services meaning accessing care is simplified. Services available are: X-Ray, pathology, pharmacy, pain management, wound care management, hydrotherapy, back care, respiratory, physiotherapy, dietetics, speech pathology, psychology, occupational therapy, exercise physiologist and social work.

Rehabilitation for driving, cardiac and oncology is available along with, orthopaedic rehabilitation including hip and knee replacements, fractures, arthritic and spinal conditions and there is also a neurological rehabilitation section for stroke, spinal, post-surgical, Parkinson’s Disease patients and Multiple Sclerosis sufferers.

Along with the in house professionals, the hospital is visited by many other specialists including cardiologists, respiratory physicians, gastroenterologists, neurologists, geriatricians, psychiatrists and surgeons and any one else necessary to ensure your specific medical needs are addressed.

Lady Davidson Private Hospital:
434 Bobbin Head Road, North Turramurra

St Ives Professional Skin Care beauty salon has been located in the heart of St Ives, Shopping Village for the last five years.  The salon offers a wide range of beauty salon treatments for both men and women such as, facials, waxing and pedicures… but they are best know for their to-die-for-anti-ageing treatments.

It is a small, friendly store and the atmosphere is relaxed and homely so you would never guess all of their beauty therapist are trained in the latest cutting edge treatments and products.

Don’t let their small and friendly appearance fool you, they have recently taken out the Clarins Salon of the year award, 2010, beating 23 competing salons. This is the top industry award from Clarins, awarded for presentation and outstanding service.

Their signature treatment is the industries hottest anti-ageing must have; the Sothys Collagen Hyaluronic Intensive Treatment. In two hours, using new generation, non-invasive technology, it gives skin more volume, increased radiance and freshness, fewer lines and more hydration.

This treatment uses a five step approach to improve the look of fine and deep wrinkles and general skin tone. The process starts with a diagnosis of specific needs, then a microdermabrasion, a wrinkle filler, an elastin stimulating serum, a plumping balm and finally a collagen lifting mask.

It is a great alternative to invasive procedures and has similar outcomes to collagen injections but without the pain….and it is much more affordable and no where near as scary.

St Ives Professional Skin Care combines the consistency of a local beauty therapist who knows your skin’s needs with the knowledge and services of a leading industry provider, it is so nice to feel looked after!

St Ives Professional Skin Care:
Shop 92 St Ives Shopping Village, St Ives

The north shore’s oldest florist has sat perched on Rohini Street above Turramurra Train Station for over forty years. The hexagonal shaped, wooden kiosk style building is bursting at the seams with huge unique floral arrangements that are packed in so tightly there is barely enough room for more than a few customers at a time.
 
Florists Valentina and Chiho have run the store for the past 15 years and bring together their Polynesian background and extensive Japanese Ikebana design training to create the vibrant and unique arrangements. Their international travel experience and individual style influence the creations, which are loud and full of huge bright Australian Natives, a refreshing twist to the quaint and classic arrangements that are dominating florists right now.
 
All the flowers are personally sourced daily from trusted dealers and there is almost obsessional attention paid to detail and quality. Their bunches range from smaller bouquets to huge vibrant stand alone arrangements, the prices are extremely reasonable and do not tend to spike too dramatically around Valentine’s and Mother’s Day.  Same day delivery is provided throughout the Sydney Metropolitan area and delivery across Australia and internationally can be arranged.
 
The Flower House also provides a corporate service that creates and delivers custom designed arrangements, varied each week, for businesses. A lot of the arrangements on reception desks around the area are their handy work.
 
The thing that makes it a really special place is the pure sense of fun that radiates between the kiosk’s six walls. The staff genuinely appear to have an interest in the customer’s occasion for flowers and are happy to chat away to you for as long as you have.
 
The Flower House: 2A Rohini Street Turramurra
http://www.the-flower-house.com.au/

The Cook’s Garden on Bobbin Head Road North Turramurra is a bit of a chameleon, café by day, restaurant by night, stylish main dining room inside or relaxed leafy garden outside.
 
There is a mix products for sale in the front area; stationary, novelty signs and tea towels featuring 50’s housewives. Decorative walking sticks, Elk brooches, fair trade Himalayan craft, Keep Cups and Belle Fleur Chocolates… It is diverse and a tad surprising but then again you wouldn’t expect to find bubble and squeak on the menu in a restaurant that looks as if it might serve high tea.
 
Breakfast runs all day on weekends and when the ‘big breakfast’ includes chorizo, you know you are in for a treat. During the week a snack menu is served in the morning; the scones with clotted cream and the Belgium waffles are both too good to resist.  
 
The lunch and dinner menus are modern Australian with a traditional Australiana twist. Along with the usual risotto, fish and duck, there is bubble and squeak and a great Ploughman’s lunch platter that includes cloth matured cheddar, brie, double smoked ham, chicken liver parfait, marinated kalamata olives with chutneys, pickles, lavosh and warm chianti loaf for $28. 
 
They save the best for last though, The Cook’s Garden take their dessert seriously and it is worth perusing the online menus before you go so you can plan your stomach space accordingly.
 
To drink there are ten premium beers to choose from, an equal amount of cocktails and seventy Australian and International wines priced between $25 and $200; twenty of which are served by the glass.
 
The best way to enjoy The Cook’s Garden is in the garden, which is dog friendly and child friendly. Be warned; it is easy to forget yourself and loose a few hours basking in the winter sun.
 
The Cook’s Garden: 272 Bobbin Head Road, North Turramurra
http://thecooksgarden.com.au/

Nestled in the valley between North Turramurra and Mt Colah is Bobbin Head; a serene reserve that is part of the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. It is a bush oasis full of waterfront picnic areas, stunning bush walks, and interesting nooks for children to explore. It is the gateway to the Hawkesbury River abundant with views of old gumtrees, sandstone cliffs, oyster encrusted rocks and mangroves teaming with crabs. Anyone who grew up around the area will tell you how their childhood memories are peppered with images of Bobbin Head.
 
It is home to one of the best children’s playgrounds in Sydney, there is a heap of open grassy area to run around on and the car park loops around, bordering the entire area, making it an ideal place perfect bike riding skills.
 
At the southern end there is a boardwalk that runs through the mangroves and meets Cockle Creek Bridge. It is one of those beautiful places where you can be truly alone, watching the crabs scuttle into their holes and the ducks bob around. Past the boardwalk is a bush track that winds over aboriginal axe grindings, a reminder of the area’s Aboriginal inhabitants.
 
Entry to the park is $11 per car and once you get down the bottom of the winding road there are a few choices, Apple Tree Bay, a three hundred metre drive from the main park, provides additional picnic areas and a boat ramp. You can hire a boat for $70 an hour or $150 for the day at Empire Marina in the main part of Bobbin Head. Once on the water there are no limits to little creeks and private beaches to explore. 
 
If you aren’t in the mood to use one of the coin operated BBQ’s available then drop in to Galley Foods restaurant, the kiosk on the marina or the café near the visitors centre.

Bobbin Head: End of Bobbin Head Road, Turramurra

If you are committed to quality organic food then get ready to fall in love with Granny Smith Natural Food Market on Princes Street Turramurra.
The small, bright, airy store is smells of fresh fruit and wood chips. The one side of the store contains all types of biscuits, crackers and dried fruit and nuts, the centre is lined with fresh, organic seasonal fruit and vegies, and the other side contains fridges full of organic dairy products, pre made gourmet meals and some of the most indulgent ice cream ever created.
 
The company began in 2002 in Wahroonga but has since moved to Turramurra’s Princes Road precinct because of the strong village atmosphere and passing traffic. They have a steady group of regulars who keep returning because of the top quality fresh produce that is sourced from local growers in Galston, Asquith and Terry Hills, the first name atmosphere and the fact that the staff always carry their bags to the car…an enforced offer that is impossible to decline. Along with their range of sourced produce, Granny Smith’s also packages and stocks it’s own grains, nuts and dried fruit, a choice that was made so the owners could be sure their customers were getting the best quality at the best price.
Ninety nine percent of the fresh produce is organic and they always have quality as their first priority.   
 
It is a great place to discover new health foods, eco cleaning products and natural skin care products. They stock Over The Moon, Mungalli Creek and Barambah Organic dairy products and the Burt’s Bees and Weleda skin care ranges. 

Sonoma Artisan Bread, La Tartine sourdough bread and Phillippa’s Bread and Pastries, Champion’s Mountain organic fruit and vegies, Oaks Organics open range chicken, eggs and meat can also be found there.
 
Granny Smith Natural Food Market: 6 Princes Street, Turramurra
http://www.grannysmith.net.au/

Elegant Outdoors, Turramurra is one of the most whimsical little garden centres you will find around. Located on the Corner of Rohini Street and The Pacific Highway, it is a peaceful green retreat that blocks out everything that is going on around on the busy street.

Although they sell a versatile selection of plants their speciality is their impressive collection of topiaries; artistically pruned plants that are usually found in formal gardens. There is something distinctively Alice in Wonderland about green spherical trees that seem to float and bob without actually moving. Not many nurseries stock them so it is a great place to get up close and have a good look.

Elegant Outdoors also has an amazing selection of garden ornaments, fountains and water features, garden art and wall decor, urns and planters, Ferronnier ironwork originals and house name plaques. The style is European influenced; sophisticated and timeless. All the products are displayed in a fantastically cohesive way that makes you want…need to buy more than one, they just compliment each other so well.

The products have been selected to suit the lower north shore’s geography perfectly, the high rainfall in Turramurra makes for lush green gardens and every item in the store seems to have been chosen with this in mind. The rustic stone features and the looming ironwork, most of which are Australian made would be right at home in a mossy green corner of a classic garden.

It is no surprise that Elegant Outdoors won first place in the ABC Gardening Expo 2007 for their forest themed display garden, the clear and distinctive style of the store along with the quality of their products just puts them a cut above the rest.

Elegant Outdoors: Corner of Pacific Highway & Rohini Street,
Turramurra

Behind the doors of the old art deco Commonwealth bank building on the Pacific Highway Turramurra is another world. You may feel a little bit cheated if you, like so many, have gone past the building and never known what lays inside.

Gillian Adams is a particularly inspired hairdresser who has taken relaxation and beauty techniques from Europe and created this heaven. Thirty hairdressers, beauticians, make-up artists, masseuses and nail technicians are waiting to pamper the guests in this crème de la crème of day spas.
 
As you walk through the doors an Aquamedic pool made from imported Italian marble under a domed roof will take your breath away. Hundreds of jets positioned to detox, relax, stimulate and zap cellulite are waiting to make your day. The spa prides itself on offering rare Hydrotherapy services, the pool is one of only two like it in Australia. They also have the only Vichy Shower in the country, a heavenly invention that massages you with water whilst you are floating in a bath.
 
The in house chef serves meals in the private garden, $25 for breakfast, $45 for lunch and $70 for high tea for two. Beyond this is the building where deluxe treatments take place. A recently acquired historic house, typical of the area, with high ceilings, fire places and hard wood floorboards. Vintage dresses hang from the door hooks and hand painted wallpaper adorns every room. The blankets on the up-sized treatment beds are heated and VIP guests are assured privacy in this part of the spa.
 
When you visit Gillian Adams you will be served fresh fruit in the waiting rooms, the staff will beam at you as you walk past and you will leave feeling like royalty. 
 
Gillian Adams Day Spa: 1356 Pacific Highway, Turramurra
http://gillianadams.com/

If there is one thing that lets you know Cordonys is no ordinary deli it is the one metre long chandelier that hangs from the roof of the store.
The other is the $120 a kilo cheese that sits nestled beside the Bega tasty. The hundreds of products that line the roof height wooden shelves come from Italy, Spain, Greece and Local areas. A lot are rare, something that Cordonys has prided itself on since it’s 2003 opening. 
 
It is hard not to immediately order a coffee on arrival, it just smells that good. It also provides an excuse to linger a little longer. Before you know it you will be eating a rice flour raspberry or apple and cinnamon muffin, a homemade Portuguese custard tarts, toasted banana bread, a chocolate brownie, a lemon and coconut polenta cake or a flowerless chocolate muffin.
 
The Owner, Amanda Cordony, sources all the produce with the aim of giving her loyal regulars something exciting whilst maintaining a sense of tradition and constancy. She likes to think of Cordonys as a “collective kitchen” where they can find produce from all over the world along with home made fine foods. Oh… and they are also a catering company.
 
You can forgive yourself for feeling like you can’t truly explore everything available. The fridge is piled up with cheese from France, England, Australia and around the world; blue cheese, Italian Taleggio, Camembert, Pyengana cloth cheddar and fresh goat’s curd just to name a few. The meat section is just as impressive with prosciutto, Italian salami’s, pancetta, chorizos and a huge selection of ham.
 
Bread is baked on site, dips, quiches, salads, ready made meals and sweets are always in stock and there is lots try during taste testings on Saturdays.
 
Cordonys Deli: 12 Princes Street, Turramurra
http://cordonys.com.au