Cherrybrook Cherry Blossoms

Location: Cherrybrook NSW Australia. Taken with Fujifilm XT-50 and Fujinon XF 23mm f2 lens; Edited in Lightroom. Photos taken 23rd August 2026.

Hello friends. I have not been online for a while and I do apologise for the absence. I started a new role at my work place and it has taken alot out of me in the last couple of weeks. Heading into the office and trying to navigate a new team and apply my skills to a new department has taken alot of my brain power. It unfortunately does not allow me to have enough battery in the tank to do anything outside of that. I have, admittedly been lying vertical on my couch, enjoying some doom scrolling while I try to recharge. But as always, time heals all. It's now my second week in as I'm settling in and so here we are.

Following up on my last post - Where to find Cherry Blossoms in Sydney, I wanted to post these beautiful photos I got of these sakura around the corner of Cherrybrook Station. 

If you read my last post, I made two trips to Cherrybrook to try and catch the cherry blossoms in bloom. This was from my first attempt (21st August) when I found Cherrybrook station was bare. As I walked back to my car, I found this beautiful tree in bloom, sitting quietly behind a fence.

Look, I am no expert but I assume I was looking at a different species of sakura that bloomed earlier. I am not complaining though. Now this tree was in between a house fence and fenced off land, so I can not be sure if this was private property so I took the care to not trespass.

To take these photos, I embraced the fencing fully. I kept it in most of my photos and used it to frame the sakura themselves. I then switched to full manual focus, and used the handy LCD screen as it zoomed in and I could control focusing on specific petals or buds. My autofocus had a mind of it's own that day.

I also used contrast - between the pinks and the blue sky and it made the flowers really pop. I shot these around midday when the sun was the most directly above and most harshest. 

 All of these I felt, made for some unique photographs that had an "Aussie" flair.

Below is my gear and settings:

Equipment: Fujifilm XT-50 and Fujinon XF 23mm f2 lens

K&F UV Filter (43mm - fits the 23mm lens)

Camera Settings - Shutter: 1/64; Aperture: f2.8; ISO 500

Fujifilm Recipe: Reggie's Porta; also edited in Lightroom

Location: Cherrybrook NSW Australia. Taken with Fujifilm XT-50 and Fujinon XF 23mm f2 lens; Edited in Lightroom. Photos taken 23rd August 2026.

I will keep this post simple, as its now Sunday night, and I will need to prepare for work tomorrow. It will be my third week in and I'm still trying to get into the routine of things. I even stopped posting on all my socials for that mental health rest. 

I just packed my lunch of leftovers - pork chops, chicken wings and rice. And then I will have my two coffees at work and try to drink my 2L of water. I'll go across the road to try and grab some fresh strawberries as well as they are finally back in season. I do love strawberries.

When I get home tomorrow I need to finish off my watercolour painting as this Tuesday will be my last class out of the nine weeks. I had so much fun attending and I have learnt so much. I wish I can retire now and watercolour everyday, all day! And then the next four weeks I will be preparing for the watercolour exhibition in November. It would be my first and I'm pretty excited.

So I'll leave it at that, as I believe photography is created to be looked at. And looking at these, I feel pretty happy. I remember the day, it was a day where I travelled to two locations to take photos and I could feel my creative juices flowing. Photography can evoke such memories sometimes.

 I hope you are all well and have a great week!

Below is a refresher/guide to Cherrybrook from my last post.

Good to Know - Cherrybrook Metro Station

Cherry blossom trees bloom typically between last week of August and 1st two weeks of September

I visited 21st August (trees were bare) and 10th September (trees in full bloom as per photos)

Cherrybrook Station is 33mins train ride from Central Station

Cherry Blossoms trees are along the outside and inside the station

Commuter parking lot next to the station (18 hours free if complete a valid public transport trip) on weekdays

Commuter parking lot available on weekends for a fee

Free 2P parking along the road opposite the train station

Visit early morning and/or weekdays to avoid crowds

Cherrybrook Leaf Cafe serving light food and coffee available (closed Sundays)

 Nearby Attractions: Koala Sanctuary Park and Treetops Adventures

❤︎ Natalie