ADVENTURE BEFORE DEMENTIA

PANDA POWER

2012-02-15T17:05:00.000+10:00

We left Birdwood and the Motor Museum and drove into Adelaide, our final destination of our little South Australian tour. We spent a a few days here before travelling onto Sydney. The six of us decided to go to the Adelaide Zoo, where they have Pandas. I think it is the only zoo in Australia with Pandas. Of course we saw other animals as well but the Pandas were the highlight, as you can see by the following photos.

I was chuffed with this photo as I mastered the trick of blurring out the fence wire.

Besides being given bamboo to eat, the keepers hide panda cakes in the enclosure so that the Pandas learn to forage for food. This guy is ~~looking~~ smelling for cakes.

He found one.

There were two Pandas, one male and one female. I have forgotten their names......help me Ann.

I couldn't resist buying a Panda hat from the gift shop. It was a cold day so I was happy to wear it at the expense of embarrassing my friends.

When I came out of the bathroom back at the hotel there was a Panda on the bed reading a book.

MURDER MYSTERY

2012-02-13T22:09:00.000+10:00

This post is for Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme:

Way back in 2002 we went on a holiday to Norfolk Island. I can't believe that was ten years ago. How time flies when you get old. Anyway back to the story.

Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean between Australia and New Zealand. It has a very colourful history. It was colonised by the British as part of Australia in 1788. It served as a penal colony for the worst convicts until 1794. From 1856 it was settled by free settlers and in1901 it became a territory of Australia and it still is today. It is also a tax haven. Today the island's primary economic activity is tourism due to its historical buildings and colourful history including the Pitcairn Islanders and the Mutiny on the Bounty. So we did our bit for their economy and joined in the many tourist activities that they provide. (photos have been scanned from photo album)

Bill as Alfred Baldwin,
Chief Constable on Norfolk Island in the 1840's

One of the activities was a Murder Mystery Dinner, where you become a character in a murder mystery story. You have to ask questions of the other characters and try to find out who is the murderer. At this party the murder mystery was based on a true event that happened in Norfolk Island's past. We were given a booklet that gave us some background information on the characters and the crime. We had to dress up as the character we were given.

I was the Commandant's wife and Bill was the Chief Constable, Alfred Baldock. He was detested by most on the island, he was a former convict but now mistreated the rest of the unfortunates. He was a homosexual which was against the law then. As you can tell we had loads of fun trying to find out which one of us was the murderer.

photo from the web

The next day we went exploring and visited the Norfolk Island Cemetery and Bill found the grave stone of his character Alfred Essex Baldcock.

Alfred Essex Baldock late Chief Constable of the island, who was unfortunately drowned by the upsetting of a boat in crossing the bar on 12 th April 1848 aged 27. (click on pic to enlarge). The right hand pic is from the web and the headstone has been restored and so have many of the others. This cemetery dates back to 1825 but there is evidence of earlier burial grounds on the island.

THE BOYS WENT BANANAS

2012-02-11T22:45:00.001+10:00

After Gumeracha we headed for the pretty little town of Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills.

Our friend George was the driver and he is waiting for the other five of us to climb aboard our hired people mover. Come with us and discover Birdwood.

It was a scenic route through the hills and we found many scenic routes as we managed to get lost again.

Finally we arrived in Birdwood, we were so busy looking at the beer sign outside the historic Blumberg Hotel that we missed the sign for the National Motor Museum, which is where we wanted to go. Dare I say it we were lost again.

The Motor Museum is housed in the grounds of the 'Old Mill'

Birdwood was settled in 1840 by persecuted Lutherans from Prussia/Germany. At first the village was called Blumberg but the name was changed during WW1 due to anti German sentiment and was named Birdwood after the commander of the ANZAC troops at Gallipoli.

'A Tribute to Holden' sculpture (Australia's iconic car) stands in the courtyard of the museum.

The museum houses Australia's biggest collection of 300 vintage, veteran, post war, classic and modern cars, commercial vehicles, and 100 motorcycles. The boys went bananas.

Bill made me a short video.

I must admit that I enjoyed it too, especially when I found a car like one that I used to drive. I also found a Honda scooter like the one I used to have. We dragged the boys away, had lunch at the Pomegranate Cafe which was super and then we were off to Adelaide.

GUMERACHA CHA CHA AND GET LOST

2012-02-09T21:48:00.000+10:00

Back to our South Australian trip. We left Hahndorf for Adelaide where a new adventure awaited us. More about that in a later post. We were driving through the Adelaide Hills looking for the little towns of Gumeracha and Birdwood. After doing a cha cha around the roads and getting lost we eventually found The Big Rocking Horse at Gumeracha. You can climb up stairs inside it to a lookout on its back.

It is a bit kitch but they have a wonderful toy shop here. The weather was not the best, cold and showery.

There is a sign post showing the distance to many overseas cities. I felt a stab in my heart when I saw the Los Angeles sign telling me that my beautiful daughter and her family are that far away from me.

We all had fun wandering around the toy factory. They have the most beautiful wooden toys. We wanted to buy Fox a present but these were too big to send to LA. However we did find him a smaller train, which also cost heaps to post to USA.

This is to give an idea of the size.

There was also an animal enclosure here. A wallaby, a small species of kangaroo.

An emu

A ~~Lyre Bird~~ I mean a Peacock.

photo by Ann

Then we were back in the car with our friends and off to Birdwood to find "The National Motor Museum". It is very pretty driving through the Adelaide Hills.

TAPHOPHILE TRAGIC'S TUESDAY

2012-02-07T12:37:00.000+10:00

Most readers know that I walk in our local forest every morning.

Just inside the main entry there is a tiny little private cemetery.

It is called "Dennis Family Cemetery". The Dennis family were early settlers and pioneers of this area where we live, now called Daisy Hill. James Dennis came to Australia on the ship, "Flying Cloud" in 1864. In 1867 he married Mary Ann Markwell and they had 18 children.

It is sad to see how many children died within the first month of their life. How awful for the parents. It shows how tough pioneering life was.

In 1870 James took up a selection of land here (I think that means he was given the land by the government to encourage settlement in the area.) Later he bought more land adjacent. He grazed cattle and planted mango trees which are still here today. In 1880 he built a bigger home. In 1893 he died and Mary continued on with the work. She died in 1920 and her son Joseph buys the property. In 1940 Joseph enlarged the lagoons in the area to provide irrigation.

In 1950, Joseph's son Frank runs the property and buys it from his father. He builds this dam to help the farm succeed. He had 50 acres of small crops. In 1962, Frank won an award for harvesting water and irrigating crops.

I walk past here every morning. It is now called Dennis Lake.

Frank built an island in the lake as a bird sanctuary. We sometimes walk here in the evening too.

A Magpie Goose

In 1968 the land was subdivided and the suburb of Daisy Hill began. He also donated a huge parcel of land to the state under the provisor that it remained as a park for the community to enjoy. That is now "The Daisy Hill Conservation Park". Frank became a Taxi Driver in his later years and he often picked me up and took me to the airport and brought me home, when I visited Sydney regularly to see my dying father. Now I walk in his beautiful park everyday.Frank died in 2000 and is buried in the family cemetery.

This is my contribution to Julie's Taphophile Tragic's meme.

SIGHTSEEING WITH SILVANA

2012-02-05T16:55:00.002+10:00

School kids having a surfing lesson.

Silvana is a young lady visiting us from Switzerland. She is backpacking her way around Australia. Her grandmother was in the same class as Bill at school in Thun, Switzerland.

Silvana emailed from Noosa and asked if she could call in. We invited her to stay.

So we have had a busy few days showing her some sights.

Firstly we took her to the Gold Coast, stopping in at Southport and Coolangatta.

Surfers Paradise from Snapper Rocks

George, Laila and Silvana

On the way home from the coast we called in to see friends, Laila and George, who have just moved into an Eco-Village in the Currumbin Valley.

All the houses are sustainable. They have solar panels for electricity, they have rain water tanks for water and recycled water for toilets and laundry.

The architecture provides natural air flows and air conditioning is unnecessary. The house is surrounded by an organic garden and a green belt strip is between every house.

There are no cats or dogs allowed but there are plenty of kangaroos.

It is a great concept.

View from Laila's window

The next day we went into Bribane and caught a City Cat from South Bank Parklands for a cruise up and down the Brisbane River .

Then we got off the Ferry at River Side and walked though the Queen Street Mall and had lunch.

We walked over the Victoria Bridge back to South Bank and we stopped by the Wheel of Brisbane.

Then we drove up to Mt Coot-tha for an overall picture of our huge city of Brisbane which sprawls as far as the eye can see. Silvana enjoyed the tour.

HO HUM HAHNDORF

2012-02-03T23:08:00.000+10:00

Our next overnight stop on our trip around South Australia was Hahndorf. We left Burra and drove south by- passing Adelaide and travelling through the picturesque Adelaide Hills. My header is from this section of the trip.

We passed through Canola fields......

and passed vineyards and sheep stations/farms.

It was late when we arrived and we had a few problems booking in to our motel. They had not reserved the correct rooms for us which had been booked months ahead. However, we all cheered up when Bill sniffed out a German Pub which had authentic German sausages for dinner.

It rained through the night and all the next morning when we had planned a stroll through this historic town. It is a gorgeous little tourist town with many restored 19th century buildings and churches. It was settled in 1839 by Prussian Lutheran refugees. They had a horrific sea journey and their Captain named Dirk Hahn stayed with them and found the site and made sure they were all settled. In return the people named the town after him

It was a cold and miserable morning. Normally the town is packed with tourists but not this miserable morning. We had a nice breakfast and a quick walk up and down before heading off back to Adelaide.

There is still a strong German influence in the town and they have German parades and festivals.

It is a very pretty place in Autumn when the leaves change colour.

Feeling glum and ho hum.

TAPHOPHILE TRAGIC IN BURRA

2012-02-01T17:24:00.000+10:00

Burra and District Fallen Soldiers Memorial

Most towns in Australia have a war memorial or cenotaph to remember and honour our soldiers. This one is in Burra and like a good Taphophile Tragic, I investigated one of the names inscribed on the plaque.

Walter Ehrenfried Arnold was born on 28 June 1889, Yalpara SA and he was killed in action on 29 Sep. 1918 in France. His parents were Freidrich H & Augusta Helena, nee Obst This area was settled by Germans hence these names.

Arnold, a blacksmith, enlisted on 17 April 1916 in Port Pirie he left for France 12 Aug. 1916.

He as awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during the attack near Moriancourt, South East of Albert on the night 28th/29th July 1916. This N.C.O. led his section throughout the attack with considerable ability and rendered to his own section and also to those on his flanks. Later in the morning when his position was being heavily shelled by minenwerfers he rallied his section and re-organised them, though himself somewhat shaken.He then set to work and dug out two of his men who had been buried and wounded by the minewerfer fire, and when unable to obtain stretcher bearers he personally carried the two men back to the relay station through a very heavy barrage. The tenacity with which he stuck to his work through very severe circumstances showed great bravery and devotion to duty and is worthy of recognition. (Information supplied by the Burra Historic Society)
Visit more Taphophile Tragics here.

BACK IN TIME AT BURRA

2012-01-30T14:26:00.000+10:00

The Visitor Centre

After stopping at Peterborough and Terowie we finally arrived at the town of Burra for our overnight stop on our tour of South Australia with friends. We wanted to stop here because on our last tour by bus through here we only stopped for 30 mins and we were disappointed as it is a very historical town and still alive with about 1,200 residents.
Burra became famous when shepherd Thomas Pickett found copper in 1845. By 1850 Burra had one of the worlds biggest copper mines and saved South Australia from bankruptcy. The mine closed in 1877 but was reopened in 1971 to 1981.

The main street in Burra

Burra is now a State Heritage Area and boasts a big collection of buildings from the 1850's which have not been radically changed.

Most country towns have an old rotunda.

It so happens that I have an old friend living in Burra. Val and I used to room together when we attended teacher's college (ASOPA) in Sydney. She is also a friend of my avid reader, Colin. They taught in the same village in New Guinea. She owns and lives in this very old hotel called "The Smelters Home" built in 1849. It has 17 bedrooms and was used by travelling sales men to display their wares to retailers.

It is the oldest hotel in Australia with the original floor plan. It is like stepping back into the mid 19th century when you enter this building. Unfortunately, Val is not well enough to continue refurbishments.

We visited the old Burra Burra Copper mine, which started as an underground mine in 1845 but in 1870 it became one of the first open cut mines in Australia. It is full of water now and musical concerts are held by the side of the lake.

Overlooking the old mine.

Besides tourism, Burra is a farming and grazing centre. The surrounding country was cleared of trees to feed the huge smelter during the mining era.

The rapid development of the mine in 1847 led to a housing shortage for mining families. So the miners excavated dugouts in the steep banks of the creek. They stretched for 3 miles along the creek, housing 1800 people. One third of them children. Due to poor sanitation, disease and floods, they were forced to move into company supplied housing in 1870. There are only a few dugouts left today.

Ouch! They had low roofs. Even though we paid for a key at the visitor centre, it only allowed us into the property but would not let us go deep into the dugouts as George discovered here.

Ann checks out an upmarket dugout.

It was reported that some had one room and others more. Some had carpets inside and whitewash outside. They had chimneys coming out of the top of the creek bank and some had a porch. They were cool in summer and well protected in winter.

There were many more interesting places to visit but our day was coming to an end and we were heading off to Hahndorf for our next sleep.

WHERE ARE WE?....TEROWIE

2012-01-28T15:55:00.000+10:00

We left Peterborough and continued south to Burra on our South Australia trip with 4 friends. On the way we detoured and called into the ghost town of Terowie. On our last tour here on a bus we stopped at the historic station( see my old post) but we didn't go into town to see the old buildings nor did we stop at the paddock of sculptures. This time we were driving ourselves and so could stop for a nosey around.

Just before the old town there is a paddock full of metal sculptures. I wasn't overly impressed except for the long line of old bicycles attached to the fence.

The buildings are historically significant as they haven't been altered since the 1880's. The town was established in 1875 and became an important rail junction town. The wide gauge changed to narrow gauge here so all trains had to stop. There were big rail yards here. In 1969 the rail gauge was made uniform and so trains didn't stop and the town declined. In 1980 the rail line was moved to the west and and the town died.

After years of drought the farmers gave up their farms and moved as well. Now there are about 100 people left.

It is sad to see these buildings not being used, I wonder what will happen to them.

Taken from car window.

I laughed at the typical Aussie farewell as we headed out of town towards the main road.

The weather was threatening but it passed over. The next two photos will no doubt annoy my country bred friend Colin as he, like all farmers, hate this purple weed, called Paterson's Curse. Can you see it stretching across the base of the hills? I think it is poisonous for cattle but I'm sure Colin will tell us all about it in my comments.

However, I think it makes beautiful scenery and photos.

This is what the farmers prefer to see. Typical Aussie farmland with grain and sheep but no Paterson's Curse.

BOB THE RAILWAY DOG

2012-01-27T10:31:00.000+10:00

The people of Peterborough erected a statue of "Bob The Railway Dog" in memory of this adventurous little dog believed to be a German Collie Dog mix. His story is below taken from Wikipedia.

Bob first experienced the railway life, when, as a young dog, he took a fancy to the railway workers building near Strathalbyn and followed some of the navvies to the line. He was brought back to his owner, the publican of the Macclesfield Hotel, two or three times before finally disappearing; he was about 9 months old at the time.

Bob was, it was believed, picked up as a stray in Adelaide. His true railway career appears to commence not long after he was being consigned from Adelaide along with fifty other dogs to Quorn, to be used to exterminate rabbits. He "broke pack"and was obtained as a stray from the Police in Port Augusta by William Seth Ferry, then working as a Special Guard at Petersburg as Peterborough was then known. Ferry "registered him right away" and is recorded as noting he acquired Bob on 24 September 1884.

Bob was known to travel on trains to and from Petersburg often sitting in the front of the coal space in the locomotive tender, travelling many thousands of miles. According to the Petersburg Times: " His favourite place on a Yankee engine; the big whistle and belching smokestack seem(ed) to have an irresistible attraction for him....he lived on the fat of the land , and was not particular from whom he accepted his dinner"

Every time he heard the train whistle he would run and jump onto the footplate of the engine. Some say he died in Adelaide others say Peterborough. He was 17 years old. His body was displayed in a local pub.

His collar is on display in the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide, along with photographs and other artifacts. Bob is remembered today by railway workers and historians alike.

The following poem was published in the Advertiser on 17 August 1895:

Home-keeping dogs have homely wits,
Their notions tame and poor;
I scorn the dog who humbly sits
Before the cottage door,
Or those who weary vigils keep,
Or follow lovely kine;
A dreary life midst stupid sheep
Shall ne'er be lot of mine.

For free from thrall I travel far,
No fixed abode I own;
I leap aboard a railway car;
By every one I' know;
Today I am here, tomorrow brings
Me miles and miles away;
Borne swiftly on steams rushing wings,
I see fresh friends each day.

Each Driver from the footplate hales
My coming with delight;
I gain from all upon the rails;
A welcome ever bright;
I share the perils of the line
with mates from end to end,
Who would not for a silver mine
Have harm befall their friend

Let other dogs snarl and fight,
And round the city prowl,
Or render hideous the night
With unmelodious howl.
I have a cheery bark for all,
No ties my travels clog;
I hear the whistle, that's the call
For Bob, the driver's dog.

This post is for Taphophile Tragics #5 meme.

AUSTRALIA DAY

2012-01-26T13:00:00.000+10:00

ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,

Advance Australia Fair.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

To celebrate Australia day I would like to shower you with Australian wild flowers.

Our national floral emblem, the Wattle.

Grevillea and Banksia

Gum blossoms

Kangaroo Paw, Native Frangipani, Native Pea, Flame Tree.

BOY STUFF

2012-01-25T12:42:00.001+10:00

We were driving from Port Augusta to Burra in South Australia. On the way we stopped at Orroroo for morning tea (last post) and we stopped at Peterborough to visit the 'Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre.'
Peterborough was settled in 1875. It was called Petersburg but the name changed during WW1 due to anti german sentiment, as were many towns in S.A. They had german names because of the big german migrant population there.

Peterborough is situated in wheat country and has a population of 1,700. It has an interesting rail history. It used to be on the intersection of the east west and north south rail lines. Both lines were narrow gauge (3'6") until 1970 when the east west line changed to standard gauge (4'8½") and the line south to Terowie was converted to broad gauge (5'3"). (One wonders why this happened) However, it made Peterborough become a triple gauge junction there were three in the country at that time. This meant an awful lot of changing trains when travelling across the country. It also meant that triple gauge turntables had to be built at the junctions. Now most of our railways are standard gauge. When the conversions took place lines were also moved and Peterborough was no longer a junction but the east west line, (the Indian Pacific train) still passes through Peterborough.
On the map you can see Adelaide at the bottom and Port Augusta at the top left. You can see the Pich Richi railway to Quorn.(past post) Peterborough is on the right. The red line is the north, south railway with the "Ghan"train going from Adelaide to Darwin. The blue line is the east/west line with the"Indian Pacific" train going from Sydney to Perth.

We took a guided tour of the museum. The triple gauge turntable is still in working order. The roundhouse where locomotives were serviced now houses many different heritage engines and carriages.

It was well set out museum with easy access to all the engines and carriages.

Bill and the boys were having fun.

An early diesel engine.

They had a variety of carriages this one was the travelling nurse's carriage.

This one the club car.

It took over an hour to see everything but for an outback town it was a splendid museum.

The centre also provides work for the unemployed who cannot find jobs but are receiving 'the dole' (social security payments.) After so many weeks on the dole they must do some kind of work to continue receiving the dole. So here they help restore old rolling stock.

OFF TO ORROROO

2012-01-23T17:35:00.000+10:00

We passed an old farmhouse and wagon.

After spending 3 days exploring Port Augusta, we continued on our tour of South Australia a few months ago. Together with 4 friends we drove on towards Peterborough to visit the Steam Train Museum. However, we stopped on the way for coffee at a charming little country town called Orroroo. The coffee shop was gorgeous with lovely crafts and gifts too.Before we arrived there we stopped at the biggest gum (Eucalyptus) tree.

As we entered the town we were greeted by this great sculpture made from metal strips and their heads nodded in the breeze as if they were really pulling the plough.

Council chambers

The little houses in Orroroo were so cute.

As usual I can't finish a post without a wildflower from the area.

BLOOMIN' BEAUTIFUL

2012-01-21T23:37:00.000+10:00

During our tour of Port Augusta in South Australia we visited the 'Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden' It was established in 1993 to provide an international, arid zone ecosystem, research centre and to provide a wider appreciation of Australia's arid zone flora.The myriad of highly evolved plants are adapted to extreme temperatures and years of drought. They are fragile, complex and they are not found anywhere else in the world. Here are just a few:

POTTERING AROUND PORT AUGUSTA

2012-01-19T17:39:00.000+10:00

After our train trip we returned to our motel in Pt Augusta. The next morning the six of us went exploring our surroundings. Pt Augusta is quite an important town. It is situated at the tip of Spencer Gulf. It is a sea port and the crossroads of Australia. The north/south and east/west railways and highways all intersect here. The town was founded in 1852 and named after Lady Augusta Sophia Young the wife of the governor of South Australia, Sir Henry Edward FOX Young. (Did you see that name? Same as our grandson.)

View Larger Map

Off we went to the Water Tower Lookout and climbed up many steps to the top. We look over part of Port Augusta and Spencer Gulf.

We jumped in the car and off to Matthew Flinders Lookout (He was the first sailor to navigate all the way around Australia) We could see the Red Cliffs, no points for guessing why they are called that.

Then it was time to be at the little dock ready for our booked cruise up to the tip of Spencer Gulf. While waiting I got a kick out of the signs. The distant one says "Swimming Prohibited" and the other you can read. So can't the swimmers read or are the locals disobedient?

I also checked out the wild flowers nearby....I just can't get enough of them.

The luxury cruise boat arrives. Hee hee

We took a closer look at the Red Cliffs. The colour was stunning even on a very dull day. Can you imagine how it looks with a big blue sky at the back?

All along the banks there was red soil, mangrove bushes and lots of birds. Red Oz would like this.

The gulf got very narrow with Eyre Peninsula on one side and

Yorke Peninsula on the other

On the way back we were accompanied by frolicking dolphins who like surfing along side the boat catching the wash.

Quorn

2012-01-17T21:03:00.000+10:00

Continuing with our tour in SA we alighted the historic Afghan Express at Quorn, a delightful little town with a big history. Quorn was named after Quorndon in the UK and was surveyed in 1878 as a railhead town for the Central Australian Line (The Ghan). In 1917 the new Trans Australian Line (The Indian Pacific) stretching across the continent from east to west passed through Quorn also. This caused the town to expand now becoming the crossroads for the north south and east west lines. Many fine buildings were constructed. By the 8o's both lines had been changed to a wider gauge and to a different location. Trucks took over the freight business and so the town started do die. However , thanks to the Pichi Richi Preservation Society, which renovated the line and locomotives and introduced tourist trips between Quorn and Port Augusta the town has survived. It is also the main town for the Flinders Ranges region. The Flinders Ranges also attract visitors.

The buildings were really beautiful. The Post Office.

The Town Hall, the stone plaque was laid in 1891.

The second building is a shop called Quornucopia and it sold all sorts of interesting items but best of all was its book collection. I bought a book there for my grandson.

Lovely house and the old Mill.

We found a lovely old fashioned country cafe for lunch and then returned to the station to catch the histioric Afghan Express back to Port Augusta.

The volunteer train buffs had to take the engine off and take it to the other end of the train so as to travel back in the opposite direction.

While Bill enjoyed watching all the huffing and puffing of the engine and it connecting with the train, I enjoyed taking arty farty fotos and................

...........pictures of wild flowers.

During the trip back we saw a kangaroo spooked by the train and was madly trying to hop away.

Bill was taking loads of video footage . He made a short clip for my post. Hope you like the ride.

THE PICHI RICHI RAILWAY S.A.

2012-01-15T22:52:00.002+10:00

Just in case you haven't realised already from reading my blog, I must tell you that Bill loves trains. When we did the Lake Eyre Tour in South Australia in 2010 our tour guide told us about the historic Pichi Richi Railway which goes between Pt Augusta and Quorn. We saw books and pictures of it and decided we would go back and travel on it one day. So our friend Ann who organised this trip booked up for us to do the train trip. First I will explain a little about the rail line.

The Ghan pulling into Alice Springs Station when we were there some years ago.
We flew there, we have never been on The Ghan.

The Ghan Train runs right through the centre of Australia from Adelaide in the south to Darwin in the north. It was called The Afghan Express and then shortened to 'The Ghan" in memory of the Afghan and Indian cameleers who used to travel in caravans along this route before the rail line was built.

The line commenced in Port Augusta in 1876 but didn't reach Alice Springs until 1929. The second stage to Darwin wasn't started until 2001 and was completed in 2004. In 1956 the line was moved to the west a few hundred miles to avoid the continual washouts in the wet season.

The section of line between Port Augusta and Quorn runs through an area called Pichi Richi an aboriginal name of a plant that grows there. The Ghan no longer uses this section of line and in 1974 the Pichi Richi Preservation society restored the line and an original Afghan Express Train, which now takes tourists between Port Augusta and Quorn.

We arrived early at the station and watched the volunteers get the train out of its shed and put together for our ride.

It comes in backwards.

Bill gets his ticket checked by
a volunteer.

Passing scenery.

It was fun hanging out from the veranda taking shots until I got soot in my eye.

We went over an old iron bridge and tourists in cars stopped to take photos of the historic train.

Grass trees or Xanthorrhoea covered the hillside.

After 2 hours of fun we arrived at Quorn, a beautiful little town that I will show in the next post.

MEANDERING ALONG THE YORKE PENINSULA

2012-01-13T22:03:00.000+10:00

Continuing our tour by car from Adelaide to Port Augusta, we stopped at Port Broughton for lunch. It is a sleepy little tourist town on the Yorke Peninsular and the east coast of the Spencer Gulf. It used to have a train which loaded grain onto Windjammer ships for England. It is an agriculture township.

I loved the old architecture of the hotel. It overlooked the Gulf.

The view was good.

The seafood was nice too. Helen ordered prawns, they were different.

After lunch we drove on to Port Pirie famous for lead and zinc smelting.

The railway no longer exists here but the gorgeous old station is now a Museum. I was fascinated by pictures in the museum of trains running down the main road.

Just as we were leaving the town Ann spotted this interesting old shop. We pulled over and took a closer look.

The door was shut but was displaying this poem.

Looking through the window it became obvious that it was an antique shop but it looked more like a junk shop. We had a giggle at the signs. " These two "Died of boredom waiting for customers but will be resurrected when you telephone...."

A LITTLE BIT OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

2012-01-12T23:21:00.000+10:00

After we completed our tour in Western Australia we flew to Adelaide the capital of South Australia. We were still accompanied by our friends, Helen and Paul and we met our other friends, Ann and George at the Mercure Hotel.

View SOUTH AUSTRALIA in a larger map

The next morning we picked up a hire car big enough to fit all six of us and the luggage. Then we set off for Port Augusta at the tip of Spencer Gulf. We made a few stops on the way... you guessed it... for coffee and sight seeing. It was another dull day.

The people mover

As we drove out of the city heading north through farm land we passed a collection of sculptures there were many more than I have shown here. They were made of recycled scrap metal. I wasn't that taken by them and thought they looked a bit like junk. However, after researching them I found out that is what they are .....recycled junk. They are called the Protest Sculptures and they were created by a local farmer, Steve Jones in 1998 in protest against a proposed landfill dump to be created close to the small town of Dublin. Steve's friends got together in a shed with a welder and produced a cockroach, fly and rat first to show what a dump would attract but then they continued to make a variety of sculptures to encourage recycling. Today 14 years later they stand as silent sentinels for conservation. (mmmm I'm not so sure that they don't look like a rubbish dump.) Unfortunately their protest was unsuccessful.

We drove on and found a house in the middle of the road being transported elsewhere.

Then we arrived in the lovely town of Kadina. Established in 1878 as a copper mining town. It was settled by miners from Cornwall in England. Mining ceased in 1938.

There are many colonial and federation style buildings.

South Australia has beautiful wild flowers too.

RESTING IN THE SUNSET

2012-01-10T14:50:00.002+10:00

Before I take you on a tour of South Australia we will visit a cemetery in Clunes, New South Wales for Julie's Tuesday meme "Taphophile Tragics".

I don't have any interesting historical information about the graves or the cemetery but it is situated in a beautiful place. Clunes is a scattered village in the rolling hills of the Northern Rivers District of NSW.

A few years ago we visited friends who live in Clunes. In the evening they took us for a walk to the top of a nearby hill. On the hill in pastures green there was an old cemetery where the residents had a lovely place to rest in the sunset. I liked the way the sun played on the fence.

My friend told me that the Protestant and Catholic graves were separated. The majority of the graves were Protestant and just these few Catholics were by themselves in the far corner. ( I could have the religions the wrong way round). I was more interested in capturing the silhouette at the time.

The residents in the next paddock were quietly munching away in this beautiful, serene place.

A DULL DAY IN PERTH

2012-01-08T18:13:00.000+10:00

During our last trip I left you all stranded at the Pinnacles. So I will take you back to the tour bus and we drive south for a few hours and arrive in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. I like Perth it is a modern city situated on the Swan River. It is a growing city and many people are moving there to work in the mining industry, which is booming at the moment, due to the demand of developing countries on our mineral resources.

We had a farewell dinner at the hotel as this was the last night of our Western Wildflower Wonderland Tour. The next day we didn't have to be at the airport until midday so we took an early morning walk through the streets of Perth. It was a dull, cold day and difficult to get good shots.

We found Hay St. Mall because, as usual, Bill needed to go to an Apple Store. I'm sure he wants to visit every Apple Store in the world. I've lost count of how many we've just had to visit.

Anyway, while waiting for him I saw this sculpture of Percy Button. He was a street entertainer between the 20's and 30's. The sculpture celebrates the spirit of the street. The artists were Charlie Smith and Joan Walshe-Smith.

Then I found a lane with interesting decoration. I thought Julie from Sydney Eye would like this.

After Bill had bought the latest Apple product we went looking for a coffee shop, another of his pleasures when supposedly sight

seeing.

We came across London Court a gorgeous little lane that is full of interesting shops with an English feel. However, the clock at the entrance is a replica of the Great Clock of Rouen in France. Every 15 mins it chimes and 'The Tournement of the Armoured Knights' circle in the window above the clock.

We only looked at the chocolates but I still put on weight.

We found the always needed coffee shop and while waiting for the coffee I noticed this interesting group of sculptures through the window. They were business men through the ages walking to the entrance of the St Martins business centre.

Perth has many sculptures, almost one on every corner. This one in front of St George's Cathedral on St George's Tce is a beauty. It is a very modern interpretation of St George and the dragon. It had a beautiful flowing form. St George's cape is billowing around his lance. The sculpture is named Ascalon after the lance.

A $500,000 donation by Mark Creasy enabled the Dean and Chapter of the cathedral to commission local artists Marcus Canning and Christian de Vertri. They had Glen Swarbuick make the 18m cloak from a hybrid composite. The sculpture is said to "evoke a sense of righteous power and victory over a force of darkness and oppression"

We were heading back to the hotel to pick up our bags and get driven to the airport when I saw a picture of our daughter Sonya's brother in law, Stephen Curry, on a bus stand. He is an actor and has the lead role in the film "The Cup".

Soon we were on the plane heading towards Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, where we would meet more friends for another tour. I hope you will join me.

KOALA BUSHLAND

2012-01-06T19:42:00.001+10:00

In 1996 four local authorities got together and decided to work together to manage their conservation aims for the forests and parks that are all joined together in our area. So Daisy Hill, Venman, Neville Lawrence, Kimberley, Burnett and Ford Conservation areas all come under the one name "The Koala Bushland Coordinated Conservation Area. This 1100 ha of natural bushland borders Logan City and Redland City. Koalas don't live in one area but move up and down a corridor munching their way through tons of gum (eucalyptus) leaves. Unfortunately housing development in these corridors is causing the decline in the number of koalas. This conservation area is to provide koalas with a safe corridor and to provide the community with opportunities for nature based recreation and education.

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View Larger Map

We are so lucky to live 15 min walk to the Daisy Hill Conservation Park, which I still call the Daisy Hill Forest as it was when we first moved here. There are many trails in the forest some are for walking, some for bikes, some for horses and some are shared with everyone.

There are car parks and picnic areas with many barbecues.

I walk to the forest most mornings and then do the ring road and return home. It usually takes me an hour. Sometimes I can convince Mr B to join me. One day last week we went for a gentle walk along the Tree Discovery Trail.

I love how the morning sunlight penetrates the forest and drenches the picnic and play area.

We often come across these cute but shy wallabies (a small species of kangaroo)

However, we only see koalas occasionally. Numbers are dwindling and they sleep high up in the trees well camouflaged during the day. They feed and move from tree to tree at night. Within the conservation park there is The Daisy Hill Koala Centre, which is an educational facility and it also cares for orphaned baby koalas, often taken from the pouches of mothers who have been hit by cars or mauled by dogs.

There are so many interesting things to see in the forest, vines, grasses and

and a variety of different coloured trees. Now that summer has arrived many are shedding their bark.

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Yesterday I joined the U3A Bushwalking Club for my second time with them.

They walk for two hours at a good pace stopping only a few times for a drink of water. This is not a gentle walk.

Each week they choose a different trail. The walks are all pretty and sometimes I wish I could stop to soak up the beauty and explore nature, but I guess we are on a fitness exercise.

We were on a shared path and the cyclist were good as they got off their bikes to pass us. I was so chuffed that I could keep up with the seasoned walkers although the steep hills nearly toppled me but, no, I made it! Now I'm looking forward to next Thursday.

TAPHOPHILIA IN MARREE

2012-01-04T12:57:00.000+10:00

WARNING to aboriginal readers. There is the name of a deceased ancestor in this post.

Marree is a tiny town in the middle of the desert in South Australia. It is 685k north of Adelaide and has a population of 70.

From a plane it is a a collection of tiny dots near the horizon.

It is situated at the intersection of the Birdsville Track and the Oodnadatta Track. The explore John McDouall Stuart passed through here in 1859 and his assistant Hergott discovered a spring nearby and called the place Hergott Springs but in 1918 the name was changed to Marree due to anti german sentiment during the war. Before trains arrived in the outback most travel and transport was carried out by cameleers called, Afghans. In actual fact most of them were from India.

The small but very old cemetery is divided into three sections. Afghans, Aborigines and Europeans.If you enlarge this you can see arabic writing and then "In Memory of Wahub, Afghan died in 1855.

It was the tradition that when a cameleer died his lead camel was killed and buried next to him. So there were many small graves and then bigger humps (pardon the pun) next to them.

This aboriginal grave was decorated with many flowers and ornaments of things important to the deceased. The cross reads RIP, Clive John Dodd 2-7-60 to 24-10-07, Loved, Husband, Father, Brother,Uncle,Pappa, Son. Loved always.........(the rest is hidden)

We were in the European section when a whirlwind or Willy Willy (see it at the right) started to blow around and around and whipped up the sand and grass balls (see them in the sky). It stung our legs and hurt our eyes so off we went back to the bus.
Read more Taphophile Tragics' posts on Julie's meme.

GENERATOR

2012-01-01T22:49:00.000+10:00

The Brisbane Powerhouse Theatre situated at New Farm on the banks of the Brisbane River is a stunning industrial creation for contemporary performing arts and a multi-arts venue.

The Powerhouse Theatre

Originally it was built to provide electricity for a huge tram network and local suburbs between 1928 and 1940. It was designed by R.R. Ogg. As trams gave way to buses the powerhouse was decommissioned in 1970. The derelict building provided shelter for the homeless, target practice for the army, a location for film makers and a canvas for graffiti artists.

The entrance

In 1989 the powerhouse was identified as being culturally significant and the concept of a centre for the arts was born. It was redeveloped by the council and designed by P. Roy.

The building comes alive when it is full of people

The Powerhouse Theatre was opened in 2000 and refurbished in 2007. There are theatres, restaurants, bars function and conference spaces.

There are many levels and open spaces.

The mayor and designers decided to keep as much of the original building as it was so it still looks like an industrial building but it has state of the art equipment for the theatres and multi-media spaces.

The pillars have been left in the state that they were in the derelict building but they have been painted with a clear enamel to keep them clean and safe for visitors. The light is made from electrical insulators found on the site.

Most of the graffiti has been kept also and is actually heritage listed. Offensive stuff was removed. Renown Graffiti artists Anthony Lister, Blek Le Rat and Kasino were commissioned to add more modern graffiti . It really gives the place a very modern, young atmosphere. It is an exciting building to visit and if you are into avant guard theatre productions, the shows are good too.

We were visiting the theatre for a very proud moment. Our son in law, David, was commissioned to produce an audio guide for the building. He worked for over a year putting together a collection of interviews, sounds and music which tell about the history, the redesign, the art, and the spaces of the building.

It has been developed as an Application called GENERATOR for an iphone or ipad and can be listened to while touring the building or at home. We have found it very informative and an excellent production.

So this night was the launching of the GENERATOR by David Pickvance. The audience was provided with cheese platters and wine.

David outlines the content and how he collected all the data for the audio tour.

David shows members of the audience how the app works on a phone. It is a free application and can be downloaded here. David is a composer and you can see more of his work here (scroll over the orange berries on the tree)

FOREST ESCAPADES

2011-12-29T17:09:00.001+10:00

I am trying to get rid of kilos that I have put on from the last holiday and two Christmas dinners, so I have been walking every morning but it hasn't made any difference yet. However, some of the walks have been interesting. Most mornings I walk on my own to the forest then around the ring road and then home again. This takes about an hour. On Saturdays I drive to the forest and walk with two friends and we go deeper into the forest, where it is shady and pretty. We walk for about an hour, taking different tracks each time.

A lot of mountain bike riders use the tracks too. On our last walk we came across a rider who was in a heap on the ground and his bike was dangling from a wire fence some way from the track. The skin was missing from one side of his face and his jaw was agape as if it was broken. Luckily a group of bikers had found him just before us and they had called the ambulance and they stayed with him. Some of the riders go at crazy speeds and fly over crests. We always have to listen out for them coming and get out of the way but most do the right thing and slow down and give us a warning. The rules are that bikes give way to pedestrians and horses.

We continued walking towards the gate exit and expected to see an ambulance coming but none did. We walked for another 30 mins before reaching the gate where we saw the ambulance and a fire truck. The gate was locked with a padlock. The firemen were trying to cut off the lock.

Finally a forest ranger turned up with a key.(There were no rangers on duty as it was 7:00 am) As we passed, I heard the ranger chastise the ambos and fireries for not having a key. She said that Logan City emergency services all should have a key. They then told her that they were from Brisbane not Logan (They are adjoining cities and we were close to the city boundaries.) What a stuff up!! I kept thinking of that poor guy lying there injured and suffering from shock. Anyway the gate opened and off they went and we returned to the car park and home.

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TODAY.

Every Thursday the Logan U3A bushwalking group walk in the forest. I usually play tennis and can't join them. However, tennis is not on during the school holidays, so I could join the walkers today. Wow, what a walk. These guys are not faint hearted they hiked along at a cracking pace. We took a track that I have never been on and it was very hilly and scenic, almost a rainforest in some places. The track was narrow, windy and steep but on the return walk we came via the wider track as seen above. We hiked for two hours at pace. I loved it but I was tuckered out when I got home.
(All the photos were taken by my ancient phone)

FUN WITH FRIENDS

2011-12-28T16:44:00.000+10:00

I play tennis every Thursday with a great bunch of senior ladies. At the end of each year they have an outing paid for by the little extra that we pop in the tin each tennis day. This year we chose to go to the Full Moon Hotel at Sandgate.

Sandgate is a bayside suburb of Brisbane situated 16k north of the city. It was settled in 1853 and when the railway arrived it became a popular place for people to go for seaside recreation and to cool off in summer.

We copied the early travellers and caught a train. First we all met in the city and had a coffee.

Unfortunately it wasn't a sunny day for us but it didn't stop us having fun. We walked from the station.....

....passing the historic Town Hall.

We soon arrived at the Full Moon Hotel, which was built in the 1860's and called Osbourne House then and provided accommodation for the travellers. It overlooks Bramble Bay and has a great seafood menu

This is how it looks on a sunny day. I took this with my phone on an earlier visit to Sandgate.

After a delicious lunch and lots of happy chatter we strolled back to the station without needing umbrellas. We passed some earlier styled homes on the way.

The next Thursday at tennis we decided to continue the Christmas spirit and we all brought a plate of food and had another party

My great tennis mates. Two ladies cannot play any more due to medical reasons but they still come for the social enjoyment.

Party in the tennis shed.

TAPHOPHILE TRAGICS ????

2011-12-27T16:31:00.000+10:00

I learnt a few new words this week, one of them being taphophile (one who enjoys cemeteries, graveyards, funerals and the trimmings of death.) Photographing headstones and graves is also included. Julie from Sydney Eye has started a meme for taphophiles called Taphophile Tragics. I don't usually participate in memes but this one sounds like fun. So here goes.

A dog driving a ute, installed on top of the roadhouse. Note the number plate and windscreen text.

A statue of a dog erected in commemoration
of the world record for a "Dog and a Ute" parade.

Corrigin is a small country town in WA. It has a population of 900 and it is situated in wheat and sheep country. However, the town is known for its love of dogs. It is quite a familiar site in the country to see a dog in the back of a ute. (utility truck as above). In 2003 the locals organised a world record parade of 1,527 utes with a dog.

So I guess it is understandable for this tiny town to have a Dog Cemetery.

It was touching to see pet names on the gravestones but a bit unusual.

CHRISTMAS TIMES TWO

2011-12-26T21:52:00.002+10:00

We celebrated on Christmas Eve at our house with a seafood and salad buffet, a fruit platter and Christmas cake.

Prawns, Moreton Bay Bug and Snapper fish hiding behind the prawns.

Only a small crowd this year. Carol, David and his parents, Alma and Bill.

On Christmas Day we went to Alma and Bill's house and had traditional turkey and ham with roast potatoes and vegetables. It was delicious. There was also trifle and pudding.

Two happy, full reindeer.

More Christmas bokeh.

Now the diet begins.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

2011-12-22T19:54:00.000+10:00

Our immediate neighbours have put us to shame in the Christmas lights department.

Bill has made a very short video of our neighbour's lights. It s rather nice because they do all the work and suffer the expense, while we sit here and enjoy the light show.

This and the next few shots are for Jo at Memorable Meanders as she has just discovered the fun of bokeh photography.

Christmas lights are easy to get the bokeh effect.

BIRTHDAY BEAR'S CHRISTMAS PARTY

2011-12-20T22:25:00.002+10:00

Birthday Bear took his friends, Ann, George, Helen, Paul, Mary, Diane and Bill to the Lighthouse Restaurant at Cleveland Point for a Christmas lunch.

The building was constructed in 1936 after the original built in 1879 burnt down. The restaurant got new owners and a renovation in 2006. Since then it has become a very popular seafood restaurant.

It is built on the water's edge and the view of Moreton Bay is very relaxing.

Birthday Bear looked very Christmassy in his Santa's Helper suit. He had lots of presents to give out too.

Ann dressed Bear and she is just adjusting his smart boots.

Bill and I shared a platter. It was delicious, fish, scallops, oysters, octopus, calamari, smoked salmon, prawns, and Moreton Bay Bugs.

Bear enjoyed the prawns/shrimps.

He also partook of some fruity, red wine.

NO ONE KNOWS

2011-12-18T18:01:00.003+10:00

We left Geraldton and headed south towards Perth in Western Australia.

Pt Denison.

We stopped at Port Denison for morning tea. It was showery and cold. I found a seat but wished that I was 60 years younger.

It was the last day of our "Western Wildflower Wonderland Tour" so we got together for a group photo. They were a great crowd to travel with. Everyone was friendly and helpful.

Before arriving in Perth we had lunch at the town of Cervantes. Then we were taken to Nambung National Park to see The Pinnacles . They are limestone spires, which were created millions of years ago. Wind and rain erosion has exposed the Pinnacles from under the golden, quartz, sand dunes. No one knows how they were formed.

However, there are theories. The favoured one is that plants played a role in the creation of the Pinnacles. Minerals are drawn from the sand to the roots. There is a lot of calcium derived from shells. An excess of calcium builds up over the plant and turns into calcrete. When the plant dies the cavities are also filled with carbonate material.

One of my tour buddies and I did the 2.5 k walk around the desert and up to the lookout. The structure's shapes and sizes were fascinating.

Cars are allowed to drive around but they must stay on the designated tracks. We walked up the hill in the background to the lookout.

The view was like out of a science fiction movie. We were lucky that the rain held off.

Then we headed back to the bus for the last time. It wasn't easy trying to find the markers that led us out of the desert. Soon we were in Perth and at the end of this tour.

FLOWERS AND TEARS

2011-12-16T19:57:00.001+10:00

After the thrilling visit to Shark Bay WA were on our way back to Perth but we stayed overnight at Geraldton.

This little flower was growing on the beach at Monkey Mia.

This tour was called the 'Western Wildflower Wonderland Tour' so the bus often stopped for us to photograph the huge variety of wildflowers. (Luckily there wasn't much traffic on the road.)

In the afternoon we pulled into the coastal port town of Geraldton. We were taken to Mt Scott where the HMAS Sydney ll Memorial is situated. The HMAS Sydney ll often visited Geraldton. In 1940 she went to war in the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. She fought many battles. In 1941 her last encounter was with the German ship Kormoron, masquerading as a Dutch ship in the Indian Ocean. Sydney was sunk and all 645 men were lost. The Kormoron also caught fire and sank and there were survivors who were interned in Australia.

There are 5 elements to the memorial.

(1) The Dome of Souls comprising of 645 stainless steel seagulls to represent the men lost.

It overlooks the town and the Indian Ocean. There is a podium with the nautical compass and a propellor from a ship. This is where wreaths are laid.

(2) The Waiting Woman Sculpture represents anxious mothers looking over the ocean waiting for the return of their sons serving on the Sydney.

This wonderful statue and the look on her face brought tears to my eyes as I thought of the agony mothers and wives must have endured. It also reminded me of how the mothers and relatives of the men overseas at war now must be feeling. I wonder will there ever be an end to wars?

(3) The Stele monument is symbolic of upright gravestones and it is a stainless steel representation of the prow of the HMAS Sydney ll. It is best viewed from the front (I have since read) but silly me didn't get that shot.

(4) The Remembrance Wall where all the names and photos of the men and ship are shown.

(5) The Remembrance Pool which I didn't see. (I must have been looking in the wrong direction). It has 644 seagulls on the bottom of the pool and the 645th seagull is flying with its wing tip pointing down into the water to where the ship is lying.

photo from the web.

The Sydney and the Kormoron were found on the bottom of the ocean in 2008.

THE OLDEST LIFE FORM ON EARTH

2011-12-14T15:10:00.000+10:00

After Shell Beach we boarded the tour bus for the small settlement of Hamelin Pool. We are still in the Shark Bay World Heritage area of WA. Hamelin Pool is the home of the oldest life form on earth--Stromatolites. Recent research claims they were on earth 3,450 billion years ago. Modern ones are only found in two places in the world, The Bahamas and here in Shark Bay. Stromatolites were the first structures built by cyanobacteria which produced oxygen and so led the way for the development of plant and animal life. They need shallow, warm, salty water to grow.

The videographer is filming our group walking out on the boardwalk, which protects these fragile life forms. At first they look like rocks but they are not, some are spongy and some are hard. Come with us and learn about these strange organisms by reading the plaques on the boardwalk. In most photos you are looking through the water and so they may be a little blurry.

So there you have your science lesson for today. I vaguely remember a David Attenborough program about stromatolites but it was a special treat to learn about them in real life.

SHELL SHOCK

2011-12-12T22:24:00.002+10:00

After two glorious days in Monkey Mia it was time for the tour bus to turn around and head south back to Perth, the capital of Western Australia.

We got up. finished packing and headed to the restaurant for breakfast. The Bay was beautiful and it was hard to see where the sea and sky met because they were the same colour. The boat in the distance looked just like it was sailing into the sky.

Then back to our cabin and one last look at the magic view and we were off to catch the bus.

First stop was Shell Beach, where the green arrow is pointing.

Now I have seen some shell beaches before but this one was amazing. As far as you can see is shells. There are some loose ones but most are stuck together by natures cement.

I'm photographing the loose ones in the depression but I am kneeling on the ones cemented together by a natural chemical that comes from the sea. In some places it is 10m/30ft deep.

This stuff is called Hamelin coquina and for years it was used as a light weight building material. Hamelin Pool is the name of the place where it is found.

This post card shows how they cut bricks from the coquina. Now that it is a world heritage area people can no longer use the shells for bricks unless it is to restore historic buildings.

We had morning tea in a cafe built from shell bricks.

The shell beach was beautiful and quite isolated except for the two people way down there. Can you see two black dots? Hee hee I zoomed in and discovered that........

......they were skinny dipping grey nomads who thought they were on their own until our bus load of tourists came to annoy them with our tele photo lenses. I do feel guilty by not respecting their privacy but ..............its funny.

DELIGHTFUL DOLPHINS

2011-12-10T19:13:00.001+10:00

For many years I have wanted to see the dolphins at Monkey Mia in W.A. and I was looking forward to this moment very much. The morning after we arrived at Monkey Mia we were told to be on the beach at 7:30 and we should see the dolphins come in to be fed. I arrived early and the rangers told us we had to sit on the boardwalk and wait until we saw them and then walk very slowly to the edge of the water so as not to frighten them. The rangers have strict rules now on the amount of contact allowed and for how long. This has not always been the case.

Forty years ago a fisherman and his wife started feeding the dolphins when returning with their catch. As the news spread many tourists started arriving. They would feed and pat the dolphins and swim with them but when the area became a marine park and a dolphin research location it was discovered that the dolphins were dying. Investigations found that because the mother dolphins were coming into the shallow water to be fed and stayed there for a long time the babies could not get under their mothers to suckle. It was also found that dolphins could catch human viruses and die.

So rules were made. No one is to touch the dolphins or swim with them. Feeding time is limited to 30 minutes and only the same five dolphins are fed. The rangers choose a few people from the crowd to feed the dolphins. Although I realised I probably wouldn't be feeding a dolphin I wasn't upset as I could take photos instead and I agreed with the rules so as to save these beautiful animals from getting sick.

We waited for what seemed ages for them to arrive. The rangers warned us that they may decide not to come today. That got me worried until she said they have only done that twice in the past. There were about 100 people gathered on the beach on a signal from the rangers we moved to the water's edge.

At first there were only a couple and then more and more turned up. It was a big pod.

They swam back and forth and closer and closer. It was so exciting.

Then five of them left the pod and came in even closer when they saw the rangers with the buckets of fish.

There were two rangers. They talked to the dolphins and had names for them. They told us how to tell their age by the number of speckly dots on their tummies.

It was low tide and the water was a bit murky and hard for them to get in close. This one came to say hello and pose for me.

This lucky guy was . chosen to feed one.

It was lovely to see children interacting with the dolphins. Notice in the background the rest of the pod were frolicking, romancing and chasing fish. It was a great experience and all over too quickly but they come back at lunchtime and in the evenings.

After lunch I went on a catamaran cruise to view dugongs these are big marine mammals similar to manitee and sometimes called a sea cow. They eat sea grass and are vulnerable to extinction. (I am second from left with pink shirt and blue hat)

Off we go. Photo by Bill who stayed on terra firma.

The wind got up and it was quite cold. Everyone had their eyes peeled looking for dugongs and turtles.

But all we saw was beautiful clear green water but not a dugong in sight. Anyway the cruise was fun.

So no whales in Albany and no dugongs here. Thats wildlife for you. At least the dolphins came in.

SHARK BAY W.A.

2011-12-08T20:36:00.001+10:00

We were getting close to our most northerly destination, Monkey Mia in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.

There were many wildflowers but only one road house between Kalbarri and Monkey Mia and there were 3 tour buses all pulled in for lunch. We had a super driver who pulled up close to the door so we could hop out and get inside before the others made it from the car park. So we got served first and got a table. Full marks to APTour Co.

The red arrow shows where the Dutch Captain Dirk Hartog made the first recorded landing on Australia back in 1616. He nailed a pewter plate to a post with a carved message. The plate was discovered by another dutchman Captain Vlamingh who took it back to Holland where it is today in the Rijkes Museum. Vlamingh left a plate of his own, which is in the Fremantle Maritime Museum.
The yellow arrow is the town of Denham and the blue arrow is the town of Monkey Mia.

Denham is a gorgeous, sleepy little fishing and holiday town and so untouched by development. However they have an ultra modern new Shark Bay Discovery and Visitors Centre, where we had a guided tour and learnt all about why Shark Bay is one of the most important World Heritage sites.

Shark Bay qualifies to be a world heritage centre in all four categories: Evolutionary History, Natural Beauty, Threatened Species and Geological and Biological processes. After our lesson and another look at the natural beauty of the bay we were on the bus again heading for Monkey Mia.

On the way the bus turned off the main road and took us to Eagle Bluff Lookout, where we could see the amazing colours of the sea and.....

many sharks swimming close to the shore. You can see just two of them here. It is obvious why this place is called Shark Bay.

Finally we arrived at our destination. We were not disappointed it is a beautiful place and this was the view from our cabin.

It was evening and we were tired from the long day but we couldn't resist a walk along the beach.

It was certainly a romantic spot as these two show, arm in arm gazing over the bay.

Then it was back to the restaurant with a fabulous view for dinner. I was looking forward to the morning when the wild dolphins would swim into the shore to interact with humans.

GORGES AND GORGEOUS WILDFLOWERS

2011-12-06T19:41:00.001+10:00

On this day of our tour we realised why it was called "Western Wildflower Wonderland Tour". We left Kalbarri and headed north towards Shark Bay and Monkey Mia in Western Australia.

The road travelled through scrubby, desert like country.

Every now and then the driver pulled over for us to walk through the scrubland and discover a multitude of flowers. There was the occasional small tree but when you looked closely at the undergrowth it was a mass of different coloured and shaped wildflowers. Just a few are below.

There were too many to include all of them here.

After driving for miles through flat desert like country we suddenly came upon a gorge at Hawks Head where the Murchison River hidden from view winds its way through the gorge to the sea.

It was like a blip in the flat countryside.

At the lookout I noticed this tree with interesting red flowers. As I walked closer I saw that the flowers sprouted straight out of the branches without a stem. They were strange but beautiful. I have no idea what they are called. I was so involved with the wonder of them that I nearly missed the bus boarding deadline.

On the way to Shark Bay the driver pulled over again, where the ground was covered for as far as you could see with these pretty purple flowers interspersed with many other varieties too.

It truly was a wildflower wonderland.

Next stop The world heritage Shark Bay.

BLOOMS AND BEACHES

2011-12-04T15:43:00.001+10:00

Our Western Wildflower Wonderland tour continued north from New Norcia to Kalbarri in Western Australia. On the way we stopped at a flower farm in Coomberdale. They have acres of land and a big factory for drying the flowers.

We had a tour through the factory where a multitude of colourful flowers were hanging from the roof. There were also buckets of them on the ground. They have a huge export business. After browsing through their beautiful gift shop we continued on our way to Kalbarri. We stayed in a very comfortable motel with a great restaurant.

The next morning I went for a walk and saw these delightful flowers.

I also strolled to the river before returning for breakfast.

Then it was on the bus for a short ride to the beach.

The thing I loved about these Western Australian beaches is that they are not built up and still in their natural state. The East Coast beaches were like this 60 years ago but not now. They are cluttered with high rise apartment blocks.

Soon it was all aboard for Shark Bay and Monkey Mia, famous for wild dolphins coming in to shore to be fed by hand.

BABY NEWS IS OK NOW

2011-12-02T15:32:00.001+10:00

Last August Bernie and Sonya (our daughter) came back to Australia from USA for Bernie to host another series of 'Beauty and the Geek Australia,' for Channel Seven. While they were here they told us that they were expecting our second grandchild. Everyone was happy even though they thought it would have taken longer to conceive and given them another year before coping with number two.

Naturally, I was very proud and wanted to spread the news and published a post for a few hours before realising I had jumped the gun (~~didn't have permission~~) so I pulled it off, but now it is official.

The news was printed in the celebrity magazine "OK."

Proud parents and grandparents. The baby is due next April and they don't know if it is a boy or a girl yet. So it looks like we will have an American grand child. We are fast becoming a united nations family. Swiss grandfather, English grandmother, Australian parents, brother and aunt.

NEW NORCIA, WA

2011-11-30T18:13:00.001+10:00

The second stage of our APT "Western Wildflower Wonderland Tour" started in Perth and was going north as far as Monkey Mia (which had been on my bucket list for years). The first stop was New Norcia named after a town in Italy. However, it was established by two Spanish monks in 1847. It was a mission for the local aborigines. It is the only monastic town in Australia. It was amazing coming into this Spanish town in the middle of nowhere.

There were many interesting buildings built in the spanish style.

The Monastery is still in use by the Benedictine monks and is the only building out of bounds to visitors.

The Abbey Church

There were two boarding schools, St Gertrudes and St Ildephonsus one for girls and the other for boys. Over the years they have been used as colleges but no longer. Now they are used for accommodation and functions. It was also used for the 'stolen generation' A dark part of our history, where aboriginal children were forcibly taken from their parents by the government to supposedly protect them and educate them.

The Education Centre

This used to be a convent but now it is Museum and Art Gallery as well as the Visitor Centre. There is an amazing collection of religious art by European masters and contemporary Australian artists.

The Hotel

It is still owned by the monks and provides the traditional Benedictine hospitality. There is Abby Ale and New Norcia wine. Also in this town there is a library, old flour mill, bakery and olive workshop. They are all in good condition and still owned and operated by the monks.

Opposite the museum the ground was carpeted with flowers for as far as you could see and surrounding a brand new, large clean toilet block, which Red Oz may like for her collection of outback toilets.

A close up of the yellow carpet shows a mixture of tiny plants.

THE KING OF PARKS

2011-11-29T05:54:00.001+10:00

So the first part of our 'Western Wildflower Wonderland Tour" was over. We had arrived back in Perth at the Novatel Hotel, where we had a farewell dinner for those leaving the tour here. Some of us were continuing for a tour north as far as Monkey Mia. I hope you will enjoy the trip with me. Before we set off we had a free afternoon so I made arrangements to meet a blogger friend, Cindy from Artists Blog. Cindy and her husband took us to Kings Park.

Kings Park is over 1000 acres of bushland, parkland and botanic gardens. It overlooks the Swan River and Perth. It is the largest inner city park in the world.

There are over 300 native plants.

The park was established in 1872 and it was the first park open for public use in Australia. It was called Perth Park. In 1901 it was renamed Kings Park to commemorate the ascension to the throne of King Edward V11 of England.

We strolled through the many paths surrounded by beautiful wildflowers. It was windy and cool but the rain held off.

We had a coffee with our new friends. It was an honour to be in the company of such a wonderful artist and photographer. Thank you Cindy for making the time to see us.

FREMANTLE AKA FREO

2011-11-26T17:24:00.001+10:00

We arrived in Fremantle late in the afternoon. It was windy, cold and wet. We were glad of our warm hotel room. However, on this night we had to find our own place to eat. Rather than dine in the posh hotel we wanted to experience the "Cappuccino Strip" where the locals enjoy eating. So we ventured out into the cold and found a lovely, cosy, Italian Restaurant.

The next morning we were up early to take photos of the well preserved 19th century buildings that are a feature of Fremantle. Fremantle city is on the Swan River and is the port for Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The locals cal it Freo and it is where Australia won the America's Cup some years ago. It is also where my family and I first set foot on Australian soil 62 years ago when we immigrated. (story at this link)

The Fremantle Markets established in 1897 as a wholesale food market traded until 1950. It then became a packing centre until 1970. It was idle for 5 years until the council restored the Federation Romanesque building. It is now a very popular modern market with over 150 shops and many stalls. Unfortunately it was closed.

Down the road a little way was a cute little bakery. Overseas readers may be astounded of the price we have to pay for bread. Everything is expensive here now.

I sheltered from the wind in a lane and found this interesting mural.

I was happy to return to the warm hotel for breakfast. The Esplanade Hotel, I showed the whole hotel on my first post of this series..

Then our tour group were taken on a tourist tram ride around the city to see even more interesting buildings, but it started to rain again. This is the old gaol.

We were deposited on the wharf ready to catch the ferry up the Swan River to Perth. It was cold, wet and windy. At the end of the wharf is the new Maritime Museum. We had the choice of visiting it or doing the tram tour.

IN THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH AND BLOWN AWAY

2011-11-24T19:55:00.001+10:00

After swinging high up in the tree tops of the Karri Forest in Western Australia our tour bus took us to Margaret River. Margaret River is famous for its wines and beaches. We drove to a lookout overlooking where the river enters the sea. It was pretty but the weather turned blustery and rainy so no photos of the famous beaches.

The next day we visited the nearby Jewel Cave. We had a local guide who filled us with information about the caves. They were not explored until 1958 by Bastion and Robinson. We descended via stairs 40m/150ft into the bowels of the earth. We walked through many caverns stretching for a mile.

The Jewel cave is famous for having one of the longest straw stalactites in the world. It is 5.4m/18 ft long.

There were so many wonderful shapes.

Some looked like a forest of trees.

Some looked like an organ pipes. We had a light show too and then it was time to climb 250 steps to get back to the surface.

After a coffee, it was back in the bus for another attraction. The Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. You can climb to the top but I didn't, the cave steps were enough for one morning.

It is situated on the the south west corner of Australia where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet. The cape sticks out into the path of the "Roaring Forties" wind. It was blowing a gale while we were there.

I could lean back and rest on the wind but I nearly got blown away.

The Southern Ocean

and around the corner is....

The Indian Ocean

We gladly jumped back on the bus for a trip to a winery.

Leeuwin Estate winery.

We had a tour of the winery.

The gardens were beautiful showing off many.....

Wildflowers of Western Australia.

TAKE A TRAM

2011-11-22T19:40:00.001+10:00

After visiting the Valley of the Giants we continued on our Western Australia tour to the small town of Pemberton where we took a tram ride into The Karri Forest.

The Pemberton Tramway is a tourist railway. It used to be a logging railway. The trains carted the Karri logs to the mills, which provided half a million sleepers for the Trans Australian Railway.

Pemberton was founded in 1911 and became a busy timber mill town. We left the town and travelled through farmland before entering the forest. It was a very dull day and threatened rain.

Timber is still collected today, they log new forests that have been especially planted. Old forests are still logged but very carefully.

It was an unusual tram ride going through picturesque forest rather than a city. We crossed rivers and...

....then we were in the Karri forest. Karri trees are Eucalyptus diversicolor and they are very straight and tall. They have silvery white trunk that reaches up to 90m/300ft into the sky. The Tingle trees in the last post had the biggest butress roots but the Karri trees are the tallest of the Eucalypts. They are not far behind the Californian Redwood and Sequoia Trees.

The rail track was lined with colourful flowering trees. Soon we were back at the station and we boarded the bus for a short trip to the Glouster National Park where the biggest Karri trees are located.

The Glouster Tree is 72 metres high and is the world's tallest fire lookout tree. Pegs are nailed into the tree and tourists can climb it. Not many succeed. In the far right photo there is a cabin built 61 metres up used as the fire lookout. The tree and park are named after, Prince Henry, Duke of Glouster who visited the lookout tree when it was first built in the early 1900's.

It started raining so we just had time to see a few pretty coloured parrots and...

...some more different wildflowers before climbing aboard the bus for the next exciting place.

THE VALLEY OF THE GIANTS

2011-11-20T19:52:00.001+10:00

I am taking you back on tour in Western Australia. We were leaving Albany for Margaret River. On the way we stopped at The Valley of the Giants. Which is the name given to the forest where the giant Tingle Trees grow.

The irregular bulges on some of the Tingle trees are called burls. They are caused by insect or bacterial attack. This makes the tree form a protective growth around the wound.

The tree on the left is called, "Grandma Tingle" because the burls and gnarled bark gives the tree a face with a grandmotherly character.

She is watching over the forest observing all those who enter.

She is 12 m in circumference and about 400 years old.

Tingle Trees are the biggest Eucalyptus buttress root trees in the world.

Regular readers will know that we enjoy swinging through the trees. This tree walk was one of the highest and longest we have been on.

It was awesome.

It was a long way down

It was like being a koala sitting in the branches on top of the forest.

Of course there were pretty wild flowers there as well.

SWINGING IN THE TREES

2011-11-18T15:09:00.001+10:00

We had two, lovely, relaxing days on Tamborine Mountain. Then it was time to wind our way down the mountain towards home. On the way down we stopped at the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk.

This is actually quite a sturdy walkway and only swings a little. We watched others first and.......

.......then it was our turn. The videographer runs ahead.

We looked up and ......

...we looked down. That took your breath away.

The skywalk ended and there was a path through the rainforest back to the car park.
It was dark and cool and the trees were so tall reaching for the sunlight.

There were prickly plants and.......

....vines, small ones and..........

....big ones.

There wasn't much water in the creek, but it was pretty.

There was evidence of history and graffiti. The slot was cut into the tree by the early timber getters hundreds of years ago. They inserted a plank to climb onto to saw the trunk.

Then it was homeward bound. In half an hour we were at the bottom of the mountain and 15 mins from home and reality.

HAVE YOU NOTICED?

2011-11-16T15:13:00.001+10:00

While we were on Tamborine Mountain we visited the Botanic Gardens. Have you noticed how the name of Botanical Gardens has changed to Botanic Gardens? Check it out in your town and see which name is used. I wonder why? I'm guessing it has something to do with grammar (no not grandma) English grammar. Anyway, what the heck come and enjoy the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens with us.

The gardens were formed in 1982 by volunteers from the local Garden Club. Since then the gardens have been maintained by volunteers with some help from the council.

There are a variety of different gardens ranging from native to exotic.

We started with a the rainforest walk.

Bill's favourite plants are the Bromeliads so we visited that garden next.

Then we walked past the roses and into the Japanese Garden.

We strolled around for an hour or more visiting many more sections. Too many to show here.

Bromeliads

Japanese garden

By now we were getting hungry and Ann planned for us to have lunch at The Bavarian Haus.

The waitress was in costume. We arrived well after lunchtime and most patrons had left.

The view from our table.

The view on our table.

Bill had his favourite. I asked him for some help with this caption. I asked him to write down the name of the sausage in German. This is what he wrote:

German Sausage mit Sauerkraut und es was fan-bloody-tastic.

I had Kassler with Sauerkraut and mash. It was delicious too.

After this we didn't need a big dinner so we stopped by a store and bought some cheese, crackers and fruit and a bottle of wine for back at the B&B later that evening. (Life is tough---no, no, no we are very lucky)

TAKING IN THE MOUNTAIN AIR AT TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN.

2011-11-14T16:42:00.001+10:00

Our friends and Birthday Bear spent a few days at Tamborine Mountain to celebrate Ann's birthday.

Tamborine Mountain is only 70k from Brisbane and it has breathtaking scenery, abundant wildlife and clean, cool air. There is a strong cottage industry, many artists and wineries.

Rotary Lookout

The pastoralist, Robert Martin Collins was inspired by Yellowstone National Park (the world's first), while he was on a world tour. When he returned he campaigned for National Parks in Queensland. In 1908 The Witches Falls National Park on Tamborine Mountain was established as the first NP in Qld, and the third in the world.

Helen, George, Ann, Paul, Bill, Mary and me behind the camera make up the Birthday Bear group.

After taking in the air and the scenery at the lookout we went to Cedar Creek Estate, where they have created a rainforest and glow worm cave. It also has a winery and restaurant. While we waited to take a tour of the glow worm cave we wallowed in the beauty around us.

Then it was time to enter the cave. It is a man made cave and a haven for the local glow worms called Arachnocampa flava and they are only found in southeast Qld.

Glow worms are the larvae of a small fly. Only the larvae glow and they live for a year but the fly only lives for a few days. The chemicals needed to generate the glow are all produced within the body of the glow worm and the light is projected out of the rear end of the larvae.

Glow worms glow to attract small insects that live in leaf litter and water near where the glow worms reside. They construct snares like a spider web made from silk threads and sticky droplets to capture the insects attracted to their glow.

The picture at the left shows a glow worm and its snare. This photo was scanned from the brochure because no photography was allowed in the cave, as flashes would make the glow worms turn off their light.

Inside the cave it was totally dark. The guide had an infra red torch. Looking up to the ceiling of the cave was a wonderful sight. It was like looking up to a sky filled with millions of stars.

I couldn't resist buying the postcard below.

After adjusting our eyes to the light we found the restaurant overlooking the pond. It was very relaxing eating scones and cream with morning tea.

The restaurant was surrounded by gardens with a variety of flowers. The fuchsias and roses were especially beautiful.

The Knoll Lookout

There are many lookouts, National Parks, hiking tracks and waterfalls.

We went for a rainforest walk called the Sandy Creek, Cameron Falls circuit. However, we didn't get to the falls as it got a bit steep for some of us. So we headed for an easier stroll through the Botanic Gardens in the next post.

LIVING IT UP WITH BIRTHDAY BEAR

2011-11-11T20:48:00.001+10:00

Yes! It is time to celebrate another birthday with Birthday Bear. For new readers find out about our Birthday Bear tradition here. This time it was Ann's birthday and she wanted to celebrate her birthday with us and Bear at Mt Tamborine. Mt Tamborine is a beautiful mountain village in the hinterland of the Gold Coast. It is only 50 k and 50 min drive from home.

There were seven of us (eight including Bear) and we stayed in a 5 star B&B. "Villa della Rosa" It was a lovely place with ......

...a beautiful garden.

Birthday Bear came to breakfast dressed as a telephonist as that was Ann's job when she was very young. She often has us in fits of laughter when recalling her time as a telephonist/ call girl. Birthday Bear even had her switchboard with her. She had also dashed out in her lunch break to buy some groceries, which are in her string bag.

Ann loved her Birthday Bear and we loved the scrumptious breakfast that followed.

It was Helen's turn to dress Birthday Bear and she did a great job, especially with the switchboard.

We all had a great two days at Mt Tamborine. I'll show you what we did in the next posts.

CHOO CHOO TRAIN

2011-11-10T22:42:00.003+10:00

I must take a break from our tour of Western Australia for a few posts and return to our adventures in Brisbane. Bill booked for us and our friend Colin to take a steam train ride.

On Sundays a steam train takes a short mystery trip from Roma Street Station. You don't know where it is going until you arrive at the station. The platform was full of families with young children and then there was us three wrinklies.

I am always thankful for volunteers like these and the ones below who make it possible for people to experience real live history.

We were in a carriage made in 1903 and our volunteer guard was a little bit grumpy, but he kept us amused with his rules and regulations.

We were all a bit nonplussed when we discovered that our train was taking us to Pinkenba an eastern suburb of Brisbane about 10 k from the CBD. This suburb is maligned as it is not a nice place to live.

It used to be swamp land but is now an industrial area.

A ship in the port.

Pinkenba is isolated from other suburbs, as it is surrounded by the airport, the river port and industrial estates. It is sparsely populated. The railway station has closed but our train could do a loop and return to Brisbane.

I was disappointed at first as I thought there is no nice scenery to photograph but then I realised that industrial shots would be something different for me to do. These were all taken from the moving Puffing Billy.

There was one small patch of the original, mangrove trees along a swampy creek.

The old men (Colin and Bill) became young boys again on this day.

GOODBYE ALBANY

2011-11-09T15:46:00.000+10:00

On the last afternoon of our stay in Albany, Western Australia..........

I visited Natural Arch, where the sea has eroded a natural bridge out of the rocks.

The coastline here was rugged and majestic.

Then our tour guide took us to see a wind farm but it was difficult to photograph into the sun.

However the wildflowers nearby were beautiful and too many to include all here.

Here are some of the little gems.

The next morning we were in the bus waving goodbye to Albany and looking forward to our next destination.

NO WHALE WATCHING

2011-11-06T18:00:00.000+10:00

We stayed two nights in Albany, WA before contiuing our tour with APT.

We stayed at The Dog Rock Motel. Can you see how it got its name? We had the choice of going whale watching or visit an historic farm. I went whale watching but Bill, Helen and Paul went to the farm.

Unfortunately, there were no whales about this trip but we did see some dolphins. They enjoyed surfing in the boat's wake.

However, the cruise on King George Sound was very relaxing and the scenery was beautiful. There were some posh houses overlooking the beaches.

We passed the old whaling station. It was the last whaling station to close in Australia after 26 years of operation. It closed in 1978. It has been transformed into an extremely well organised whale museum. Later we were taken to visit the museum. The boat is the Cheynes 4 whale chaser. The big tanks used to store whale oil but now they are movie theatres where documentaries on whales are shown. The visual and audio displays were quite shocking to experience.

Whale skeletons.

This beautiful beach used to be awash with blood and beached whales. It's nicknamed, "Misery Beach."

Bill visited an old farm, now a museum. Before returning to the motel, I visited a wind farm and natural arch. (next post)

ALBANY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

2011-11-04T20:45:00.000+10:00

Before heading into the historic town of Albany, our tour bus took us up to a lookout where there is a war memorial and a fabulous view of King George Sound.

We could see the port where grain and timber are exported but in the past it was a much busier place.It was the first deep water port and town to be developed in WA. It serviced the goldfields and was the first port for ships to enter from Britain. Since then Fremantle has become the major port.

Albany has a long military history. At first there was a military presence to deter the French from landing. Later during the First World War it became the base from where soldiers were sent to Europe.

This was the view the soldiers said goodbye to as they sailed into war.

At the lookout there was an array of more different wildflowers.

It was a neat and tidy port town showing off many historic buildings.

This old Church of St John built in 1848 was beautiful inside and out. Our travel companions, Helen and Paul are waiting for our bus to take us on another adventure.

I checked out the park garden while waiting for the bus. I had never seen these flowers before.

BLUFF KNOLL

2011-11-02T15:05:00.000+10:00

We were still heading towards Albany, the southern most tip of Western Australia. The tour bus made a detour into the Stirling Ranges where we had a date with a local guide, who is an expert on wildflowers.

Driving past Canola fields towards the Stirling Ranges.

Bluff Knoll

We met the guide here. She told us it takes 4 hours to walk up and back. We didn't have 4 hours so she took us on a short walk.......

Where the views were stunning before we descended into........

The bush, where there were hundreds of different wildflowers. The guide explained what they were and........

how rare some of them are. This is the tiniest little orchid.

After an hour of exploring this fabulous flora we.........

took one last look at the view from Bluff Knoll and boarded the bus for Albany. We had been through desert, along the coast and into the mountains. Wonderful scenery and wildflowers all the way. We were not finished yet.

WILD FLOWERS GALORE

2011-10-31T15:12:00.000+10:00

We stayed overnight in Esperance and the next day our tour bus headed west along the south coast to Albany for the next night. On the way we stopped a few times and each time we were surrounded by an abundance of wildflowers.

Blue Haven Beach

The coastline was very scenic. The sea is an amazing colour here.

We stopped at Munglinup for morning tea but I was out snapping the flowers.

Acacia Tree or Wattle --our national flower.

Eucalyptus Tree and seed pods.

Then we drove on further through lovely scenery with much more vegetation than on the previous inland stretch. We came to the town of Ravensthorpe.

A typical country home.

After lunch we walked through the town to the senior citizens hall where there was a flower show.

We passed this magnificent Bottle Brush Tree (Callistemon) on the way.

Ravensthorpe flower show.

ON THE WAY TO ESPERANCE

2011-10-29T22:07:00.000+10:00

From Kalgoorlie our tour bus took us south towards the sea port town of Esperance WA.

On the way we stopped at a lookout in West Kambalda. It looked over the salt pan Lake Lefroy. It was a pretty scene and reminded me of our visit to Lake Eyre.

We were surrounded by a garden of wild flowers and.......

Woolly Featherflowers

an array of desert colours.

We piled back into the bus and continued south stopping at Norseman for lunch and another lookout.

Norseman Beacon lookout. Looking east towards the huge Nullabor Plain. The name means no trees. It is a flat semi arid plain stretching 1,100 km west to east through WA and SA and covers 700,000 sq km. It is the largest single piece of limestone in the world.

Esperance named after a French ship visiting here on an expedition in the early days. Now it is an important port transporting grain and ore.

From yet another lookout the southern coastline is dramatic, beautiful and very windy and cold. The wind blows off icy Antartica.

There were different wild flowers surrounding the lookout.

Their leaves are hard and waxy to protect them from the harsh coastal weather.

Rough Honeymyrtle

We braced ourselves against the cold wind to walk the famously long pier and to spot Sammy the resident seal. We didn't see Sammy or the end of the pier because it was too darn cold.

Our travel companions, Paul and Helen and a model of Skylab,
which crashed in Esperance.

Esperance was put on the world map when :
In 1979, pieces of the space station Skylab crashed onto Esperance after the craft broke up over the Indian Ocean. The municipality fined the United States $400 for littering. The fine was paid in April 2009, when radio show host Scott Barley of Highway Radio raised the funds from his morning show listeners, and paid the fine on behalf of NASA. Skylab's demise was an international media event, with merchandising, wagering on time and place of re-entry and nightly news reports. The San Francisco Examiner offered a $10,000 prize for the first piece of Skylab to be delivered to their offices. 17-year-old Stan Thornton scooped a few pieces of Skylab off the roof of his home in Esperance, Western Australia and caught the first flight to San Francisco, where he collected his prize. (text from Wiki)