tidal power

 

one pelican stands

amongst squabbling seagulls

rising tide all gone

Seabird numbers at Ricketts Point on Port Phillip Bay continue to increase. The existence of a marine park along this strip of coastline now ensures a permanent food supply for the birds. Even during these current cold days of winter there are always hordes of Silver Gulls, many Pacific Gulls, small numbers of Black Swans, Pelicans and a variety of different Cormorants. Careful observation with binoculars can result in other less common species being spotted amongst the seagulls. This is a magnificent place to connect with nature in the middle of suburban Melbourne.

on the trail

snowing in the hills

raining on the Heyson Trail

still time for a walk

Mid July in the Adelaide Hills and Charlie is taking a stroll along a section of the  Heyson trail. This 1200 kilometre walking track is an interactive memory of the famous South Australian artist Sir Hans Heyson. It runs from Cape Jervis on the   southern tip of Fleurieu Peninsula south east of Adelaide to the Northern Flinders Ranges. http://heysentrail.asn.au/heysen-trail/googlemaps/ In summer these Adelaide Hills are one of the most fire prone regions in Australia.

re-birth

 

grasstree spikes

mobile phone towers

for the insects

These Austral Grasstrees, (Xanthorrhoea australis) regenerate quickly after bushfires. During and immediately after flowering the spikes have a magnetic attraction for flying and crawling insects of all types as well as feeding birds. Flies in particular go crazy around them.

 

Gariwerd

a tourist playground

dreamtime memories

ancient survivor

Gariwerd  to the Djab warring and Jardwadjali people for thousands of years, named The Grampians by a C19th Scottish explorer, now a Victorian national park and again known as  Gariwerd. This mountain range was formed  around 500 million years ago in a tectonic collision and then re shaped in another  about 400 million years later. This is a significant spiritual place for Indigenous Australians and a scientific dream for botanists and biologists. A thousand different flowering plants occur here which along with the  range of birds, mammals and insects, the ancient indigenous rock art and the unique natural landscape means thousands of people visit this national park from across Victoria, Australia and the world.

These 3 images are;

1.  Boroka Lookout at the Northern end of the park looking down to Halls Gap. And yes young males do go and sit on the edge sometimes.

2.In the middle of the park looking North to South a year after a devastating bushfire.

3. Gradual regeneration after a severe bushfire.