Canberra 2010

May 19th, 2010 by Rob Phillips

From 25th March to 11th April 2010, Rob and travelled “over east” in our newly acquired 1992 model Troopy.

Along the way we paid a visit to the Eyre Bird Observatory, south of Cocklebiddy; drove a 4WD track from there to Madura; crossed the Nullarbor and checked out one of the “greens” of the world’s longest golf course; went 4WD’ing in Coffin Bay National Park on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia; spent a long weekend at the Port Fairy Folk Festival; found a gem of a NP at Mt Eccles; then a few days in Wilson’s Promontary NP; we drove the Deddick Trail (4WD, summer only) through the Snowy River NP; a week in Yackandandah saw us volunteering to help set up and man their Music Festival; then it was off through the Snowy Mountains, amazing places; to spend a week in Canberra for the National Folk Festival, volunteering pre and post festival; time to hit the road home, via the Hay Plains, Horrocks Pass, Broken Hill, Ceduna to Norseman, then the ‘Granite and Woodlands Trail’ to Wave Rock/Hyden, and 10,384 km from the start, Home Sweet Home.

Day 1 – 25.3: Leave home, Odometer 260627
Karalee rocks. 260995

Day 2: Baxter rest stop 67kms west of Caiguna. 261739

Day 3: Eyre Bird Observatory with Carlos and Sandy. 261934
Day 4: Najada Rockhole, 30kms west of Eucla. 262187
Day 5: Sceale (scaly) Bay south of Streaky Bay. 262885
Day 6: sightseeing. Point Labatt – only mainland sealion colony in Oz. Murphy’s haystacks near Calca. Venus Bay, Talia Caves. Overnight at Coffin Bay CP. Shower and washing. 263241
Day 7: Sightseeing at Coffin Bay. Point Avoid, Avoid Bay, Almonta Bay. 4WD to Black Springs. Shopping in Port Lincoln. Drive on. Dinner on beach at Arno Bay. Drive on. Stop at 11.30pm 45kms SE of Port Augusta. 263781
Day 8: Mt Gambier 264510
Day 9: Port Fairy 264683
Music Festival. 4 days of showers. Storm on Monday night.
Day 13 9 March. Mt Eccles NP
Day 15. Travel to Peterborough. Start of Great Ocean Road. 264909. Did washing.
Day 16: GOR. Ferry to Sorrento 265174.
Day 17-19 Mar 13-16. Wilsons Promontory NP. Great weather. Sat- long bushwalk
Sun- maintenance day in camp
Day 20: along coast to Nowa Nowa.
Day 21: Orbost then Deddick Trail 4WD to McKillops Bridge. Snowy River NP
Day 22: thru Alpine NP to Falls Creek, then Yack
Days 23-27: Yankandandah folk festival then rest in town – 18/3 -24/3
Day 27: 24/3 left Yack 3pm for Beechworth
Day 28: albury, supplies, Hume Dam. Geehi flats. Platypus. 266643
26/3: Ngarigo camp – 15km downhill from Thredbo. 266745
27/3: Canberra 267117
28/3 – 6/4: camping at EPIC then National Folk Festival
6/4: Narandera – camp on Murrumbidgee – 267479
7/4: Morgan on the Murray
8/4: roadside stop 45kms East of Ceduna
9/4: injured Pink and Grey Galah on road just outside Ceduna. Broken wing. Found an animal carer in Ceduna – Val. She had wombats.
Overnight at Madura
10/4: Norseman to Hyden road. Excellent! Overnight at mcDermid Rock

This is the Gallery of the best pics from the trip.

The pics are there but they are not in chronological order, as we want them to be. We are trying to get this sorted with the site provider. More soon.

: Bay of Islands

: Bay of Islands, at the western end of the Great Ocean Road.

: Sunset Reflections on Lake Sambell.

: Sunset Reflections on Lake Sambell.

: Sunset at Lake Sambell.

: At a road side stop near Colac on the Murray Valley Highway.

: You never know where the hunter is coming from.

: The way of nature.

: Hard to escape from these perfectly designed clutches.

: Hiding the splendour to keep safe while resting.

: Been in the wars and survived so far.

: Ms Maggie. Or was it Mr? in Canberra. Either way it is a Black Backed Magpie, most likely male (Gymnorhina tibicen tibicen).

: “Red Beech” (?) in Canberra

: Eastern Rosella (Platycerus eximius), in Canberra.

: Cape Labatte is Australia’s only mainland Sea Lion and Australian Fur Seal Colony.

: Waves come in at all angles at Cape Labatte

: A Fur Seal resting beside a crystal clear pool at the “human free” beach of Cape Labatte.

: Cape Labatte

: One of several Rock Holes, (Dow LInes) south of Cocklebiddy, en 4WD route to the Scarp and hence south the the Eyre Bird Observatory housed in the old Telegraph Station.

: I’m holding a Hairy Nosed Wombat ‘baby’. The big boy is a common wombat held by the lady who runs a private “Wombat Refuge” in Ceduna.

: View east from Charlottes Pass. This is the real alpine high country.

: Fresh shoots on a huge gnarly eucalypt trunk at the top of Charlottes Pass Lookout.

: View from Charlottes Pass, towards Mt. Kosciuszko and Mt. Clarke.

: Local Info sign at the “Bindy Tee” of the Cocklebiddy “hole” of the worlds longest Golf course, the Nullarbor Links. The course starts in Kalgoorlie and has one hole at each road house until Ceduna.

: Avoid Bay, in Coffin Bay NP.

: Almonta Beach in forground, Gunyah Beach further around the bay; from car park at Point Avoid.

: Price Island off Point Avoid, Coffin Bay NP, SA.

: Tracks on the beach.

: Almonta Beach, Coffin Bay NP.

: Avoid Bay. The Ocean side of Coffin Bay NP.

: At Black Springs campsite.

: Evidence of bush fires from a few years past. An amazingly sharp demarkation line at the edge of the burnt section. View from Dead Horse Gap in Kosciuszko NP.

: View from Dead Horse Gap in Kosciuszko NP.

: Red Bellied Black Snake (?) chasing skinks among the rocks, then heading into the Yalmy River at our approach.

: The 1.5 m snake stayed “hiding” in the river for over half an hour while we had lunch, over the bridge.

: View over the Snowy River NP from the Deddick Trail.

: On the Deddick Trail

: On the Deddick Trail

: Mixed eucalypt forest with tree ferns, in Snowy River NP

: Forest ground ’still’ life.

: Eagle Lookout, over looking Adelaide. Waterfall Gully in foreground.

: Rob with Carlos and Sandy the current voluntary wardens at Eyre Bird Observatory, which is housed in the old Telegraph Station.

: Us on the back verandah at Eyre Bird Observatory.

: The Beach near Woolshed Cave @ Talia Caves, just north of Elliston, SA

: Our camping spot at Exhibition Park in Canberra for the National Folk Festival.

: Light and shadow on a sand dune at Eyre.

: Real aussie road sign of what you may meet en route.

: Clouds reflected in the Southern Ocean, as the evening swell rolls towards the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight.

: Some clouds have a rainbow lining.

: Sunset on the Eyre Highway

: Westward bound at sunset on the Eyre Highway.

: Light and shaddow in a sunset.

: View west along the 4WD track to Burnabbie Station, from the Madura Lookout.

: A very curious Yellow-throated Miner (Manorina flavigula) at Caiguna Roadhouse. Not to be confused with the introduced Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis).

: Ruins of the original telegraph station and the home of the Graham family, located a few hundred meters east of the subsequent bluestone bulding.

: Leaving Eyre via the sand track back to the scarp.

: At the top of the Scarp, sand dunes faintly visible on the horizon.

: Everlastings

: Damselfly or Dragonfly? At Geehi Camp.

: Sunrise at Tom Groggin Camp Ground

: “Fuzzy” the Platypus. Lucky to get a pic, even though it’s not the best.

: Morning dew on a cobweb found at Geehi Flats camp.

: Nature’s perfection. A spider’s artistry.

: Swampy Plains River at Geehi Flats camp.

: The Pied Currawong who shared our breakfast fruit; well it had the scraps left on the table, while our backs were turned.

: Hiding under the bark, accidentally uncovered, a near perfect “nest’ of insect or possibly arachnid offspring.

: The bigger picture, putting it in context.

: The Grotto

: The Grotto, close up and reflected.

: London Bridge

: Receding tide marks on the beach at London Bridge.

: The Arch

: View to the west @ Loch Ard Gorge

: View East @ Loch Ard Gorge, Mutton Bird Island at right.

: Some of the 12 Apostels, with fairy penguin tracks heading ashore to covered nesting sites at right.

: The 12 Apostles, or some of them at least.

: Yours truely with some Apostles, courtesy of the breaded one.

: Most of the Apostles, looking west.

: Maits Rest rainforest walk.

: View west from Pattons lookout, east of Apollo Bay. There is a monument here to the returned soldiers and other workers who laboured to construct the Great Ocean Road.

: A moth ’spotted’ on what seems to be a weed, at Horrocks pass, crossing the ranges west towards Port Augusta.

: Horrocks Pass, crossing the ranges west towards Port Augusta.

: I never realised moths could be so colourful. Truly all colours, shapes and sizes.

: The trees all died when the Murray Valley was dammed, and still standing.

: A lizzard/dragon at Wave Rock. ID anybody?

: The famous Wave Rock, near Hyden. After living in w-aus for over 30 years, and Rob all his life, we finally made it!

: Currawong at Wave Rock. Me thinks it’s a Grey Currawong. (Tell me if I’m wrong :-)

: Reflections in Lake Jindabyne

: Moths come in many shapes, sizes and colours. This one at the ferry ramp in Morgen on the Murray in SA. (About 1/4 the size of the Bobong Moth)

: A closer look at this beauty.

: Wallaby seen on the Crater Rim walk, at Mt Eccles NP.

: Wallaby seen on the Crater Rim walk.

: Wallaby seen on the Crater Rim walk. Mt Eccles NP.(Vic) Could this be a Swamp Wallaby? Does anybody know?

: Inside the Tunnel Cave.

: Who has intense eyes?

: Our campsite at Mt Eccles National Park, with stone fire place.

: Man made stone walls in the lava canal, most probably made by farmers as fencing for sheep/cattle.

: Blinky Bill at Mt Eccles NP, on the Lava Canal Walk.

: Mini skink, at Mt Eccles NP, on the Lava Canal Walk.

: Juvenile Crimson Rosella, at Mt Eccles NP. Breeding male Splendid Wren, at Mt Eccles NP.

: Breeding male Splendid Wren, at Mt Eccles NP.

: Umpherston Sinkhole, Mt Gambier, SA.

: Different types of Lichen growing on one of Murphy’s Haytacks.

: Murphy’s Haystacks.

: Even weeds have their perfection. This one in Narandera

: Bogong Moth at Narandera.

: Broken down heli heading east for repairs. The pilot happend to catch up with it on his motorbike on his way home from holidays in the west. You meet many strange tales on that road.

: Driving east along the base of the scarp we leave Nuytsland Nature Reserve.

: At Burnabbie Homestead

: Along the track to Madura

: Recent bushfires have devastated large areas of mallees. Some had just started sprouting again at ground level.

: Ruins of an abandoned farm house, near Orroroo.

: Ruins of an abandoned farm house, near Orroroo.

: Found in Paringa on the Murray River, SA.

: Peterborough in Victoria, the western gate to the Great Ocean Road. Does this remind anyone of a similar pic?

: Over night roadside stay 40 km S of Pt Augusta.

: Over night roadside stay, 40 km S of Pt Augusta, with glimpses of the Flinders Ranges.

: Private access to the Moyne River at Port Fairy, Vic.

: Tibetan Monks at Port Fairy Festival

: Tibetan Monks on Stage 5 at Port Fairy Festival

: The Ritual Deer Dance performed by one of the Tibetan Monks at Port Fairy Festival.

: Tenzin Choegyal at Port Fairy

: Tenzin Choegyal and the Tibetan Monks during their final chant/blessing, on Stage 5 at Port Fairy Festival.

: A Jazz Combo, at Port Fairy. The name escaped in the crowd.

: Port Fairy Light House, on Griffith Island.

: Port Fairy Light House, with the Gate to the erstwhile lighthouse keeper’s cottage.

: Bench with a view near the light house.

: Port Fairy Light House

: White Faced Heron on Griffith Island, Port Fairy.

: Griffith Island, Port Fairy. The orange is lychen growing on the rocks.

: The lagoon on Griffith Island, Port Fairy.

: Sunset at Portsea

: Our Beast on the ferry from Queenscliffe to Sorrento, Victoria.

: A ball of tree sap turned into resin at Eagle Lookout, Adelaide, On the women’s track.

: Eagle Lookout, Adelaide, On the women’s track.

: Grevillea(?) at Scammel Ridge on the Alpine Way, south of Khancoban, in Kosciuszko NP

: Sceale Bay, south of Streaky Bay, SA, Near our “bush camp’.

: Colourful berries on a native bush at a road side stop on the Sturt Highway. ID anybody?

: Near entrance of Woolshed Cave @ Talia Caves just north of Elliston, SA.

: View East along Thredbo River Valley, from Eagles Nest at top of Kosciuszko Express Chairlift (1936m), Thredbo.

: Tributary of the Thredbo River, on Merrits Nature Trail, winding from Eagles Nest back to Thredbo.

: I think this is an eastern grey kangaroo, at Tom Groggin. If anyone knows different, please let me know.

: The old crater rim at Tower Hill, Vic. (The ring/line of trees in the distance.)

: Layers of volcanic deposits on the crater rim.

: Evening breeze tears at the spray on Norman Beach at Tidal River, Wilson’s Promontory.

: Evening breeze on Norman Beach at Tidal River, Wilson’s Promontory.

: Evening breeze on Norman Beach at Tidal River, Wilson’s Promontory.

: Evening breeze on Norman Beach at Tidal River, Wilson’s Promontory.

: Evening breeze on Norman Beach at Tidal River, Wilson’s Promontory. Almost ghostly, how the spray rises above the gentle waves.

: Sunset reflection on Norman Beach.

: Almost reflected on Picnic Beach.

: View of Norman Island (?) from the Tidal Overlook walk track, between Squeaky Beach and Picnic Bay,fringed by skelletons of burned trees.

: Female Splendid Wren. She sure is splendid.

: Wind turbine blades on the move in SA.

: Malley trees on the ‘Granite and Woodland Track’ from Norseman to Hyden.

: A very different landscape on the edge of the lake, at Lake Johnston View Point, also on the ‘Granite and Woodland Track’.

: Dead yet alive still. A malley at Lake Johnston picnic spot.

: A “Pan in a Pan” on top of Mc Dermid Rock, one very interesting stop on the ‘Granite and Woodland Track’.

: The ‘Balancing Rock’ on the western slope of Mc Dermid Rock reflected in a ‘Pan’, in the evening light.

: The ‘Balancing Rock’ on the western slope of Mc Dermid Rock.

: At ‘The Breakaways’ on the ‘Granite and Woodland Track’. A hard layer rests over top of porous lower layers of varying mineralisation. Wind and water erode the softer layers.

: Amazing meld of colours.

: The hard top layer is self supporting up to a point, then chunks break away. Hence the name.

: The Shire of Dundas covers 92,725 km2 and has a population of only 1200, 90 % of which live in Norseman. It streches 900 km from the SA/WA border to the western shire border, 188 km west of Norseman.

: The State Barrier Fence: 1170 km streching from north of Kalbarry to Hopetown on the south coast; initially protecting the agricultural districts from rabbits, more recently also from ferral goats and migrating emus, and also serves as a baiting corridor for wild dogs.