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Conference trip to Canada

July 16th, 2010 by Rob Phillips

In June 2010, I flew to the US and Canada for two conferences. In the week between conferences, I worked with a colleague in Guelph Ontario, and we visited Niagara Falls, and what is called ‘cottage country’, where Ontarians go on holidays, a couple of hundred kms North of Toronto. The G20 summit was on in Toronto while I was in Guelph, and the whole city centre was fenced off. When I did get to Toronto, my hotel room overlooked the whole harbour – great views!

Here are some of the photos I took.

: Horseshoe falls at Niagara

: Horseshoe falls at Niagara

: Horseshoe falls at Niagara

: Horseshoe falls at Niagara

: Horseshoe falls at Niagara

: The American Falls at Niagara

: The American Falls at Niagara

: A two-dimensional hotel at Niagara

: Example of the architecture of Guelph

: I stayed a night at Baysville in ‘cottage country’

: The salubrious station at Bracebridge, cottage country

: The fence around the Toronto CBD for the G20

: Toronto Harbour from my hotel room

: Toronto Harbour

: Toronto Harbour

: Toronto Harbour

: Toronto Harbour

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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.

: Crimson Rosella at Yackandandah

: Oaktrees at Yack

: Oaktree at Yack

: Autumn shades

: ‘Miss Yackandandah’ at ‘Java at Yack’ Cafe.

: Immature male Black Backed Magpie, in the Yackandandah Caravan Park.

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North West of Western Australia

November 2nd, 2009 by Rob Phillips

From the 21st of June to the 12th of July 2009, Rita and I travelled to the north West of WA. I had never been past Kalbarri before, despite having visited most places on the East Coast of Australia. We went up the coast from Perth to Shark Bay to Exmouth to Karratha/Dampier, then cut inland to the Millstream and Karajini national parks, before coming home on the inland road via Newman. Check this out on the map.

Perth to Karratha

We were accompanied by ‘diddums’, a furry stuffed Kiwi which I got at the 2008 ascilite conference. The idea was to take him on your travels, and report back through a Flickr site prior to the 2009 conference in Orcland.

Rita took lots of photos, especially of the many plants and birds. The Gallery at the bottom of this post has tons of photos, but they aren’t in chronological order.

Here is the chronology of the nicest photos.

21 June, First overnight stop, 100 kms out of Perth at Oliver Bridge, then up the coast via Greenhead, Greenough and Geraldton.

Oliver Bridge on Brand Hwy

Crayfishing village of Greenhead

23-24 June. Time spent at Denham and Monkey Mia on Shark Bay. Early morning rainbow over the bay at Denham. Sand formations near Monkey Mia. Rita and diddums at the camp in Denham, and the landscape around Shark Bay.

Rainbow over Denham

Sand formations just inland from Monkey Mia

Camping at Denham

Eagle Bluff on Shark Bay

Our van at Goulet Bluff, Shark Bay

Moving further North. Sunset near Minilya Roadhouse and on the beach at Coral Bay with diddums.

Sunset from Minilya Roadhouse

At Coral Bay with diddums

29-30 June. Ningaloo (Cape Range) National Park. Relaxing at Mandu Mandu Gorge and at the camp at Yardie Homestead. Yardie Creek Gorge is pretty impressive. There is fossilised coral right next to the ferry.

Outside Mandu Mandu Gorge

Campsite at Yardie Homestead

Yardie Gorge. Figs. Airroots reach to just above the highwater mark, they don't like salt water.

Petrified Coral at Yardie Gorge

1 July. Still at Yardie Station. Rita got up early to go to the loo, and caught this sunrise, both direct, and through the window of the shearing shed.

Sunrise in the shearing shed window

Sunrise at Yardie Homestead

2 July. On the way North from Exmouth/Ningaloo we had a problem with the front suspension. Rita was still photographing flowers, and we passed some large rivers, including the Ashburton and Fortescue.

Troubles with the steering

More flowers!

Ashburton River at Nanutarra RH

Sturt Desert Pea

3 July. Karratha/Dampier. We visited the rock carvings the Burrup Peninsula – who knows what else has been lost under the huge processing plants being built. We met a friendly echidna, and then we visited my nephew Shaun in Dampier, and got the suspension problem fixed.

Echidna

4 July. We set off inland, first to Millstream National Park. Millstream is an area of permanent natural springs, with some great riverside camping spots, except you had to drive through the river to get to them.

Deflating the tyres from 46psi to 26, to better cope with the rough roads ahead, into the Millstream National Park.

Millstream near the Homestead

Crossing the Fortescue River

Reflections

Not one ripple!

Crossing the Fortescue

6 July. Tom Price and Karajini. After leaving Millstream, we had a choice. We could retrn to the coast and follow the bitumen roads for 600 kms to Port Headland and then back South towards Karajini – towards Newman. Or, we could follow the Rio Tinto railway line straight inland over 120kms of dirt road to Mt Tom Price and then Karajini National Park. We had different reports from people about how tough this was going to be. We decided to take the inland route, and the first three quarters were fine. We could drive at 60-80 kms/hr. However, when we got to the hillier areas, the road corrugations increased, and we had to drive slower and slower in our old Toyota – 20-30 kms/hr. Nevertheless, we got to Tom Price much quicker, and used less fuel, than if we’d gone the long way.

Three engines to help it up the hills

View of Mount Tom Price Opencut Mine from the top of Mount Nameless.

7-8 July. We drove from Tom Price to Karajine Natnal Park. We had to queue to secure a camping spot, but this was OK. We were to meet our friends Amanda and Rob, who were coming up from Newman to spend a day with us. The gorges were spectacular, but the dirt roads weren’t, with all the yuppie 4WDs hooning along and digging up corrugations. A dingo came visiting. Enjoy these photos!

Weano Gorge, Dingo walking along road.

Circular Pool, Dales Gorge

Dales Gorge, bird watching

The will to live. Dales Gorge

Near Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge

Fern Pool

Here is a gallery of the good photos from this trip.

Photo Gallery

: Bull Hakea, Hakea chordophylla, on Burkett Rd.

: More flowers!

: Azure Kingfisher

: Old Machinery and Water Tower, Rail museum

: Safety Cable ???

: Fern

: At Coral Bay with diddums

: View of the the shark nursery, south

: View of the the shark nursery, north 2

: Mandu Mandu Gorge

: Rock Morning Glory, Ipomoea costata

: Cape Range Kurrajong

: Outside Mandu Mandu Gorge

: At the mangrove bird hide

: Echidna

: Australian Bustard, Bush Turkey

: Desert Heath Myrtle, Brachychiton gregoii ??

: Flannel Bush, Solanum lasiophyllum

: Yardie Gorge. Figs. Airroots reach to just above the highwater mark, they don’t like salt water.

: Black Footed Rock Wallaby

: Black Footed Rock Wallaby

: Corella

: Rock Fig

: Little Corellas.

: Black Footed Rock Wallabies

: Night Heron

: Sea Eagle’s neat nest on left, Osprey’s untidy nest at right edge of picture

: Black footed Rock Wallabies

: Petrified Coral at Yardie Gorge

: Petrified Coral

: Sunrise at Yardie Homestead

: Sunrise in the shearing shed window

: Sunrise in the shearing shed window

: We just missed the rain in Cue

: The local “Cop Shop” and Post Office in Cue

: Sturt Desert Pea

: Swansonia sp, (Dampier Pea ?)

: Sturt Desert Pea (Swansona formosa), Swansonia sp, Kapok Bush

: At Burrup Peninsula, Hearson Cove. Location of the famous Aboriginal Rock Art.

: Echidna

: Echidna

: Aboriginal Rock Art

: Aboriginal Rock Art

: Aboriginal Rock Art

: Aboriginal Rock Art

: Aboriginal Rock Art

: Creek running through the jumble of rocks with the rock art.

: Aboriginal Rock Art

: Aboriginal Rock Art

: Aboriginal Rock Art

: Aboriginal Rock Art

: Sturt Desert Pea, Swainsona formosa, Black form

: Sturt Desert Pea, brown form

: Acacia acradenia

: Sticky Caesia, Senna glutinosa

: Dampier causeway, salt ponds

: Dampier causeway, salt ponds

: Rainbow over Denham

: Camping at Denham

: Eagle Bluff on Shark Bay

: Troubles with the steering

: Our van at Goulet Bluff, Shark Bay

: All hands on deck to see if we can get this rig out of the mud. It was lucky to stay upright as it came off the road in the bend.

: Be prepared to meet all sorts of transports on these ozzie roads

: Be prepared to meet all sorts of transports on these ozzie roads

: At the Benedictine Monastery in New Norcia.

: The next hold up. Waiting for the monster to emerge over the hill.

: Here it is! No room to pass this baby! The prime mover of the second transport got hit by an oncoming truck, so the prime mover of the first transport, parked on right of screen, had to go back down the hill to bring #2 up the hill to the parking bay, to get it off the road till it’s prime mover can get fixed; the crew will be camping overnight.

: Banked up behind the monster transport, were two halves of a house and a roadtrain with three new railway tip carriages on board.

: To finish our trip, a great sunset with Paulie and Geoff, and Diddums, at Seabird.

: Crayfishing village of Greenhead

: Shell beach, coquina quarry

: leaving Karajini

: Diddums has been to Karajini NP

: Weano Gorge, Grey Dragonfly

: Weano Gorge, Grey Dragonfly

: Weano Gorge, Red Dragon fly

: Weano Gorge, Grey Dragonfly

: Weano Gorge, Red Dragon fly

: Weano Gorge, Grey Dragonfly

: Weano Gorge

: Weano Gorge, Spinifex Pigeon

: Weano Gorge, Dingo walking along road.

: Weano Gorge, Dingo walking along road.

: Circular Pool, Dales Gorge

: Near Circular Pool, Dales Gorge

: Dales Gorge, Asbestos

: Circular Pool

: Dales Gorge, bird watching

: Dales Gorge, trigger plant?

: Rock fig near a trickle of water. It colours the rocks nicely.

: Dales Gorge

: The will to live. Dales Gorge

: Do you know what it is?

: Heading up the gorge from Circular Pool towards Fortescue Falls.

: Near Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge

: Near Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge

: Dales Gorge, Mountain Cypress ?

: Near Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge

: Near Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge

: Near Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge

: Fortescue Falls, Dales Gorge

: Moss and Ferns at Fortescue Falls

: Fruit Bats near Fortescue Falls

: Little black cormorant, Fern Pool, Dales Gorge

: Fern Pool

: Fern Pool

: Fern Pool

: Fern Pool

: Kapok Bush and Buffel grass

: Tribulus hirsutus

: Tall Mulla Mulla, Ptilotus exaltatus

: ‘no flash’

: Flood swept bank, Maitland River

: Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

: Rainbow Bee Eater

: Rainbow Bee Eater

: Rainbow Bee Eater

: Deflating the tyres from 46psi to 26, to better cope with the rough roads ahead, into the Millstream National Park.

: Crossing Pool, Fortescue River.

: On the plateau above Crossing Pool

: Crossing Pool, Fortescue River. Spinnifex in foreground

: Snappy Gum with termite trails on underside of branches.

: Snappy Gum with termite trails on underside of branches.

: Millstream near the Homestead

: Millstream near the Homestead

: Millstream near the Homestead, introduced Water Lillies

: Millstream near the Homestead

: Dragon fly, one of about 15 spiecies native to this area.

: Date Palms

: Introduced Water Lillies

: Water Lilly, Nymphaea …

: Lush Oasis landscape

: Flood swept grasses

: Fern or weed??

: Crossing the Fortescue River

: Crossing the Fortescue River at the Ford north of Crossing Pool

: Diddums on the fence post

: Corella preening

: Evening stillness

: Are you sure you’re ok?

: River’s edge

: Reflections

: Not one ripple!

: Giant tree or reflection?

: Swarming Corellas

: A very tranquil fork of the Fortescue Rive

: Fortescue after the not so tranquil flood.

: Yellow Hibiscus, Hibiscus pandurifirmis

: Native Passionfruit

: Millstream Palm, Livistona alfredii

: Millstream Palm, Livistona alfredii

: Millstream Palm, Livistona alfredii

: Cadjeput, Melaleuca leucadendrak

: “Grass” seeds

: Lizard

: Bush Apple

: Bush Apple

: The Geological Bar Code

: Talk about a washout!

: Recrossing the Fortescue, leaving Crossing Pool Camp

: Crossing the Fortescue

: Roadworks to fix the washed out road near the rail bridg

: Empty Iron Ore train heading back to the mine, past the road works.

: Full Iron Ore train heading for the Port Dampie

: Sunset from Minilya Roadhouse

: Sand formations just inland from Monkey Mia

: View of Newman from Radio H

: Mt Whaleback Mine, New

: Wedgetail Eagle

: Vlamingh Lighthouse

: View towards tip of Northwest Cape

: Oil platform on horizon

: Wreck SS MIldura

: Waxy Wattle, Acacia melleodora

: Flannel Bush

: Kapok Bush, adriana tomentose

: Ashburton River at Nanutarra RH

: Ashburton River at Nanutarra RH

: Old (on left) and new bridge over the Ashburton River at Nanutarra RH

: Sturt Desert Pea, Swainsonia formosa

: Sturt Desert Pea, Swainsonia formosa

: Sturt Desert Pea

: Oliver Bridge on Brand Hwy

: Three engines to help it up the hills

: Two lines running parallel for a while before diverging.

: Birrida

: Bougainvillia, Date Palm and Sheoak (Allocasuarina)

: View of Mount Tom Price Opencut Mine from the top of Mount Nameless.

: Heading back down from Mount Nameless. Ancient glacial valleys.

: Moonrise (by Rob). What the camera saw.

: What the eye saw of the tree.

: North West Magpie ?

: Campsite at Yardie Homestead

: Perth to Karratha

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Pirate Wedding

January 20th, 2009 by Rob Phillips

Pete’s wedding

Our son, Pete, was married on Sunday Jan 11, 2009 to Cara Sutcliffe.

Pete and Cara are both a little ‘alternative’, and chose to have their wedding with a pirate theme, at Bunker Bay, at the tip of Cape Naturaliste, 250kms South of Perth. The wedding was on Sunday, but the celebrations started on Friday night and went all weekend. Many of Pete and Cara’s friends stayed at a caravan park, together with us, Rita’s dad Peter and her sister Pauline.

On Friday, Peter was taken out by the groomsmen and had various challenges to overcome, including a dive from the Busselton jetty and trying to replace a car tire while wearing a miniskirt!

Various activities on Saturday culminated in a concert on Saturday night, performed entirely by wedding guests.

Ceremony

The wedding was held on Sunday morning at Bunker Bay, a beautifully picturesque secluded bay. Just about everyone, especially the wedding party, wore pirate costume, and the wedding was against the background of the Indian Ocean. Here are some of the photos. [See the full photo gallery below]

Reception

The reception was held at the Dunsborough Hall, which was decorated as a pirate’s den by the people from Esther House, the Christian charitable refuge for troubled young girls that Cara and Peter are both involved with. The Esther House people also prepared all the catering, and worked all hours to do this. It was yummy!
Here are the photos from the reception.

Off to China!

Our newlyweds then spent two nights at a local Dunsborough resort, and spent the next two days frantically sorting out everything before leaving Oz for a week’s honeymoon in Bali, and then on to Hong Kong and China for an extended period of backpacking and film-making and hopefully working.

Photo Gallery

Here is a collection of the nicest photos from Pete and Cara’s wedding. Thanks to Natalie, Russell and ? for the digital photos! A couple were even taken by us, but the camera was playing up.

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Europe Trip 2008

July 25th, 2008 by Rob Phillips

From 16 June to 13 July 2008, Rita and I travelled through Germany, Holland, Switzerland and Austria in a hire car. The trip was mostly work for me, as I used funds from an award I had won to visit universities in Holland and Switzerland, and attend a conference in Vienna.

However, while travelling 4,800km between the various countries, there were plenty of opportunities to take some nice photos. Here are the best of them.

We landed in Frankfurt, and spent a week in Holland before going to stay with friends in Basel, then visiting universities in the French part of Switzerland – first in Lausanne and then in Fribourg.

This photo was between Lausanne and Fribourg, along Lake Geneva.

Lake Geneva and Lausanne

One of the tourist ferries on Lake Geneva. Photo taken from the freeway which snakes up the steep hillside next to the lake.

Ferry on Lake Geneva

Rob gave a presentation at the University of Fribourg, a medieval city at the border of the French and German areas of Switzerland.

Fribourg

Travelling across Switzerland towards Austria. Some nice views from the South side of Lake Luzern (Vierwaldstättersee), near Klewenalp.

Lake Luzern

Car ferry on Lake Luzern near Klewenalp.

Ferry on Lake Luzern

Next stop Altdorf on the East side of Lake Luzern – home of William Tell.

William Tell

Then over the Klausenpass between Altdorf and Glarus. Village of Unterschächen.

Klausenpass

Some steep cliffs and cloudy weather in the Klausenpass.

Klausenpass

Some of the high meadows in the Klausenpass. The cows were being brought up there the following week. The mountain pass road had only just been opened (early June).

Klausenpass

A huge waterfall pouring down from a glacier in the Klausenpass.

Klausenpass waterfall

A little chapel at the top of the Klausenpass.

Top of Klausenpass

Going down the other side of the Klausenpass. Hit an obstacle on the road!

Klausenpass – Top to Glarus

Village or Tierfehd on the way to Glarus down the Klausenpass.

Klausenpass towards Glarus

City of Glarus, Capital of the canton of Glarus, Surrounded on four sides by mountains which tower 2000m above the city.

Glarus to the East

Glarus to the North

Then along the freeway through Switzerland, Liechtenstein the Austria, through the Arlberg tunnel and down the Inn valley, then North towards Germany. Kufstein is right on the border. It is a medieval castle town.

Kufstein

This is the alley entrance into the old city. The Kufstein song was written in this alley (can’t remember which year)

Kufstein

Then we drove into Germany and then back across to Salzburg in Austria. From there we dove up towards the Salzkammergut area and stayed overnight at St Gilgen. The sunset over the lake was nice.

Sankt Gilgen, Salzkammergut

This was the view from our B&B next morning.

Sankt Gilgen, Salzkammergut

Then we drove on to Vienna, and Rob spent the week at the Ed-Media conference while Rita did the sightseeing thing. One thing unusual to Australians was the floating swimming pool.

Viennese swimming pool

But it wasn’t all work for Rob. One evening we enjoyed a small public ‘beer garden’ in a square near our hotel next to an impressive church.

Vienna

Over the weekend, we drove back through Austria, and followed the Inn valley up from Landeck towards Switzerland. This took us into Unterengadine and we stayed overnight at Scuol, in the Romanche-speaking part of Switzerland.

Scuol, Unterengadine

The next day we drove through the Flüelapass to Davos and then through Graubunden.

Schinsschlucht gorge, Graubunden

How did people build bridges like this a hundred years ago?

Schinsschlucht gorge, Graubunden

We then travelled up the upper Rhine valley towards the Oberalppass and Andermatt. This is the view down towards Thusis.

Thusis, Graubunden

That night (Sunday 6 July) we met up with Yvonne Blättler at her home in Meggen, near Luzern. As we sat on her balcony having dinner, a rainstorm passed over us. As it moved to the East, a fantastic rainbow appeared. This was a complete double rainbow, covering the entire sky.

Rainbow from Meggen

Even better, the North end of the rainbow passed in front of the peak of the Rigi, and the South end passed in front of the peak of the Bürgenstock. Fantastic!

Rainbow from Meggen over Rigi(left) and Bürgenstock (right)

On Monday 7th, Rob had to visit universities in Zürich, but on Tuesday we could sleep in then explore Luzern. This photo of the old Miller’s bridge was taken from the old city walls. Amazingly, we met an Australian couple there wo knew us from the Wanneroo Folk Club!

The Mill Bridge in Luzern

On Wednesday we took a trip to the Pilatus (named after Pontius Pilate). This started with a ferry along the lake last Kehrsitten and Stanstad to Alpnachstad. We then took the steepest cogwheel railway in the world up to the top of the Pilatus.

Luzern with Pilatus behind

At the top of Pilatus, it was a little cloudy, but we explored the three peaks of the Pilatus and got some nice photos between the clouds.

Path to Tomlishorn, Pilatus

Lake Luzern from Pilatus

On the Thursday, the weather was fantastic, and we went up the Rigi, the mountain to the East of Luzern. This photo is from the Cable car which goes up from Weggis to where the cogwheel railway goes up to the peak of the Rigi.

View of Weggis from the cable car to Rigi

Finally, on Saturday July 13, we drove out of Switzerland to Frankfurt, for the flight home. On the way, we stopped at the Rheinfall, the waterfall which mark the end of the navigable part of the Rhine. This photo shows why it isn’t navigable at this point! 600 cubic metres of water flows past here every second on average in summer!

Rheinfall near Schaffhausen

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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Conference trip to Canada

Canberra 2010

North West of Western Australia

Pirate Wedding

Pete’s wedding

Ceremony

Reception

Off to China!

Photo Gallery

Europe Trip 2008

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