Old Coolibah on Longreach Common

An old Coolibah tree in the Iningai reserve, an area of Longreach's extensive town common fenced off with support from council, ag students and community members. This very old specimen was hard by a creek which was the dwelling place for aboriginal family groups in centuries past. Since European settlement, this area of common had been devastated by grazing goats and stock from the nearby stock route but due to the fencing is regenerating into woodland and grass meadows. Popular with the babblers and zebra finches, white-plumed honey-eaters, black-faced cuckoo shrikes, peaceful doves, jacky winters and weebills, we also heard brolgas and saw plenty of kangaroos. Bob and Scotty were our informative guides.

Darling River, Bourke

Despite the muddiness from recent rain, and the long term effects of drought still visible in the trees' health, this river (above the weir) shaped up as beautiful and supporting a fine array of birds. Most evident were the whistling kites, corellas, egrets (great and intermediate), a white-necked heron, a white-faced heron, a lonely yellow-billed spoonbill who perched on a dead tree beside the river near the tourist boat for a good hour and a half. There was a thrush at every creek and waterhole, martins and swallows and the ubiquitous black kite who flashes his forked tail just often enough to identify him.

Gathering from my grandfather's vegetable patch up in the Victorian tall timber. My grandma Evelyn Jackson and my mother, Phyllis.

Guerilla Bay down the South Coast - taken by BJC Feb 2007. Peaceful.

Farewell Felicity

Our cat Felicity (No. 2) died on the surgeon's table at age 19 - not bad for a cat who slept outside in all weathers. She went in for a bad tooth but cancer was the real curse. Her history was interesting. We bought her half grown from the RSPCA and many cat lovers will know that it is rare for kittens that age to be on sale. The cute little babies go first and the older strays and throwaways usually have to be put down. But Felicity was an exhibit in an animal cruelty case and when she was no longer needed for the case, the vets were not about to put her down. She had received two operations to mend a broken leg and was obviously fussed over at the RSPCA centre because she was an affectionate pet. One of the best kind of cats who retained her mighty independence yet related closely to family and selected friends (eg the neighbours who fed her when we were away!) She loved our company and we miss her.

Jervis Bay

Bleached bloodwood at low tide, near Hole in the Wall.

Mike's last hurrah

Mike has left Oz for America and is now working for Luis Von Ahn at CMU as a research programmer. This photo was taken on his last geo-caching trip (I think). Here is the youtube link for geocache enthusiasts....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyUm2xIquXE

Port Philip Bay 17th September 06

Port Philip Bay, Melbourne. Vandals perhaps required the barricade to this scupture. Little girl unknown passerby. Barely visible to right of sculpture is a drunk face down on the sand. This is near the St. Kilda pier where Louise and Milan took us for early coffee at the rebuilt cafe at end (old one was burnt down). Golli and Gus showed up all the other dogs and behaved perfectly (unless you count Gus using the pier as a loo - but then he knows that Milan will sweep up after him....)

Gananoque likes Blue

Not the prettiest buildings perhaps but in the fading light I loved the blue tints which though seemingly pale were very intense. Liz C took these shots for me. The sheds were near the river on the quiet side of town.

A bad photo? Artistic impression of Newtown!

Photo by Mike's phone while we waited for Short and Sweet at Newtown Theatre in March.

April surf at Governor's Head, Jervis Bay

Never seen it this big before! Bowen Island is nearly hidden. Where seals often laze around, the surf boiled.

Pelicans on the Shoalhaven

Just downstream from the bridge over the Shoalhaven River at Nowra there is a tiny outcrop which at high tide almost disappears. Every time we come into Nowra I look at this rocky stage in the river and judge from the number of birds how high is the tide. We took this shot from the boat on a morning when it might have been too windy in open water. But we ploughed through so many jellyfish we gave up and returned via the pelicans where we found another boat with engine failure. We towed them up the tiny Bomaderry Creek and went home feeling we'd done well.

Tawny Frogmouth - Parramatta

Three open-eyed and open-mouthed tawny frogmouths were highly visible (for tawny frogmouths anyway) on this hot summer day in our neighbour's willow tree. Their plumage can resemble rough bark when they freeze into position in a eucalypt, but against the light green willow leaves they were soon picked out. We found two of these great birds dead in our back yards last year but a new nesting pair (with giant toddler in tow) have apparently moved in.

Eastern Water Dragon

We spotted this water dragon at Audley on the Port Hacking river - or rather he spotted us.

Bread is ignored but orange poppy seed cake is pursued. A rival hangs back and gets a few crumbs. Our new friend poses to give us all the marking necessary for id.

Sorry mate - no more cake - besides it's probably illegal to share it with you. How about apple? That's his tongue in the middle there, not our finger.

Creek Colours

Bushwalking with friends we were fascinated by the patterns of colour in this shallow creek a few metres from the beach. D. Meulman's was the best shot.

Fishing Cormorant

This cormorant checked us out several times while we fished in Jervis Bay. When he gave up on our luck, he'd fly off to another boat. Not the best photo to capture the marvellous detail of his bronze-tipped feathers.

Jacaranda over Parramatta River

Taken from the bridge near Riverside Theatres - I'm glad I took this photo when I did because a fortnight later it was forlorn again, most of the petals drifting downstream.

Lilly Pilly At Booderee Botanical Gardens

I like the Spring pink and yellow tips on this lillypilly which is a particularly pretty specimen in the Botanical Gardens in Booderee National Park. There is always a Satin Bower Bird carrying on near this tree to add to the entertainment.

Sydney Blue Gum - Batemans's Bay Oct '05

These are the leaves, nuts and buds of a Eucalyptus Salinga which is easily confused with a flooded gum (Eucalyptus Grandis). The best test is supposed to be that the slightly protuding valves curve outwards in the Blue Gum and inwards in the Flooded Gum which is a bit hard to see in this sized photo. Anyway the forest we saw on our way back from Eden was lovely, though a little worn by humans on the edges. It ran back from an overgrown picnic area between Bateman's Bay and Uladulla where we had lunch.

Newnes - Industrial ruins site - Sept 2005

I love the carefully bricked archways which are prominent in these ruins - windows and doorways built to last. The site is well sign-posted and worth a visit even if you don't like ruins but love a stroll in the bush. Excellent for twitchers also. Lyrebirds in easy view for the quiet walker. Newnes near Lithgow, NSW.