Archive for the 'Photos' Category

Photos of Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Our lunch spot at Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

One of our favourite places to visit near our home is the Pangarinda Arboretum at Wellington near the Murray River in South Australia. It is about a half hour drive from home. The arboretum is a vast collection of Australian native plants, many of them displaying spectacular flowers. Over the coming days I will be showcasing some of those plants and flowers on this site.

Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Happy birthday to me

Yes indeed – it is my birthday today.

As a treat for my many readers, today we will have something a little different. Instead of an article about somewhere I’ve travelled to, I want to share some photos of my favourite places.

Enjoy.

If you’d like to leave a birthday message in the comments section, that would also be great.

Australian Pelican, Mallacoota, Victoria

Ama Dablam, Nepal

Circular Quay, Sydney Harbour

Giant Panda, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens

Eden Valley Church, South Australia

Church at Eden Valley, South Australia

Sometimes when we travel from home in Murray Bridge, South Australia, to our daughter’s home in Clare, we travel through the small rural community of Eden Valley. Every time we see the Lutheran Church just off the main road through town we admire this beautiful building. I’ve often commented that I should one day stop and take some photos. On a recent trip I did stop, but I still messed up the shot. The lovely church appears to have a lean on it to rival that famous one in Italy.

Not so.

Trouble is, I didn’t get out of the car but merely grabbed the camera, twisted around in my seat and “click”. I didn’t check that I’d composed the photo properly and so the bell tower appears to have a definite lean. It doesn’t; I’m the one leaning. Next time I must get out of the car, compose the photo carefully and then shoot.

Eden Valley is only a small community on the edge of the world famous Barossa Valley wine region. There are many vineyards and wineries in the district, as well as orchards (apricots, peaches, cherries), sheep and wheat farms and a some cattle as well.

Edithburgh Nature Reserve

Eucalyptus erythrocorys (red-capped gum), Edithburgh Nature Reserve

On the last morning of our recent holiday on the Yorke Peninsula we stopped for about an hour to wander through the Edithburgh Nature Reserve. This reserve, set up and maintained by a local community group, has been a focus of ours every time we visit the small coastal town. The reserve is at the western end of the main street and is open at all times to the public. Several excellent gravel paths suitable for wheelchairs meander through the reserve.

The reserve is not great for checking out a wide range of Australian Native Plants which interest my wife, it is also a good place within the town to see many of the local bush birds. Being only about 500 metres from the coast it is also possible to record a few sea birds flying overhead. My brother in law used to live opposite this park so we know it and its inhabitants quite well.

Apart from the birds I also enjoy the challenge of taking photos of wildflowers. I’ve dedicated this post to the plants in flower that we saw.

Calothamnus quadrifidus (one-sided bottlebrush), Edithburgh Reserve

Grevillea flower, Edithburgh Nature Reserve

Hakea laurina, Edithburgh Nature Reserve, Yorke Peninsula

Edithburgh Nature Reserve, Yorke Peninsula

Rainbow Lorikeets, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Rainbow Lorikeet, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

During our visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney we found a quiet picnic area so we could eat our lunch. Most visitors to the zoo take advantage of the various restaurants and other food outlets, but we would rather bring our own picnic lunch. We found a lovely grassed area with a few picnic tables and enjoyed a pleasant lunch.

At a table nearby some overseas visitors were enjoying the company of two Rainbow Lorikeets. They had provided some food for the birds who were happily devouring the free meal. While this provided me with a great photo opportunity, I can’t condone the action of these visitors. Human food is never good for our native birds so I would discourage all of my readers to refrain from feeding our birds.

Rainbow Lorikeet, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Rainbow Lorikeet, Taronga Zoo, Sydney