Trevor's Travels

The Whispering Wall, Barossa Reservoir, South Australia

No Comments »27th May, 2011; Category: Adelaide Hills, Holidays, Mt Lofty Ranges

Whispering Wall at the Barossa Reservoir in South Australia

On our way to the Yorke Peninsula during our holiday last week we stopped for lunch in the picnic area of the Barossa Reservoir. This dam is between the towns of Williamstown and Gawler in the Barossa Valley wine region. This is a delightful spot to picnic and very popular with tourists and locals alike.

The dam wall was constructed between 1899 and 1902 in the shape of a parabola. After construction it was discovered that the dam had a unique acoustic effect, leading to its common name of “The Whispering Wall.” A visitor can stand at one side of the dam, speak softly towards the wall and can be heard quite clearly across the other side, about 140 metres away.

Barossa Reservoir in South Australia

Whispering Wall at the Barossa Reservoir in South Australia

Barossa Reservoir in South Australia

A short holiday on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

1 Comment »25th May, 2011; Category: Beaches, Birds, Holidays, Plants, South Australia, Yorke Peninsula

Penguin Point, Marion Bay, South Australia

Last weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to have a short holiday on Yorke Peninsula here in South Australia. We stayed in a holiday unit in Edithburgh, a popular seaside town near the southern end of the peninsula. It had been quite a few years since our last visit so we eagerly anticipated seeing the rugged coastal scenery. I was looking forward to doing some birding and my wife was keen to reacquaint herself with the native flora of the region.

Sadly the weather conspired against us with bitterly cold wild gale force winds, scudding showers and overcast skies making birding and photography a challenge. Undeterred we soldiered on, having made the booking of the unit. Despite the restrictions caused by the weather we still had a great time, I saw a few good birds and my wife got all excited about the plants and flowers she was seeing. Over the coming few days I will share some of our sightings and the photos I took.

By the way, the caption on the photograph above was taken at Penguin Point at Marion Bay. I didn’t see any penguins, though Little Penguins have been recorded in the area.

Historic elephant house at Adelaide Zoo

2 Comments »9th May, 2011; Category: Adelaide, Animals, Historic places, Zoos

Historic Elephant House, Adelaide Zoo

The beautiful old 19th century building shown above used to house the elephants at Adelaide Zoo. The zoo no longer houses elephants here and it has been converted into an historic interpretive centre (see photo below).

I can remember going for a ride on an elephant at the Adelaide Zoo when I was a child (more than 50 years ago). The last elephant held in this zoo’s animal collection died at the Monarto Zoo section a few years ago. While neither section of the zoo currently holds any elephants, I understand there are plans to re-introduce some to Monarto Zoo in the next few years.

Historic Elephant House, Adelaide Zoo

Meerkats at Adelaide Zoo

No Comments »6th May, 2011; Category: Adelaide, Animals, Zoos

Meerkats at Adelaide Zoo

Both sections of the Adelaide Zoo in South Australia have a god collection of Meerkats on display. These delightful animals are always a favourite with visitors to the main zoo in Adelaide as well as the Monarto section of the zoo.

Meerkats at Adelaide Zoo

Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat

No Comments »4th May, 2011; Category: Adelaide, Animals, Zoos

Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat, Adelaide Zoo

The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat can be found within about an hour’s drive of my home. Despite having driven in that area many times over the last three decades, I’ve only ever seen one in its natural habitat on a handful of occasions. Being nocturnal accounts for the main reason for not having seen it more often.

Mind you, I’d rather not encounter this lovely animal on a dark night on a lonely country road. I’ve almost hit one while driving along late at night and would rather not do so. Not only would a car fatally wound a wombat (which is something I’d hate), but the car would not be in a good state after a collision with one of these solid, dumpy animals. It would be like hitting a rock.

This species is also found in other parts of southern South Australia and Western Australia. See the photo below for more information. There are two other species of wombat: the Common Wombat and the Northern Hairy-nosed wombat, the latter being critically endangered.

Further reading:

Wombat – information on the Adelaide Zoo website.

Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat, Adelaide Zoo