Having never actually been to Torquay, UK, I was today taken to its namesake south of Geelong, where a spectacular beach – just one of many such beaches in this country – fringes the Bass Strait. I like the way the light catches this forest of blue plastic triangles beside the walkway to the sands, part of a dune regeneration project.
Although I flew into Melbourne yesterday I’m not actually staying there this weekend, instead, I’m hanging out in Geelong which is a smaller city a bit further round the bay. I’m staying with an old university friend I haven’t seen in about ten years since she emigrated out here for work. There’s not an awful lot to Geelong but, like the rest of this country, it does have some cool wildlife. I was stalking this heron for a good 20 minutes from along the path by the bay near the marina, and got a few good shots, but this one I chose because the reeds just beneath the water give it a sort of texture, and the S-shape of its neck is just beautiful. It’s the second heron to appear on the blog and the first one was beautiful too.
Things you don’t necessarily want to hear from the pilot as you’re coming into land: “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re turning the seatbelt sign on, there seems to be some thunderstorm activity around the airport”. Cue one of the bumpier landings I’ve ever experienced. But we made it.
No artistic merit to this pic at all, but it represents the fact that tomorrow I am starting a 4-week road trip that is going to take in eleven separate flights, three national parks, three major cities and four smaller ones, two Australian states and all three principal islands of New Zealand. And there was you thinking it only had two, right? But don’t worry, the laptop is coming with me, so you’ll see it all on here, I hope.
Blimey. I haven’t seen anyone doing this seriously in years, possibly decades, have you?
This is Debs who is a regular of the Railway (you’ve seen it often enough) – she has been here for a while visiting family and we both happened to be in Brisbane tonight, so shared a couple of Guinnesses (there they are) at the Irish pub with its cool balcony on the corner of George and Elizabeth Streets. Sláinte!
The east exit. It does get busier than this during the week. Taken as I returned from the airport having transited (on a very bumpy flight) back from Adelaide. The lonely ‘wet floor’ marker – placed there for no reason I could discern – gives it a sense of pathos I think…
What is it with Antipodeans and their urge to fling themselves off high places? Don’t expect any bungee jumping action shots from me on my upcoming trip to New Zealand, either. Glenelg is one of Adelaide’s beach suburbs, very busy today but it does have great sand so one can see why. Last day in South Australia, back to Brisbane – briefly – tomorrow.
Hard to resist the temptation to stick another ‘Flora/Fauna’ post up today but I have done so, purely for a change of theme. Mind you, to classify this as an ‘Urban Scene’ is pushing it. Penneshaw reminds me of the West Coast of Scotland, beautiful and remote; surprisingly so, in fact. This pump, powered by the wind, served as the town’s mains water supply until as late as 1965, and mains electricity did not come to Kangaroo Island until 1975. It’s a great spot and at several points over the last four days I have been quite seriously planning my move here: but now it’s time to go back to what is often termed ‘civilisation’, though I have my doubts. I leave on tomorrow morning’s ferry.
Every place has sea, and rocks, and sky, and even if these may be more of themselves in Australia, they are still basically familiar. What I like is the unfamiliarity of the flora and fauna, its basic difference – like the ubiquity of these eucalyptus trees, and their amazing skeins of bark and the leaves that when you rub them between your fingers smell like Vicks’ Vapo-Rub. This tree grows in the garden of the Penneshaw YHA, where I spent all the day working, and all I had to do to get this shot was just point the camera upwards.
