Category: Nature

Walkabout

January 8, 2014

Yesterday, with Sue (it was her birthday!) and her kids, I visited an animal sanctuary called Australian Walkabout Wildlife Park.

It was a strange sort of animal park. It’s mostly open (and mostly uncultured bushland) with scattered enclosures. Many roos and wallabies and emus walk freely throughout the park and (the large ones at least) are surprisingly unafraid.

We could pat (but not feed) them. Their fur is surprisingly soft, almost in some cases like velvet!

The emus on the other hand are terrifying, especially to the kids who were smaller than the birds!

We noticed a small wallaby (or perhaps pademelon) sitting in the shade who didn’t hop away like her ilk. We quietly approached and were amazed to see a little head peep out from her pouch:

There was also one kangaroo that was particularly friendly. I think he thought he was someone’s pet:

Amongst the other animals on display were quolls…

And Tasmanian devils:

Both were being fed kangaroo parts, which was a bit ironic and grisly. The circle of life, I suppose!

I’m a big fan of kangaroos and enjoyed the park quite a bit. While it was smaller and less flashy than a place like Featherdale, I think it’s a better (and less busy) place to see the animals in a more natural environment.

That’s dad with a dog, which was taken later in the day. The dog belongs to an old family friend who was in the nunnery with mum.

In the afternoon, I became a photographers assistant while my brother took some long-exposure neutral density beach photography. Expect results on his blog…

Here’s dinner; a burger with beetroot and carrot on it:

Delicious!

Coasting Along

January 5, 2014

Yesterday I walked the length of Newcastle’s beaches; from Merewether to Nobby’s. It took me about two hours in total, following the coast, in warm sun.

The surf was rough and I saw few swimmers (but many surfers). There were however many runners and walkers sharing the path with me.

That’s an old WW2 bunker on the cliff tops above King Edward Park. Here’s a view of the ocean from slightly further along the path:

The beaches were beautiful. These walks are very nostalgic for me, and I remembered many events from my youth as I strolled along.

Here’s one such memory. This is a photo of a bridge over an artificial pond in a park near the foreshore. Note the two kids leaning over the water:

I took the photo because I heard one of the boys tell the other that only ‘stupid people’ would go into the pond and immediately remembered how, on a dare, I’d waded under that low bridge one day in my high school years!

Newcastle feels lost in time as it has for years. Even Michael Jackson still tours here:

There’s plenty of graffiti in the city, both legal and illegal. I’m no fan of the defacing of public property, but here’s a shot of one example which I find uniquely Novocastrian:

That’s written on the path near Merewether beach and says ‘no coal go nuclear’. Many such sentiments are seen on stickers or posters in this town, seen as it is by activists as one of the epicentres of global warming.

That’s a mural in a car park on Hunter Street. Nearby I found this delightful piece depicting a bear riding in a hot-air balloon:

After about three hours of walking I was a bit ruined. Even though I (thought I) had slathered myself with sunblock, I had burned myself slightly in a couple of places.

After a frozen coke and a quick sit in an air-conditioned mall Bernard picked me up and we went on a bit of a drive to yet another mall.

In the evening we all watched The Hobbit (the first one). We’ll go and see the second one together later this week.

The Blue Mountains

December 30, 2013

The drive out of Jenolan – on the same perilous road as yesterday – was a very different experience since we woke early and got out before the traffic. Our destination was the town of Katoomba, tourist center of the Blue Mountains.

We arrived in Katoomba about 11 and headed to a place called Scenic World, which is perched right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the valley. Here’s a shot of the lines when we arrived:

Incredible! We would learn that the lines start even before the place opens before 9 am. What is here that is worth lining up? Well, after about an hour in line we…

Rode a cable car the 275 meters down to the rainforest before…

Exploring the rainforest walk. This was a ~45 minute stroll on a raised walkway around the dense rainforest that fills the valley below Katoomba. We saw two lyrebirds!

Can you see him in the middle of the picture displaying his plumage?

To get back to the tops of the cliffs we rode the world’s steepest train:

This was remarkable! A very fast and thrilling train set on an up to 52 degree incline with incredible views of the mountains. Highly recommended!

But the attractions weren’t over! After another line, Bernard and I rode this:

We even stood on the ‘electro-reveal floor’ which used liquid crystal glass to become transparent half way across:

The views were breathtaking. I was so dazzled, I even forgot to take a single photo of the famous attraction known as The Three Sisters. You can see them on a postcard if you’ve never heard of them 🙂

After visits to more lookouts we – after a long day – headed back to our motel for the night. We had eaten a kings breakfast back in Jenolan and actually skipped lunch, so we were famished when we headed to the local RSL for dinner.

The Chinese food was incredible! We ate like emperors! Bernard then demonstrated he still had the magic touch by turning $5 into $86 using His favourite poker machine:

As if this club couldn’t get better, I then wandered over to the tiny arcade and found this:

The Doctor Who pinball! Holy Christ, I’ve been wanting to play this forever! And playing it was like a religious experience 🙂

A great end to a great day! What would tomorrow bring?

Robot Claw