We encountered quite a few scribbly gums along the way.
These insects certainly have been busy ‘drawing’ during the year.
All posts by Sandra Graham
Bundanoon Fling – Part 2
The gullies gave way to pretty open dry eucalypt forest. There was evidence of fire from seasons past, like this half-burned tree.
On the group, pre-spring was in full-swing with plenty of wild flowers in bloom.
Rice flowers.
Bacon and egg peas.
Native orchid.
Bundanoon Fling – Part 1
We will be heading back into the bush, not too far from home. We spent a weekend in the Southern Highlands at the end of August. We chose to stay at Bundanoon at quite an extraordinary bed and breakfast called Yallambee. The house was on a suburban street, but right next to the boundary of Morton National Park. It was clear but windy when we took our walk to the lookouts.
First we walked through some cool gullies with plenty of fern and moss.
The morning light under the canopy was soft, making the ferns very photogenic.
Winter Beach Visits – Part 5
Hello, it’s Bridie Beagle here. It’s been many months since I’ve appeared on the blog. Probably because my parents have been busy travelling here, there and everywhere during the winter. I’ve been at home, sleeping inside when the weather is horrible, and getting a suntan outside when it’s not.
I was really glad to visit the beach though. It’s a rare experience for me these days, so I like to make the most of it.
First, I sniff out a strand of seaweed, and make my mark.
Then I go on to the next one. And then the next, and the next after that, until I’ve sniffed every bit of seaweed along the beach (I have to be thorough).
I get so carried away at times that Mum and Dad think I’ve forgotten them. But I haven’t. I always come back.
Winter Beach Visits – Part 4
The view of Broken Bay was breath-taking as usual.
We noticed changes to the beach since the autumn. The sandbar has grown, so the beach at low tide was expansive. There had also been some regeneration work in the sand dunes which was much needed.
I didn’t get to sketch that afternoon, like I did last summer.
Perhaps when the weather gets warmer.
Winter Beach Visits – Part 3
Umina Beach on a calm winter’s day was the perfect place to be.
Winter Beach Visits – Part 2
There were plenty of people about, even on a cool, blustery morning. Kids were paddling in the shallow. There was a group of (what looked to be) little nippers training, and of course the occasional surfer. Off-shore, the tankers/cargo ships were lined up like ducks on the horizon.
The vegetation was of the usual beach kind, with lots of pig face about. It was nice to see them blooming.
Winter Beach Visits – Part 1
It was almost the end of winter when we took a Sunday drive to Shelly Beach. The beach is in between Terrigal and the Entrance, but is a world away from those crowded tourist traps.
Being book-ended by a golf course and a national park certainly helps keep things low key. It’s certainly a hidden gem on the Central Coast.
Another Winter Visit – Part 2
As with prior visits, I was fascinated by the change of seasons. The trees on the avenue were leaf-less, and the late afternoon light was very delicate.
The quality of light made simple things, like fence posts, special.
Even the contrasting textures of the wood, the moss, the barbed wire, the bolt, were beautiful.
It’s the little things that make winter special.
Another Winter Visit – Part 1
Back in August I was again at Jamberoo Abbey for another winter visit.
Last year the prayer yurt was a shambles after being blown over by a succession of storms. This year they rebuilt a more permanent structure.
Static and Silence 