Tag Archives: flora

Lord Howe Island – Views of the Lagoon

Lord Howe is an island, foremost, so let’s have a few more views of the water. We stayed on the western side of the island and hence got our fill of views of the Lagoon. No name, just Lagoon, since it’s the only one.

It is the most southern reef system in the world, and it is beautiful to look at and swim in whatever the weather, since there is no sewage or storm-water run-off to pollute its clean waters. The uniqueness of the marine environment obviously helped gain the island a UNESCO world heritage listing.

In the middle of the lagoon, about 700m off-shore, is Rabbit Island (officially, Blackburn Island), which produces a lovely focal point to the view. It might have been overrun with pests like rabbits in the past (hence its name), but after the big clean-up, it’s now pristine.

There are lots of snorkeling opportunities on the Lagoon, as well as lots of fishing opportunities. Hubby brought his fishing gear all the way from home and was eager to cast a line. It’s certainly a scenic place to do it.

And on the shore, there were interesting details to examine while I waited for hubby to land a catch (he did eventually, by the way).

Lord Howe Island – Under the Canopy

Despite the presence of settlers for almost 190 years, the island still retains much of its original vegetation. That vegetation is in the form of subtropical rainforest. With the impressive landforms of Mounts Lidgbird and Gower (the remnants of a 7 million year old volcano) that drop off right into the ocean, the landscape is very Jurassic Park– like.

Under Mount Gower
Little Island Track.
Under Mount Gower
Under Mount Gower
Under the Canopy

You can see the presence of Kentia palms everywhere in the rainforest. These palms are commonly found as indoor plants everywhere around the world from back in the 19th Century.

Under the Canopy

Aside from these palms, there is also a variety of strangler vines and multi-coloured fungi.

Strangler Figs
Forest fungi

All of this is a short stroll from civilisation – and with the both easy and challenging tracks about, and the lack of stinging insects, it means that this rainforest is just about perfect (for me anyway)!

Natural (or Unnatural) Spring Wonders

Two completely unrelated photos, the only connection is that they are of the natural world.

Some Egg and Bacon Pea flowers besides the walking track at Mount Ettalong on the Central Coast last spring. Drought or not, the show must go on.

Blooming peas

And this is a sight that most of us won’t forget in a hurry – the sight of a blood-red bushfire sunset in the middle of the autumn bushfires last year, as seen from my backyard. This scene was repeated for weeks. Spectacular but not one I really would like to see repeated.

Bushfire Sun

Autumn in the Mountains – Part 5

Last stop of the day was the Campbell Rhododendron Gardens. I found out about them from the brochures at my accommodation, and the signs around town led me to the garden that was tucked away in a sleepy corner of Blackheath.

Campbell Rhododendron Garden

It was the wrong time of year for rhododendrons, but I was quite enchanted by this place. Set in a dell, the garden was a very peaceful place to be on a weekday.

Campbell Rhododendron Garden

Campbell Rhododendron Garden

There were some autumn leaves to view.

Campbell Rhododendron Garden

And a few flowers were in bloom to add to the colour.

Campbell Rhododendron Garden

Campbell Rhododendron Garden

All in all, a lovely day out.

Campbell Rhododendron Garden

Southern Highlands Weekend – Part 1

The end of winter (and our wedding anniversary) saw us heading once again to the Southern Highlands. I revisited Chinoiserie, the property with the beautiful peony gardens that I saw the previous spring. This time, we came to stay.

Chinoiserie

We stayed in the separate guest wing, and it was a lovely, cosy place to be.

Chinoiserie

Lots of whimsical touches inside, like this stained glass window.

Chinoiserie

Dominic, the co-owner and ‘head gardener’ loves his peonies, so there had to be some indoors too.

Chinoiserie

Another Winter Visit – Part 2

Early the following morning (always early starts at the Abbey), I strolled around the rainforest walk.

Winter Visit

The path dipped from the cottages to follow the creek.

Winter Visit

It was still dark at the lowest level.

Winter Visit

The path undulated across the banks of the creek, so I reached the light eventually.

Winter Visit

Winter Visit

And much further along (away from the rainforest and the creek), there was even sunshine.

Winter Visit

It was a lovely way to start the day.

Winter Visit

The Red Centre – Part 6

We take a turn about the town, and saw some interesting sites, including this mural at the back of Coles Supermarket.

Coles Mural

And then for our last stop we climbed atop Anzac Hill for a panoramic view of the Alice.

Anzac Hill

Anzac Hill

The MacDonnell Ranges are never far away and look as spectacular as ever. Pity that this visit is so short.

Anzac Hill

We could even see the Ghan from the top. Look closely, and you can see that it is ridiculously long.

Anzac Hill

One last view of the Territory State flag.

Anzac Hill

And its state flora, the Sturt Desert Rose.

Anzac Hill