Floral display - Leura Garden festival, Blue Mountains

Please refer to this link for more beautiful pictures of spring blossoms :

http://ausletters.blogspot.com/2009/10/leura-garden-festival-spring-flowers-in.html

Manly Spit Bush Walk

The 9 km walk from Manly wharf to the spit bridge link to Mosman is scenic but strenuous. Starting leisurely from the wide walkways and gentle slopes of Fairlight, we have no inkling of the rugged terrain that lie ahead.

Tough ascend from Forty Baskets and Reef beach onwards.

Spectacular views of the bays and inlets

Rocky shores are ideal for fishing and picnic but not for swimming.

Castle Rock close to Clontarf

The final destination : Spit Bridge
A jet stream vapour trail promoting a religious message.

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Permission required to publish.

West Head - Kurin-gai Chase National Park

Scenic West Head

Panoramic view of Palm Beach and the peninsular vicinity.

Lion's Head

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Wonders of Nature - from all over the world

Just a slight digression from Australian nature; my old friend sent me some pictures of natural wonders and phenomena and I would like to share these spectacular scenes with fellow nature lovers.

Moving Stones

The mysterious moving stones of the packed-mud desert of Death Valley have been a center of scientific controversy for decades. Rocks weighing up to hundreds of pounds have been known to move up to hundreds of yards at a time. Some scientists have proposed that a combination of strong winds and surface ice account for these movements. However, this theory does not explain evidence of different rocks starting side by side and moving at different rates and in disparate directions. Moreover, the physics calculations do not fully support this theory as wind speeds of hundreds of miles per hour would be needed to move some of the stones.

Red Tides

Red tides are also known as algal blooms - sudden influxes of massive amounts of colored single-cell algae that can convert entire areas of an ocean or beach into a blood red color. While some of these can be relatively harmless, others can be harbingers of deadly toxins that cause the deaths of fish, birds and marine mammals. In some cases, even humans have been harmed by red tides though no human exposure are known to have been fatal. While they can be fatal, the constituent phytoplankton in ride tides are not harmful in small numbers.

Mamatus Clouds

True to their ominous appearance, mammatus clouds are often harbingers of a coming storm or other extreme weather system. Typically composed primarily of ice, they can extend for hundreds of miles in each direction and individual formations can remain visibly static for ten to fifteen minutes at a time. While they may appear foreboding they are merely the messengers - appearing around, before or even after severe weather.

Ice Circles

While many see these apparently perfect ice circles as worthy of conspiracy theorizing, scientists generally accept that they are formed by eddies in the water that spin a sizable piece of ice in a circular motion. As a result of this rotation, other pieces of ice and flotsam wear relatively evenly at the edges of the ice until it slowly forms into an essentially ideal circle. Ice circles have been seen with diameters of over 500 feet and can also at times be found in clusters and groups at different sizes as shown above.

Fire Rainbow

A circumhorizontal fire rainbow arc occurs at a rare confluence of right time and right place for the sun and certain clouds. Crystals within the clouds refract light into the various visible waves of the spectrum but only if they are arrayed correctly relative to the ground below. Due to the rarity with which all of these events happen in conjunction with one another, there are relatively few remarkable photos of this phenomena.

Blue Holes

Blue holes are giant and sudden drops in underwater elevation that get their name from the dark and foreboding blue tone they exhibit when viewed from above in relationship to surrounding waters. They can be hundreds of feet deep and while divers are able to explore some of them they are largely devoid of oxygen that would support sea life due to poor water circulation - leaving them eerily empty. Some blue holes, however, contain ancient fossil remains that have been discovered, preserved in their depths.

Columnar Basalt

When a thick lava flow cools it contracts vertically but cracks perpendicular to its directional flow with remarkable geometric regularity - in most cases forming a regular grid of remarkable hexagonal extrusions that almost appear to be made by man. One of the most famous such examples is the Giant's Causeway on the coast of Ireland (shown above) though the largest and most widely recognized would be Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Basalt also forms different but equally fascinating ways when eruptions are exposed to air or water.

Jervis Bay, NSW South Coast

Hyams Beach at Jervis Bay (outside the national park) boasts of the one of whitest and finest sand in the world. Rivaling this claim are : Whitehaven beach in the Whitsundays and Fraser Island, both in Queensland.

It was a treat for the senses - visual, audio, tactile - even on a cloudy day.

Another part of Jervis Bay at a camping site of the national park.

Batehaven - Bateman's Bay - NSW South Coast

An island in the distant evokes strange memories of the Rock, Uluru in Central Australia. The association is in the imagery - a solitary feature has withstood the harsh environment, erosion and the natural elements.

http://australianature.blogspot.com/2009/01/ayers-rock-uluru-in-central-australia.html

Transient footprints come and go, erased by the persistent and timeless surf and wind.

The fertile fishing grounds make the Batemans Bay area a haven for birds.

Narooma, NSW South Coast

Narooma Bluewater jetty is the only gateway to the fascinating Montague Island.

The Entrance

Rock oysters thrive along the jetty.

View from a vantage point.

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Fur Seals on Montague Island, off Narooma, NSW south coast

The only way to get to Montague Island is through a chartered boat from Narooma and accompany by a National Parks and Wildlife Service guide.

The sea was rough and choppy. The air smelled of the sea; animal, land and sounds are all blended into one. Such is the wonder of nature.

Montague Island has the state of NSW's only known colony of Australian fur seals, Australian native and migratory birds. We were lucky to spot a few hundred seals. At the peak, there could be a thousand of them basking on the rocky shore or swimming and fishing in the ocean.

Are there any penguins on Montague Island?

Yes, but they are fewer in numbers. Unlike the spectacular landing of several thousand of fairy penguins on one main spot of Philip Island, Victoria, only a few hundreds are dispersed on various parts Montague Island. Man-made factors such as the planting of kykuyu grass to prevent soil erosion on Montague Island by the pioneers have been hazardous to the movement of penguins whose feet often get entangled by the roots system.

The visible signs of penguin presence are their nests which are actually burrows in the ground near the coast. Penguins fish in the day time and return to their nests at night. In springtime, more penguins would come ashore.

Seaweed mars Manly beach

The white spotless beach of Manly has in recent weeks been tarnished by the massive deposits of seaweed washed ashore. The stench from the seaweed is upsetting in the cool breeze and at times unbearable to residents and visitors who just want to take a quiet stroll on the sand or a dip among the surf.

Birds of Australia

Pelicans and seagulls coexist in harmony in the Hawkesbury river.

Wild ducks swimming in the lake.

Some wild ducks find their way to the homes backyard chlorine pools for shelter during a storm.

We have visitors at the front yard from the nearby bush. Lorikeets perched on the branches of the shrubs and hedges is a lovely sight in the morning.

Native Flora and Fauna of Australia

Many beautiful flowers line the base of canyons, creeks and fringe of desert areas. Some produce nectar that could be make into delicious beverages.

The Witchety bush where grubs can be dug out from the roots and make an excellent aboriginal dish that is rich in protein.

One of the many species of egg plant, some edible, some toxic. Some may be food for the birds and animals but unsuitable for human consumption. Can you tell? We were told to try testing it on the a skin patch and eat a little at a time. Daren't you?

Animal wildlife

A predatory bird looking for its prey in a staged show.

Tiny bird resting in the aviary

Wild Mandarin duck can be found in the oasis of deserts

One of the many rare species of reptiles that thrive on the sandy grounds of the vast interior.

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Native Plants in Central Australia - Edible and Poisonous

The Witchetty Bush from the roots where the witchety grubs can be dug out and harvested for food. Aboriginal women grill the bugs which provide a good source of protein and a tasty meal for the family.

There are hundreds of species of aubergine / eggplant, some of which are edible. It is best to buy processed and packaged products if you are not an expert in native Australian foods.


Many beautiful flowers in the desert produce nectar which could be used to make syrup.

Our guide holding on to a pretty mauve wild flower.

Kings Canyon - Traveling in Central Australia

Steep walls of the Kings Canyon, truly qualifies itself as a full fledged canyon.

Scaling the walls and treking the narrow winding paths are part of the morning tour of the Kings Canyon.

Detailed writeup on the Kings Canyon walk and Ayers Rock surrounds :

http://www.helium.com/items/676762-traveling-to-central-australia

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Sunrise at Uluru on camel back

Sleepy camels and riders assembled before 5 am awaiting briefings on how to mount, disembark, the character traits of each camel and how to work together in order to get the best of the scenic views with minimal disruption and unpleasant surprises.