Our lunch spot at Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

One of our favourite places to visit near our home is the Pangarinda Arboretum at Wellington near the Murray River in South Australia. It is about a half hour drive from home. The arboretum is a vast collection of Australian native plants, many of them displaying spectacular flowers. Over the coming days I will be showcasing some of those plants and flowers on this site.

Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia

Tammar Wallaby, Adelaide Zoo

Tammar Wallabies are found in south western Western Australia. They inhabit coastal mallee scrublands and eucalypt woodlands. They tend to stay in dense vegetation during the day and feed mainly at night.They were previously also found in South Australia, but land clearing and introduced pests like foxes and cats are thought to have made them locally extinct in this area.

A feral population was established on a New Zealand island, and in the last decade a large number of these had been repatriated to Monarto Zoo (a part of Adelaide Zoo) and then reintroduced into Yorke Peninsula where they have established breeding populations.

You can read more about this species on the zoo website here.

Tammar Wallaby, Adelaide Zoo

Emu at Adelaide Zoo

One of the most recognisable of Australian birds would have to be the Emu, shown in the photos here on this post. These photos were taken recently on a visit to my home zoo in Adelaide, some 50 minutes drive from where I live.

This large bird, standing from 1.5 to 2 metres high, is found over most of mainland Australia. They became extinct on the island of Tasmania in the 19th century. While it ranges over most of mainland Australia, its current distribution can be patchy, especially in closely settled areas and regions of intensive farming. It can still be found in good numbers in pastoral lands, forested areas and national parks. In Western Australia the species is migratory, moving towards coastal areas after breeding. They female lays 5 -12 large, dark green eggs on the ground which the male incubates and then cares for the young for up to a year and a half.

Emu eggs at Adelaide Zoo

Emu at Adelaide Zoo

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Free Flight Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

The Free Flight Bird Show at Taronga Zoo in Sydney has been my topic here for quite a few days now. Whenever we visit the zoo we make sure we schedule one of the shows into our schedule. It is also a great opportunity to get some good photos of the birds.

At the end of each show the keepers invite audience members to come forward and give some of the parrots a donation of a coin. The birds accept the coin in their beak and immediately drop it into the donation box. In this way over $75,000 has been raised for bird conservation in recent years. Today’s photo features one of those birds, a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo which is a common bird in the Sydney region. It is also common in other parts of Australia too.

Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Australia has a number of Black-cockatoo species, including the Red-tailed Black-cockatoo shown in today’s post. These impressive large parrots are not easy to approach in the wild, so when we went to Taronga Zoo in Sydney last year I was pleased to get these close up shots.

These birds are a part of the Free Flight Bird Show which is a feature of the programme at the zoo every day at noon and at 3pm. It is a great opportunity for zoo visitors to see some of our wonderful birds up close – and sometimes quite personal.

Red-tailed Black-cockatoos are found in their natural state in much of Queensland, the Northern Territory, parts of Western Australia and there is a small isolated population in western Victoria and SE South Australia. Seeing a flock flying overhead is an awesome sight, but seeing them up close like this at the zoo gave me a new appreciation of the delicate beauty of this stunning parrot.

Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Pittwater as seen from West Head Lookout, Sydney

On our trip to Sydney earlier this year we had a brief visit to West Head Lookout in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park north of the city. The morning had been cold and wet but after lunch it cleared enough for us to get out of the house for a few hours.

It had been nearly ten years since my last visit here. The photographic opportunities were limited due to the haze from the wind and rain earlier in the day. Still, I did manage a few nice shots, even if they are on the hazy side.

Pittwater as seen from West Head Lookout, Sydney

Pittwater as seen from West Head Lookout, Sydney

Barrenjoey Head from West Head Lookout

On our trip to Sydney earlier this year to visit family we spent an afternoon in the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park. We stopped for quite a while at the West Head Lookout where we took in the extensive sights over the Hawkesbury River, Broken Bay, Barrenjoey Head and Pittwater.

We later took a short walk on one of the walking trails but ran out of daylight which is a shame as this is undoubtedly a beautiful part of the greater Sydney area. In fact, where I took these photos is less than an hour by car from the CBD of Sydney.

Click on any photo to enlarge the image.

Broken Bay from West Head Lookout

Broken Bay from West Head Lookout

Simpson and Day Field Guide to the Birds of Australia 8th edition

From time to time I feature birds on this travel blog. Birding is one of my major interests and I write about my sightings on Trevor’s Birding blog.

Many people carry a bird identification guide book with them on their travels. I make sure I always have one with me to help work out what I am seeing.

If you are a traveller – and interested in birds – I’d suggest that you find room for a bird field guide too. Most of them are compact enough to fit easily into a day pack or even a handbag.

Today sees the publication of a new field guide of Australian birds. The Simpson and Day field guide has been around since 1984 and has sold over half a million copies. Today the fully revised and updated 8th edition is published.

The publicist at Penguin Books Australia sent me a review copy a few weeks ago. I’ve written an extensive review of this exciting new book here on my birding blog.

Ama Dablam, Nepal

This blog about my travels is now four years old.

I started this blog exactly four years ago in the dining room of my son in Sydney. He had just set up the domain name and busily went about teaching me how to blog. He was a good teacher for I was soon off and away with blog entries. And I haven’t let up in the intervening years. I try to post every day but during the last two years I have also been trying to complete my Master of Arts in Creative Writing which has impacted on how frequently I have been able to write articles here. I’m also in the last stages of completing the writing of a novel for children as part of those studies. It has all taken a lot of my time.

During the life of this blog I have written about many places, including a visit to Thailand and trekking in Nepal. By far the majority of the nearly 600 articles are as a result of travelling here in Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory and my home state of South Australia of course.

I’d like to thank all my many regular readers, those who have occasionally dipped into various pages and especially those who have taken the trouble to leave comments. I value you all – you people make this blog a worthwhile endeavour.

A special thanks to my son Sim’ who looks after the background administration of this and my other blogs, keeping them ticking over nicely.

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens

Manly Beach, Sydney

Today is Australia Day, celebrating the day on which the first European settlers arrived in Sydney Cove in 1788.

Australians love a public holiday, and especially this one being in the middle of summer. Many people gather with family and friends and have barbecues, picnics, visits to the beach or attend major sporting events.

Near Mrs Macquaries Chair, Sydney Harbour

With the vast majority of Australians living near the coast, water activities are on the agenda for people. Swimming, sailing, surfing, fishing, canoeing and other water sports are all very popular.

Picnic at Swanport Reserve, Murray Bridge