Pondalowie Bay, Yorke Peninsula

Pondalowie Bay on the extreme south-western coast of Yorke Peninsula is  favourite destination for campers, tourists and anglers. It is quite remote but the sealed road to Marion Bay and other towns further up the peninsula mean that facilities are not all that distant. Warooka is only about a hour away.

The bay has always been a popular place for people wishing to feast on the abundant fish life in the sea. In fact, although this is all part of Innes National Park, there remains a small fishing village at the bay, the small collection of beach shacks being private dwellings. A short distance back along the access road there are two camping grounds set up by national park authorities. These sites have public toilets but no other facilities, including no electric power or water.

On the day we visited recently we encountered wild gale force winds along the coast and headlands. On the other hand, the camp grounds, although windy, were quite sheltered from the worst of the gusty conditions.

Pondalowie Bay, Yorke Peninsula

Pondalowie Bay, Yorke Peninsula

Pondalowie Bay, Yorke Peninsula

Correas growing in the dunes at Marion Bay, South Australia

Whenever I go out birding, or when we are travelling out in the country and my wife is with me, I keep one eye on the birds and the other on the vegetation. Being a little cross-eyed like that probably means I miss a few plants or birds and sometimes nearly step on venomous snakes. Joking aside, I once had a red-bellied black snake crawl over my boot while checking out a birding spot. I swear that my feet didn’t touch the ground for at lest five metres!

On our recent visit to Yorke Peninsula here in South Australia we were on the lookout for flowering plants of any description and especially these delightful bell shaped correas shown in the photos. We were not disappointed and saw plenty. The photos on this post are all in a small area on the sand dunes at Penguin Point near Marion Bay.

Correas growing in the dunes at Marion Bay, South Australia

Correas growing in the dunes at Marion Bay, South Australia

Correas growing in the dunes at Marion Bay, South Australia

Coastal vegetation in the dunes at Marion Bay, South Australia

Penguin Point, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

Penguin Point is a well visited tourist destination in the small holiday town on Marion Bay at the southern tip of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Just to the south east of the town – perhaps a 5 – 10 minute walk from most places in the town – there is a car park with board walks through the sand dunes leading out to Penguin Point. From the headland one has excellent views over Marion Bay to the north and towards Rhino Head to the south west (see photos below).

While I’ve never seen a penguin here it is entirely possible that Little Penguins do visit this area, and may even nest in the region. I didn’t record many birds on this most recent visit because the wind was near gale force by lunch time and they were all keeping low in the coastal bushes. I did manage several good shots of an Osprey soaring overhead on the wind as well as a Rock Parrot walking along the path in front of me.

Rhino Head near Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

Penguin Point, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

Penguin Point, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

On the second day of our recent short holiday on Yorke Peninsula here in South Australia we drove from Edithburgh where we were staying to the town of Yorketown. Here we refueled and also visited a local nursery. My wife has a small nursery of her own and is always on the lookout for native Australian plant nurseries to visit, just like I’m always on the prowl for bookshops.

We then drove to Marion Bay near the heel of the peninsula. Many years ago we had several very enjoyable beach holidays in this small town. It had been quite a few years since our last visit, so we were interested in seeing what changes had occurred in recent years. The original beach shack area in the old part of this beach village had changed little, but there has also been considerable building going on to the south with many new – and expensive looking – houses. Many of them were obviously holiday homes and not permanent dwellings.

We stopped in the car park at Penguin Point. We had to sit in the car to eat lunch as the wind had intensified during the morning and was by then almost gale force. Not at all pleasant to be sitting outside. In fact, I tried to take a few photos of two Ospreys soaring on the wind above the bay and had terrible trouble keeping on my feet to take the shots.

Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

Penguin Point, Marion Bay, South Australia

Last weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to have a short holiday on Yorke Peninsula here in South Australia. We stayed in a holiday unit in Edithburgh, a popular seaside town near the southern end of the peninsula. It had been quite a few years since our last visit so we eagerly anticipated seeing the rugged coastal scenery. I was looking forward to doing some birding and my wife was keen to reacquaint herself with the native flora of the region.

Sadly the weather conspired against us with bitterly cold wild gale force winds, scudding showers and overcast skies making birding and photography a challenge. Undeterred we soldiered on, having made the booking of the unit. Despite the restrictions caused by the weather we still had a great time, I saw a few good birds and my wife got all excited about the plants and flowers she was seeing. Over the coming few days I  will share some of our sightings and the photos I took.

By the way, the caption on the photograph above was taken at Penguin Point at Marion Bay. I didn’t see any penguins, though Little Penguins have been recorded in the area.

Ama Dablam, Nepal

Christmas greetings to all of my regular readers.

I really appreciate those of you who are my regular readers. This site started from humble beginnings – but with grand plans. It took a little while to gain momentum but over the last year the number of readers has grown dramatically. I thank all of you who come back over and over; you all make it worthwhile.

Over the last year my posts here have been somewhat sporadic. I have been extremely busy completing my Masters degree. Now that it is finished I can devote more time to this and my other blogs, Trevor’s Birding and Trevor’s Writing. 2011 can only be bigger and better, with more wonderful photos and experiences to share.

How about leaving your own Christmas greetings in the comments section?

I’d be really pleased if you did.

Manly Beach, Sydney

Australian Pelican, Mallacoota, Victoria

Silver Gulls, Victor Harbor

The Victor Harbor area is an excellent place to observe birds.

The beaches and islands and rocky outcrops along the coast afford good views of many species.

The river corridors leading through the town have a completely different set of birds while the hinterland areas of farming, scrublands and open woodlands reveal yet a different set of species.

Here I have featured photos of just three common species.

For more information about birds, and the birds of Victor Harbor in particular, go to my Birding Blog here. The posts include photos of many more species.

Further reading:

• Birds of Granite Island, Victor Harbor
• Birds of Encounter Bay
• More Birding at Victor Harbor
  

Sooty Oystercatcher, Victor Harbor

Australian Magpies, Victor Harbor

Granite Island, Victor Harbor, South Australia

Probably the best known feature of Victor Harbor is Granite Island, shown in the photos on this post. Victor Harbor, on the south coast of South Australia, is about an hour’s drive south of the state capital, Adelaide. It is a favourite day trip from the capital as well as being a popular destination for interstate visitors.

These photos were taken while we had a weekend there last year. we stayed in one of the excellent caravan parks, ours being right on the foreshore of Encounter Bay (see yesterday’s post for more photos).

Granite Island, Victor Harbor, South Australia

Granite Island is joined to the mainland by a causeway. It takes less than two hours to walk out to the island, around the walking track that circumnavigates it and to return to the town. You can linger longer of course for there is a fine restaurant near the jetty as well as some excellent fishing spots.

Granite Island, Victor Harbor, South Australia

A highlight of a visit is to see the Little Penguins which feed out to sea and return to the island to nest and feed their young.

Little Penguins, Adelaide Zoo

Further reading:

• Horseshoe Bay
• The Cockle Train
• The birds of Granite Island
• The Breakwater, Granite Island
  

Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia

Early last year we had a few days in the coastal resort town of Victor Harbor. This delightful town is a popular day trip from Adelaide or a holiday destination for both interstate and local tourists. We stayed in one of  several excellent caravan parks. This one was right on the foreshore of Encounter Bay. On the Sunday afternoon I took a gentle stroll along the beach to get a few photos of this beautiful spot.

Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia

Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia

Further reading and more photos:

• Victor Harbor, South Australia
• Horse drawn tram Victor Harbor
• The Bluff Victor Harbor
• Australian Sea Lion, Granite Island
• Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor
  

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