Along the Riesling Trail near Clare, South Australia

I enjoy taking photographs of trees lit up by the last rays of sunshine in the evening. I was pleased to get these good shots of eucalyptus (“gum”) trees along the Riesling Trail in the Clare Valley in the mid north of South Australia. The photos were taken one evening on a family walk last Easter.

Along the Riesling Trail near Clare, South Australia

Creek bed at sunset along the Riesling Trail near Clare, South Australia

The Riesling Trail runs from Auburn to just north of Clare in the mid north of South Australia. This popular walking/cycling trail follows the old railway line which serviced this region in the early days of settlement.

My family and I walked a good part of this trail over the Easter weekend earlier this year. On the last day we walked just on sunset and this accentuated the colours in the surrounding hills and paddocks and lit up the many gum trees lining the many creeks meandering through the landscape. Most of these creeks are ephemeral, only flowing after good rains.

Sunset along the Riesling Trail near Clare, South Australia

One of the challenges I set myself with my photography is to create attractive shots of sunsets. And sunrise too – when I’m up early enough! Over Easter earlier this year my family and I went for a walk every day along the Riesling Trail near Clare in the mid north of South Australia. The name reflects the fact that this is one of our leading wine regions.

On our last walk I managed the nice shot shown above with the last rays of sunshine lighting up the gum trees lining the walking trail.

Along the Riesling Trail near Clare, South Australia

Over recent days I’ve been featuring photos taken along the Riesling Trail in the Clare Valley, South Australia. This part of my home state features many beautiful scenes, most of them highlighting either the many vineyards or the iconic red gum trees, like those shown above.

During Easter this year my family and I walked along this trail, tackling it in easy stages. I had a hard time concentrating on the walking; everywhere I looked I saw another photographic opportunity. I’ll be sharing more of these shots in coming days.

The Riesling Trail follows the old railway line through the valley. The rails and sleepers were removed some years ago and replaced with compacted gravel making walking and cycling a wonderful delight. An added bonus for wine lovers are the many wineries within a few minutes walk of the trail.

Along the Riesling Trail near Clare, South Australia

Walking the Riesling Trail from Auburn to just north of Clare in the mid north of South Australia is a wonderful way to experience this beautiful part of our state. The Clare Valley is renowned for its excellent wineries and the walking track passes near to many of them.

The Riesling Trail follows the old railway line which was dismantled some years ago. The rails, sleepers and ballast were replaced with compacted gravel. Consequently it is both easy walking and great for cycling along. On the Easter weekend earlier this year my family traversed a good part of this wonderful part of the state. I’ll be showing more photos of the countryside there in the coming days.

Along the Riesling Trail near Clare, South Australia

During the Easter long weekend earlier this year we went walking along various stages of the Riesling Trail in the Clare Valley in South Australia. This walking track used to be the old railway line through the wine growing district. On one of our walks I took many photos of the late afternoon sun on the adjacent farmland.

Along the Riesling Trail near Clare, South Australia

I’ve been a little tardy in getting up these photos from Easter earlier this year. Over the long weekend we stayed with our daughter who teaches in the local high school. During our stay we went for a daily walk along the Riesling Trail. This walking track used to be the old railway line. It now has a new life as a tourist attraction in its own right. People visiting the wine growing region can walk from Auburn to just north of Clare. Access to many of the region’s wineries is quite easy from the trail.

I’ll share more photos in coming days.

Plants and flowers of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney

A few days after Christmas we had a family picnic at Lane Cove National Park in Sydney. We were over there on holiday visiting our son and daughter in law.

Plants and flowers of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney

Before lunch four of us went on an hour and a half hike through the park. My son and I mainly went to photograph birds, but it was hot and humid and in the middle of the day so we didn’t see too many birds, nor did we get too many photos.

Plants and flowers of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney

As we went along I took a few shots of the various plants and flowers I saw. My wife would have liked to have accompanied us on the walk, but couldn’t due to a hip problem at the time.

Plants and flowers of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney

Click on any photo to enlarge the image.

You can see more photos based in National Parks here.

You can access an extensive list of Plants of the Lane Cove National Park here. The links take you to more information and a photo of the plant.

Plants and flowers of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney

Eastern Water Dragon, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney

A few days after Christmas last year we had a family get together picnic while we were in Sydney. We all went to the Lane Cove National Park for lunch. While there we saw numerous Eastern Water Dragons moving around the picnic area. Some of them posed nicely for my camera. Two of them, one a baby, even came to visit my wife while she was sitting at a picnic table reading; they went between her feet.

Several of us went on a short hike through the park. We were lucky enough to see a large goanna crawling up a tree. It was hard to get a good photo as he kept much of the tree trunk between us and him. The photo below is the best I managed.

Goanna, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney

Lane Cove National Park, Sydney

Several days after Christmas the family had another reunion, this time in the Lane Cove National Park. This park is about a ten minute drive from my son’s home in Artarmon, Sydney. we knew it would probably be somewhat busy because of the Christmas holiday break, so we went early. Before having lunch four of us went for an hour and a half walk through the park.

Members of my family going on a walk through Lane Cove National Park

It was quite hot and humid with no breeze, so in no time we were all soaked from the effort. My son and I had our cameras and we were on the lookout for interesting things to photograph, especially birds. I think I may have converted him to being a moderate birder after he was pleased to receive a bird field guide for Christmas. Perhaps “bird photographer” would be a better appellation.

Lane Cove National Park, Sydney