Nature walk in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, NW Victoria

Sydney Trip June 2011

At this stage our two week holiday was rapidly drawing to a close. It was the last afternoon of our trip and it turned out to be the best weather of the whole time away. The sky was clear and bright, the sun warm on our backs and we even took off our jumpers despite it being mid-winter. For the last activity of our holiday we did the 45 minute Nature Walk near the entrance to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park in NW Victoria.

This short easy walk takes you through a variety of flora types, including mallee (eucalyptus species), native pines (Callitris species) and spinifex ( the low spiky plants shown in the photos above and below. We found a few plants flowering and were able to get several nice photos. The birding was a little slow and I didn’t get any good shots.

After a quick drink and bite to eat we headed off on the last 3 hours of our trip home. At Ouyen we stopped at the nationally famous bakery to buy something to eat along the way, knowing it would be quite late when we arrived home. At Murrayville we stopped briefly to have a cup of tea and enjoy the treats bought at the bakery. We arrived home in the dark, tired yet pleased to be heading off to our own bed again.

Nature walk in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, NW Victoria

Flowers on the Nature walk in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, NW Victoria

Nature walk in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, NW Victoria

Lake Hattah, Victoria, June 2011

Sydney Trip June 2011

In recent days I have written about our short stay in the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park in north west Victoria earlier this year. This was on the last day of our holiday staying with family in Sydney.

We had lunch on the shore of Lake Hattah. This park, and the lake in particular, is one of our favourite places. We’ve had many wonderful weeks camping here. This included many hours canoeing the network of lakes which fill when the nearby River Murray is in flood. Sadly this area, and the catchment area for the river system has been in drought for many years. The lakes have suffered terribly as a result of this lack of water.

This is a Ramsar site – you can read some details on the photo of one of the signs near Lake Hattah. The managers of the national parks can do little about a drought, that I will grant. But to allow the lakes, camping grounds, picnic areas and other amenities to deteriorate like they are at present is a deplorable state of affairs. At best, I would describe it as environmental neglect. I could be really nasty and call it more like environmental vandalism. Lack of governmental funding is probably an element as well.

Sure – the whole region suffered during the drought, and the irrigators would have been demanding all the water they could get. But if we are to have sites like this listed as Ramsar sites – international agreements on environmental protection – then it has to backed up with action – not mere tokenism, posturing and hollow words.

Lake Hattah, Victoria, June 2011

Lake Hattah, Victoria, June 2011

Sydney Trip June 2011

On the last day of our trip home from Sydney in June this year, we stopped at Lake Hattah for lunch. We found a convenient log on which to sit and enjoyed a quiet, peaceful time. We reminisced about the many times we’d been camping here over the years. This area still holds a special place in the memories of our children too, now long since grown up.

We’ve also enjoyed many hours of canoeing on the system of lakes which fill from the nearby River Murray when it’s in flood. Sadly, the lakes have suffered over the last decade due to severe drought. Now they are once again full there is some hope for the future of this wonderful environment.

Lake Hattah, Victoria, June 2011

Galahs at Lake Hattah, Victoria

While we were having lunch on the bank of Lake Hattah in north west Victoria earlier this year, I spotted these two Galahs indulging in a very public display of affection. Well – it was not all that public; the only observers were the two of us. I can only assume that these birds were a pair and this was part of their bonding ritual; they mate for life.

The area around the lakes in the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park have large, old growth River Red Gums with many hollows. It certainly is a great place to see parrots like the Galahs. Other parrots species include

• Little Corella,
  
• Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo,
  
• Regent Parrot,
  
• Red-rumped Parrot,
  
• Mallee Ringneck,
  
• Yellow Rosella
  
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.

Wildflowers, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, Victoria

Sydney Trip June 2010

On our wanderings through Hattah-Kulkyne National Park I not only had my head held up looking for birds to photograph, I also looked around on the ground – well, below eye level, anyway – for any bushes and trees in flower. My wife spotted this beautiful example of an Atriplex plant (we’re not sure which species), a member of the saltbush family of plants.

It’s a very attractive plant, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Wildflowers, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, Victoria

Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, Victoria

Sydney Trip June 2010

On the last day of our trip home from visiting family in Sydney earlier this year we planned to spend a few hours in one of our favourite places – Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. This park is south of Mildura in far north west Victoria. The park has two predominant habitats: eucalypt mallee scrubland and large eucalypt riverine vegetation around the creeks, river and lakes. The park contains over a dozen ephemeral lakes which fill when the nearby River Murray is full, or in flood. In recent decades the lakes have been artificially allowed to fill.

On this visit we came in from the Mildura, or northern, end. We left the Calder Highway and followed the route of the old highway through the mallee section of the park (see photo above). When a section looked promising for birding, we stopped for morning tea and a spot of birding. (Go to Trevor’s Birding for details.)

Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, Victoria

Emus, Stenhouse Bay, Yorke Peninsula

On our recent holiday on the Yorke Peninsula we had lunch at Marion Bay, visited the visitor centre of the Innes National Park and then continued on driving through the park near Stenhouse Bay. We stopped many times to admire the scenery, take photos of landscapes and seascapes and check out the bird and plant life.

One species of bird virtually came to us. A small flock of 5 juvenile Emus wandered along the side of the road quite unconcerned that we were only metres away. They are certainly unafraid of vehicles passing by as this happens many times every day in parks like this. They just went about their business finding their lunch.

This group consisted of juveniles probably about 18 – 24 months old. The female Emu lays up to about a dozen eggs in a shallow nest on the ground. The male then incubates the eggs and looks after the young for up to 2 years after hatching. The birds we saw were over half grown and independent of the father, so I’m guessing they’d have to be at least 18 months old.

Emus, Stenhouse Bay, Yorke Peninsula

Emus, Stenhouse Bay, Yorke Peninsula

Western Grey Kangaroo, Pondalowie Bay, South Australia

Just as we were leaving the camping grounds at Pondalowie Bay we came across a small mob of Western Grey Kangaroos right next to the road. Being in the Innes National Park this would be quite a normal sighting. In fact, this group was not at all perturbed by our car just a few metres away as they are quite used to vehicles moving through the park every day. During the summer months vehicles probably pass this way every few minutes.

Various forms of kangaroos and wallabies abound in rural Australian regions (pun intended). They are a hazard to fast moving vehicles on country roads, especially at night when they tend to come out to graze. I have experienced first hand the damage a ‘roo can do to a car with no protective bars. The damage is not only to the car; many hundreds, perhaps thousands of kangaroos and wallabies become road kill statistics every year. Sad but true.

As we drove back to our motel in the dusk that evening I slowed done. I didn’t want to add to those statistics.

Western Grey Kangaroos, Pondalowie Bay, South Australia

Western Grey Kangaroo, Pondalowie Bay, South Australia

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

Cable Bay and Cape Spencer, Yorke Peninsula

The south coast of Yorke Peninsula features many rugged vistas, ideal for the photography enthusiast like me. Unfortunately the weekend we visited this area recently was wild and windy with many showers. On the afternoon we visited Innes National Park the sky cleared enough for a time to enable a few good shots, including these of Cable Bay and Cape Spencer.

Cable Bay and Cape Spencer, Yorke Peninsula

Near Cape Spencer, Yorke Peninsula