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Walking the Riesling Trail, Clare
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.
Walking the Riesling Trail, Clare
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.
Stenhouse Bay, Yorke Peninsula
No Comments »9th June, 2011; Category: Adelaide, Historic places, National Parks, South Australia, Yorke Peninsula
Stenhouse Bay jetty, Yorke Peninsula
Stenhouse Bay on the southern end of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia was once a thriving port. It was established in 1913 when gypsum was mined in nearby Inneston. The rock, once treated, was used in the building industry as plaster of paris and cement. Many older homes in Adelaide have plaster ceilings made from gypsum mined in this area. The mining works closed in 1972 and many of the houses in Stenhouse Bay and Inneston were demolished. Some still remain and are used by the national park rangers, either for staff accommodation or for hire for tourists. I’ll show some photos of them in a few days.
Stenhouse Bay jetty, Yorke Peninsula
Captivating correas
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
A short holiday on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
1 Comment »25th May, 2011; Category: Beaches, Birds, Holidays, Plants, South Australia, Yorke Peninsula
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.