Archive for August, 2011

Sydney Great Steam Train Expo 2011

Sydney Great Steam Train Expo 2011

Sydney Great Steam Train Expo 2011

Sydney Great Steam Train Expo 2011

Sydney Great Steam Train Expo, Central Station

Sydney Great Steam Train Expo, Central Station

Sydney Great Steam Train Expo 2011

Sydney Great Steam Train Expo, Central Station

On the first weekend of our stay in Sydney earlier this year our daughter in law arranged for tickets to the Sydney Great Steam Train Expo. Apart from being able to look through some very historic carriages our tickets included a 75 minute steam train ride through the suburbs of Sydney. It was a wonderful trip and enjoyed by all the family, especially my 2.5 year old grandson. (He plays almost daily with his own train set.)

Over the coming week or so I will be showing the photos taken that morning. I won’t bore you with my writing; I’ll just let you enjoy the photos.

Sydney Great Steam Train Expo, Central Station

Central Station, Sydney

Lake Talbot Tourist Park, Narrandera

Lake Talbot Tourist Park in Narrandera

On the first day of our trip to Sydney earlier this year we stopped for the night at Narrandera in the mid-west of NSW. It was dark by the time we arrived because it was in the middle of winter. We booked into our pre-booked cabin, unpacked the essentials and then headed down to the main shopping area to get something to eat. Were tired after the long journey, so we settled on a takeaway pizza instead of a restaurant meal.

Our cabin was cosy without being luxurious. The bed was really comfortable and that is the most important factor. We had a good night’s sleep and in the morning we were ready to tackle the last leg to Sydney. After packing the car (see photo below) I had a few spare moments to get the camera out and take a few shots of the tourist park and the adjacent lake. It is a place I’d like to return someday soon with the purpose of exploring a little further than just the main street in the dark!

Lake Talbot Tourist Park in Narrandera

Lake Talbot Tourist Park in Narrandera

Our cabin at the Lake Talbot Tourist Park in Narrandera

Lameroo, South Australia

Lake Roberts, Lameroo, South Australia

Earlier this year my wife and I drove from our home in Murray Bridge in South Australia to Sydney in New South Wales. We were going there to play with our precious grandson – oh, and see our son and daughter in law. On our first day of travelling we left early and reached Lameroo in the Murray Mallee region of eastern South Australia.

We stopped at our favourite place on the edge of town at Lake Roberts. Here we had morning tea and a cuppa. The sunshine was lovely but the breeze was bitterly cold. I managed a few photos of the local birds before we headed east again. We had a great distance to cover before bed time.

Grain silos, Lameroo, South Australia

Lameroo is a small town in a prominent farming region. The main agricultural pursuits are wheat and barley crops with potatoes grown at nearby Parilla. Many farmers also run sheep and cattle on their farms.

After leaving Lameroo we continued driving for about an hour and half before finding a convenient roadside parking area where we stopped to have a picnic lunch. There was a interesting patch of scrub next to the car park, complete with a short walking trail featuring a good range of local native flora (see photo below). This was of particular interest to my wife but the bird life was keeping a low profile and rather quiet so I didn’t get a long list species seen in this location.

Roadside walking trail between Lameroo and Ouyen