Trevor's Travels

Houseboats on the River Murray

1 Comment »19th May, 2007; Category: Murray River, South Australia

Houseboat at Murray Bridge, South Australia

On our recent visit to Swanport Reserve we observed several houseboats travelling on the River Murray. This is not unusual on this part of the river. In fact, houseboat holidays in South Australia are very popular and there are hundreds of houseboats for hire, ranging from small boats suitable for two people through to floating mansions catering for up to twelve people (or more). In most cases, all that is needed is a current driver’s licence to operate one of these luxury craft.

Most are fitted out beautifully with en suite bathrooms, fully equipped kitchens, entertainment systems with the latest DVD and sound systems, sun deck, barbecue facilities and sometimes even a dinghy and canoes. Some even allow the hiring of a power boat for water skiing, though to drive such a boat requires a special small boat handler’s licence.

I have been on several houseboats over the years but have never driven one, nor have I stayed overnight on one. That dream still waits to see reality – someday soon I hope.

Houseboats at Mannum South Australia

Links:

Unforgettable Houseboats, South Australia

Swanport Reserve, Murray Bridge

1 Comment »17th May, 2007; Category: Murray Bridge, Murray River, Picnics

River Murray at Swanport Reserve, Murray Bridge

Swanport Reserve is just south of Murray Bridge in South Australia. This small park on the banks of the River Murray is one of our favourite picnic spots. Being a ten minute drive from home is an added bonus.

This park is popular with locals for picnics, barbecues, fishing and various boating activities like canoeing. In the warmer months is also a popular swimming spot, the small beach being a relatively safe area for swimming. (Many other areas along the river are dangerous due to hidden rocks and other objects like the roots of the large trees that line the river.)

River Murray at Swanport Reserve, Murray Bridge

Click on the photos to enlarge the images.

Related Articles:

Whistling Kite at Swanport Reserve – from my Birding Blog.
A cruise on the River Murray – a New Year’s Eve celebration.
Cruising on the River Murray – another picnic at this reserve.
Swanport Reserve, Murray Bridge – yet another picnic.

The plight of the River Murray

2 Comments »15th May, 2007; Category: Australia, Murray River

River Murray at Swanport Reserve, Murray Bridge

Over much of last year and all of this year the media in Australia have highlighted the terrible plight of the River Murray. The concern is for the whole of the Murray-Darling basin which makes up one-seventh of the continent. A large percentage of Australia’s population relies directly on this vast basin for its water supply or the food produced directly from the water taken for irrigation.

The plight of this river system really came home to me a few days ago when we had a picnic lunch at Swanport Reserve just a few kilometres south of Murray Bridge. The reserve is a ten minute drive from home. The above photo clearly shows that the water level has dropped about a metre below its normal level.

Now a drop of a metre may not seem very much compared with most other river systems, but in this case it is indicative of a very serious problem. Last month, the inflow into the river system was the lowest ever recorded for over 80 years. That lowest ever figure comes after more than 12 months of record low inflows.

The river system is fast running out of water. Some major reservoirs are at all time record low capacities; two of the largest are below 10% capacity.

Severe water restrictions in many parts of Australia are having some effect. Some decent falls of rain in recent weeks have not really eased the situation. What is needed is three to five years of above average rainfall coupled with significant snow falls in the catchment areas.

Related Articles:

Whistling Kite at Swanport Reserve – from my Birding Blog.
Favourite Birding Spots – also from my Birding Blog.

Top 5 Bird Photos

7 Comments »11th May, 2007; Category: Birds, Photos

When I go travelling one of the first things I pack is my binoculars. Added to this is my bird identification field guide. The third essential item is my digital camera. Armed with these items I’m ready for anything. Over recent years I have managed to take some great photos while travelling. Today I want to share with my readers my Top 5 bird photos.

1. Red Capped Robin:

I didn’t have to travel far to get this photo. About a half hour south of home is the Pangarinda Arboretum which features hundreds – perhaps even thousands – of Australian native plants. It is a haven for a wide range of native birds. This male Red Capped Robin came quite close and literally posed for me.

Red Capped Robin

2. Laughing Kookaburra:

I had to travel for two hours by plane and an hour by car to get this photo. I was on holiday staying with my son and daughter-in-law in Sydney. We went to the Taronga Park Zoo one day and this Kookaburra just sat there posing for me. Yes, I know we occasionally have Kookaburras in our garden at home, but none of them have posed like this one did.

Laughing Kookaburra

3. Noisy Miner:

Noisy Miners are common in many parts of Australia. Because of this they are not hard to photograph. This photo, however, I find very pleasing. It was taken in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. I was able to get to within several metres of this feeding bird who was quite unconcerned by my presence.

Noisy Miner

4. Red Browed Finch:

Finches in Australia come in a wonderful range of colours. The Red Browed Finch is a somewhat subdued member of the family. Despite that it is always a delight to see this dainty bird. This photo was taken inside a walk through aviary at the Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. There were even more Red Browed Finches on the outside of the aviary.

Red Browed Finch

5. Musk Lorikeet:

We regularly go to visit our daughter in the Clare Valley in the mid-north of South Australia. On one occasion this Musk Lorikeet was feeding on eucalypt tree flowers in her garden. I was delighted to get this photo because this is a hard species to get clear photos of; they often feed deep in the foliage right at the top of very tall trees. Since taking this shot I’ve managed several more great shots of Musk Lorikeets.

Musk Lorikeet

If you have enjoyed these photos of birds you can see more than 500 more shots on my Photo Gallery.

If you want to learn more about Australian birds go to my blog called Trevor’s Birding.

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Top 5 Scenery Photos

7 Comments »9th May, 2007; Category: Himalayas, Nepal, Photos

Over the last fifteen months since starting this travel blog I have shared a vast number of photos from my photo gallery. This gallery now has over 850 photos posted, 550 of them mine; the remainder have been taken by either my son or my wife.

I thought I’d share with you my five favourite photos of scenery.

1. Ama Dablam, Nepal

Without doubt my favourite photo so far would have to be this shot of the mountain Ama Dablam taken while on a trek towards Mt. Everest. This magnificent mountain dominates the path taken up through this amazing part of Nepal. I love this photo so much I have used it as the wallpaper photo on my computer.

Ama Dablam, Nepal

2. Scene near Monjo, Everest region, Nepal

This amazing mountain was the backdrop from our lodge in Monjo, a small village we stayed in on our trek towards Mt. Everest. I don’t know its name and I haven’t the time to do the research to find out.

Scene from our lodge in Monjo, Nepal

3. Yak and Yeti Lodge, Everest region, Nepal

This beautiful scene was photographed on our trek through the Himalayas last year. We didn’t stay in this beautiful lodge.

Yak and Yeti Lodge

4. Mt. Lofty Botanic Gardens, near Adelaide, South Australia

This beautiful scene is typical of many such photos one could take in the Adelaide Hills and the Mt. Lofty Ranges near Adelaide in South Australia. I feel privileged to live just a half hour drive from numerous scenes like this. Readers of my blog Trevor’s Writing will recognise this photo because it has been used in the banner on the home page.

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens

5. Waitpinga Beach, South Australia

South Australia, my home state, has a long coastline. Scenes like this one can be seen in many different locations.

Waitpinga Beach, Newland Head CP

Click on any photo to enlarge the image.

To view more of my photos go to my photo gallery.

Special note: This article was inspired by the Group Writing Project being run by Darren Rowse on his blog ProBlogger. This article is NOT an entry in the project; my entry can be found here on Trevor’s Birding.

UPDATE: I have also written an article called Top 5 Writing Hints on my blog called Trevor’s Writing.