Birds near the Barossa Reservoir, South Austalia
Australian Magpie, Barossa Reservoir, South Australia
On our short holiday on Yorke Peninsula last week we stopped briefly at the Barossa Reservoir for lunch. We had enough time for me to take a few photos of the dam and some of the birds seen in the picnic grounds and on the reservoir. I probably heard far more birds than I saw, and certainly didn’t have time to search out more birds.
The Australian Magpie in the photo above sat in the tree above us and sang to us but we didn’t give it a treat from our lunch as it probably expected. The Rock Dove in the photo below was one of several inhabiting the installation halfway around the dam wall. The last photo shows a large group of Eurasian Coots feeding in the shallows of the reservoir near where we had lunch. For a more comprehensive list of birds seen, go to Trevor’s Birding.
Rock Dove, Barossa Reservoir, South Australia
Eurasian Coot, Barossa Reservoir, South Australia
Lameroo, South Australia
Lake Roberts, Lameroo, South Australia
On the first morning of our recent road trip to Sydney we left in good time in the morning. We stopped for a short break at Lake Roberts in Lameroo in the eastern district of South Australia. We had a cup of tea, a few biscuits and changed drivers.
This spot is a favourite picnic area for us and we have stopped here many times in the past. It is usually a good spot for birding but on this occasion I only recorded a few species, including the duck shown in the photo above. That is not an Australian native bird! Below is a distant shot of an Australasian Grebe out in the middle of the artificial lake.
Australasian Grebe, Lake Roberts, Lameroo, South Australia
Lameroo Caravan Park, South Australia
Caravan Park, Lake Roberts, Lameroo, South Australia
Lameroo is a small service town in the mallee districts of eastern South Australia. The town provides goods and services for the surrounding wheat and sheep farming area.
The town is also on the quickest route from Adelaide to Sydney, so we usually go that way when going to visit family. On our most recent trip we stopped here for morning tea on the first day of our holiday. The picnic ground is a grassed area next to the artificial Lake Roberts. Barbecues are provided in the shelter shed (see photo below).
There is also a small council run caravan park (see photo above). This is a relatively new addition to the facilities in Lameroo. As you can see, there was no-one staying in the park when we were there.
Picnic and bbq area, Lake Roberts, Lameroo, South Australia
Scenes of Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor
Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Encounter Bay at Victor Harbor on the south coast of South Australia is one of the most picturesque spots in our state. We love visiting for day trips as it is just a little over an hour from home.
We also enjoy taking our caravan there and staying for a weekend or a few days. On our most recent trip in March of this year, my friend and fellow writer Rod and his wife took us on a tour of the highlights. He drove us around in his 1928 Model A Ford which, in itself, was a highlight. The tour included a picnic cuppa on The Bluff, from where I took these photos.
Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Australian travel advice
Travel around the world has become hazardous in recent years.
I thought about that sentence for a few minutes. I guess travel anywhere has been hazardous in many different eras, and nothing has really changed, except perhaps the types and nature of the threats. In 2005-06 when I travelled to Thailand I thought very little about any hazards and I had a great time. I would think twice about going there at the moment with their political problems. (Read about my experiences here.)
from Thailand I went to Nepal for a month. This was a life changing experience, but the Maoists were very active at the time. On one occasion I was confined to my hotel for 24 hours because of bombings a short distance away from my hotel in Kathmandu. It was risky but I survived. Every tourist needs to sum up the relevant risk factors relating to their travel destination and make a call. In reality, there is probably more risk in driving to my local supermarket for shopping than the risks involved in travel to most overseas countries. Far more people die in car accidents than plane crashes, for example.
I recently had my attention drawn to an Australian site which gives Australians advice when planning an overseas holiday. Aussie Travel Advice is an independent travel site especially set up to help Australians. Go and have a look here.
Ama Dablam, Nepal, 2006