Yesterday we went back to Nulla Vale, North Central Victoria. It’s a landscape I really admire with the granite outcrops and sparse vegetation – a really stark landscape. It was incredibly windy and so felt bitterly cold, but the sky was amazing. Challenging with clouds and shadows quickly changing. Taken from mid to late afternoon.
Today we had one of the first real big frosts of the year. The crystals get better as winter goes on but this was a good start! Most of these were taken around dawn so low light levels.
We made a detour on our return from Healesville last week to visit Steavenson Falls which are in Marysville. I had been told that they are spectacular which indeed they are, although the weather was less than kind with heavy drizzle for the most part. One of the tallest in Victoria, it has a drop of 122 metres, the last cascade being an unbroken drop of over 21 metres. It is floodlight until 11.00 pm. The area was devastated by the February 2009 bushfires and it was good to see the ongoing recovery.
Last weekend we went to Healesville Sanctuary which is part of Zoos Victoria. They are home to Australian natives and also care for more than 2000 sick, injured or orphaned natives every year through their Australian Wildlife Health Centre. The Dingo exhibit is my favourite and we had the chance to watch these two siblings at play.
Last week we went to Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges National Park. The forest is of Mountain Ash and tree ferns. The Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) is the tallest of all flowering plants, growing to 70 to 114 metres (16-49 ft) high and live on average for 400 years. It was a humbling experience walking amongst these living giants.
Yesterday morning there was a hard frost – yes, winter is on the way! These formations were on the windows and bonnet of some old cars. It was interesting watching the light – some images were taken just before sunrise and then completely changed as the sun came up illuminating different textures.
As always, not only was I was struck by the beautiful patterns that nature offers, but also by the beauty of monochrome colours.
A trip to the beach wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory Sea Gull. I find them very attractive birds and enjoyed a few minutes watching this one looking for food.
The park is again in the South Coast region. These are Australian sea lions and an amazing opportunity to see them in the wild. You can purchase a tour on the beach with a guide who will take you to within 10 metres of the colony.
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