Canberra's Green Spaces

November 19, 2023

Canberra in late spring: ladders and gardens….

Lately we’ve had a very busy time spring cleaning the house and garden.

Paul suggested painting the cabin, which was long overdue. The good news was we had recently bought (at great expense) a very solid and reliable ladder.

However, I had recently read about the many household and garden accidents as a result of home usage of ladders.

Despite our new ladder, I was concerned about “the father of the bride”.

So, it was agreed, I would come out and hold the ladder where there were uneven surfaces.

Everything went smoothly, and while I held the ladder occasionally , I had time to look around the garden, on that lovely warm spring day..

While I stood holding the ladder, I saw some of the flowers in the garden that I hadn’t noticed recently. When there was a chance, I went inside to get my camera.

**Love in the mist …taking over the garden, but in a pleasant way..**

After a while I sat in a garden seat, but still kept an eye on Paul’s progress, especially when he changed the position of the ladder.

From my new position, it seems the garden is changing daily. The last of the sweet peas have almost doubled in size, competing with the hedge to reach the sun. They still have their wonderful scent, which always reminds me of my mother.

The Wormwood shrub was shining in the sun, whereas the Chinese lanterns in the photo below are closing up….. enough sun!

The Lupin above has been featured in a previous post of mine, and I’m proud of this showy shrub because we have tried to grow them in previous years, with no luck.

However from my observation garden seat, I noticed for the first time that the Lupin had several saplings self seeded in the pathway! I’m now hoping we can grow more Lupins for the garden.

Years ago, I read and kept a great quote from a fellow gardening blogger, Rhonda, whose blog is called Down to Earth.

“A garden will give you much more than vegetables, herbs, and fruit…..if you let it. It gives a sense of peace and connecting with the natural world, a place to think and a quiet haven from a noisy world…When you create your garden make sure you have a few seats to remind you to linger……”

It is lovely to turn into our street and see the beautiful Brindabella Mountains, everything is looking green and we are all hoping for a peaceful summer without bushfires.

Best wishes, and where ever you are in this noisy world, may you find a quiet haven.

October 18, 2023

Spring time in Canberra, the garden, the birds and housing for chickens..

Despite the changeable weather, and perhaps because we have had so much rain, all the spring flowers and bulbs were smiling this year..

The wind blows relentlessly across this part of the garden, but the tulips stand firm… I love them!

The Aquilegias are thriving in the garden, which is quite remarkable because the possum (and family, we think) pay a nightly visit to this part of the garden…. they jump into and over the flowers to get onto the plum tree. Very very annoying!

The garden looks a colourful yellow in early spring, the daffodils defy all odds and come up looking stronger every year. The yellow flowering plant on the left is Bulbinella Nutans, which we bought at Lambley Nursery in Victoria.

Australian native plants have their own colour and beauty especially in the early morning light.

This part of the garden has become very shady, with maturing Manchurian Pear trees, Japanese Maples and big and small birdbaths. All birds have their favourites!

This delicate Japanese Maple attracts the tiny Silver-eye birds and the Honey-eaters. These birds come to the tree even when we are sitting under the branches. Our granddaughter says this is because it is a magic tree.

Paul has grown some lovely vegetables this year. He has just cut some Silverbeet and he gave some to our neighbours, Lois and Sandi.

Sandi made four Spanakopita pies and gave one to us. It was delicious and we took a photo of our empty plates, and sent them to him. Spanakopitas is a Savoury Greek spinach pie.

In early spring we noticed this little Sulphur Crested Cockatoo while we were walking up Heartbreak Hill. It was soon joined by a large (noisy) group of Cockatoos. Phew!

We are frequent visitors to Open Gardens, and quite often we see varied chicken coops.

This chicken coop is in the wonderful estate of Retford Park in Bowral. What lucky chickens, it may even be temperature controlled.

I hope you are enjoying spring, or autumn in your part of the world. During this time of turbulence across the world, I am acutely aware of the peace, tranquillity, and friendship we find in our garden, our home and our neighbourhood.

October 8, 2023

The Daintree River Cruise in North Queensland: birds and crocodiles

Although I have written many posts about Far North Queensland, this was the first time we had ventured down the Daintree River.

We had invited our Canberra friends (who are our neighbours) to holiday with us, so we decided it was time to go further afield.

We did this trip in August 2019, and as Covid arrived soon after that, I did not get the chance to write about it. However, this is one place in the world that probably remains the same much of the time. (unless they are experiencing flooding, which is very common)

We were staying in Port Douglas, and the river cruise started very early in the morning, so we left our accommodation in the dark, and watched the sun rise over this beautiful countryside…..

We drove through open farmland into coastal lowland rainforest, until we could see the Daintree river, which is one of the longest rivers on the Australian East Coast.

While we were waiting for our boat, I took the above photo, because it suddenly looked as if we were in the middle of Ireland the hills were so green! (as a result of recent flooding, we were told)

In this part of the world, the average summer temperature is 24 to 33 (C), 74-91 (F) and very humid. The average winter is between 16 and 26 (C).61-79(F)

It was pleasantly warm considering we arrived at 6.30 in the morning, but we did not abandon our raincoats!

This region has a wide range of birds, and is a very popular place with bird watchers.

I was thrilled to see the Azure Kingfisher, as this beautiful bird is very elusive, but perhaps, so early in morning the birds were happy to stay still for a while.

Here is the Tawny Frogmouth, a champion at camouflage…

and the green tree snake was also so well camouflaged, I would not have seen this snake unless the guide pointed it out.

The Daintree river is the habitat of the saltwater crocodile, known locally as ‘the salties’. Our guide pointed out a few resident crocodiles in this area, and we were happy enough to watch from afar (I used my zoom lens for these photos naturally)

I was surprised to see some birds standing quite still in vulnerable parts of the river..

The guide was concerned about one of the old crocodiles, locally known as Scarface, (old and battle-scarred ..we were told) who had not been seen in the river for a few weeks. When were back home we read in a local paper that Scarface had died. Perhaps old age?

It all seemed a bit like a slice out of The Godfather…another world!

The white Egret had the very best view of everything it seemed!

Although the above photo is very blurry I thought it was interesting to show a house in the middle of a rainforest. No doubt a beautiful view!

The day began to clear as we ended the cruise, and what an experience it was!

Thanks for taking the time to read a little more about Australia, much as I love my home and garden, it is a pleasure, and quite an education to see another part of the country I call home.

September 24, 2023

Canberra: A spring morning walk after a wedding…

September has been a very busy month, as we had a wedding in the family!

Our daughter Jess and her lovely husband Mike got married in the Margaret Whitlam Pavilion, a beautiful venue built up high on the hills around the National Arboretum.

My apologies for using the above photo in my last post, however, it shows the height of the building and the views. This photo was taken a while ago and the trees around it have grown.

September is the beginning of our spring, and a festive time in Canberra. The biggest event is Floriade, a month long event in the Commonwealth Park, with huge garden beds exploding with colourful spring flowers. (the planning and planting for this festival goes on all year.) Tulip Tops is a smaller, but equally pretty display for spring, and the photo below shows some tulips called The American Dream.

Canberra is well known for its very cold winters (by Australian standards) and so we tend to celebrate spring as if we were in the Northern Hemisphere! We all long for warmth and sunshine by September, and even more so with a wedding coming up. Fortunately the stars were aligned and delivered a warm day with continual sunshine. The winds were blowing, but that was better than rain!

It was a lovely happy wedding with everyone in a festive mood. The gods were smiling on us. I hope to have some photos soon.

All good things must come to an end, and we enjoyed our time with family and friends. Our older daughter Rebecca lives in Melbourne and she and her family came to stay for a few extra days, which was an added bonus.

Needless to say, when everyone left, we missed the patter of little feet, and the early morning chatter of our grandchildren….not to mention our children and close relatives!

The Museum of Australian Democracy (Old Parliament House) looks down on the The Australian War Memorial and Anzac Parade

However, the weather was still warm and sunny and we decided to take a walk around Lake Burley Griffin. As Floriade was in full in swing we had to park near “Old Parliament House”.

Once we parked the car, we went to the gardens of Old Parliament House to see the lovely wisteria decorating some of the elegant buildings outside Old Parliament House (now known as the Museum of Australian Democracy.)

We were too late to see the white wisteria on the right hand side, and now looks as if it needs a trim.

Beyond the bench is a Bowling Green and an accompanying cottage.

Paul worked in Old Parliament House for a while and enjoyed the quiet elegance of the building and the gardens.

Beyond the gardens we found new statues of two important women in our history, both looking very elegant wearing their hats and holding their handbags. There was a plaque for both which told how much they had achieved…

Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons

Dame Dorothy Tangney (1907 – 1985) was elected to the Senate and was the first female member of the Labor Party to be elected to the Federal Parliament.

Dame Enid Lyons (1897-1981) was the first woman to be elected to the House of Representatives and the first female member to be appointed to Federal Cabinet. She married Joseph Lyons who became Prime Minister. She supported him greatly, and they had eleven children and the 12th child died in infancy. What tough lives they had!

We walked down to the lake, but unfortunately we had missed the white blossoms of the Manchurian Pear trees. Fortunately I had a photo from 2019 which showed the lovely blossoms and life before Covid!

We walked along the pathway and all the trees were looking very green and fresh. On the right there are Manchurian Pear trees and on the left there are Claret Ashes. Needless to say this avenue of trees looks glorious in the autumn.

Many thanks for spending some time to read my blog post, and may your gardens be flourishing regardless of the weather!

September 2, 2023

Happy Wattle Day, National Arboretum Canberra, and a wedding

Wattle day is the beginning of spring in Australia, and Canberra is just exploding with lovely soft yellow wattle flowers and colourful birds

This was one of the first photos I took when I began my blog in 2014, and I chose the National Arboretum in Canberra at dawn.

The proposal for the site was to have 100 Forests 100 gardens…and this began to be implemented in 2005.

The building in the distance is the Margaret Whitlam Pavilion and when I took this photo, I never dreamt that one day the younger of our two daughters would be getting married in this Pavilion, and in this beautiful setting.

The wedding is planned for spring time, and we are hoping for a sunny day, but we will enjoy the day regardless of weather.

The grassy rolling hills next to the Pavilion always seem to be a big attraction for children.

There will be children at the wedding and I’m sure they will enjoy a run and play after the wedding.

The Village Centre is not far from the Pavilion, and has an Information Centre, a café, a restaurant and a gift shop.

The photos in this post were taken between 2014 to 2020, and since that time we have had some good years of rain, and the trees are flourishing. The National Arboretum has become a wonderful place of recreation for Canberrans and visitors alike.

Needless to say, for our family, this will be an extra special place in our hearts.

Many thanks for taking the time to read my blog, and I hope your gardens are flourishing regardless of rain, hail or snow!

August 13, 2023

Far North Queensland and Hemingway’s on the Hill..

Canberra is well known for having cold winters (by Australian standards). June to August can be cold, rainy and miserable in Canberra.

Fortunately the temperatures in Far North Queensland are mild and pleasant during these months. Many Australians from the southern states, including our family, go on holiday to Queensland during our winter months.

This year in mid-June, Paul’s much loved mother, at the age of 96, passed away. She had eight children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren, and will be sadly missed by everyone.

The last few months have been very busy, and at times very sad. However, we had planned a holiday in Far North Queensland and a few weeks ago, we packed our bags, and flew to Cairns.

Despite the overcast view that day, it is always a pleasure to see the coastline as the plane turns to land in Cairns.

We decided to start our holiday with a few quiet days in the Atherton Tablelands, despite it being a little colder than along the coast.

Paul found us a small cottage in the Atherton Tablelands and it was called Hemingway’s on the Hill.

It was quiet, rustic and peaceful, and just what we needed….a break away from everything.

On the way to our cottage we stopped at a pretty country town called Yungaburra and bought pizzas, a bottle of wine, and a few extra food supplies for our first meal at Hemingway’s on the Hill.

The drive into the pretty town of Yungaburra and Nick’s Pizzas not far away..

The cabin had all kinds of interesting books and magazines. The owner of the cottage lived on a farm nearby. She had packed the fridge and kitchen with fruit, eggs, bacon, butter, jams, honey and yogurt.

Everything we ate there came from local farms.. what a feast!

Paul lit the fire on the first evening and we sat quietly watching the sun going down …..it was cold, but a very pleasant quiet time…there is nothing like a flickering fire for relaxing.

In the morning we had better views of the rolling hills, and farms dotted across the mountains. The Atherton Tablelands provides food for many parts of Australia, with its rich volcanic soil there are an amazing amount of crops grown in this area. (more of that in another post)

The owner of the property had left instructions for everything, but this little note at the back of the folder made me smile….be warned of noises when you are in the countryside in Australia.

We did hear the Curlew birds in the night….my impression is that they have a rather sad cry, and always late at night. However, my cousin, who lives not very far from this area, says she loves coming home and listening to their long song.

A Bush Stone-curlew bird Photo: Birdlife Australia

We have never had bandicoots in our garden, (thank goodness), but possums are a perennial problem and they bounce across our carport roof quite often in the night, usually looking for fruit and vegetables.

Our three days at Hemingway’s cottage was spent eating good nourishing food, having quiet times by the fire, and reading books…..we slept well, and were completely unaware of any night time activity during our stay.

Before we left for our second holiday house at the coast, I took some photos of the two colourful flowers that were growing in the gardens at Hemingway’s. As with all flowers and shrubs in this part of the world, they are large, bright and cheerful.

There are many interesting parts of Far North Queensland to see and enjoy, and I’ll write a few posts on some very different parts of Queensland.

Many thanks for taking the time to read my post today, and may you have some sunshine where ever you are in the world.

July 17, 2023

Choughs, Bower Birds and Cockatoos: while we’re away, the birds will play..

There is no doubt about it, although we have a wonderful range of birds in Canberra, the big birds are troublesome in the winter. This year we’ve had an abundance of rain, so there is plenty of greenery, lovely rich soil (thanks to Paul’s hard work) so there are worms aplenty. We also have four birdbaths, with fresh water and/or rain water.

However, a cockatoo on top of the veggie patch is an absolute no-no, and luckily we got home in time to see this… they do humour us by flying off when we chase them. ..but all gardeners know, they’ll be back!

However, this winter we have two breeds of birds that are new to this area. The White-winged Choughs, apparently are very sociable and love to move around in groups of up to ten.

***White-winged Choughs (perhaps too young to have their tipped white wings.***)

According to the website, Birds in Backyards, White-Winged Choughs have claws a bit like a chicken, and can dig with their beaks and scratch with their claws. While we were away, they took the opportunity to rake over our back garden, and gradually turned over the veggie patch. We had a hard time persuading them to leave their garden paradise.

White winged Choughs are found in southern and eastern Australia, and are only distantly related to the European choughs. However, Kent Wildlife states that Choughs in Britain have a long history in heraldry in glass sculpture, coats of arms, flags, and even signs.

I read that Choughs are connected with kingship, nobility, wisdom and might.

I couldn’t wait to tell Paul our Choughs had long distance prestigious cousins. Paul, perhaps a little garden weary said “we should add that Australian choughs are just a nuisance.”

The Choughs have flown off to greener pastures, thank goodness, because we now have the Bower Birds.

***Two female Bower Birds picking through the wires to reach the sweet peas.***

Last year they pecked away at the foliage of our garlic crop, and this year they decimated the rhubarb and any other sign of life in the veggie garden.

Paul says they sound like Ewoks in Star Wars as they seem to chat and whistle to each other in the neighbouring trees. They are still visiting the garden, and we are still chasing them away.

Life is never dull with all these birds in the garden, but every now and then it is just lovely to see a shy King Parrot, patiently waiting for other birds to finish drinking from the bird bath. Perhaps we need a Canberra Coat of Arms for our King Parrot.

One thing about having cockatoos around every corner, we’re never lonely!

Best wishes to everyone, and may you have pleasant weather and enjoy your day.

July 9, 2023

Kangaroos, Koalas and the Brushed Tailed Rock Wallaby Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

Yesterday Paul and I intended going out to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, until the weather took a turn for the worse, cold and windy and miserable. So, it was definitely a ”stay at home” kind of day.

However I had many photos from previous visits, quite often through winter, so I’ve used these photos and regular readers (over years) will recognise a few.

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is a much loved place, very close to Canberra, with walks and views of animals, all living in their natural habitat. The Reserve also has much needed threatened species breeding programs, and conservation of flora and fauna.

More than anything it gives us all the ability to connect in with nature and conservation.

Considering these photos were taken in winter the kangaroos and koalas are looking very healthy. The joey seems to be quite relaxed in his pouch.

The mother of this joey, instinctively protecting her joey before she continues to graze.

Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby amongst the burnt trees

In 2003 we had terrible fires in this region, and also in Canberra. The photo above was taken well after the fires, but still the remnants of the fire remain.

This photo was seen in many parts of the world at that time. Humans and animals desperately trying to survive during this exhausting and fearful time.

Lucky was the only koala to survive the 2003 fires in this region. Unfortunately the only photo of Lucky I could find was one taken just after he was rescued from the fire…all too dreadful to see, but he did survive and thrive until July 2008, and he died of old age.

For five years there were no koalas at Tidbinbilla. In 2013, some koalas were relocated from New South Wales to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. These koalas have been part of special breeding program and have thrived since this time.

***Koalas eat a range of Eucalyptus leaves. .***

The Rangers at Tidbinbilla created a special free-range enclosure which enabled adults and children to see the koalas eating, sleeping, and climbing branches without disturbing them.

This adult koala is tolerantly taking this almost fully grown youngster for a ride.

The brushed-tailed rock wallaby is another animal that survives well in Tidbinbilla. In the mid 1990s there were fewer than 40 southern brush-tailed rock wallabies in the wild and in this area.

In days well past, they were hunted for many years, then lost habitat to feral foxes and feral goats. Tidbinbilla joined the fight to save the brush-tailed wallaby. These days Tidbinbilla has about 70 per cent of the southern Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby’s captive breeding population in Australia.

In the words of Brett McNamara, the Regional Manager ACT Parks and Conservation Service.(2019)

Next time you visit Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, keep an eye out for the elusive shadow as it takes a giant leap forward, back from the edge of extinction.

Congratulation to all the Rangers and volunteers who work at Tidbinbilla, their dedication over the years has made Tidbinbilla a wonderful place to visit.

Best wishes to all readers and may your days be sunny and mild..

June 25, 2023July 17, 2023

Canberra’s winter: birds, kangaroos and walking tracks..

Canberrans often complain about our winters, which are generally colder than coastal areas nearby. However, when I looked through my photos of winter in Canberra I decided to look on the bright side.

Canberra in late autumn, early winter can be beautiful, and for many people it is a time for rowing, cycling, running and walking and taking photos.

One of my favourite occupations is looking out the window into our back garden and taking photos of the birds we often see in winter.

Here are a family of King Parrots who fly in to drink melted water from the gutter of our cabin in the garden. I love watching these beautiful birds because they are very cautious and shy and we hardly ever see them during other seasons.

The male Australian King Parrot has a completely red head, and the females are similar to the males except that they have a completely green head and breast…easier to distinguish in the photo below.

In winter we often go to the Australian Botanic Gardens, there are always a few colourful native plants and an abundance of birds ….especially early in the morning.

New Holland Honeyeater feeding on a Banksia

This is one of many Correas that brighten up a garden in winter.

Canberra is a planned city with many parks and bushland. We often go for winter walks along Coolaman Ridge Nature Track, which has a winding track around a mountain ridge. Quite often in winter the kangaroos are slow to start the day and you can see a little Joey still half asleep enjoying the warmth of the sunshine on the rocks.

The photo below shows the kangaroos in languish mode, along a track near Mount Taylor, near where we live. This photo was taken a while ago (in winter) and since then this area has become very popular as a walking track, and a place to take dogs for a walk. Fortunately there is a fence between the walking track and the kangaroos, who spend time on the other side of the mountain.

We saw these kangaroos at Weston park, and although they are watchful, they are used to people strolling by and taking photos occasionally.

As the winter sun sets, the view from our street is of the Brindabella Mountains…the colours change from hour to hour. The currawongs call is a familar sound in the evening, time to close the curtains, turn the heater up, and be very, very thankful we live in a peaceful part of the world.

Best wishes to everyone, and I hope you are enjoying your patch of sunshine where ever it may be…

May 31, 2023June 1, 2023

Lake Crackenback and the Snowy Mountains

Paul and I have quite a few commitments this month, so rather than writing a post, I’ve chosen some of the photos from one of my favourite autumn holiday destinations, Lake Crackenback. Regular readers may recognise some of the photos.

Lake Crackenback is at the foot of the Snowy Mountains, not far from Canberra, and close to the skiing fields, so it is very popular.

Many kangaroos live all around this area, are often interested in what is going on. (However, we have not been to Lake Crackenback since Covid and a friend of mine tells me they saw no kangaroos, only deer this time.) Deer are an introduced species in Australia, and can cause damage in this Alpine area with their hooves.

This little joey looks both safe, and content, looking out at the world.

Lovely to see the Kangaroos basking in the sun and shade. As our daughters would say ”just chilling”

Everywhere we went there was a “Sticky Beak” (curious Kangaroo), perhaps she/he is the guard or ”scout” for the mob.. (family) of the kangaroos nearby.

We often did some bushwalking around this area, from Charlotte’s Pass down to the head waters of the Snowy River

Here Paul is crossing the Snowy River, while I usually spend time with my feet in the water, taking photos.

Paul and Jessica (our younger daughter) have crossed the river and are heading up the mountain to Blue Lagoon. Paul says it should be recorded that the trek to Blue Lagoon was a tough one!

The views around Lake Crackenback, are fantastic, the light is much less harsh than most other places in Australia. However, it is easy to see how quickly the weather can change, and snow is on the way in the photo below.

One of my favourite photos of all time is the photo below. Australia is unusual in that a single genus of tree, Eucalypt (commonly called Gum trees) can survive from the desert to the mountains, to the sea in Australia.

The Snow Gum trees are very imposing, and their marking are stunning.

At the base of the Snow Gum, in spring, are the Silver Snow Daisies.

Many wombats in Australia choose to live in a tunnel in the snow. *Photo by NSW National Parks*

I have seen wombats in the bush, but never in the snow. However, around Crackenback there are always a few tunnels around the mountain, where the wombats live.

Last, but not least is the Mountain Pygmy Possum. These little marsupials are capable of surviving for almost two weeks, by bringing their bodies down to low temperatures during times of extreme cold or heat.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at Lake Crackenback and the colder regions of Australia. After putting this post together, I think Paul and I should go back to this lovely part of the world…soon.