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 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!
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.
Margaret and Paul Margaret helping our two girls, Rebecca and Jess.
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 AustraliaA long-nosed Bandicoot. a possum
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.
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..
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.
Coat of Arms the City of CanterburyThomas Cromwell Coat of Arms
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.
The female Bower BirdThe male Bower Bird
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.
Yesterday Paul and I intended going out to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, untilthe 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.
Brushed-tailed Rock Wallaby.
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..
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.
canoeing on Lake Burley Griffin
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 BanksiaBanksia This is one of many Correas that brighten up a garden in winter.Grevillea
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…
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.
On a sunny autumn day, Paul and I joined a group of gardeners from the Bowral Garden Club on a coach trip to the Nepean River. This tour included a cruise down the Nepean river on The Nepean Belle, an old world style paddle wheeler designed on the Mississippi sternwheelers.
The tour included a picnic lunch and a visit to the Mother Earth Nursery, known to be a gardener’s delight!
Our Nepean Belle on the right hand side
We had an early start boarding the bus and drove to the Nepean River, with a few eye-catching moments on the way. As we turned towards Penrith, we passed the construction and building of the new airport in Western Sydney.
The new airport being constructed in west Sydney..
It was an amazing sight, (even from the road rather than the air) with enormous cranes that could match windmills, and along the highway we could see suburb upon suburb of new houses. All the houses seemed very close together, hardly a bit of space for gardens, and not a tree in sight anywhere!
Many years ago, as a very young teacher, I taught at a school around this area, but with no airports, and no suburbs. In fact, my walk from the train to the school was surrounded by paddocks! Now the city has come to the country!
None the less, this is a beautiful part of the world on the edge of the Blue Mountains National Park.
The Nepean Belle slowy moving through the water to pick up our group..
Once we boarded the boat, and chatted to fellow passengers, we were served with tasty scones, strawberry jam and cream. As you can imagine, after our early start, the scones and tea/coffee were very welcome!
The Nepean River (and the Hawkesbury River) supplies water to the city of Sydney’s five million people, as well as providing agricultural production. As such, it is a lifeline for Sydney.
As the Nepean river is at the base of the Blue Mountains National Park, it provides a haven for natural flora and native wild life, and has walking trails and canoeing and kayaking.
Some of the wildlife seen in this area are, wombats, wallabies, lizards, eagles, cormorants and even mountain goats. We did see one White Breasted Sea Eagle, but no other sign of any other wildlife.
The White Breasted Sea Eagle perched on a branch. Flood damage is very obvious in this photo..
The Nepean and Hawksbury rivers have flooded many times, however, the flood in July 2022 was the worst since 1978.
On the cruise it was easy to see the damage done by these floods, with broken trees and huge boulders rolled across cliffs and sand..
Fortunately some trees show amazing resilience, growing in between rocks, with very little soil.
This photos show the long winding Nepean River and the edge of the Blue Mountains National Park
To end the day, here we are at Mother Earth Nursery, with an enormous amount of plants to buy or just look at and enjoy..
Mystic Spires and Santa Barbara (Mexican Sage)
…and here we are back home, with our two new plants and a wish list for Paul for two new Dahlias
Kotara Sultans shire
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today, and best wishes to all who are gardening in spring and those who are enjoying autumn (some of the time)
Canberra is the capital of Australia, a planned city, with many parks, bush trails, green spaces and lakes. However as with many capital cities, Canberra is often seen as short hand for federal government rather than a landscape where people live. One quote I’ve read is “”Canberra has too many politicians, too many roundabouts and too much cold weather!”
When I retired from teaching in 2013, I decided to write a blog about Canberra, the beauty of the mountains and the lakes, and also the every day life of people living in Canberra.
Paul and I took a cruise along the lake, stopping at the Governor General’s House and beautiful garden.
Many of the photos of Canberra in this post were taken between 2014 and 2017, when I began blogging, and regular readers may recognise some of the photos…
The Governor General’s House
Canberra in autumn is usually sunny, warm and pleasant, the best season of the year for planning gardens, going for walks, runs and rides, and taking photos!
Lake Burley Griffin in autumn, gorgeous Manchurian Pears and Black Mountain Tower in the distance.National Library of Australia, a Tourist boat and the Manchurian Pears in full bloom.
Spring in Canberra can be windy and chilly, but the beautiful Manchurian Pears are out in bloom, which lifts the spirits. The National Library of Australia is one of my favourite buildings, often seen in my blog, I know! The small rather quaint tourist boat has, for many years, taken tourists who prefer a gentle slow tour of the lake.
In our early days of retirement, I was so keen to take photos that I dragged Paul out before dawn to walk around Lake Burley Griffin…. always worth it.
Canberra is full of early morning rowers, riders and walkers.
We often walk around the Parliamentary Triangle, and I love this Federal Government building…amongst others.
The Cockatoos under the Oak trees.
All along the paths the trees are changing, and the birds are in attendance.
The Cockatoos tend to eat with their left claw, uninterrupted by pesty photographers.Galahs often feed close to Cockatoos, but today this Galah is with two small Red Rumped Parrots Australian King Parrots deep in leaves!A young cockatoo attacking the last of the tomatoes.
During summer and autumn we eat breakfast on our deck, overlooking our garden.
At the risk of getting indigestion we often have an interrupted breakfast to chase big and little birds out of the veggie patch..
Thank you for taking the time to read my post today, and may your autumn or spring gardens be full of colour and joy.
A few weeks ago, we drove to a regional city not far from Canberra, called Wagga Wagga. Just outside of the city is Ladysmith Park Perennial garden, a wonderful country garden and nursery … what a day we had!
This garden and nursery have been designed and planted as a family team effort, with Brett Stevenson and his daughter Jacqui at the helm.
Brett and his family were living in Sydney, when Brett had a swimming accident in 2010, and became a paraplegic. Brett had been brought up in the country, and was a keen gardener. His daughter Jacqui was completing a degree in Landscape Architecture at University of NSW…and in time she was awarded honours. They both loved the idea of having a garden and nursery in the country and in 2017 they found the right property for their family at Ladysmith in the Riverina district…..such strength and resilience to make this decision.
On a very warm summer morning we drove through the gate and parked the car near a field full of garden beds. Brett’s wife told us they called the garden beds ”mother beds” full of flowers, grasses and flowering perennials.
The plants in these beds are used for propagation and pollination and are a good indicator of which plants will survive and thrive in this climate.
The climate in this district is similar to Canberra, hot dry summers and cool winters.
The mean temperature is: summer 32 degrees (C) 90 (F) winter is -3 degrees (C) 37(F)
The rainfall is 570 mm (22 inches approx) per year.
Flowering perennials (the white plant is Artemisia… Silver Queen)Echinacea “White Swan” and Echinacea Purpurea Cone Flower
We spent a lot of time looking at the beds full of flowering salvias, all of which were suited to our garden…
Indigo SpiresRudbeckiaAgastacheMediterranean Spurge type of EuphorbiaWhirling Butterflies
During the time Brett and Jacqui were doing their research into starting a garden they were inspired by the Perennial Movement and now their homestead garden is full of colourful perennials and grasses…every part of it is an inspiration.
The homestead garden begins with a pond and colourful circular garden beds around it.
This perennial garden is a continual ‘work in progress’ to improve the drought tolerance and resilience of the perennials.
The family collect seed banks each year from their garden and propagate them. The results in the nursery are very strong healthy seedlings and shrubs.
Despite the fact that the garden was gleaming with recent rain, and gorgeous greenery at every turn, the gardeners in this part of the world are always aware of dry periods and drought.
As the day was getting warmer, we sat, for a while, on the veranda of the homestead and spent time looking around and enjoying the cool green grass, the shady trees and the beautiful grasses, waving in a gentle breeze.
From the veranda of the house we could see thickly planted bushes, shrubs and grasses all along the back fence of the garden.
Across from the garden were fields with cattle grazing under the enormous Eucalyptus trees.
At the end of the homestead veranda was another pleasant place to sit…
Amongst the grasses and the rocks is a small waterfall and pond, a haven for frogs!
At the end of the day, we went back to the nursery and bought some plants to take home… big decisions… and some of our favourites were sold out. (Echinacea ‘white swan’ being one.)
Never mind we’ll be back.
An example of the clear explanation on every plant in the nursery.
A big congratulations to the Stevenson family for such a professional and interesting nursery. We had an inspiring day, in every way.
Ladysmith Perennial Garden has an Open Day on 1st April 2023.
www.ladysmithparkperennials.com.au
Best wishes to everyone, and may you enjoy a pleasant season where ever you are in the world.
We recently spent a week in Sydney, house-sitting for Paul’s brother, Martin and his wife Kris.
Paul’s mother is 96 years old this week, so it was a wonderful opportunity for Paul to spend some time with her every day.
Martin and Kris live in a leafy suburb, with many trees, colourful flowers and cool green lawns. Sydney gets a much higher rainfall than Canberra, so we are always somewhat blinded by this bright sunny green city.
Plumeria RubraFirecracker Frangipani
We soon found a walking track with a notice saying, “A Blue Gum High Forest in your Backyard”
Some thoughtful planners have managed to preserve land in the suburb to keep a small amount of Blue Gum forest. There is a path through the forest, and it is a bonus for suburban dwellers to have this small forest within reach of walking every day.
The Blue Gum High Forest only occurs in Northern Sydney. It gets its name from the tall Eucalyptus saligna, or Sydney Blue Gum with its distinctive smooth bark and trunk.
The timber of the Blue Gum high forest was valuable to Sydney’s early settlement, and ongoing clearing, farming, development and weed invasion meant that less than 5% of the original forest remains in the world.
Needless to say, all the birds love the Blue Gums, and cockatoos gather amongst the trees every day. ( a mixed blessing).
Paul and I have also been inspired by the wonderful garden Kris has made…
When we arrived the Flowering Pink Gum tree had just started to flower…
and the day we were leaving the beautiful Flowering Gum put on a show for us, and the Rainbow Lorikeets did the same!
We are back in Canberra now, after an enjoyable week in Sydney.
We are so impressed with Kris’s Flowering Gum Tree, we are going to try growing one ourselves.
Many thanks for reading my blog post today, and best wishes to everyone, especially friends and relatives in New Zealand who have been battling the elements for some time.
