Entries from March 2008
The ruins of the Old Peake Telegraph Station are off the Oodnadatta Track in Outback South Australia. It is a rough drive, even for 4wd vehicles, but it is definitely worth it!
The Telegraph Station use to be a major centre on the Australian Overland Telegraph Line in the early 1900s, but is now as remote and deserted as can be. A small pocket of date palms and some white-washed ruined buildings are all that is left.
The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a 3200 km telegraph line that connected Darwin with Adelaide (or rather Port Augusta) in South Australia. Completed in 1872 the Overland Telegraph Line allowed fast communication between Australia and England.
(Please, click here or on the photo to see more photos of this location)
The surroundings of the Old Peake Telegraph Station are very harsh and makes you wonder how people could survive …
Categories: Australia · Outback · Photos · Travel
Tagged: Abandoned, Arid, Australia, Blue Sky, Harsh Environment, Historic Reserve, Historical Reserve, Old Peake Telegraph Station, Oodnadatta Track, Outback, Overland Telegraph Line, Remains, Remote, Ruined building, Ruined buildings, Ruins, South Australia, Travel, Uninhabited, White-washed buildings
Green Cape Lighthouse is located in Ben Boyd National Park and is the southernmost lighthouse in New South Wales. The lighthouse was designed by colonial architect James Barnett and built in 1883. It stands 29 metre high on the tip of Green Cape.
The presence of the lighthouse could not prevent the SS Ly-ee-moon shipwrecking on the nearby reef in 1886; 15 people were saved by the lighthouse keeper, 71 people lost their lives.
In recent year the tower has been replaced by an automatic steel lattice skeleton tower with a solar powered light.
On the photo below you can see the modern lighthouse and its surrounding reflected in the immense lens of the original lighthouse.
(Please, click here or on the photo to see more photos of this location)
You can rent the lighthouse assistant keeper’s cottage for the night or a couple of days. It makes very nice (self-contained) accommodation. From there you can take a tour and climb the old lighthouse, as well as explore the surrounding national park. For more information on the cottage or the national park contact National Parks and Wildlife Services.
Categories: Australia · Photos · Travel · lighthouse
Tagged: Australia, Ben Boyd National Park, Ben Boyd NP, Coast, Coastal, Eden, Green Cape, Green Cape Lighthouse, Lens, New South Wales, NSW, Pacific Ocean, South Coast
Coolah Tops National Park in New South Wales, Australia is a magic place.
This not so well known park is situated where the Warrumbungle Range meets the Great Dividing Range and has beautiful lookouts, pretty waterfalls, heaps of wildlife and last, but not least, the amazing Grasstree forest.
The park lies east of the sleepy country town of Coolah.
Our thanks go to Peter Smith who used to run the Barringun Roadhouse (anybody knows where to find him?) and took us there very early in 1995 when it was still a state forest; this was our very first ‘Australian bush’ experience and started the ball rolling …
(Please, click here or on the photo to see more photos of this location)
We spent last Christmas camping there among the Kangaroos and had a great time!
Categories: Australia · Kangaroo · Photos · Travel
Tagged: Animal, Animals, Australia, Coolah Tops National Park, Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Fauna, Macropus giganteus, Marsupial, Native, New South Wales, NSW, Wild life, Wildlife
On that same trip though the Simpson Desert we were quite lucky with the wildflowers. Apparently there had been some rain lately and the red sand dunes were covered with wildflowers.
This photo was taken along the WAA-line and shows a field of Annual Yellowtops. Although by no means very special or scarce, their sheer numbers make them very pretty and their yellow colours go very well with the red sand and blue sky.
(Please, click here or on the photo to see more photos of this location)
The good thing about going so slow is that you have ample time to enjoy the wildflower!
Categories: Australia · Outback · Photos · Travel
Tagged: 2004, 4wd Adventure, 4wd Holiday, 4wd Travel, Annual Yellowtop, Australia, Bush, Dirt road, Flower, Flowers, Four Wheel Drive Adventure, Four Wheel Drive Holiday, Four Wheel Drive Travel, Natural, Nature, Outback, SA, Scenic, Senecio Gregorii, Simpson Desert Conservation Park, South Australia, WAA-line, Wild flower, Wild flowers, Wildflower, Wildflowers
A couple of years ago we made a trip from Wiluna to Birdsville, via the Gunbarrel Highway, then through the Red Centre and finishing off through the Simpson Desert.
The Simpson Desert consists of about 1100 parallel red sand dunes and you will have to cross them all!
The going on the narrow sandy track is very slow, if you make 20 km/h you are fast, and you need at least a couple of days to cross. Careful preparation is essential, because there is no food, water and fuel to be got along the track and, of course, there is no mobile phone reception. You are on your own!
(Please, click here or on the photo to see more photos of this location)
At the end of a day of driving you drive a few metres of the road and there you are … your camping!
Categories: Australia · Outback · Photos · Travel
Tagged: Australia, Camping, Outback, Simpson Desert Conservation Park, South Australia, Tent, WAA-line, Wildflower, Wildflowers
Trilby Station is located on the Darling River near Louth, south of Bourke, New South Wales.
It has always been a hard life trying to make a living of the land in this area, the more so in the last years with one of the the worst droughts ever experienced since white man came to Australia.
Trilby is still a working sheep station, but as an other source of income has opened its doors to travellers. It offers a range of accommodation, the best option (at least to us and by far) camping on the Darling River and watching the bird life.
If you are there at the right time you can pop in and see the School of the Air, operated from Broken Hill, life in action (if the kids haven’t grown too old by now and if Satellite Broadband hasn’t caught up with the whole thing).
There are interesting self-drive tours to do at Trilby and neighbouring Dunlop Stations. A lot of relics from the past can be found, such as abandoned homesteads, plant, cars and … the odd double-decker.
(Please, click here or on the photo to see more photos of this location)
The folks at Trilby call this the Old London Bus. It is supposed to have been the mobile residence of a sheep shearer that worked on the station some time ago, but it was left behind when its time had come. But … watch it … as was pointed out by specialists, it has never had a life in London. It is actually an old Sydney Bus, although it may also have driven the streets of Newcastle (NSW it is, not the UK).
Anyway, we hope it is happy now …
Categories: Australia · Outback · Photos · Travel
Tagged: Abandoned, Australia, Bus, Double decker, Louth, New South Wales, NSW, Old London Bus, Old Sydney Bus, Outback, Remote, Transport, Travel, Trilby Station
The Innamincka Regional Reserve, located around the tiny township of Innamincka on the banks of the Cooper Creek, is one of the greatest Outback places in Australia to visit.
It has beautiful River Red Gum lined permanent waterholes, abundant bird life and is rich in history.
The photo below is the waterhole in Cooper Creek of the Innamincka town common.
(Please, click here or on the photo to see more photos of this location)
The famous and ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition passed through this area on its way from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The Dig Tree is located just outside the reserve, over the border in Queensland, was the location of the base camp, where Burke, Wills and King returned from the north to find that the search party for them had just left in the morning of the day of their arrival. All the search party had left for them, were some burried supplies near the tree and a carved message in the Dig Tree. The carved message told them, where they should dig to find the supplies, hence the name Dig Tree.
Categories: Australia · Gum Tree · Outback · Photos · Travel
Tagged: Australia, Australian Pelican, Bird, Burke and Wills, Cooper Creek, Coopers Creek, Eucalyptus Camaldulensis, Innamincka, Innamincka Regional Reserve, Innamincka Town Common, Outback, Pelecanus Conspiccilatus, River Red Gum Tree, South Australia, Tree, Trees
Kennedy Range National Park is located a few hours drive inland of Carnarvon, Western Australia.
The colours of the sandstone escarpment are terrific!
The National Park has a nice camping area and numerous short walks into its gorges, the most beautiful being Temple Gorge, near the camping are.
The photo below was taken between the sunrise viewing platform and the camping area, early in the morning.
(Please, click here or on the photo to see more photos of this location)
Categories: Australia · Photos · Travel
Tagged: Arid, Australia, Cliff, Cliffs, Colorful, Colors, Colourful, Colours, Dirt road, Kennedy Range National Park, Outback, Panorama, Sandstone, Western Australia
The Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby (scientific name: Petrogale penicillata) is one of the inhabitants on the Great Dividing Range of Australia. It is very agile and lacks any fear of heights, living on steep cliffs.
A good spot to look for them is Chaelundi Bluff (or Lucifer’s Thumb) in Guy Fawkes River National Park in New South Wales Australia. That is were the fellow below was photographed.
(Please, click here or on the photo to see more photos of this location)
Categories: Australia · Photos · Travel
Tagged: 2005, Animal, Animals, Australia, Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia, CERRA, Chaelundi Bluff, Fauna, Guy Fawkes River National Park, Guy Fawkes River NP, Lucifers Thumb, Mammal, Marsupial, Nature, New South Wales, NSW, Petrogale penicillata, Wild life, Wildlife, World Heritage Area
Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Sydney’s famous landmarks (if not the most famous).
The bridge was opened in 1932 and, although nowadays there is a tunnel underneath the harbour as well, is still an essential artery feeding traffic in and out of Sydney with over 160.000 vehicles crossing each day.
You can climb the South Eastern pylon and the views from there are spectacular, see photo below.
(Please, click here or on the photo to see more photos of this location)
Categories: Australia · Photos · Travel
Tagged: Australia, New South Wales, NSW, Photos, Sydney, Sydney Harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Travel
