Such contrasts as we’ve travelled south from Bourke! Gradually we snuck up on green - crops and rich grazing, less stressed trees. South from Lake Cargelligo, Rankin Springs is a lovely little rest spot in the NSW Riverina. Lots of green, trees - and a flock of beautiful Major Mitchell (or pink) cockatoos in a stand of tall Kurrajong trees. Worth a revisit.
Veering south-east from there, we headed for high country and the Snowy Mountain highway. A pit stop for lunch in Tumut where my lovely man brought me a small bunch of Crepe Myrtle to admire while I chomped on a corned beef and pickle sanger. I love these plants - the colours and delicate softness of the flowers, but I have never really looked closely at the individual flowers. What a surprise!
What seems like bunches of tiny flowers is actually a bunch of petals of an individual flower on a panicle of flowers. The petals which are crinkled and curled in and around themselves, are attach with thin stalks to the pedicle(? I think that’s what it’s called). Pop into your garden and start peeking. It’s worth the effort to look into the hearts of flowers, all flowers - they are so intricate and beautiful.
And then it was south-east and upward into summer alps - well almost. Cooma and Bombala. We were aiming for Mallacoota. Why? Why not!
Some of you familiar with Canberra and surrounds will know about getting to the coast - the infamous Clyde and Brown mountains with their steep hairpin descents. With van in tow, we decided not to tackle either, selecting instead a ‘less’ steep road down from the high country via Mount Imlay, south from both those two brutes.
The Imlay Road starts just south of Bombala, which I discovered was proposed as the site of the parliamentary seat of Australia because it was half way between Sydney and Melbourne; the rest is history. We made it down to sea level.
More anon .......
Who’s looking at who!
Rather good silo artwork at Weethalle.
Very fractal! Very origami producing a huge surface area, a trick nature employs for lots of purpose. The lungs for oxygen exchange, the folding of the cortex of the brain to fit it all in! And other things .......
The underside.
Mt Kosciuszko National Park. It reminded me of Scotland .
Peace and tranquility in Mallacoota- but it’s crowded!
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