I love getting back to nature and the earth with a walk in the Australian bush. This walk in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales was in winter — the air was crisp but the sun was shining and it was a glorious day.The walk itself took us about 6 hours as we stopped along the way as we marveled at the different aspects of nature including a rare bird sighting. I hope you enjoy some of our photos of the diverse bush we found on our walk.
Back in September 2015 I was surprised to hear the story of Chris The Sheep, as it had never occurred to me that his could happen. Chris was found wandering in the bush on the border between New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, his fleece so massive he could barely walk or see. The size of his fleece makes professionals estimate that Chris had wandered around in the bush not shewn for about 6 years possibly after wandering off from previous owners.
When Chris was spotted the RSPCA ( Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was called in to get him help. They organised a rescue team and for Australian Champion Shearer Ian Elkins to shear him. After two shearing passes, a new world record was set for the heaviest fleece — 40.45 kilograms or 88 pounds. The previous record holder was New Zealand with a 28.9 kilogram fleece. Due to the damage that carrying this amount of wool around can have on a sheep’s tiny body let’s hope this record is not broken again.
In a Mesh gallery, show us what makes you happy. Share your ideal day, recount a memorable day in the past, or share your favorite things.
A few years ago I went for a walk with my father around the hidden places of Sydney Olympic Park.We made fascinating discoveries and really enjoyed the peace and serenity.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/today-was-a-good-day/
What subject keeps you coming back? This week, show us your muse.
Australia is my muse. I love my country and love to share its beauty and uniqueness with the world. Unfortunately many people only get to visit us virtually due to the distance.
…for tomorrow we die. The world is ending tomorrow! Tell us about your last dinner — the food, your dining companions, the setting, the conversation.
If the world was ending tomorrow I would choose to go camping in the Australian bush with all my family. Not glamping—glamourous camping with all the modern conveniences. Camping à la natural. No electricity, no showers and dig your own toilets. I love getting out with nature, listening to the sounds of the bush and hopefully seeing a koala or possum in the trees. We have never had a problem with snakes as with over 20 people we make too much noise.
The food would be a bush BBQ that we begin preparing in the afternoon by collecting a massive amount of wood to keep us going all night—waiting for the world to end. Included on the menu is:
After dinner as we continued to chat and drink champagne and beer by the fire I would introduce S’mores to the family. I would get everyone to cook their marshmallows over the fire while I prepared their chocolate and biscuits. We don’t have graham crackers in Australia so I would use the best substitute I could find. Once the marshmallow is cooked I would join them all together and watch everyone’s enjoyment.
The spontaneity of sitting around a campfire is the best. Nothing is or can be planned yet the memories last forever.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/eat-drink-and-be-merry/
What is your most favorite smell/scent?
I don’t focus on smells I am more of a visual person. Although at the end of a long day at work, I love to walk into the house and smell that someone has cooked dinner—I don’t care what it is I love them for it. My favourite perfumes are Beautiful by Estee Lauder and Opium.
Do you prefer long hair or short hair for yourself?
I have never had long hair. My hair has always reached a certain point and grown out rather than down. It gets more puffy. Today, it is shoulder length as this seems to be the right length for me. If I want to put it up I can and it drapes well around my face to soften it.
Do you plan out things usually or do you do them more spontaneous (for example if you are visiting a big city you don’t know?)
I like a mixture of both. If I need to do something specific I plan it but I often just go exploring and see what gems I can discover as I go. My experience teaches me, the more I plan even a little the less time is wasted, but the less of the actual city I see as I am too focused on getting from A – B.
What is your favorite outdoor activity?
I love spending time with nature in any way. Different seasons different ways. Walking on the beach, skiing, bush walking, ice skating, swimming, sailing and cycling these are all fun activities I have enjoyed over recent times.
http://ceenphotography.com/2015/04/27/share-your-world-2015-week-17/
Kangaroos are unique Australian animals people everywhere fall in love with. They are cute particularly the young ones. Wrestling is a natural instinct to kangaroos and I have seen many an unsuspecting visitor get caught off-guard as the kangaroo they were just feeding, decides to practice their boxing skills on them. The kangaroo photos below of a friendly pet kangaroo were taken in a restaurant and animal sanctuary.
In non city areas kangaroos are sometimes in plague proportions and they can be very dangerous hopping across highways and roads. Kangaroos are the most common animal to be hit with over 7,000 accidents being caused by them each year. The most dangerous time is sunrise and sunset as they are out and about looking for food. The two video give different insights into kangaroos behaviours, habits and how they live in our big wide country.
What does reward mean to you?
Last year on my birthday I was rewarded with a walk along Hyam’s Beach. Situated on the pristine Jervis Bay Marine Park, New South Wales. Hyam’s beach is recorded in the Guiness Book of Records for having the whitest sand in the world. The water is spectacular—crystal clear—with a blue-turquoise coloring. The beach boarders on Booderee National Park, which gives it a natural feel. I loved the stream.
It was an amazing winters afternoon—complete with a pod of dolphins and friendly rainbow lorikeets that we watched for an hour—a truly beautiful part of the world. The only thing missing was a my celebratory glass of champagne.
This week, compose your subject off-center, obeying the Rule of Thirds.
For this weeks photo challenge I have chosen photos taken last winter when kookaburras decided to visit our yard on separate occasions. Taking the photos was a challenge as I didn’t want to scare them off, but wanted to get up close enough to use the rule of thirds. For a beginner photographer I was happy with the results.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/rule-of-thirds/
https://mutafariqkhayalat.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/my-best-of-feb15/
What’s your dream tourist destination — either a place you’ve been and loved, or a place you’d love to visit? What about it speaks to you?
The beautiful Blue Mountains are located 60 kilometres from my home in Sydney. For this reason I don’t take my annual holidays there but like to visit for a weekend getaway with my husband. I love the peace and ruggedness of the area that includes rare and endangered flora and fauna. Blue Mountains are also home to some of Australia’s greatest writers and photographers due to the serenity and beauty of the area. People find it truly inspiring.
The mountains get their name from the colour they appear to be when the sunlight mixes with the oil from the eucalyptus trees that cover the area. There are 91 species of eucalyptus trees here—13% of the global total. This is one of the many reasons that in 2000 UNESCO appointed the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site—14th in Australia. This area encompasses 7 amazing and individual National Parks some of which I have not yet explored—Blue Mountains National Park, Wollemi National Park, Yengo National Park, Nattai National Park, Kanangra-Boyd National Park, Gardens of Stone National Park and Thirlmere Lakes National Park.
The above photos are from our last visit and are from the Mt Wilson area—six weeks after devastating bush fires had raged through. We were excited to see that new life was emerging. Internationally Australia is known for its beautiful beaches but just as important is its natural bush land very different to other parts of the world. If you ever get the chance come and spend a few days exploring any part of our beautiful Blue Mountains—they are so large you won’t be able to cover it all—do so as you will be greatly rewarded.