Mountains

It’s been a while since I last wrote, and much has happened. The most momentus was the coming of a grand daughter. Quite a little distraction!!

Back to the last European Summer and some of its great ranges.

Rioja is one of Spain’s great wine regions and Horrow. The wines and food make it a beautiful gastronomic stop.

The Pyrenees.

It’s a short hop into the Pyrenees and the beautiful city of Torla.

This little village sits just below the Spanish/France Frontier and is an the border of the Ordesay-Monte Perdido NP

Montserrat

The mountain trip across Spain ended at the amazing Montserrat.

Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso

Gran Paradiso rates amongst my favourite national parks in Europe. Once the King’s hunting ground, it was then gifted to the people after the unification of Italy. From a breeding program at Gran Paradiso, the Europen Ibix has been re established in the European Alps.

There are some beautiful views on the walks.

There is often a beautiful mountain and mountainous road in Europe, but these were lovely mountains indeed

Exploring Southern Wales -2,

A short drive inland from the coast the mountains of Southern Wales hold both waterfalls and rainforest.

The Waterfall Country Walk provides a great way to see and experience the beautiful Atlantic Rain Forest.

The waterfalls are beautiful.

Beautiful green rainforest, and

Beautiful birds like this grey wagtail that was catching insects over the river.

Gower definitely is an area of natural beauty.

Winter on the South West Coast of Victoria

Winter on the Great Ocean Road and in the Otway National Park is a time of quietness and subtle light.

The summer crowds have gone and it’s easy to quietly enjoy the place’s beauty.

The wind had been up for a couple of days. It was still, though, as I road down the ocean road, allowing a perfect curl on the waves at Apollo Bay.

Further west at Port Campbell, the wild sea gave an alternative view of the famous Twelve Apostles.

White water surrounding the sand stone monoloiths, crashing against then.

In winter, in the continuous mountain mist on the Otway Ranges, the rain forest has its winter beauty on display.

One of my favourite places in the Otway Ranges is Lake Elizabeth and its surrounding rainforest.

Though winter is cold and wet, in Australian way, the riding through the rainforest on empty roads is especially rewarding.

The cool climate rainforests of Victoria have a very special charm.

But in winter on the south coast of Australia, in the Southern Ocean, there is often a storm brewing out at sea.

Back on the edge of the Outback -1

You really know you are back in the outback when you find emus running down the main street of the town.

I’d spent the night at the pub in Nymagee on my way to the Macquarie Marshes, a 198sqkm oasis in the dry plains of North West NSW.

The fact that you are in the Outback is reinforced when you confront a road train at a water crossing!

I set up camp in Coolabah Gum woodland opposite the woolshed at Willie Retreat about 5km from the southern end of the Macquarie Marshes.

The woodland was home to a beautiful selection of small woodland birds.

The oldest known Coolabah gum is 300+ years old. The Coolabahs in this woodland were old and gnarled with plenty of hollows to form homes for the little birds.

The next day, I woke to a beautiful outback dawn…

And headed down to marshes.

In the light of the day, the small birds were flittering around, catfish were jumping, waders were hunting, and the pelicans rode high on the thermal updrafts.

As the sun went down, the mood and colours changed.

Across the water, a crafty fox was keeping an eye on me.

The Birruma Boardwalk is 25km north od Willie Retreat and provides a way of walking through the, otherwise, impenetrable reeds and across the top of the boggy marshes.

A further 50km up.the road, at the northern end of the Marshes, is the town of Carinda famous for cotton growing and for having tge pub where David Bowie’s Lets Dance film clip was recorded.

Follow the link to see inside the pub.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=VbD_kBJc_gI&si=kveFHCryACAg-peb

Above is the outside! So lets dance!!!!!

Gippsland -Eastern Victoria

The major natural attraction in South Gippsland is Wilsons Promontory Naional Park (The Prom). A mountainous Promontory that juts out into Bass Strait.

But west of the Prom, between the lighthouse on Cape Liptrap and the Prom is Wararah Bay. A beautiful stretch of sandy beaches and rocky headlands.

On the western side of The Prom, there are the historic ports of Port Welshpool and Port Albert.

Port Welshpool above and Port Albert below provide access for all types of sailors to the sheltered waters of Corner Inlet at the northern end of The Prom.

I think the fish and chip restaurant on the jetty at Port Albert serves the best fish and chips in Australia!!! A big statement!

Just east of Port Albert is the western end of 90 Mile Beach. An uninterrupted sand beach that stretches 94 miles (151km) to Lakes Entrance. Its the longest beach in Australia and 3rd longest beach in the world.

The sand is beautiful yellow stretching on over the horizon.

Some local beaches are very popular with little villages and Surf Lifesaving Facilities for safe swimming on the wild coast.

Other sections are only accessible down rough, narrow tracks with the help of local knowledge..

Testament to the wild seas are skeletons of wrecks burried in the otherwise pristine beach.

Its a short distance north into the southern foothills of the Great Dividing Range and its high mountains and rivers that flow down to the Gippsland Lakes.

Near the town of Briagalong is the beautiful Blue Pool swimming hole in Freestone creek.

With a small campground, a short walk from the pool. A perfect spot for foe gazing at the moon while sitting beside the camp fire.

The Mitchel River National.Park is between the towns of Briagalong na Dargo.

The Mitchel River is the last wild river in Victoria and the national includes a beautiful river gorge and the southern moste temperate rain forest in the world.

The temperate rain forest is part of an aboriginal sacred sight- the Den of Nargun.

Its a 5km loop walk down into the Den of Nargun and to the Mitchel River and returning via the bluff lookout.

At the end of summer, the waterfall over the Nargens Den is only a trickle.

The track to the river is along the creek through the rain forest with a series of water holes.

The Mitchel Rivers flows slowly through the gorge. Beautiful for a swim!

The final stage of the walk is a steep climb out of the gorge, where there is a beautiful view over the gorge.

The Mitchel River NP, is along the road to Dargo in the Great Dividing Range. It runs along the Wonnangatta River. There are a number of places to camp along the river both south and north of Dargo.

The mornings by the river may be misty but the nights in the mountains are clear. Perfect for sitting by the camp.fore and gazing at the Milky Way through the tree canopy.