Blue Mountains Journal

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T08:14:00.000+11:00

Today City Daily Photo bloggers are posting their photo of the year 2011. Click here to view thumbnails from all participants. I didn't post near often enough to this blog in 2011 so my best shot for the year actually appeared in Sweet Wayfaring where I explore places usually just a day or two beyond the beautiful Blue Mountains. This was taken on a frosty winter morning at Lake Windemere near Mudgee.

Happy New Year and wishing you each another great year of photos in your city.

Home end

2011-11-22T07:00:00.012+11:00

And we end this trip with a view from Kings Tableland at the home end of the track. Tomorrow you will find me over at Sweet Wafaring. Please follow me over there as I don't expect to be posting in this journal again until the New Year.

Eighty Percent

2011-11-21T07:00:00.009+11:00

Down below the lookout is this great and unexpected view of Lake Burragorang - Sydney's water supply now at a 80 percent full - how good is that.

Here it is in May 2009 - 58 percent full

And in March 2007 during the drought, a scary 34 percent.

Lake Burragorang from McMahon’s Lookout

What are they looking at?

2011-11-20T07:00:00.011+11:00

Now for the other reason for this trip. There was another family we rescued a little further up the track. Tiring of the bumps they had pulled over to sneak a peak and got themselves bogged in the sand so we towed them out. What is this family looking at? I will show you tomorrow.

The King

2011-11-19T07:00:00.015+11:00

Hail to Waratah - King of the bush flowers. Waratah - Telopea speciosissima

Looking for the King 10 - The Queen

2011-11-18T07:00:00.019+11:00

Flannel flower - Actinotus helianthi. We've found the Queen and her ladies in waiting doesn't she look just lovely. Tomorrow we have an audience with the King.

Looking for the King 9 - Guard

2011-11-17T07:00:00.014+11:00

I think everyone it getting a little tired that the King is proving so elusive. Here we have a guard standing tall - whew we have reached the gates of the palace! Grass Tree - Xanthorrhoea

Looking for the King 8 - Fireworks

2011-11-16T07:00:00.035+11:00

Smoke bush, Coral Heath and Matchheads. The celebrations begin with fireworks.

Australian wildflowers are often not head turners, you have to stop and look at them in their tiny detail to really appreciate their beauty.

Looking for the King 7 - Blue Bloods

2011-11-15T07:00:00.018+11:00

The blue bloods are gathering with their funny hats and some red blood for good measure - yep we are getting closer. Spade flowers - Hybanthus monopetalus, Blue Dampiera, bloodwood (maybe)

I find the single petaled spade flowers quite intriguing in their oddness ... a bit like the fascination with Princess Beatrice's odd hat at the wedding.

Looking for the King 6 - The bishop

2011-11-14T07:00:00.016+11:00

Mitre Flower - Mitrasacme polymorpa, Golden Glory Pea - Gompholobium, Common Fringe Myrtle - Calytrix tetragona . I see bishop, gold and diamonds ... surely the king is near.

The mitre flowers are so named because the buds are the shape of a bishop's hat. I was lucky enough to get a bud in the photo, these flowers are really tiny.

Looking for the King 5 - Drums and trumpets

2011-11-13T07:00:00.014+11:00

Drumsticks - Isopogon and Common Heath - Epacris Impressa. There are drums and trumpets leading the parade.

These two are old friends I am always happy to welcome. The symmetry of the drumsticks please me and the delicate beauty and resilience of the heath flowers delight me.

Looking for the King 4 - Flags

2011-11-12T07:00:00.015+11:00

Purple Flag Iris - Patersonia. The flags are flying to welcome the King.

These particularly amuse me because I was really fascinated the first time I noticed them, only to discover they appear all over the mountains. I must have been walking around with my eyes closed for 15 years.

Looking for the King 3 - Crowd

2011-11-11T07:00:00.018+11:00

There is a crowd gathering for a spring parade, the King must be this way. Unknown flower, Rice flower - Pimelea, Smokebush (I think).

The diversity of bush flowers never ceases to amaze me. Each year I welcome the ones I have seen before as old friends and puzzle over the new ones, hoping to one day work out their name.

Looking for the King 2 - Coronets

2011-11-10T07:00:00.029+11:00

We will have to keep looking. These little coronets are much too small for the King. Pink Buttons - Kunzea capitata

Nonetheless. there flowers are a particular favourite of mine. A pretty shrub but even lovlier close up.

Looking for the King 1 - Dressing up

2011-11-09T07:00:00.025+11:00

Hairpin Banksia - Banksia Spinolus. Last time I took you out on this road was May 2009, in the autumn when these would have been in their youthful beauty. Unlike the spring flowers they are fading. I like to think there is beauty in aging. Let's pin up our hair and dress up smart ... we are off the meet the king.

Kings Tableland Road

2011-11-08T07:00:00.012+11:00

Here we go bump bumping our way along 20 kms of dirt road - Kings Tableland Road - the perfect place for us to be looking for the King of bush flowers. Come let's go find him.

Graveyard

2011-11-07T07:00:00.012+11:00

Near the ruin I showed you yesterday there is this graveyard. I wonder what stories there are to tell from this rural property.

That's the end of this trip. I'm going to take you on a new drive in the Blue Mountains starting tomorrow.

Ruin

2011-11-06T07:00:00.007+11:00

Near the farmhouse there was this ruin, it looks quite special with the trees at their fresh spring best.

Farmhouse

2011-11-05T07:00:00.008+11:00

I have noticed this farmhouse on other trips along this road. It looks so picture perfect in this setting especially with the grass so lush and green.

Old house again

2011-11-04T07:00:00.004+11:00

Here is the little house we saw on the drive up as it appears on the way down.

At the top

2011-11-03T07:00:00.002+11:00

We are on our way back down now. Here's the view from the top.

State forest

2011-11-02T07:00:00.002+11:00

We are climbing up into the forest country now.

Theme day: Fences

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000+11:00

Today is theme day so I am taking a short diversion from our current trip.

Over the years I've taken photos of dozens of fences because they are one of my recurring themes. I decided to pick my favourite from each of my blogs.

Bluemountainsjournal: Web on fence post, Lawson (my home town)

Sweetwayfaring: Hill End, NSW. There are lots of great fences in Hill End.

Burnbraejournal: Old fencepost in my backyard.

Whistlersrest: Kookaburra on barbed wire fence (at our rural retreat)

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Wildlife

2011-10-31T07:00:00.002+11:00

We saw a couple of goannas crossing the road but I was a bit too slow get a photograph of them. Then a bit later saw this echidna, again I just about missed the shot. You can see a better one that I got recently over at Whistlers Rest.

Old house

2011-10-30T07:00:00.001+11:00

Isn't this an cute little old house. I wonder if anyone ever used that bath out there?

Tufts

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000+11:00

The grass grows in tufts around here.

Rocks and trees

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000+11:00

In this country there are pagoda rock formations and native cypress trees mixed among the usual eucalypts.

A mountain

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000+11:00

It's pretty country and so green at the moment. I don't know of the mountain in front is Nullo Mountain.

Road to Nullo Mountain

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000+11:00

We decided to take a Sunday afternoon drive to Nullo Mountain. The Nullo Mountain State Forest borders on Wollemi National Park which is part of the greater Blue Mountains National Park.

Lunch and home

2011-10-24T07:00:00.005+11:00

And we reach the end of this series - we found a warm coffee shop for a bowl of soup before taking the ride back home.

Lithgow 4 of 4

2011-10-23T07:00:00.004+11:00

That's the Lithgow Flash - Marjorie Jackson - winner of 4 Commonwealth Games gold medals, winner of 2 Olympic gold medals, the first Australian women to be credited with a world record.

Lithgow 3 of 4

2011-10-22T07:00:00.005+11:00

We've arrived. Let's go find some lunch.

Lithgow 2 of 4

2011-10-21T07:00:00.007+11:00

That's the old blast furnace, a great spot for photography. I posted a series on Sweet Wayfaring last year.

Lithgow 1 of 4

2011-10-20T07:00:00.004+11:00

After the last of the tunnels we reach the outskirts of Lithgow, a small industrial city. You can see its heritage in these worker type cottages.

Tunnels

2011-10-19T07:00:00.004+11:00

The train goes through a series of ten tunnels on its descent.

Zig-Zag

2011-10-18T07:00:00.004+11:00

That's part of the old zig-zag that was used to get trains up and down the mountain in the past. They run steam trains for tourists on that line these days.

Bell

2011-10-17T07:00:00.005+11:00

Bell is a little station. The train doesn't stop here unless you let the guard know in advance. The railway and highway run through the same corridor most of the way up and down the mountains.

Mount Victoria

2011-10-16T07:00:00.004+11:00

We get some of the wider views to the west before beginning our descent.

Blackheath

2011-10-15T07:00:00.004+11:00

That's what weekday commuters usually do - either that or stare at laptops, iPads and mobile phones. On the weekend people usually gaze out the window. There is a backdrop of cherries here but Blackheath is more known for its Rhododendron Festival held in November.

Medlow Bath

2011-10-14T07:00:00.009+11:00

We are passing by the Hydro Majestic Hotel where people once came to take in healing waters and bracing mountain air. It's closed for renovations at the moment. The signs say it will reopen in 2012 but I have my doubts because those signs are falling down.

Katoomba

2011-10-13T07:00:00.007+11:00

The grass has become so green over the past few weeks and with the trees in fresh new leaf its a delight to the eye. The green of the non-native deciduous trees is so different from the olive green backdrop of native eucalypts.

Leura

2011-10-12T07:00:00.004+11:00

Weekday trains carry commuters. Weekend trains fill with tourists from near and far. Leura, with its crafty shops is a popular destination.

Wentworth Falls

2011-10-11T07:00:00.002+11:00

You get quite a nice view of Wentworth Falls lake from the train. Spring blossom is in full swing in the upper mountains. Wentworth Falls is considered the gateway to the Upper Mountains.

Bullaburra

2011-10-10T07:00:00.002+11:00

The traffic always banks up around Bullaburra, and is generally dreadful on long weekends, hence the choice of a train ride.

I will show you something around each of the stations up the line but shooting from a moving train and window reflections made it a rather hard task.

Lawson to Lithgow

2011-10-09T07:00:00.005+11:00

The October long weekend was wet and cold so it seemed like a good idea to catch a nice warm train ride to Lithgow.

Here we are on Lawson station, See how the new shops are progressing. Its hard to believe that a year ago our little town looked like this.

Civilisation

2011-10-08T07:00:00.006+11:00

At the end of the trip as we emerged back into civilisation, i loved this mail box -- the beauty of nature preserved.

Thrilled

2011-10-07T07:00:00.006+11:00

I am always thrilled to see orchids. These are spotted sun orchids the first time I have seen the spotted ones.

More flowers

2011-10-06T07:00:00.006+11:00

Hakea (I think)

Here are some more flowers photographed on the drive home but I am saving up the best one for tomorrow.

Grevillia

Banksia

Pomaderris

A break

2011-10-05T07:00:00.006+11:00

A little break from spring flowers to take in the scenery

Dainty flowers

2011-10-04T07:00:00.004+11:00

I think the ones with four petals are Boronia and the ones with five petals are Eriostemon. Aren't they lovely.

Pea flowers

2011-10-03T07:00:00.005+11:00

There are pea flowers of all sizes and shapes in the Australian bush. Here are a few photographed on the way home.

Camera eye 7 of 7

2011-10-02T07:00:00.006+11:00

Hasn't it been lovely tarrying among the tall trees. But it is in the sandy soil where the flowers thrive. I'll show you some of those on the way back home.

Theme Day Bonus: Mystery Object

2011-10-01T08:27:00.000+10:00

Today you get a bonus post because I have been reminded that it is City Daily Photo theme day. It is a mystery to me why people would want to deface these magnificent trees.

Also note the difference between the tree posted earlier today. They are both smooth trunked but one has a different colour ... I think the one below is an angophora, this is a eucalypt and the ones with dark rough trunks seen in some earlier posts in this series are turpentines.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Camera eye 6 of 7

2011-10-01T07:00:00.007+10:00

Camera eye 5 of 7

2011-09-30T07:00:00.005+10:00

Camera eye 4 of 7

2011-09-29T07:00:00.008+10:00

Camera eye 3 of 7

2011-09-28T07:00:00.006+10:00

Camera eye 2 of 7

2011-09-27T07:00:00.008+10:00

Camera eye 1 of 7

2011-09-26T07:00:00.008+10:00

Before we start on the trek back home let's take a week of days enjoying the scenery through my camera eye.

More birds

2011-09-25T07:00:00.004+10:00

I'd love to do a better job of photographing birds ... but as these just go to show I've got a very long way to go.

Birds

2011-09-24T07:00:00.006+10:00

There were lots of birds -- sulphur crested cockatoos, black cockatoos, king parrots, rosellas, wattle birds, magpies, wrens and other birds whose calls I could not identify (I'm still learning to identify bird calls). The noisiest and most present were the sulphur crested cockatoos. I was playing with photographing them and hoping to catch one on motion. Ooops, missed again.

Tall

2011-09-23T07:00:00.004+10:00

It is a beautiful spot. The trees are much taller here than in most other parts of the mountains. It is because the soil here is volcanic rather than the poor sandy soil of elsewhere.

Paper Daisies

2011-09-22T07:00:00.004+10:00

I found even more paper daisies there this time.

What's there?

2011-09-21T07:00:00.004+10:00

When I proposed going on this drive my husband asked where it was. I said, that track out from Woodford where the trees are tall and there were lots of birds and I took photos of paper daisies and boronia and we saw a goanna. I always remember places from the photos I took.

Yellow detail

2011-09-20T19:00:00.005+10:00

Here's a closer look at the shrubs I showed yesterday.

Yellow display

2011-09-19T19:00:00.001+10:00

I've not been out here in the height of spring before. As we dropped into the valley I was surprised to see great swathes of these tall shrubs in a massed display of flower, They are not wattles but are yellow pea flowers ... I'll show you the detail tomorrow.

Time to get out

2011-09-18T21:36:00.000+10:00

With the temperature in the mid 20s, the sun shining warm and bright, and the perfume of spring in the air it was the perfect day for a picnic. So it was in the car with the sun roof open and off into the bush ... we are on our way out to Murphys Glen.

Perspective

2011-09-01T21:20:00.000+10:00

Another month has passed and theme day has arrived without me walking locally. So I dug into my archives not really expecting to find anything with perspective and found this. It is Knapsack Viaduct, the old railway line on the eastern escarpment of the mountains.

On the 1st of the month the City Daily Photo community have a theme day. For September it is Perspective.Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

A Postcard from the Blue Mountains

2011-08-01T20:03:00.000+10:00

Govetts Leap, Blue Mountains, Australia

Dear Friends,

How time has flown. It's a whole month since I wrote last. I have been going away most weekends leaving me with little time. To make up for my tardiness, I went to Govetts Leap this weekend especially for you and picked up a postcard so you can see the magnificent view. It was quite disturbing to see the evidence of the big trees blown over during a recent high winds. I'm glad my house wasn't in the path of that storm.

Love Joan.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants for City Daily Photo Theme Day - Postcard-worthy

Theme Day: Green

2011-07-01T20:51:00.000+10:00

Given that most of the photographs I take are in the forest there is plenty of green in this blog so I tried to think of something else that is green and representative of the mountains. I settled on the King Parrots which frequent the bush and our gardens. I love to hear their high pitched call and see their colourful plumage.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants of this theme day

Evans Crown 4

2011-06-15T07:00:00.002+10:00

We end this rocky interlude with some information about the lichens which contribute to their weathering "Lichens are combination of two organisams: a fungus and an algae that work together -- relying on each other for life.

Fungus gives the organism shape and draws moisture and nutrients from the rock to which it is attached. The algae lives within the fungus; it contains chlorophyll which allows the lichen to convert the suns energy into food."

And as you can see the sun is setting. Time to go.

Evans Crown 3

2011-06-13T07:00:00.000+10:00

The sign goes on to say "While much of the weathering occurs underground, wind and water erode the landscape eventually exposing the bolders. As the surrounding soil disappears the tors are left behind looking like giant marbles.

Evans Crown 2

2011-06-11T07:00:00.004+10:00

The sign at the reserve says "Through movement and faulting in the earth's crust, cracks appear in the bedrock allowing water to seep in. The water weathers the sides of the boulders taking off the sharp edges and making the blocks rounder"

Evans Crown Reserve

2011-06-09T07:00:00.001+10:00

I have been away most weekends recently so no time to adventure anywhere in the mountains. But since it has been a long time since I posted here I've decided to post some shots from a walk in Evans Crown Reserve that I did around this time last year.

Evens Crown Reserve is very rocky spot near Oberon. Apparently form the apex George Evans first sighted the Bathurst Plains in 1813. It was late in the afternoon and quite cold so we only took a short walk and got nowhere near the crown were there are some pretty impressive tock formations.

Under construction

2011-06-01T21:15:00.000+10:00

"These pick marks were made to allow Governor Macquarie's vehicle to pass over the Blue Mountains 1813"

Anyone who has travelled the highway through the Blue Mountains knows about the never ending construction project currently widening it to four lanes. Don't expect it to end any time soon, it has been going on for 200 years!

Under Construction is this month's theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Fire

2011-05-18T07:00:00.009+10:00

Despite the elaborate preparations it seems this campfire wouldn't burn. We're back among civilisation and the end of this walk.

Webs

2011-05-16T07:00:00.000+10:00

There were plenty of webs made visible in the wet.

Back we go

2011-05-14T07:00:00.000+10:00

Time to go home. Back we go over the waterfall.

Fairy Falls

2011-05-10T07:00:00.000+10:00

This waterfall annoys me. I like it but I never manage to get a good photo of it. The path crosses at the first tier of the falls (at the bottom of this photo). There is quite a big drop below this level tumbling among the trees.

More stripping

2011-05-08T07:00:00.001+10:00

There are still plenty of trees shedding their bark.

Bright spot

2011-05-06T07:00:00.003+10:00

The dull day was cheered by the sight of the winter flowering Styphelia tubiflora.

Wet Walk

2011-05-04T21:15:00.000+10:00

I am going to take you on a morning walk to Fairy Falls in North Lawson Park. They sky is grey and its very wet underfoot but there is still joy in being out and about.

Return view

2011-05-03T07:00:00.002+10:00

There is much more to see and do at Dunn's Swamp but we didn't have time to explore more on this day. I'm ending this series with one last look at the lovely scenery on the way home.

Post Box

2011-05-01T19:03:00.000+10:00

On our way home, I noticed the autumn colour on the old building at Eastwood so stopped to take photo and took a shot of their post box too. Which was a happy accident as I forgotten about theme day until today. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Platypus Rock

2011-04-30T07:00:00.006+10:00

I finished my walk at Platypus Rock. No platypus to see unfortunately but they say they can be seen elsewhere in the waterway.

Boating

2011-04-28T07:00:00.003+10:00

People enjoy boating on the water too. There is a regular tour boat as well, we might catch it one day.

Water view

2011-04-26T07:00:00.002+10:00

Nice isn't it. The reed banks are lovely.

Walk

2011-04-24T07:00:00.003+10:00

Come, let's take a short walk beside the water.

Swimmer

2011-04-22T07:00:00.003+10:00

Lot's of weekend people, visitors and campers, were enjoying the beautiful sunny day. I'll take you on a walk beside the water next.

Camping 2 of 2

2011-04-20T07:00:00.002+10:00

The camping is rudimentary but that is the joy of being in the bush.

Camping 1 of 2

2011-04-18T07:00:00.005+10:00

The great thing about this spot is the extensive camping area with plenty of good spots nestled among the trees and rocks.

The sign you can see behind the table says "Many of the trees in this area of special because they are very old but they may drop branches, or fall over suddenly without warning. For your safety do not camp, sit or stand beneath large trees or trees with overhanging branches.

Dunn's Swamp

2011-04-16T15:41:00.000+10:00

We're there and as you can see it isn't a swamp but a rather nice stretch of water. It was created back in the 1920s by damming the Cudgegong River to provide water for the Kandos Cement Works 25 kilometres away.

I am beginning a series of posts about Kandos over at my Sweet Wayfaring blog tomorrow.

Autumn

2011-04-15T07:00:00.001+10:00

Its a glorious Autumn day, not that the Australian countryside shows this particularly, other than in the rows of poplars and other non-native trees lining the driveways to rural properties.

Julie said in her comment the other day that the landscape was reminding her of the Canberra area. I was thinking that too as we drove along ... for me it is something to do with blue of the hills and the gold of dry grass and with exotic trees in Autumn colour more so, Autumn is spectacular in Canberra.

Rock outcrops

2011-04-13T22:48:00.000+10:00

The road passes through some pretty awesome rocky country.

Drive to Dunn's Swamp

2011-04-11T21:09:00.000+10:00

I'm going to take you on a drive to Dunn's Swamp which is in Wollemi National Park, part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area.

Vintage

2011-04-05T07:00:00.002+10:00

And to wrap up this series, the vintage bike on display in the dining room.

Burger

2011-04-03T07:00:00.002+10:00

The burgers lived up to their claim.

Decor

2011-04-01T07:00:00.003+11:00

Inside the decor is basic and fuss free.

Full Throttle

2011-03-31T07:00:00.003+11:00

The Full Throttle Diner caters to a different market segment.

Best Burgers

2011-03-29T07:00:00.003+11:00

We were driving out along the Harley Valley again this weekend and decided to try another of the eating establishments. This one is quite different from Ambermere Rose Inn that I showed you recently.