Life down under

Sunset down the road

2009-07-30T08:49:00.002+08:00

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse Augusta

2009-01-26T10:59:00.000+09:00

Augusta - where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean

2009-01-23T21:58:00.001+09:00

Beach near Augusta, WA

2009-01-22T22:04:00.000+09:00

NEW BLOG ABOUT MELBOURNE

2008-10-27T21:28:00.001+09:00

Hi everyone! You might wonder why I haven't been posting many photos lately. Life has been busy, and I have visited Melbourne, Victoria some weeks ago. Since I have taken loads of pictures over there, I have decided to start up a MELBOURNE BLOG.

You can visit the site by clicking on the following link.

http://melbournecitylife.blogspot.com

I will still keep the main blog on Western Australia and will hopefully get around to get "out and about" for some new photos!

Cheers!

Salt Lake, Lake King WA

2008-10-19T16:36:00.003+08:00

As summer is approaching fast now, water supplies fall even shorter and a lot of lakes dry up and turn into "salt lakes". Kilometers of salt crusts cover what was once a beautiful lake.

Coccinella transversalis - Transverse ladybird

2008-09-26T11:21:00.001+08:00

Frangipani backlit

2008-09-24T22:34:00.000+08:00

Camouflage Magpie

2008-09-18T09:34:00.001+08:00

Weevil with hitch-hiking aphid

2008-09-16T07:11:00.002+08:00

Leptopius sp. - Weevil native to Australia

2008-09-15T14:16:00.002+08:00

Green Looper Caterpillar

2008-09-09T21:54:00.002+08:00

I discovered this little bugger munching happily on our Geraniums, perfectly camouflaged by its green colour. The way this caterpillar "loops along" impressed me, so I decided to place it on a slightly more contrasty background in order to photograph it. This caterpillar most likely belongs to the family Noctuidae and grows up to 40mm long in size.

Hibiscus Flower

2008-09-07T21:22:00.002+08:00

Nectarine Orchard Farm

2008-09-03T21:44:00.002+08:00

This is the last image to my spring orchard series. It shows a well maintained nectarine orchard located in the "Perth hills".

Glowing Blossom

2008-09-02T21:27:00.000+08:00

Nectarine tree in flower

2008-09-01T20:49:00.000+08:00

Plum blossoms

2008-08-31T14:57:00.000+08:00

Nectarine blossoms

2008-08-29T15:20:00.001+08:00

Spring is already on its way and summer is now not far away anymore. Last week I went to some orchards farms in the Perth hills area where the nectarine and plum orchards are now in flower. The smell and the colours are magnificent!

Mishka surfing

2008-08-28T22:18:00.001+08:00

Got Ya!

2008-08-27T18:00:00.001+08:00

Fighting for "Squeeky"

2008-08-26T22:25:00.002+08:00

"You really think I will let go???"

"You can pull as much as you like, Squeeky is mine!"

"See, I told you so!"

Catch me if you can!

2008-08-25T21:04:00.001+08:00

Surfing Dogs

2008-08-25T19:58:00.010+08:00

Hi everyone! Apologies for the long break. I have been very busy at work and didn't get a chance to post new pics. But now I'm back with some new pictures.

We're heading towards spring now in Perth and the weather is getting better every day with lots of sunshine. I went down to the local dog beach at the weekend and took the opportunity to take some action shots of happy dogs.

In this photo you can see Mishka (white Labrador) and Jett (black Labrador) catching waves down the beach.
I will post some more photos in the next few days.

Rainbow Lorikeet

2008-07-21T19:53:00.007+08:00

Lots of these colourful parrots hang out in the trees of our neighbour's garden picking berries and making a lot of noise.

The rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) was
introduced into the wild in Perth, Western Australia,
during the 1960s. When lorikeets were first recorded
in the wild in Perth no action was taken to remove
them. From fewer than 10 escaped or released birds,
the population is now distributed over a large part of
the metropolitan area and may expand to numbers over
20 000 birds by 2010. The bird is now a declared pest here.

The rainbow lorikeet is a small, brightly coloured parrot
26 - 31 cm in length and weighing 120 - 130 g.
Male, female and immature birds all look similar, with
young birds slightly duller in colour. Lorikeets are quite
noisy, continuously screeching while in flight, at a food
source or at roosts. They have a swift direct flight with
rapid whirring wing beats and display flashes of dark
green and bright red.

Sunset after storm

2008-07-19T23:30:00.000+08:00

Strings of grass

2008-07-17T22:34:00.001+08:00

Scarborough Hotel

2008-07-16T19:27:00.002+08:00

The Scarborough Observation City Hotel is the only high-rise building along the whole west coast and it looks like it is going to stay this way to preserve the natural coastal landscape.

Lonely day at the beach

2008-07-15T20:20:00.005+08:00

This is Trigg Beach in Winter where hardly anyone is out in the water apart from a few surfers in wetsuits (neoprene suits) to keep warm in the ocean. You could sit down the beach for hours at this time of the year in this sort of weather and would only see a few people walking along on the sand. In summer on the other hand it would be very crowded, especially at the weekends when the local surf club has competitions on. On the sign in the photo you can see all the rules and warnings in order to make your day down the beach a pleasant experience rather than a day with a dramatic ending. So always remember: Swim between the red and yellow flags!

Gras in the wind

2008-07-14T18:01:00.000+08:00

Winter afternoon

2008-07-13T21:25:00.000+08:00

Footprints

2008-07-11T21:06:00.000+08:00

Sand Traces

2008-07-10T22:07:00.000+08:00

Little Seashell

2008-07-09T20:50:00.000+08:00

Stranded

2008-07-08T22:08:00.000+08:00

Shower anyone?

2008-07-07T19:05:00.001+08:00

Beach Dream

2008-07-06T21:44:00.002+08:00

Trigg Surf Life Saving Club

2008-07-05T23:12:00.001+08:00

Close-up flower

2008-07-04T19:17:00.001+08:00

Yellow Flower

2008-07-02T21:31:00.007+08:00

Not sure of the real name of this flower/plant. Need to check with a botanist and then update the name.

Sunflower

2008-07-01T13:53:00.005+08:00

Front view

Sunflower backlit

2008-06-30T21:37:00.006+08:00

We have been growing sunflowers from seeds in our backyard and this is one of them with the sun lighting up the petals from the front. I love sunflowers, they automatically put you in a good mood, just looking at them.

Maddy in action

2008-06-25T17:38:00.007+08:00

As a true "Blues" supporter Maddy wears her Carlton jersey underneath the local Footy Club jersey (see previous images). In this session she decided to show off her Carlton outfit instead.

Heeere!!! Kick the ball to meeeee!!!

2008-06-23T17:03:00.000+08:00

Maddy against the boys

2008-06-22T17:41:00.002+08:00

Australian Rules Football (AFL) is one of the biggest sports in Australia along with Cricket and Rugby. Football is a "winter" sport and everyone is eagerly awaiting the footy season to begin in April. Kids learn to love the sport at a very early age and strongly support their team by all means.
This morning we went to watch our 7 year old niece (the one with the ball) play football - nearly the only girl in this male-dominated sport - but she kicked some serious butt!
I'll be posting some more action shots of the kids playing football in the next few days.

Windmill & dam on farm

2008-06-19T22:16:00.005+08:00

This photo was taken a little while ago on a farm near Toodyay, a small country town, about 80km North East of Perth.

Map of Margaret River Region

2008-06-17T17:56:00.009+08:00

On this map you can follow up the places where we went to on this last trip.
Distance from Perth to Margaret River: ca. 280km.
Distance from Busselton to Augusta: ca. 80km.

Here you can see the southern part of the Margaret River Region highlighted in green, compared to the rest of Western Australia. You will automatically come to the conclusion that WA is a bloody big country as we say here in OZ.

Hit by car

2008-06-15T17:24:00.003+08:00

This very unfortunate kangaroo was hit by a car and will soon be completely consumed by other wildlife and thousands of insects. Sadly a lot of kangaroos get killed this way, but once the animal jumps in front of an oncoming car, the impact is unavoidable. At first I wasn't quite sure if I should publish this photograph as the corpse looks rather grotesque and it might offend some viewers. But then again death is part of life and therefore dealing with death to some extend should not be excluded from our lives.

Lush Green Fields

2008-06-14T17:19:00.001+08:00

Wood Pattern and Tree Trunk

2008-06-13T18:56:00.003+08:00

Bull Ant going walk-abouts

2008-06-12T21:42:00.009+08:00

This bull ant is about 3cm long and is climbing up a tree in Boranup Forest. This photo has been taken with the Canon IXUS 70.

On the road again...

2008-06-11T18:15:00.002+08:00

These kind of gravel roads are very common in rural Western Australia. This one here is about to be turned into a proper bitumen road for better safety.

Beachside vegetation

2008-06-10T19:49:00.002+08:00

Storm on the water

2008-06-09T20:59:00.000+08:00

Welcome to God's Farm

2008-06-08T09:31:00.000+08:00

Cattle in the paddock - Cowramup WA

2008-06-06T19:31:00.000+08:00

Windmill in the paddock

2008-06-05T21:41:00.003+08:00

These kind of windmills are very common in the West Australian countryside. The mills are used to pump ground water up and to supply it to livestock.

Skull close up

2008-06-04T20:57:00.003+08:00

Still not sure what this could be. It does look like a small cow though. Maybe a calf? Any suggestions?

Animal Skull

2008-06-03T21:24:00.004+08:00

Walking through the bush you can discover all sorts of things: Trees, leaves, rocks or you could even stumble across an animal skull, like we did. I presume this could be a skull of a cow. Not sure. Maybe you know what it is? (You can click on the picture to enlarge the image. Same goes of course for all the other ones!)

Rocky Scenery at North Point, Gracetown WA

2008-06-02T08:56:00.001+08:00

Square Rock

2008-06-01T07:51:00.001+08:00

Curved Rock

2008-05-30T17:52:00.001+08:00

Round Rock

2008-05-29T20:02:00.004+08:00

This is part one of a series of three displaying different shaped rocks that you find down south.

Gone surfing

2008-05-28T21:10:00.005+08:00

Brad goes for a splash at South Point with his 7-ft winged-keel 1960s surfboard.

South Point Surf Break

2008-05-27T20:30:00.002+08:00

Gracetown, WA

2008-05-26T19:11:00.006+08:00

This is Gracetown, a small community, built up on a hill overlooking the Indian Ocean. Gracetown lies about 283km south of the Perth CBD, in the Augusta-Margaret River Shire Council area.
The community consists of a permanent population of about 200, but in summer Gracetown is a popular holiday destination for people from all over Australia as well as from overseas.

South Point Surf Break/Huzzawuiee - Gracetown WA

2008-05-25T10:12:00.006+08:00

Now from the woody forest down to the rocky foreshore of the Indian Ocean. This is South Point, a few kms off the coast near a sleepy town called Gracetown. The surf breaks along this stretch of coastline provide great fun for experienced surfers.

Forest Fern

2008-05-24T22:44:00.001+08:00

Golden Leaf

2008-05-23T18:23:00.000+08:00

Karri Tree Bark

2008-05-22T20:29:00.001+08:00

This is the bark peeling off the Karri trees.

Road to more forest

2008-05-21T17:58:00.004+08:00

This is also Boranup Forest with the main road going through it. No picture can ever do this impressive forest any justice as to how beautiful it is there.

The t(h)ree brothers

2008-05-20T22:01:00.010+08:00

The Karri tree is the third tallest tree in the world!

These pale-barked Karri trees in the Boranup Forest (within Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, near Margaret River), reaching 60 metres or more high, dominate the hilly slopes and valleys.

The trees create a powerful contrast with the rest of the coastline.

Old Farm House - Cowramup W.A.

2008-05-19T22:28:00.007+08:00

This is the start to a series of pictures I will be posting for the upcoming week. All images have been taken in South Western Australia. This photo shows an old run-down farm house just out of the small community of Cowramup, WA.
The name is believed to be derived from the Aboriginal word "Cowara", meaning a Purple-crowned Lorikeet (Parrot). Locals from the region often refer to the town as 'Cowtown', a reference to the use of 'cow' in the towns name and its history of dairy farming. The nickname is now extensively used in advertising for tourism in the town.

Perth Domestic Airport

2008-05-15T21:36:00.003+08:00

At Perth Domestic Airport you can go upstairs to watch the planes arrive and leave. It's always nice to watch how it all works.

Telephone cord

2008-05-14T19:52:00.005+08:00

Shown in the image is the "creeper" part of the passionfruit tree that grabs hold onto anything in order to spread out. In this picture it looks like an old fashioned telephone cord.

Passionfruit

2008-05-12T20:22:00.003+08:00

This is the fruit developing from the flower of my previous picture. It still has a long way to go until it is ripe and eatable. The Passionfruit skin turns into a brown/purple colour once it is ripe and then the fruit simply falls off the tree.

Passionfruit Flower

2008-05-11T18:34:00.006+08:00

This is a flower in full bloom on our Passionfruit tree in the back yard. This year is the first time in about 3 years we actually have a lot of flowers and fruit on the tree. Passionfruit just tastes delicious!

Rays of light

2008-05-10T18:55:00.005+08:00

I went to catch up with a friend at a nearby cafe opposite the beach late this afternoon, when I noticed the sun rays shining through the left-over rainclouds from last night's storm. Magical...

Freeway South - Early morning

2008-05-09T21:46:00.006+08:00

I took this photo on my way to work at 7:45AM today. In the background you can view the Perth City skyline (coming from North, heading South) and in the foreground "Leederville" train station is to be seen. Every morning, for over 2 years now, I have been taking this route to get to work in South Perth and I keep thinking I need to take a picture of this exact spot, while driving along the freeway. Well and today I finally managed to position my little Canon IXUS70 on top of the steering wheel in order to add some sort of stability to the camera and then to press the shutter button at the right time :) "Children. Do not try this at home."

Dolphins catching waves

2008-05-05T21:46:00.001+08:00

Flying high

2008-05-04T10:10:00.000+08:00

Lines

2008-05-03T09:03:00.002+08:00

Back-lit Banana leaf

Tall timber

2008-05-02T21:11:00.001+08:00

Splash splash

2008-04-30T21:23:00.000+08:00

Sunshine lollypop...

2008-04-29T22:20:00.001+08:00

Lest we forget - Anzac Day 25th April

2008-04-28T21:43:00.002+08:00

Bee on Eucalyptus Flower

2008-04-27T22:13:00.000+08:00

All locked up

2008-04-26T22:32:00.000+08:00

Baby Marley

2008-04-25T22:27:00.001+08:00

Frangipani tree b&w

2008-04-24T07:13:00.002+08:00

Australian grass tree

2008-04-23T18:41:00.008+08:00

Focus on the bright side

2008-04-18T21:51:00.001+08:00

On the way to work

2008-04-16T21:21:00.002+08:00

Clouds

2008-04-09T18:44:00.001+08:00

Surf's up!

2008-04-08T11:24:00.000+08:00

Sunset at Trigg Point

2008-04-07T19:49:00.002+08:00

Yallingup- Western Australia

2008-04-05T18:44:00.002+08:00

White Wash

2008-04-04T08:53:00.002+08:00

Winter Fun

2008-04-03T14:39:00.001+08:00

Ladybird on Frangipani

2008-04-02T15:05:00.002+08:00

It's the little things that count...

Sunset at North Beach, WA

2008-04-02T14:50:00.006+08:00