Peters Pictures

Home safe and sound.

2007-10-22T16:15:00.002+10:00

Update: The early counting seems to confirm that the
roadside monstrosity took out the UGLY award, in answer
to some queries as to what it was... I have no idea!!!!
There was a sign, just visible in the first photo, but the
object made such a negative impression that I have no
recollection of what it said.... Sorry.

It's all over bar the shouting.

We paid a visit to the old Dubbo Gaol, but were allowed to leave.

Well they worked Wazza over pretty well first, but then we were allowed to
leave.

This is a "Big Red Kangaroo" doing what they do best during daylight hours
on a hot day, they are naturally nocturnal, thus the suicidal tendencies on
the roads at night.

This feeder for the giraffe's is about 8 or 9 feet of the ground, they sure
are tall suckers.

But majestic to look at, one of my favourite animals.

The Australian/Celtic Standing Stones at Glen Innes.

Set in a lovely park this site is quite powerful and mysterious.

I have shown you lots of the beauty spots and sights of Australia, so as a
balance I thought it only fair that I show you some of the plain ugly things too.
This is a roadside memorial? to ... something and we voted it as the ugliest
thing we encountered on the whole trip.
Please enbiggen for the full horror of this site to become visible.

So there can be no suggestion that this is a rigged result though,
I have included the next two photos to be judged by the viewers
in this same category.

I propose that we call them exhibits 1, 2, & 3, and invite your votes as to
which is the ugliest.... (sort of mirror, mirror on the wall.....)

I don't want to influence your voting in any way, but, here's a closer view
of that roadside thing, just in case you wanted to see it again.

I would like to thank you for your company on this holiday trip, between
all of you and Wazza too I couldn't have asked for better company.

The road home.

2007-10-20T14:12:00.001+10:00

We have had our week in Sydney and now we will take another week to get
back to Brisbane.

First stop out of Sydney was the "Blue Mountains" with Katoomba high on our list
of places to see, this is Evans lookout, there is a rare "Blue Gum forest in the
valley shown here.

With the aid of a zoom lens you can see the sandstone cliff face here.

The "Three Sisters" at Echo Point Katoomba would be among the most
photographed natural objects in Australia.

This is the view in front of you when you visit Echo Point, its a pity it was a
hazy day, the mountains really do look blue on a good day and the sky is such
a bright blue it would seem to be photo shopped.

Imagine the force needed to split this gigantic rock, (about the size of a
three story building) probably struck by lightning we guessed.

The three photos above are just a sample of how wonderful the countryside
looks around this area at present.

The sign say's it all, I don't think I need add anything.

Wazza and my old mate A B (Banjo) Paterson, this was at the site of Banjo's
birth at an old mill just outside the rural City of Orange in NSW.

In the park adjoining the information centre there is another monument
to Banjo

There are very good botanical gardens at Orange, shown here is apple blossom.

A sample of the many acacia (wattle) trees that are on display at the gardens.

Set among rolling green lawns its a lovely shady cool and pretty site.

Orange has a cold winter climate so there are quite a lot of deciduous
trees and a little "Fall" colour.

In the main though it features our ever present Gums and wattles.

We liked the signs at either end of the town of Murrurundi

Werris Creek is a small railway town, there are five of these figures
which are made of thousands of 6 to 10 inch long lengths of 5/8 inch
round stainless steel, like this one, operating the "gates" they all have a
railways theme. (they stand about 10 to 12 feet tall)

Still more photos of Sydney.

2007-10-16T23:28:00.000+10:00

If you are lucky you will get to visit Sydney sometime.

If you are Really lucky you will see this amazing sight as your plane comes in
to land.

If on the other hand your visit is on an overseas liner you will get off the ship
here, only metres from one of the world's most exciting Cities.

Sydney is built around one of the world's most beautiful harbours, it follows
that the homes of city's "well off" will be based around this harbour.

It also follows that there will be a huge flotilla of very expensive boats
based here for the wealthy to play on.

There will be a need for these peoples children to be suitably educated
and private schools such as this are admirably suitable to do that.

For those of us who fit the more regular mould this vehicle offers an
economical and fun way to see the ciy sights, You can hop on and off
as often as you like to have a look at the sights and there is a pretty
good commentary as you travel.

I can't recall what some of these buildings were but they make interesting
photos, so who cares.

Same comment as above but look at those sculptured figures!!!!

The imposing State Library building

The ANZAC memorial shrine located in Hyde Park, there is a remembrance
service here every morning at 11 am

I think this was St. Andrews?, a magnificent building anyway.

The Sydney Casino located at Darling Harbour.

A suitable introduction to "The Rocks" area, in the shadows of the Harbour
Bridge which was built overlooking this historic precinct.

Some of the typical terraced houses of the area have survived to
become exclusive office suites or doctors surgery's.

My favourite toilet in all of Sydney.... urinals only... sorry girls.

Even the warehouses were built on the "terrace" basis.

A beautiful mural of an early Quay area (which is only a few metres away from
here anyway).

This photo must contain every geometric shape known to man, and a lovely
mural of the opera house too.

More of the lovely old terrace houses.

When I was only a boy growing up in Melbourne these huge cast-iron
mailboxes were everywhere, now very much a rarity.

The very gracious Queen Victoria Arcade, claimed by many to rank among
the finest shopping arcades in the world.

The leadlight windows shown on the previous photo, this time from within.

There is a simply beautiful hanging clock here, it is enormous and has scenes
depicting Australia's early history around the four sides as well as an
hourly chime activated by a little man pulling on a rope

The arcade is built on three levels and is home to some very exclusive little
shops and galleries, many opening by appointment only.
My only regret about this magnificent building is that I didn't take any
photos specifically of the floor tiling, this is a work of art in its own right,
please enbiggen this photo to get some ides of the detail contained.

Atop the whole length (which is considerable) of the building runs
this beautiful glassed domed roof, complete with the central dome shown below.

Short of lying on my back and getting trampled by the hordes (which I know
you didn't want to happen) this was as good as I was able to get of the dome.

Something not to be missed when you visit Sydney..........
The Queen Victoria Shopping Arcade. opposite the Town Hall and easily
visited by getting of the underground rail at "Town Hall" station.

More holiday snaps of Sydney.

2007-10-15T19:24:00.000+10:00

Sydney is a large city built around a beautiful bay and is dominated by
The Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Opera House, & Centrepoint Tower,
as well as the vibrant city itself.

The mono-rail provides a quick and easy way to get around the CBD

Approaching Circular Quay.

El Alamein Fountain at Kings Cross

This is one of the many "cut back for racing" double decker buses that roam the
streets of Sydney filled with camera wielding tourists all intent on getting that
"once in a lifetime" shot.

Wazza shown here in the foreground of the Sydney Opera House.

The opera house as we approached it from Circular Quay.

It is one of those buildings you just never seem to have enough photos of.
(I must have at least another 20 !!!)

The Sydney CBD from a ferry to Manly. ("aboard a manly fairy")

Fort Denison located in Sydney Harbour near Circular Quay has served
many purposes, including suppling the sandstone used to construct
Circular Quay, the link below tells some of the history of this island.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Denison

Manly is located on a spit of land separating Sydney Harbour and the
Pacific Ocean, these beach goers are at the surf side of the spit.

Like much of Sydney, (in fact much of Australia) the folk at Manly take
full advantage of the climate and holiday atmosphere with outdoor dining
and shopping malls very popular.

Like the Opera House, who could ever take enough photos of this lovely
graceful old beauty. (I was talking about the bridge!!!!!!)

From the Southern approach

Opera House from the bridge.

Typical Tourist photos of Sydney.

2007-10-13T22:35:00.000+10:00

Typical of the millions of photos taken around Sydney.

Darling Harbour, named after a former Governor, houses the Maritime Museum.

The lighthouse was moved here as a tourist attraction.

The Centrepoint Tower (centre of photo) from Darling Harbour.

Darling Harbour, taken from Centrepoint Tower.

From a lofty perch 250 meters high things take on a different view.

Looking north west over the harbour and towards the blue mountains.

The main stadium for the 2000 Olympic Games with the Sydney Cricket Ground
behind and to the right.
Please note the fleet of flying saucers included specially for you in this and the
previous photo (click to enbiggen).
I stand corrected on the stadium shown here and plead outside assistance,
(perhaps from the aliens from the flying saucers) you see I asked an attendant
(who happened to be Asian) where the Sydney Crickey Ground was, she pointed it
out along with the mis-information that it was just behind the main Olympic
stadium.
We had already driven around the Homebush area and seen the stadium
(which does in fact look a bit similar) and as I had absolutely no idea where I
was facing while in the tower I did the only thing that seemed plausible at
the time..... I believed her.... 1000 apologies for that (and any other
mis-information)

Looking down on the Queen Victoria Arcade.

City skyline from above.

The main arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the centre (Opera House is just to the right.

The very relaxing Chinese Friendship Gardens at Darling Harbour.

AHH - Wazza in a pagoda.

Just soaking up the beauty and tranquility.

The paths lead you to something new and beautiful all the time.

Another pagoda framed with weeping Willow.
Lots more to come please come back again.

The Sydney trip... Gettin' there.

2007-10-12T12:37:00.001+10:00

These photos are of places of interest on our trip down to Sydney.

We got all excited about approaching Mt. Warning which is the Eastern most
elevated point of Australia is the first place to see the sunrise, our
excitement was short lived when we realized it was in fact Mt. Barney.

During the course of this trip I encountered quite a few of my favourite people
Marilyn Monroe was the first..... Hi Marilyn!!!!!!!

Marilyn was located at an establishment called "Freddo's Famous Pies" as both
Wazza and myself lay claim to being pie connoisseurs we had t o sample their
wares, we were happy enough to go along with the "famous" although we had
never heard of them but felt they missed the "top 10" by a couple of places.
You will notice if you click to "enbiggen" the photo, they do offer a range of
somewhat unusual fillings though.

We spent our first night at Coffs Harbour which is a popular seaside holiday
destination, as you might guess by the "Big Banana" there are lots of bananas
grown in this area.

Port Macquarie is another very popular seaside city, we keep trying to improve
on nature (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) the groyne's built out into
the ocean here seem to work fine. (us 1 - Nature 1001)

Another one of my very favourite people, the late and great Slim Dusty,
Slim was at the top of our country music charts for 6 decades and
released 106 albums all with the same record label in that time....
Hi Slim!!!!!

This is about the area where I started to rave about how good the countryside
looked for any of you who traveled along with us at holtieshouse.
So much of Australia used to look like this in spring time, but for the past decade
of drought this has become a rarity.
The purple flower in the foreground is the very noxious weed "Patterson's Curse"
which is known as "Salvation Jane" in SA where a different climate keeps the
rampant growth under control and the plant becomes a good sheep fodder.

We are on the Sydney/Newcastle expressway so the Sydney adventure will start
with the next posting.
Perhaps as early as tomorrow?

Bloggers conventions 1 & 2

2007-07-08T21:15:00.001+10:00

A meeting of bloggers June 30th 2007

Robyn, Kat's Cradle, Peter, Holtieshouse, Wazza, Wazza's Place

Robyn preparing to snap back.

Jeanette, Jens chronicles, Peter, Holtieshouse, Donna, Skippy's den.
July 6th 2007

Jan holding a fruit "Mocktail" at the Arkarra Tea Gardens, Hervey Bay.

Bloggers Galore

2007-05-02T23:59:00.000+10:00

ANZAC Day 2007.

2007-04-23T16:51:00.000+10:00

With ANZAC Day in two days time I thought I'd post these photos of
the Gympie Memorial Arcade built to honour all Australian Service
Personnel.

I have concentrated on the WW1 memorial tributes because of the
ANZAC Day link.

The pride we have for the bravery shown at Gallipolli knows no
boundaries

ANZACs were involved in many other fronts besides Gallipolli
and were recognised as some of the best fighting troops in
the world.

Through the gates located in the main street and leading to a
beautiful parkland behind the memorial it is a beautiful and
tranquil place.

Friends who live on my blog roll.

2007-04-11T01:05:00.000+10:00

These are the "Beautiful People, (and others) that
reside on my blog roll.

The Holt Family

2007-04-09T16:07:00.000+10:00

Believe it or not these four beautiful people are my children.

From the left; Vicki, my favourite daughter, Alan, Bruce, Marcus,
my favourite sons.

You are observing history here folks, the very first known photo
of the six of us together, and not a weapon in sight!!

Just to prove it wasn't an accident here's another one, mind you
I did have to weed out about a dozen with rabbit ears and other
rude gestures in them.

A proud mother with her children.

An equally proud father with the same children.

Almost as historic, these are the first photos of all four kids
together for about twenty years (did I mention Australia is a
big country?)

Also for variety a change of location.

Bruce brought the house down with his version of the end of so
many cartoons... "That's all Folks"

Please go to the link to see it live;

http://holtpress2.blogspot.com/2007/03/thats-all-folks.html

Jenna's Wedding.

2007-04-09T13:37:00.000+10:00

This was the venue for Jenna and Craig's wedding at Caversham
House on March 10th in WA.

On the banks of the beautiful Swan River, an idyllic setting.

A magnificent waterfall has been created to add to the charm.

Craig and Jenna chose to have a garden wedding and the day could not
have been better

With parents of the bride and groom.

With Aimee, who was a lovely bridesmaid, Lyn, Craig, Jenna and Alan.

Alan was in his own version of heaven with his family all gathered
around for the great day

Jenna has never looked lovelier and Craig looked good too in
his black shirt and white suit.

Peter, Vicki and Alan... hey we looked good too.

This photo was at my request as I had the same sort of
grouping at my wedding to Jacqui.

Cutting the cake and stealing another kiss.

Westward Ho!!!

2007-04-09T12:38:00.000+10:00

This is a picture of the intrepid travelers before their journey
westward across the vast mysterious continent.

Most of the pictures will look better if you click/enlarge them.

Marcus and Peter at Stacey and Jake's wedding.

Our first encounter with the wildlife of Australia.
This tiger snake was in the driveway of grandson Daniels farm at
Wudinna, it was already dead and starting to swell in the heat,
which accounts for the explosion when I ran over him, under
normal circumstances he would have just wriggled away a
little annoyed at being disturbed.

A midnight fuel top-up, this enabled us to keep traveling through the
night.

I am using poetic license here as it was pitch black when Marcus and I
passed this icon I took this photo on the return journey, travelers on
the Eyre Highway have been adding bits and pieces to this "Bottle
Tree" for years now.

This sign in the window of the Madura Service station is strong
evidence that Australia is a dry continent, I think they would
probably give a parched traveler a drink?? but don't under any
circumstances ask can you wash your car!!!

Still at Madura, the first town (small) west is Norseman 529 klms
away, while to the east it's Ceduna 676 klms away the other 9
places marked consist of very lonely Service Stations a few with
very basic accommodation facilities.
The sign also shows the distance between Adelaide and Perth to
be 2705 Klms and believe me the route we took does not include
many populated areas, but we enjoyed the chance to bond.

At Norseman they have a tribute to the camel trains that serviced
the huge goldfields at Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie to the north
during the very early 1900s.

Leaving Norseman we entered the loneliest stretch of the trip
300 klms without a sign of habitation.

As we approached Hyden this sign caught our eye so Macus
searched around until he found it... you can just make it out
between his thumb and fore-finger.

Ever the adventurer Marcus surfed Wave Rock which is also
just outside Hyden.

A couple of examples of Australian ingenuity and humour, the
first depicts an early example of a motor-home (RV)

And this one shows a fine example of "Shed Art/Humour" these
sort of things are to be found everywhere in the outback, they
are usually made of scrap metal and provide valuable welding
experience to farmers who must do their own repairs on
machinery that is becoming ever more complex.
"I Salute Them"

Stacey's Wedding

2007-04-09T12:15:00.000+10:00

Stacey and Jake married on March 3rd in the garden at Jake's
parents lovely home at Glenelg SA.

Stacey looked radiant as brides are wont to do.

The happy couple, very much in love and looking grand.

The garden setting was magnificent and the day was perfect.

Mr. and Mrs. Broadhurst meet their guests.

Stacey and Jake with Rex and Vicki.

Stacey and Jake with Stacey's colour co-ordinated grand-parents

The Foster family (and the newly-weds)

Vicki and Rex.

Jake, Stacey and a proud GP.

Hotels of Gympie.

2007-02-11T16:27:00.000+10:00

Gympie, like so many towns that came into their own in the gold
mining era of the late 1800s and early 1900s has a proliferation
of Hotels (Pubs), most of the ones I have chosen here are built
of timber and follow the "Queenslander" style.

Mt Pleasant Hotel, features the very wide verandahs that became part
of this style of hotel.

Phoenix Hotel, this is the only hotel I have featured that isn't a timber
clad building, it has a rendered finish, but still features the high
ceilings of a Queenslander for better ventilation.

Railway Hotel, naturally enough alongside the railway line very close to
the station.

Freemasons Hotel, subjected to a huge renovation program recently.

Spare a thought for the roofer/plumber who had the job of building
the roof over this stairway, very intricate job.

Apollian Hotel, more of those big verandahs

Commercial Hotel, this hotel was recently adorned with about 30
reasonably well painted young ladies, while this may be a bit over the
top, it has certainly created some interest.

Closeup of one of the many ladies that adorn the Commercial, I had
intended to use this picture in a Halloween post, but I forgot it.

Jockey Club Hotel, this is quite a recent building, but it has replicated
the style of most of the other hotels shown here.

I wonder how many Commercial, Railway, and Grand Hotels there are in
Australian cities and towns.

Gympie Queenslanders

2007-01-07T18:24:00.000+10:00

These houses are among my favourites in Gympie, all are
traditional Queenslanders.

The roof line and timber in this house make it a natural winner.

Showing a bit of the detail that makes Queenslanders so distinctive

There is a superstition that the front steps should never lead straight
from the front door to the street or all your good luck or karma can
run away.

I think perhaps my favourite for many reasons not the least of which
is the magnificent view over the Mary River.

This style of stairway halts the flow of good luck quite effectively.

This is a very large house as can be seen when I included some of the
rear section as seen from the side.

Another lovely house with a spectacular view over the Mary River.

As with most things there is a down side to Queenslanders, they are
traditionally constructed almost entirely of timber, even down to the
interior walls and ceilings, in our semi tropical climate this means a lot
of painting and other maintenance, there is also the concern about
fire, once alight there is no putting out a fire in several tons of dry
well seasoned timber.

Gympie 1888 - 1895

2006-12-30T14:17:00.000+10:00

Some of Gympie's beautiful old buildings.

The original Post Office, built in the late 1890s

I don't know the history of this building, but it now serves as the head
office for "The Gympie Music Muster."

The original Gympie Town Hall

The local Shire offices are in a beautiful old building which has had an
annexe added which while quite functional doesn't really suit the
building.

Another one from the turn of the last century, was a gold assayers office.

Bark Pictures

2006-12-05T22:50:00.000+10:00

These bark pictures were done by a friend using tiny strands of the
fibrous bark of Melalueca (Paper Bark) tree which are glued in place
having been selected for colour and texture, for a three dimensional
effect there may be 25 to 30 layers of bark strands in some places.

This is a portrait of a popular country music singer, Tania Kernaghan

A little close up of Tania's portrait showing some of the detail
that goes into these works.

An insert from one of Tania's CDs to show the likeness.

A rural scene created with bark.

A portrait of the late Slim Dusty, a legend in Australian Country Music

An insert from one of Slim's CD's again to illustrate the likeness.
The statue behind Slim is of my favourite poet A.B.(Banjo) Paterson
Banjo wrote "The Man From Snowy River" and "Waltzing Matilda"
among his best known works.

It's Spring Time In Gympie.

2006-11-11T19:40:00.000+10:00

Quite a few of these photos have already featured at holtieshouse
but this is the picture site so they need to be here too.

The beautiful carpet of blossom under the Jacaranda trees makes a
good place for this top knot pigeon to forage for supper.

Memorial Park looks at it's best when the Jacaranda's blossom.

It doesn't matter whether the blossom is still on the trees or on the
ground.

But that carpet sure looks special doesn't it?

This is the tree with the Mohawk cut near my front door.

While it wasn't one of the best sunsets from my back porch it was
worth a photo... Going, going...

Gone...

Australia Zoo

2006-10-30T21:47:00.000+10:00

Let's go for a wander around Australia Zoo

No matter where you go you are never very far from Steve's influence.

We will have to start our tour with one of his favourites a Crocodile.

Before Australia Zoo came into being it was a reptile park, this is our
common Goanna, grows to a little over 4 feet long.

A Tiger Snake, one of our most venomous and can be agressive
during breeding season.

These fun and water loving Tiger cubs were about six months old.

It was hard to tell who had the most fun in the pool, the cubs or the
handlers.

Nine months later they are nearly full grown, because they are such a
savage beast they are now kept behind a glass wall, so pardon the
reflection.

If you read my recent series in holtieshouse you will want to know that
this is the very dangerous Wombat, be very careful not to put your
hand down his burrow.

Another of Steves great loves was with these Elephants.

You wouldn't want to visit the Zoo and not see any birds now
would you? There is an Eagle in this picture too.

Our laughing Kookaburra, featured at the beginning soundtrack
of every Tarzan movie ever made.

A Jabaru, Australia's only member of the stork family.

A pair of Echidna's, an egg laying marsupial also known as the
spiney ant-eater.

One half hidden Koala, (not a bear) they live on the leaves of a
select few eucalyts, (gum tree's.)

One half of our coat of arms, the other half is an Emu.

A rare albino joey, (young Kangaroo or Wallaby) about one third
of mums size but still hitches a ride in her pouch at times.

Hope you enjoyed that quick look around, I'll bet you didn't see any
rubbish lying around , or for that matter anything that was out of
place or untidy, the whole place is kept in immaculate condition.

Clouds

2006-10-23T23:22:00.000+10:00

I did not take any of these photos, but thought they were so good
I'd post them anyway.

A combination of sunset and cloud formations caused by the upsurge
of air around the mountain makes a great picyure.

And the same can be said for these reflected in the lakes still water.

Just love these high level clouds being formed into such an interesting
pattern by the wind above them.

Above, an F/A-18 Hornet was photographed just as it broke
the sound barrier.

Explanation: Many people have heard a sonic boom, but few have
seen one. When an airplane travels at a speed faster than sound,
density waves of sound emitted by the plane cannot precede the
plane, and so accumulate in a cone behind the plane.
When this shock wave passes, a listener hears all at once the sound
emitted over a longer period: a sonic boom. As a plane accelerates
to just break the sound barrier, however, an unusual cloud might
form. The origin of this cloud is still debated.
A leading theory is that a drop in air pressure at the plane
described by the Prandtl-Glauert Singularity occurs so that moist
air condenses there to form water droplets.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to say!!!

Time for another look around Australia.

2006-10-09T14:13:00.000+10:00

These are random picks from my pictures files.

Blue Lake, Mt. Gambier SA, so named because it is always a brilliant
blue colour, at certain times of the year much bluer than shown here.
It is located in an old volcano and is very deep and cold (and blue.)

This is Endeavour Bay taken from Cooktown, Qld. this is the last
outpost before you head off into the unknown on your trip to Cape York.
The trip to the Cape is still regarded as an adventure, and as we become
more a civilization that lives in Cities the adventure becomes more real
even though the road conditions and available services keep improving.

The Valley of the Giants is located near Walpole, WA. it is home to
some of the biggest trees in Australia, the Karri and Tingle trees
found here are in fact some of the worlds largest trees.
There is an elevated walk that takes you some 150 feet up so you
are up there in the tree-tops.

This is Jim Jim Billabong located in Kakadu National Park, NT.
Kakadu is an enormous Park and sits on a huge flood plain
East of Darwin, one boundary is the NT. escarpment which
is a sandstone escarpment up to 100 feet high which runs
for about 600 kms near the northern coastline of Australia.
In the foreground is a water buffalo wallow from the wet
season when this whole area is inundated with water.

I found this figure of eight pool along the coastin the Royal National
Park, NSW. filled with clear water that made estimating the depth
difficult I was surprised to find that it was about 10 feet deep.

Family and Friends Slideshow

2006-10-02T19:32:00.000+10:00

Please note, do not leave the cursor on the photos while viewing,
it detracts from the quality for some reason?

The Mary River.

2006-10-01T16:37:00.000+10:00

This is the normally peaceful Mary River which has been known to
become a tyrant at times.

This photo was taken from the "Kidd Bridge", during the 1999 flood
there would have been about 25 feet of water over my head had I
been standing at this spot.

This is Mary Street, Gympie's main shopping street looking north.

From about the same spot during 1999 flood, which was the biggest
for 100 years.

Mary Street Gympie, looking south.

Again from about the same position during the 1999 flood, at this
intersection there was about 15 feet of flood water.

Some history.

The floods that have plagued Gympie for centuries are caused by heavy
rains in the headwater area, just to the north of Gympie there is a
steep walled narrow valley which causes a bottleneck restricting the
water from escaping.

The resultant back-up of water is what floods the Gympie area, this
means that, while the flooding does cause serious damage through
inundation, it is not a roaring torrent that carries away all before it.

Rather it is a gradual rising of which we have a fairly good warning, about
18 hours usually during which time the town is a hive of activity as
people who may be in the way of the water move their possessions to
higher ground.

The worst affected area is the main shopping precinct, where
unbelievably the shops keep on re-opening and awaiting the next flood,
almost without exception the houses that get flooded are rezoned and
are not reused for housing.

If the vaunted Mary River Dam goes ahead this should ensure there are
no more floods for Gympie, however as there hasn't been even a hint of
flooding since 1999 it does make one wonder whether the rainfall
pattern has changed and if so, would the new dam ever fill.

Long term history says yes, but we used to get a serious flood every
three years on average, with two floods in the same year not unheard of
and now here we are without any threat for seven years.

Some recent pictures.

2006-09-17T15:10:00.000+10:00

Some unusual aspects for this group of photos.

I liked the unusual framing of this picture of Rex wandering along the beachfront

Looking Moody and Stormy although the day was quite plesant.

That's about as casual as a frog can get I think.

Playing leap frog in Montville.

Tricks with lighting almost creates a black and white minstral show

My favourite little "Guitar Man" providing the contrasts.

Tricky Vicki

2006-09-03T14:30:00.000+10:00

This sequence of photos was taken on a recent trip to
Montville in SE Qld. and features my favourite Daughter and
her slightly strange Father, the action was caught by
Son in law Rex.

Montville is a "Craft Village" located just off the Sunshine Coast in
SE Qld. and is a tourist destination favoured by people like Vicki
who are shop-a-holics.
In defence of Vicki, they live in the outback of Australia and she
normally has to wait for a trip to the city, Adelaide, to ply her trade.

A sky with some clouds in it = Beauty

2006-08-16T16:42:00.000+10:00

Clouds and Sunsets are among my favourite things to photograph.

A glorious sunset over the water in far north Queensland.

The wind is just starting to play with these unusual clouds.

Just minutes later the patterns are almost gone, but still a
pretty picture.

Fluffy white clouds billowing everywhere.

Once more the wind has joined in the game and re-written the
pattern completly.

Australia All Over

2006-07-30T13:08:00.000+10:00

These photographs come fro all over Australia, no theme.

This is a man-made ford ,or crossing, to allow vehicles access
to a settlement on the opposite bank of the Daley River in the
Northern Territory.
The river on the left of the photo is tidal and quite salty, while
the right side is fresh water and a favoured site for Barramundi
to go to spawn, fishermen with spears patrol the crossing at
night during spawning season to spear the fish while they are in
the shallow water and quite vulnerable.
There is a downside to this activity, in that Barramundi are a
favoured food of the deadly saltwater crocodile, while I have not
heard of any attacks on the crossing, it was enough to keep me
from trying out a new fishing method.

During the late 1800, early 1900 era there was an overland
telegraph line built across Australia from South to North, this
project required the building of not only a transmission line but
also "telegraph stations" to pass on messages along the line.
The most Southerly of these stations was at Eucla, a tiny remote
settlement on the SA/WA border, due to the encroaching sand
dunes this is all that remains of the Eucla Telegraph Station,
In a relatively short time this will also be swallowed up by
those unstoppable sands.

This is Jim Jim Lagoon ( or Billabong) in the Kakadu National Park,
in the Northern Territory, The depression in the foreground is a
Buffalo wallow, formed during the wet season when this area would
be under water for 3/4 months.
Water buffalo were introduced to Australia from Asia as a beast of
burden, when released into the wild they bred into large herds it
was unfortunate that they contracted and spread TB into the NTs
large cattle industry, the buffalo (and the cattle) were all shot to
stop the spread of disease to the rest of Australia during the
1950s.

This is the Mt. Tom Price iron ore deposit in the Pilbra in north
West of WA.
There are millions of tons of this almost pure iron ore in this
area, so pure is the ore that it needs to be mixed with some dirt
from the overburden to be on specification for export to Japan.
The development of this resource has led to the building of huge
deep water ports, several sizable towns and a huge rail network
between the mines and the ports.

This is Mt Connor, located only 30 miles from Ayers Rock (Uluru)
it is often mistaken as the first sighting of the Rock by tourists
travelling to the Rock. This tabletop mesa is however not a
monolith, so is not similar to the Rock in anything but location
and similarity of size.

Vic. NSW High Country

2006-07-19T18:03:00.000+10:00

These photos are all taken in the high country around the
Victoria, New South Wales border.

The snow gums indicate the snow line in winter, our minimum
temperatures don't get very far below freezing so we have no
permenant snow fields.

During winter, while it is hard for us to imagine, these ranges
would be all snow covered, it has been estimated that Australia
has more snow in winter than Switzerland as these mountains
go on seemingly forever.

This shows, from a great distance, via zoom, the chair lift to
the top of Mt Buller which is the premier ski resort in Victoria

A typical track, come fire trail, that can be found throughout
this area, bushfires are a constant threat during summer.
This is because our native gum trees are full of eucaliptus oil
and explode into flames in the tree tops with a hot fire.

The roads to the resorts are all bitumen, and access is usually
available with snow chains fitted for the final few miles.

West Australia.

2006-07-10T13:05:00.000+10:00

West Australia, Large and Beautiful.

This amazing rock formation is at Hidden Valley, just out from
Kunanura in the far north of WA

The Gibb River Road is a gravel road running between
Whyndham and Derby, a popular 4WD destination in the "dry"
season, impassable in the "wet" season.
Beautiful arid country, great barramundi fishing.

Cable Beach Club Resort, just outside Broome in the far north
west of WA.
Opened in 1988 this was the long term dream of an Englishman,
Lord McAlpine, a man with vision and money, a wonderful
combination, not enjoyed by many of us.

The Resort has been designed to offer the ultimate in luxury and
comfort while at the same time providing a setting for some of
Lord McAlpines vast furniture and art collection.
Oh to have been blessed in this manner.

We are now in the very south west corner of WA at Cape Leauwin
where the Indian and Southern oceans combine, the magnificent
old lighthouse is open daily for inspection tours.

Houses on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria.

2006-07-04T16:02:00.000+10:00

More pictures that blogger has managed to get out of order but
I have finally figured out how to get them back how I want
them, I think!

These two houses have been built to take in the spectacular
views over the Southern Ocean, one of them, (I don't know which)
was built for the Australian opera singer Joan Hammond.
Both are located on "problem" blocks of land which demanded
radical building designs.

This beautiful old hotel is located at Yarra Glen which sits in the
Yarra Valley, a rich wine growing area near Melbourne Vic.
The Yarra river is the much maligned river that flows through
Melbourne and is scornfully referred to as the only river in the
world that flows upside down, (mud on the top!!!) not true it is
a beautiful river and offers some outstanding scenery.

My "Speak no evil, See no evil, and Hear no evil" Frogs

This is the dam on the property I co-owned just out of Gympie
for several years, it was home to hundreds of frogs but we had
trouble getting rid of the Cane Toads that also wanted to call it
home, (and eat the frogs!!) but we finally managed to evict them.

Gum Trees

2006-06-22T13:27:00.000+10:00

Our Gum Trees, (Eucalypts) come in an amazing variety

From the beautiful to the bizarre, like this growth that has been made to
resemble a face with a little white paint.

Two Ghost Gums of central Australia located near Alice Springs.

Scribbly Gums, an East coastal variety, under the outer bark a
small caterpillar leaves these patterns as he feeds.

Imagine the trauma's this tree must have faced to become the
gnarled specimen it has grown into.

Never waste an opportunity is a maxim of Australia, and clearly
the locals around Mansfield, a small Victorian town, did not.

From Here and There.

2006-06-18T13:31:00.000+10:00

Photo's from here and there on my travels around Australia.

Looking over the many vinyards in the Barossa Valley SA.

Julie sitting on a ledge at "The Grampians" in Victoria.

She nearly had a fit when she saw this photo though.

The coast line of "The Great Australian Bight" in SA.

Stalagmites and Stalactites in Jenolan Caves NSW.

(if you are having trouble remembering which is which,

just think tights come down.)

Queensland Pics.

2006-06-14T19:29:00.001+10:00

Some photos from North Queensland taken on a 2003 trip.

This is Carmila Esturary, it depicts the mud flats that are
home to mangroves, quite a contrast to the beautiful
sandy beaches of the travel brochure.

The Hay Point Coal Terminal is one of the worlds largest
coal terminals, it was built to ship coal from the central
Queensland coal fields.

These are known as "Blackboys" and while this name is
no longer politically correct it is harmless and still in use
today.
Blackboys are an extremely slow growing plant, only
growing 1 foot in 10 years, so these specimens are quite
old.

The view from the overhead footbridge at the Kuranda
Station, based near Cairns, the Kuranda Rail trip is one
of Queenslands premier tourist destinations.

The lovely Clifton Beach near Cairns has a net enclosure
erected each summer to protect bathers from the stings
of marine stingers, these are not fatal but can be
extremely painful.

Some Australian Scenes.

2006-06-10T20:58:00.000+10:00

More pics from Australian travels over the years.

This is Marble Bar in WA. it is a bit of a misnomer as the
bar is Jasper not Marble.

This is the hottest town in Australia with a record of 161
consecutive days over 100 degrees F, and a hottest day
of 127 degrees F.

This is the dry bed of the Gasgoyne River, the river only
flows after heavy rain, but still manages to sustain a very
good agricultural area, this comes about because there is
a huge underground river flowing some 20/30 feet below
the river bed

The Devils Arch was a natural bridge to Port Arthur penal
settlement back in our "Convict Days" being so narrow it
was easily guarded to stop the convicts from escaping.

The Blue Lake at Mt. Gambier in SA. is in the centre of an
old Volcano, at certain times of the year the water turns a
brilliant blue, while it always has a blue colour when these
flushes of colour come it is quite impressive.

This bar across the Daley River in the NT. is a natural
feature but has been enhanced with concrete to allow easy
vehicle access, there is normally only about 12/15 inches
of water over it in the dry season.

A favoured "Barramundi" fishing spot at night, it is not
unusual to see up to a dozen fishermen lined up on the
ford with spotlights and spears, as the fish swim upstream
and over the ford they become fairly easy prey to those
who can thrust their spears accurately in the water.

There is a further downside to this, the Daley River is
home to saltwater crocodiles, there has been no recorded
deaths or attacks at this spot, but it does cause a certain
feeling of danger when you are in the water.

Australia All Over.

2006-06-08T13:38:00.000+10:00

A pictorial visit to four of our States and one Territory.

This is the Nerada tea plantation in far north Queensland,
the tea bushes, which are a member of the Camelia family,
are grown in rows like hedges, a mechanical harvester
travels up each row clipping the choice outer leaves which
are dried, processed and packaged on the plantation.

Part of the famous coastal scenery on Victoria's Great
Ocean Road, one of the prettiest drives in Australia.

A beautiful convict built bridge in Ross Tasmania

Wave rock is in the middle of nowhere West Australia,
the wave formation carved by wind and water over
millions of years is spectacular.

Clearly visible on the top of the formation is a stone wall
which the early settlers built to divert water into a
storage dam for the nearby town of Hyden, you could
look on this as desecration but it must be remembered
Australia is one of the driest continents on earth!

A sad tale of Australia's Northern Territory, these
cartons of four half gallon glass flagons of wine
became road markers to the local Aboriginal
settlements, spaced about five miles apart there
would be a flagon and with each fourth flagon a
carton to clearly mark the track taken.

Eventually the sale of glass flagons was banned
in the NT, not because of the litter problem but
because when drunk the Aboriginals started to use
them as clubs, (weapons) so the sale of bulk wine
was restricted to cardboard casks.

The Flora at Noosa Resort.

2006-06-03T22:28:00.000+10:00

Nature truly is wonderful, even in winter time there are
trees and plants that look beautiful.

It wouldn't be Queensland without Palm Trees there are
dozens of different types, and the certainty is you won't
go far without coming across a few.

I always love "Bird of Paradise" flowers, and the glossy
green of their leaves too.

Down to the tiny Hoya which although small made a
brilliant display.

With leaves this colourful there is no real need for
flowers to get a good display, I got these shots in a
five minute stroll around the gardens of the resort
we stayed at while in Noosa, Queensland.

Family at my 70th Birthday.

2006-06-01T00:06:00.000+10:00

These are the family members who were able to come to my 70th birthday.

This is Zac, he is my dreadlocked grandson, he is a really nice 19 year old,
but I'm gonna be honest, I could live without the dreads!!!

This is Marcus, as well as being my middle son he is also Zac's dad,
Marcus has developed a style of painting that is quite unique, and
we all quite liked it.

Alan is my number one son and is one of natures gentlemen.

This guy is also not a bad bloke, that's an Oz word for guy or man.

This is my favourite daughter Vicki, we are pretty fond of one another
so I would suggest that should you have any criticism of either one of
us, find somewhere safer to air it.

Tanderra, Maryborough Victoria

2006-05-21T17:52:00.000+10:00

Some pictures of our farm "Tanderra" at Maryborough.
Tanderra is an aboriginal word for place of rest.. Ha Ha.

Mid-Winter, with a white frost on the ground and very
cold, well by our standards anyway.

You can see the hayshed, full of baled hay in the
background and just in front of that our main water
tank, 150,000 gallons capacity, on the left the
machinery shed/workshop is nearly finished, but I
have not built the 3 car garage yet, it will replace
the old ramshackle one on the right.

That's me, minus a lot of poundage, engaged in one of the
most backbreaking things I ever tried, Shearing.

A "Golden Wattle" on the property, this tree had the most
blossom on it I have ever seen on a wattle tree.

Carting hay, for winter stock feed, always a chore at the
start of the hot weather, but it was a nice feeling knowing
we would not have to buy in fodder the next year.

Yet again blogger has managed to mix up the photos, this
one shows me mowing a crop of oats to bale for hay, so it
was meant to go before the hay carting one..... oh well.

Still More Bits and Pieces.

2006-05-19T12:53:00.000+10:00

No theme again, just pics for fun.

In a shop at Montville Qld. there was this cap, complete
with false hair, that I just had to try on..... Hmmm... not
the right tartan... sorry.

Remember the Pet Rock craze of a few years back I found
this horrendous place where they were being farmed
under terrible conditions, the RSPCA are investigating as
we speak, (so to speak.)

There seems to be a trend to me having things on my head
in this series, these are wild Parrots at the campground at
Wilsons Promitory Vic.

The Prom as it is affectionally known is one of the
favourite spots for Victorians to holiday during Summer,
it's the most Southerly point of the mainland, and a
beautiful place.

The Gulflander, this is one of our most historic trains it
runs in the area below The Gulf Of Carpentaria in far
North Qld.

The "engine" for this train is based on a modified Albion
truck chassis, the driver sits in the cabin with the
passengers and actually has to change gears in the old
girl, just as the factory intended, a true "outback"
experience.

A view of Brisbane city, across the Brisbane River from
the site of the 1988 World Expo.

Brisbane is the capital city of Qld. and , as cities go, is a
very nice place, I love to visit Brisbane, (and most other
Australian cities too) but I choose not to live there,
I guess I'm just a country boy at heart.

A Bit Of Nostalgia.

2006-05-19T10:45:00.000+10:00

Rumaging through old photo files, you never know
what you'll find do you.

This is the Holt kids aged about 3, 5, 7, 9. I'm sure
Marcus or Jacqui will correct me if they feel this
isn't right.

This is Streaky, the family cat for nearly 14 years, a
hunter extraordinaire, he would be proudly
displaying his catch from the previous night each
morning on the front veranda, as this was usually
a rabbit it wasn't too bad, but he also had a habit
of bringing home a snake as a trophy, not so
welcome!!

This is the photo that started my search today, Merle
reminded me of it when I posted a pic of one of Mums
Dahalia's recently.
The photo is of Mum, Pearl & Annie, two of her sisters,
in her front garden among her beloved flowers, she
could grow anything!!

Myself and a cousin about to head for town in our one
horse powered vehicle, about 1950

My Dad milking the house cow at Dixons Creek, this was
taken waaaaay back, I would guess in the early 1940s??

More Bits and Pieces.

2006-05-17T13:50:00.000+10:00

Photos from some of my travels around Australia.

These two Brolgas are not at all the normal, they are
normally very shy birds, they travel in large flocks to
their feeding grounds, usually wet-lands in Northern
parts of Australia.

This is the Broome Jetty, because Broome has one of the
worlds biggest tides, (up to 30 feet) this is a very
substantial jetty and is about a half mile long.
There are often spectacular fish catches from the jetty,
with the fun of hauling a 50/60 pound fish 20/40 feet
onto the jetty, the locals employ a heavy line and hook
that slides down their lighter fishing line as their
method of landing their catch, an art in itself.

This is the Ivanhoe Crossing on the Ord River near
Kunanurra WA, as there was a lot of water being released
from Lake Argyle at the time, the ford was closed to traffic.
You can normally drive across this crossing with only a
gentle flow of water about 12 inches deep.

The Pinnacles cover an area of about 1 square mile and
consist of millions of stalegmites that protrude from the
yellow sand in sizes ranging from 15 feet tall to the size
of your finger.
It is an uncanny experience to drive around this area
with its moon-scape appearance.

Flowers.

2006-05-14T22:28:00.000+10:00

Some favourite flowers.

I love Fushias, I managed to grow this one, but they don't
like our sub-tropical climate much.

My Mum was a gardener of some talent this is one of her
roses.

Another of Mums she grew magnificent Dahlia's

Gerbra's quite like the Queensland climate, so I manage
to grow some of these

Another one of Mums roses, her garden was always full
of flowers.

A Bit Of History.

2006-05-12T11:09:00.000+10:00

Bloody blogger, it's jumbled these pictures up twice!!

James Flint, my paternal Great Grandfather 1834 - 1886

Mary Jane (Aya) Ranton, my maternal Grandmother.

Aya was a Drover and a Turkey Farmer and told the
scariest ghost stories I had ever heard. 1880 - 1953.

Charles Ernest Flint. my paternal grandfather, sadly
I never met him, he died six years before I was born.
1875 - 1930

Hugh Ranton, my maternal Grandfather.

I never met this one either, he died when I was only a
one year old. 1886 - 1937.

Margaret Phoebie Flint, my paternal Grandmother
I only knew her very slightly. 1876 - 1951.
********************************************

Mary Jane and Hugh Ranton raised 10 children,
8 girls and 2 boys, Mary Jane was herself from a
family of 9.

Margaret Phobie and Charles Ernest raised 6 boys,
and Charles Ernest was also from a family of 9.

From here and there.

2006-05-10T18:07:00.000+10:00

No theme again here just some pretty Pictures.

Lake Lonsdale, near Aarat in Victoria, over the years this lake
has given us some very nice catches of Redfin, Brown Trout
and Yabbies, as well as some great camping times.

I have had the pleasure of staying at this great old
Queensland Pub a couple of times, it's in Cairns, north
Queensland, just on the edge of town.

I met up with this fellow at the Eucla Service Station
Roadhouse on one of my trips to Perth, he had been
roaming the highways and byways for ten years in his
one horsepowered wagon.

He had living simply down to an art form, with his horse
and dog for company he was a happy man, they carried
enough food for the three of them for about a week and
then they would restock at the next town or sometimes
the next farm/station.

Carrying enough water for them all during summer was
his biggest problem, but they managed.

Pretty as a picture, Gympie's parks in spring time are
lovely, there are Jacaranda trees everywhere and the
purple carpet underneath them is beautiful.

Built especially for the movie "The Man From Snowy River"
This is "Craigs Hut" it sits upon a majestic mountain with a
view that goes forever across the "Great Dividing Range"
that is the Victorian snowfields in winter.

Bryant's Plain 4

2006-05-09T15:25:00.000+10:00

To finish of this series of Fosters Farm Photos a few random shots.

Relative size is important to get perspective, Rex is 6'3" tall, just not
quite as tall as the 8 tyres on this tractor.

I chose a rear view instead of the more normal front view, as it
seemed to show the huge size of the 9250 (model number)

This one shows the house much clearer than the long shot.

Daniel's wife Jana, about to start her shift on the chaser bin, Jana had never
really been close to a tractor 6 months before this, she became an important
team member during the harvest, note the cooler bag with her water bottles
and her "smoko" snack food, the work shifts vary from 6 to 12 hours at this
time, dependant on what job you have and prevailing conditions.

Getting the wool clip away, a good load there to make up for the
frustrations that sheep can cause during the year.

Bryants Plain 3

2006-05-07T18:30:00.000+10:00

Farming at Wudinna SA is a full time job for the Foster clan.

Because their farmland is on very sandy soil, complete with
sand dunes, and there is quite a lot of limestone scattered
through it, they use stone rollers to break up the rocks.

These huge ribbed rollers weigh in at 25 tons each and
crush the limestone quite effectively.

Vicki has her arms full with Timmy and Tammy, do other
countries have Tim Tam chocolate biscuits? that's where
these two Maltese Terriers got their names.

They are standing in a crop of Canola, while wheat is by
far their main crop they also grow Canola, Barley, and
Peas, as well as running sheep.

Matthew is the oldest of their kids, he is shown here
indicating the height of a previous Canola crop.

The view from the house is over these paddocks briefly
green, but normally dry, whether in crop or standing
fallow.

Bryants Plain 2.

2006-05-07T14:08:00.000+10:00

This photo is almost 30 years old, things have certainly changed around
Bryants Plain in that time.

This was the Massey Header that Fosters Farm used back in the day, this
shot is almost historical now.

Note the FULL air conditioning, if you look closely you will see over Vicki's
shoulder a collapsed sun umbrella, when opened up this offered a small
degree of shade for the operator.

At this time Rex suffered badly from asthma, after a couple of weeks out
amongst the dust and debris he would be a cot case.

This is the modern day equivilant, fully air conditioned header and tractor
transfering grain, "on the move" into a chaser bin.

The "comb" at the front of the header is about 3 times the width of the old
Massey, and the controls inside would rival a 747s cockpit.

This is the air seeder of today about 50 feet wide and capable of precision
delivery of both seed and super through its 100 odd tynes.

Bulk grain storage has become necessary now, as the grain is removed
quicker than it can be delivered into the local silos, so while there are
deliveries at all possible times the residue is stored here until it can be
delivered to the silos.

In earlier times this was the seed and super unit to plant the crop, again less
than one third of the width of the new unit.

Bryants Plain

2006-05-05T15:36:00.000+10:00

Some of the action at Bryants Plain, I had hoped that Vicki might have posted
some of the farming action by now, bit I'm thinking she may never get around
to it so I'll put some into peters pictures.

Seeding in 2005, as you can see they use pretty big equipment over there.

Weed spraying is an ever increasing cost in farming now-a-days, it's all
hooked up to GPS to avoid double spraying of areas.

I love the contours in this photo, please enlarge it for full effect.

Sorry this photo is a bit dark, but I couldn't find a better one with the
padock green and the house in the background. (looks better enlarged.)

This is the rear view of the tractor/air-seeder working.

Queensland Pubs

2006-05-05T13:20:00.000+10:00

A selection of Queensland Pubs, (Hotels, Bars?) that have caught my fancy.

This is The Exchange Hotel at Cohen, a small town located on the road to
Cape York Peninsular, which is the pointy bit at the top of Queensland.
Please click to enlarge so that you can read the red sign on the roof.
There are comedians everywhere, this is typical Aussie humor.

The Heritage is one of many fine old hotels to be found in Rockhampton,
a bustling city just of the coast in central Queensland.

Rockhampton is the beef capital of Australia, it sits in the centre of some of
the best beef raising country there is anywhere, not so suitable for the
British breeds, but ideal for Australian breeds like Brahman and Murray Grey.

The Three Rivers Hotel is located in the Central Queensland mining area,
It was made famous by two of my favourite people, a song writer named
Stan Coster, and a country singer named Slim Dusty.

These are the two fellas on the banner behind me as I salute them with a coldie.

Another one of Rockhampton's fine old Pubs, The Criterion, this great old
building is on Quay Street, which faces onto the Fitzroy River, it was the
wharf area for the "port" of Rockhampton which even though situated some
50 miles inland, was indeed a very busy port during the early 1900s.

The Lions Den Hotel boasts that it has the longest standing license in the
state, I don't know whether this is true or not, (you don't ask certain type
questions in far north Queensland, it's still frontier territory) one thing sure
is that it's a very old Pub with o lot of history and atmosphere.

I'm under 6 feet tall but still had to duck at the doorway, the old earthern
floor has been paved with old red bricks, probably 40 years ago, it's dimly
lit, and that's praising it, but is friendly and a great place to quench your
thirst, which can be quite large in the hot humid climate.

More Family Photos.

2006-05-02T00:44:00.000+10:00

Found a few more that hadn't been posted

This is Cody, Bruce and Jane's youngest son.

Sophie and Paul, Marcus and Carolyn's only daughter and youngest son.

Great Grandpa and Phoenix, Matthew and Rhianna's son, Mathew is Vicki
and Rex's oldest son.

Julie and I with Alan and Lyn's oldest daughter Jenna when she was
brand new.

Adam, Bruce and Jane's oldest son.

Family Photos.

2006-05-02T00:12:00.000+10:00

This batch goes pretty close to rounding up all the family I think.

Me on my wedding day, (first) with Mum and Dad behind me' I don't know
who's idea the set up was, but I quite like it.

Mum, taken about 1955, I'll have to get some more recent ones from
Merle, I thought I had some, but can't find them.
Mum died in 1977.

Julie, my second wife, still a lovely lady, this photo is from about 1985.

My Dad and I, taken about 2001, (about 12 months before he died.

This is Jacqui, my first wife and the mother of our four kids.
Taken 2006.

I'm using the "large" setting to post these photos, so I can't sort them
into the order I want them in, sorry, I select them in order but blogger
seems to shuffle them somehow.

Grandkids.

2006-05-01T23:24:00.000+10:00

Some more family photos, grand-children this time.

Seven of the eleven gandkids here, missing one from Perth and
three from SA.

Back row, L to R, Zacharia, Adam, Sophie.
Middle row, L to R, Aimee, Jordan.
Front row, L to R, Paul, Grandpa, Cody.
Zacharia, Sophie, Jordan, and Paul, are Marcus and Carolyn's kids.
Adam and Cody, are Bruce and Jane's kids.
Jenna, (not in photo) and Aimee, are Alan and Lyn's kids.

Alan and Lyn's oldest daughter, Jenna with Craig, these two are to Marry
next year.

Aimee, Alan and Lyn's youngest daughter is the "dancer" I have spoken of,
a very talented and graceful young lady.

Sophie, Paul, Jordan, and Zacharia, Marcus and Carolyn's kids.

The Mary Valley Rattler.

2006-05-01T15:13:00.000+10:00

A day out, riding the Rattler from Gympie to Imbil April 30th 2006.

Rounding a bend, looking to the rear of the train, the surrounding country
is showing the effects of a dry spell, but is still pretty.

Our first stop at the craft market at Kandanga, there were 320 passengers on
the train this trip, maximum load is 450, (they just add more carriages.)

Engine on the turntable, ready to be turned around, the turntable is
powered by compressed air, supplied by the engine, this compressed air is
also used to operate the trains brakes.

Facing the other way, and ready to be reconnected to the carriages for the
return trip.

Don't ask how this photo got out of sequence, I don't have a clue.

Here the engine is about half way through its turning process.

Pictures from places I've lived.

2006-04-29T02:36:00.000+10:00

These pictures are all taken somewhere near where I have lived at
sometime.

Some of you will recall that I posted at holtieshouse about the aroma
of coffee that I sometimes get from the Nestles factory near my house
in Gympie.

This photo is taken on a 10x zoom setting from my back verandah, it
shows just why I can smell the coffee if they are processing when there
is a breeze blowing my way.

This one shows the house and some of the sheds at our farm at
Maryborough all reflected beautifully in the dam.

There has also been a few posts at holtieshouse about this 14 year period.

The lovely little seaside town of Tin Can Bay was home for three years, this
was the first three years after my marriage to Julie broke down, so while I
think of it as a lovely spot, I still can't say I was totally happy there.

This is sunset from the back verandah at Gympie, the Nestles factory is in
the left hand corner of this one.

Here Boston, our Kelpie sheepdog stands on the bank of the dam waiting to
see where his "mother" the motorbike was going to tell him to go, shearing
shed and sheep yards are behind Boston, as are some of our paddocks.

Kelpie's are a very intelligent working sheep/cattle dogs, we got Boston as
a small pup from a neighbor, it didn't take him long to work out that he
knew more about sheep than I did, so until I found that he would follow
"instructions" from the Ag. Bike, we were often at loggerheads about how
best to move our sheep around.

Random Pictures

2006-04-25T17:39:00.000+10:00

Some more pictures from here and there, no theme for these.

Another view of the Bungle Bungles located at the top of West Australia.

This one was taken from a helicopter flight that we went on, a marvellous way
to see the sights, the pilot hovered over or alongside many spots for photos.

The beach at Cape Tribulation, far North Queensland.

This is one of the few spots where the rain forrest comes right down to meet
the Pacific Ocean, a truly spectacular sight to see.

Another view from the top of Ayres Rock, in 1979 it had not been handed back
to the aboriginals so the name Uluru was not in common use.

This photo shows why the rock stands out so clearly for miles, just look at the
flat landscape that surrounds it, the walking track that goes around the base
of the rock is almost 10 km (about 6 miles) so it's a big rock.

This shot is of a lovely sunset shot taken at Saysha beach near Bamaga on
Cape York Peninsular in Far North Queensland.

There is a Caravan parked alongside the track up here that is known as "The
Croc Shop" it is clearly marked on all the maps of the "Top End" and may well
be the only Caravan to be shown on a map anywhere.

There is a sign at the Croc Shop that states Cairns is 1080 miles and
1,638,758 corrugations South, The Tip of Australia is 57 miles and
283,009 corrugations North. I DID NOT count them but there are lots.

This is the Fresh Water Crocodile I caught in a crab net while trying to catch
a marron, (Large freshwater Crayfish or Yabbie if you are familiar with that
name) instead we caught this not to friendly Crocodile.

There is a full story about this event at holties house on 21st February 2006,
suffice to say here that he presented some problems when I tried to disengage
him from my net, which I wanted back, please click on the photo as he
becomes much more real as he grows.

Uluru, Ayers Rock.

2006-04-24T09:39:00.001+10:00

This is Uluru or Ayers Rock in Central Australia the worlds largest monolith

This one is fairly unusual in that there is rain water streaming down the face
of the rock, unusual because heavy rain in Central Australia is relatively rare.

We were camped at the tourist park on a visit to the rock a few years ago, at
about midnight I was awakened by the sound of rain, once the fact that we
were at the rock and it was raining permeated into my sleepy brain, I woke
Julie and said "let's go and see the rain pouring off the rock," use some
imagination here folks and you will get to gauge the reaction I got, "It's pitch
black and raining, are you mad?" (that's a VERY sanitised version!!)

Even when I explained that we had rainware, spotlight and torches, the
reaction was still the same, Sheesh!!!

Next morning, bright and early, we headed for the rock and were greeted by
the magnificent sight of rain cascadeing from all the crevices and cracks in
the rocks surface and the pools, some quite substantial, that had already
formed around the base, a lovely and unusual sight.

In this closer image it is clear that there are trees around the base and some
crumbling and breaking up of the surface.

Our home for the week we were at the rock, we left the caravan at Alice
Springs, (about 150 miles away) as the roads was pretty rough back then,
(1979)

Now the only camping allowed is at a site about 10 miles from the rock,
hidden away in the sand dunes, it's nice, BUT, I'm so glad we were there
before it got so sanitized.

From the top looking down is a different sensation and gives a little idea
of the size, there is a chain hand hold for some of the steep parts.

This area is known as "Sunset Strip" it is the chosen location for tourists,
(often in their hundreds) to gather for photos of the colour change that
occurs with the setting of the sun each day,

The colour range is from the quite vivid red in full sun, to an almost purple
as the light fades, just one of natures wonderous sights.

Port Douglas, Far North Queensland.

2006-04-23T18:36:00.000+10:00

There is a beaut little town just north of Cairns in north Queensland called
Port Douglas, it's picture postcard pretty, and it seems there is some chance
that my Grand-daughter Stacey could get married in this lovely church.

St Mary's by the Sea is one of the prettiest small churches I have ever seen,
it is located on a pretty little bay, and is only 100 yards from the waters
edge.

In spite of this very open position in an area that is no stranger to Cyclones
it has weathered the years without any visible damage.

My Grand-daughter fell in love with Port Douglas and St Mary's when she
worked up here a few years back, and it seems there is a chance that she
will get married here.

The view of the beach at Port Douglas is magnificent, back in the days of my
first visit here there was a row of coconut palms growing along the edge of
the water, always with a ripe coconut to be found under the trees.

Sadly the coconut palms have gone and in their place there are severl tourist
hotels, a luxury golf course/country club and other trappings of the resort
rich area it has become.

It's other major claim to fame was a pie shop that sold the best pies in
Queensland, (at least in the eyes of the locals and the loyal tourists) the pie
shop is still there, and their pies are still excellent.

Travel Pics From Here and There

2006-04-21T22:14:00.000+10:00

Somehow these photos got out of order when I loaded
them so please excuse the story jumping around a bit

In the far north of West Australia there is a little know
area called the “Bungle Bungles” there are more people
flown in for a quick look by helicopter than folk who
drive in as we did, (we also took a helicopter flight too.)

The area is known for the dozens of “Plum Pudding” like
rock formations which are 100/200 feet high and several
hundred yards around the base, it is well worth
putting up with the rough track to get there.

Yes that’s me wading across the Jardine River in far
north Qld. and YES there are crocodiles in that river,
there is an odd mix of adrenalin and testosterone
that can cause men to do strange things.

Only a few short years ago the intrepid traveler who
wanted to go to the tip of Cape York Peninsular had to
ford the Jardine River at this spot, now-a-days there
is a vehicular ferry only a couple of miles down stream.

Because the adrenalin/testosterone levels were
running high I had decided to ford the river on our return
trip, in the photo I am about half way across, (it’s about
200 yards from bank to bank) and it wasn’t until I reached
about this spot on the way back that I even thought
about crocs.

The ford is seldom used now so rather than just drive in
and hope for the best the idea is that you “walk” the river
first, zig-zagging around a bit to make sure there are no
holes, trees or sunken 4WD vehicles to impede you progress.

This one was taken from the ferry crossing the Jardine
River on the way up to the top end.

This is a safe and, for the adventurous type, dull way
to do it.

This Car Wash is one of the many beautiful clean creeks
to cross on the trip to Cape York, there are no crocs here,
this trip still rates as one of the “Adventure” 4WD trips
in Australia.

This shot shows us just launching our craft into the
river, having made our preparations; putting a tarp on
the front to reduce the water flow into the engine bay,
(the bow wave keeps water out to some degree)
reducing tire pressures to improve traction, making
absolutely certain the vehicle is in 4WD Low Range 2^nd
gear.

The intention is that we will not stop, change gears or in
any way break our steady progress during the crossing.

To get a little perspective on this venture, the spot is
1,000 miles north of Cairns and very remote a fairly
conservative estimate for salvage from here would be
$2,500 plus the cost of repairs that were needed, so
not something to be undertaken lightly,

The good news is that everything went exactly to plan
AND I didn’t get eaten by a crocodile, and boy did it
feel good, for a short time we were pioneers !!

Bits and Pieces from Here and There.

2006-04-19T22:36:00.000+10:00

Just some bits that caught my eye, no theme this time.

This is the cliff face that retards the erosion of the Southern Ocean along
"The Great Australian Bight" in SA.

These sheer cliffs run for about 100 miles along the coast in a giant arc which
is almost like something has taken a huge bite from the land

"Boys and there toys" could be a good title for this shot, I was photographing
the train, and suddenly the driver got out and offered to take my photo with
the train, how could I resist that.

I travelled from Gympie to Cairns by the new "Tilt Train" just for the
experience, a distance of about 1,100 miles, this train rides on a new design
under-carriage that allows the body to lean over on corners, thus Tilt Train,
a very comfortable ride indeed, also very quiet.

This is the "bird" I have breakfast with, a really friendly little "Mudlark"
It does have two legs, just seems to like standing like this.

This is the famed Cable Beach at Broome WA. hard packed white sand and
the bluest water you could imagine, framed by a lighter blue sky, makes a
very pretty picture.

It's also a popular nudist beach, which makes for another pretty picture...
Usually!!!

This one is included for my "Bikie" buddies June and Charles.

They were very realistic looking Hogs made from scrap metal, nuts, bolts, wire
and washers mainly, That must be you June on the second bike as I can't see
any other pillion riders.

I didn't buy one and have been kicking myself ever since as I've not seen them
again anywhere.

Definitley Not A Cute Animal.

2006-04-19T16:51:00.000+10:00

This is George, an inmate at Steve Irwins Australian Zoo, he is about
16 feet long, and probably won't grow much bigger now.

Steve can have them all to himself as far as I'm concerned, few animals
are better equipped for killing than the Crocodile.

Some Not So Cute Animals

2006-04-19T10:47:00.000+10:00

Starting with the latest in a spectacular list of bad choices from our past.

These have included; Rabbits, Foxes, Donkeys, Prickly Pear, Blackberrys
and the list goes on, no wonder we have some of the toughest Quarantine
laws in the world.

The cane toad was imported to help our sugar cane farmers eradicate
pests from their crops.

This very adaptable little critter has instead decided to populate the northern
part of Australia, where he has wreaked havoc to our native wildlife, some by
killing them for his food, (he is a gluttonus bugger) other by poisioning them
when they attack or eat him, (hey can we blame him for this?)

Because the breed so rapidly, a chain of 20,000 eggs per female every 3/4
months, they have decimated our native frogs.

Feral goats had grown to such numbers in some areas that they were being
culled as vermin, somebody then did some research on their fleeces and
their origin.

It was discovered that they were decended from Cashmere stock, they have
since been farmed and now produce some of the worlds best cashmere and
mohair fleeces in the world.

So a new industry has sprung from what appeared to be a very bad situation.

Camels and their handlers from Afghanistan were introduced as beasts of
burden able to handle the harsh conditions encountered when settlement
and exploration of the centre of Australia was undertaken in the 1800s.

During construction of the overland telegraph line, 2,500 miles through some
of the driest and most desolate country on earth they proved invaluable.

Our world famous train, "The Ghan" is an abreviation of Afghan, and pays
tribute to the service of the camels and cameleers of our past.

The remnats of those working camel herds were released to roam wild in
the deserts they helped to tame, there are sizable numbers in some areas.

Another intrduced species that for a short time was a beast of burden here.

For whatever reason they were eventually turned loose to roam free, they bred
into very large numbers in the far north, this would not have been a serious
problem probably if they had not contracded tuberculosis.

This disease spread to the beef herds of northern and central Australia, and as
inoculation of the wild herds was not possible a total cull was ordered, they
were hunted and shot from helicopters until the only survivors were a small
herd that were captured and domesticated, (and inoculated.)

This fellow isn't an introduced species, nor is he particularally nasty, he is a
"Green Tree Snake" a member of the python family, he is not venomous so
unlike many of his kind not a bad fellow to have around, they are among the
best hunters of rats and mice in the world.

Besides I love the photo, it's another taken at Steve Irwins Australia Zoo.

Mother Nature, Aussie Style.

2006-04-19T10:14:00.000+10:00

Mother Nature really is grand, just a few examples of her diversity.

This little avenue of Jacaranda trees is at my front gate each Spring, makes
being alive a pleasure.

Same GD as before, but Stacey was only 4 years old when this was taken,
a profusion of wild flowers in the Gawler Ranges SA.

Not very far from Fosters Farm.

You make whatever you like from this photo, I see an evil face that would
have been at home in "Lord of the Rings"

It is a Tingle tree, located fittingly, in "The Valley of the Giants" near
Walpole in WA.

The giants refers to the giant Kauri trees that grow there, up to 30 metres
(95 Feet) tall, these are magnificent examples of natures best

I just love this photo, it is the epitome of the Australian bushland.

Taken near Mansfield in Victoria on a recent visit.

Mother and Babies

2006-04-19T10:02:00.000+10:00

How do you like my, "Mother and Babies" photo? I guess they must be
Canaries? just going by the colour folks.

A camera, a bowl of fruit, an imagination, and the ability to pinch a good
idea that I saw somewhere!!!

Platypus, The Missing Link ?

2006-04-18T18:01:00.000+10:00

Hey, I know I said this site was for photos only, and I hinted that they would
be photos I had taken, well where ever possible that will be the case.

I just got so wrapped up in researching the Platypus that I decided to ignore
rule 1.

If you do not find this to be just as Intriguingas I did let me know so I don't do
it again.

Platypus

Platypuses are covered with three layers of thick brown fur.

Platypuses live near streams and lakes in eastern parts of Australia.

Platypuses eat worms and other small animals that live in the water.

Platypuses have webbed feet, a bill like a duck's, a tail like a beaver's.
The females lay eggs like a snake's and feed their young milk.

Platypuses are mammals that lays eggs. There are only two mammals that do this.
The echidna is the other. Mammals that lay eggs are called monotremes.

Platypuses live beside rivers, creeks and lakes in Australia.

Platypuses have webbed feet and a broad, flat tail about 12 centimetres long
that helps them swim. As they swim, platypuses close their ears and eyes.
They feel for food with their leathery bill, which has special nerves in it to
sense food. Platypuses are most often out looking for food before dawn and
for a few hours before sunset.

The platypus scoops up worms, shrimp, insect larvae and other small
animals that live on the bottom of rivers, creeks and lakes. They store the
food in cheek pouches, and swim to the surface to eat.

When they eat food, platypuses crush it with tough, horny pads on their upper
and lower jaws. They don't have teeth.

A platypus' body can be up to 45 centimetres long. They can weigh up to
2.3 kilograms. Males are larger then females. Male platypuses also have a
sharp, hollow claw-like spur behind the ankles on its hind legs. The spurs are
connected to poison glands. Male platypuses may use them to protect
themselves from predators and to fight other male platypuses during
mating season.

The platypus has webbed feet for swimming. On land, the webs turn back
to uncover claws on the feet which it uses to dig a long burrow in the banks
of rivers and creeks. Some burrows can be as long 25 metres. Each platypus
has its own burrow. Females build a nest of grass and leaves in a chamber at
the end of their nesting burrows when it is time to lay eggs.

Life cycle
After mating with a male platypus, (between June and October) a female lays one or two eggs. She lies curled up with the eggs between her body
and tail to protect them until they hatch. The eggs hatch in about ten days
and the young stay with their mother for up to four months. They drink
milk that oozes from their mother's body, sucking it from her fur.

We Have Some Really Cute Animals

2006-04-18T14:49:00.000+10:00

Australia's native fauna is among the worlds oldest and most diverse

Here a "Joey" pokes his head from mom's pouch to investigate what she is
doing, the joey will hitch a ride with mom until he/she is nearly one third her
size before being banned, while carrying their joey the female roo can still get
up to nearly full speed.

Kangaroo's at full speed are a picture of poetry in motion, not as fast as some
of the real speedsters, but pretty damn quick just the same.

Echidnas, these were taken at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, I have a couple of
shots of them in the wild, but they are usually scurrying away as fast as their
little legs will take them, so I settled for this one.

These guys really push the time machine back to its limits, they are one of only
two egg laying mamals in the world, the other is the platypus, guess where they
live? yeah Australia.

Echidnas are covered with sharp spines, they live on a diet of ants and are very
well adapted by nature, they have a long snout and tongue to rumage for their
food, and extremely powerful digging claws on each foot, an alarmed echidna
can and will bury itself in the ground in a matter of 30/40 seconds.

This little lizard goes by the name of "The Thorny Devil" which is something of
a case of bad publicity, they are so cute and docile that you can pick them up to
study them and they just sit and wait for you to put them down again.

They are fairly rare, live in the desert type country that we have so much of
and survive on a diet of ants too, it's just as well we have plenty of ants, and
believe me , we do.

The Wombat is another of the fairly common animals in Australia, but as with
a lot of our native fauna, they are mainly nocturnal, so go by un-noticed by
most.

This fellow was coming out for the evening just a little before dusk on a sand
dune at Wilsons Promitory in Vic. when I took the photo.

This is the animal that gave birth to the saying; "he's just like a wombat, he
eats roots and leaves"

The Blue Mountains, NSW.

2006-04-18T14:30:00.000+10:00

The Blue Mountains, West of Sydney offer superb photo opportunities, but also
some severe challenges, a lot depends on the weather conditions, there are a lot
of wet, foggy overcast days, and there are also days to gladden your heart.
Wetworth Falls are spectacular and among the most photographed spots in the
Blue Mountains.

The Three Sisters, this is the one EVERYBODY takes a photo of, and why not
it makes a beautiful picture.

The Phantom Falls, I've never been lucky enough to see these falls yet, they
consist only of the right location, the sky, and a huge layer of mist or fog,
giving the impression of a giant waterfall

The Holt Kids

2006-04-18T12:51:00.000+10:00

These are my four children, they were supposed to be shown in age order but
blogger had other ideas.

Might I suggest that you scroll to the very start and we can clear up the family
photos and then get down to the scenic stuff.

This is the baby of the family, Bruce with his lovely wife Jane

You have met Vicki and Rex before in wedding photos and at Fosters Farm.
Marcus and Carolyn, you have seen Marcus before but not the lovely Carolyn,
Marcus will be known to some of you from "holtpress"

Alan and Lyn make up the full set, they are parents to Jenna and Aimee, who
you can meet at Jenna's blog via my sidebar if you haven't been there yet.

In age order the kids are, Alan, Vicki, Marcus, Bruce. and not a dud among
'em, as my maternal grandma used to say of her family of ten children.

Matthew and Rhianna's Wedding

2006-04-18T12:19:00.000+10:00

This was the wedding at Port Lincoln SA. March 6th 2004.

Matthew is my first grand-child, but his younger brother Daniel beat him to
the hitching rail by about 5 months.

The very lovely Rhianna with her new groom, Matthew, on their special day

You will probably tire of me saying how beautiful my country, Australia is,
but I figure if I keep showing you images like this you will believe me.

This was the view we woke to the morning after Matthew and Rhianna's
wedding in beautiful Port Lincoln.

Proud parents and the happy couple, Rex, Rhianna, Matthew, Vicki.

Daniel and Jana's Wedding

2006-04-18T11:40:00.000+10:00

The wedding mentioned previously was that of my first grandchild to marry
a sobering experience which leaves no doubt of advancing years.

The ceremony was handled beautifully by my son Marcus, seen here with
a very proud Mum, Vicki, and equally proud Nan, Jacqui.

This is Mt. Lofty House, SA, where the ceremony and reception were held
a really lovely location.

And finally the happy couple Jana, radiant as always and Daniel a very happy
Groom.

They are now living at Wudinna SA. where Daniel shares the responsibility
for running "Fosters Farm" with Dad, Rex, and brother Matthew.

Peter's Pictures.

2006-04-18T11:18:00.000+10:00

This is a new concept for me, a blogsite devoted to photos that I really like,
that means there will be a very wide range of subject matter that I hope
you will like, please come back as I intend to keep updating often.

What better way to start than with a picture of a very proud grandpa with a
lovely grand-daughter, Stacey, this was taken at her brother Daniels
wedding to Jana in SA, October 25th 2003