Australian T-Shirts

Australian Outback Landscape - Gouache painting

Every Spring we can look forward to the Clematis flowering. Not a native to Australia, but very popular in gardens, they have beautiful, big flowers in a range of colours. This pink one, with hints of white, is in my back garden in Ringwood, Victoria. We had a shower just before I took this - and the raindrops add to the picture!

Myrtle, the Tasmanian Devil, was expecting her keeper along with some food - so she was excitedly sniffing the air! Taken at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia.

This was the smallest flower I've photographed! These Bottle Daisies are just one flower on a single stem, and are only about 5mm across and 50mm tall. They look like a tiny Brachyscome and are related. Lagenifera Stipitata at Hochkins Ridge Flora Reserve, Victoria, Australia.

Definitely not a native flower, but these Jonquils were growing wild at Blackburn Lake Reserve, Victoria, Australia. Think someone dumped them in their garden rubbish! The fresh rain drops on their petals caught my eye.

This female Koala was exploring along the tree branch, when she came to the end of the line. Where to next? Seen at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia.

A River Murray flood at Murray Bridge, South Australia with the railway bridge in the foreground and motor bridge in the background.

Purple Swamp hens are a common waterside bird in Victoria, Australia. They can occasionally be seen swimming, but seem to prefer the long grass or reeds at the side of a waterway. I found this one foraging in long grass beside the lake in Jells Park in Victoria, Australia.

Leopard Orchids (Diuris Pardina) don't usually flower until mid October, but this one was in a hurry - I took its photo in mid September!. Taken at Baluk Willam Reserve in Victoria.

Flight Arena at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia. A male Eclectus Parrot. Sitting on his keeper's hand.

Sassafras and Myrtle are female Tasmanian Devils, who share an enclosure at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia. They are usually good friends but Sassafras is clearly not happy with Myrtle today!

Tasmanian Devils are from the cool, dark forests of Tasmania - and they don't like the heat. Like humans - they enjoy a paddle in a cool creek on a hot day! Taken at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia.

There are several species of bird orchids in Victoria, and this is one of the less common ones - Chiloglottis Cornuta. A lady from a local walking group told me she had seen bird orchids in one spot in the reserve in previous years, so I went to check it out, and was delighted to find this species in flower! Hochkins Ridge Flora Reserve, Victoria, Australia.

Easy to see why early settlers used this shrub for hedging - neither people nor animals would want to push thru those thorns! Acacia Paradoxa at Hochkins Ridge Flora Reserve, Victoria, Australia.

A Koala feeding - but sniffing first. Great bouquet! Taken at Healesville Sanctuary, in Victoria, Australia on Kodachrome slide film in 1990. Scanned to digital.

Dindi, the Koala joey, is still less than a year old, but getting more and more independent. Here he's hanging on to a branch to stop himself falling out of the tree! Taken at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia.

Glorious colours of a Cairns Birdwing butterfly, with freshly laid eggs at the newly re-opened Butterfly House at Melbourne zoo in Victoria, Australia.

Galahs are curious - like most Cockatoos. This one came to watch the Emus feeding at Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia.

Ochre, the baby Red Kangaroo, chases after her keeper. She can certainly move fast for a little one! Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria.

Alby, the Osprey, is part of the Spirits Of The Skies show at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia. His speciality is diving into a small pond to catch a fish - which takes only a few seconds - so this shot is quite tricky!

I had a great day out looking for Spider Orchids earlier in Spring. A Winter with decent rains has really produced lots of specimens. I was taken with this pair of Veined Spider Orchids (Caladenia Reticulata) - they appeared to be dancing!

It's taken me months to get some nice shots of Kanzi, the baby Gorilla, with his Dad Otana. Otana looks unhappy about something - and is being comforted by his son! These Western Lowland Gorillas live at Melbourne Zoo in Victoria, Australia.

I don't often take photos of man made scenes - but I couldn't resist these huge pylons, striding across the landscape! This is the main electricity supply for Melbourne from the LaTrobe Valley - crossing Churchill National Park in Victoria, Australia.

This lovely floral print has been created by Australian artist and designer Annalee Beer.

A tree lined country road at Blakiston in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.

A black and white shot of farm ruins in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.

Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park Australia

thank you for visiting!

IYKYK.

Ozlife

2015 update this is another old shot I'm keeping for two reasons 1) I was walking to the station and lo and behold a dream opportunity. Overcast sky but not no overcast. Beautiful butterfly on greenery. Flat footpath to balance on without tripod! Perhaps I could have cropped this some more but I think the greenery enhances the blue and black pattern on the wings? 2) Due to pollution its getting harder and harder to spot butterflies of ANY species even in Suburban Sydney ! This species is now rare !

The word Australia with flag in background.

A holiday trip to Darwin included an excursion to Litchfield National Park. This was July - mid Winter - but in the tropical Northern Territory it still managed 32º. The walking trail along Litchfield Gorge was rough and rocky, but was rewarded with this view of a waterfall - framed by a Pandanus.

I'm no expert on mosses, but I think this is moss! It was a rainy day and I was struck by the pretty flowers (think that's what they are!) sprinkled with raindrops.

The Taggerty Cascades are on the Taggerty River, about 14kms (almost 9 miles) above Marysville in the Victorian Alps. Access is by a twisty, dirt road, then a steep walking track. The photos made it worthwhile though!

This pair of Barn Owls at Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia, have been provided with a hollow tree - and they're making use of it!