Natural splendour, real musics, wines, wordpower
At 8.56 am we were just beginning to walk away from Wilpena Creek, and uphill, towards the “lip” of the actual Wilpena Pound.
As is true of many Eucalyptus species, river red gums are forever-engaged in a cycle of growing and shedding their bark and leaves.
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Clearly evident: this tree is no youngster, it has not merely seen fire and rain, and is still alive, probably some centuries on from the relevant seed’s germination.
Commonly known as the river red gum, Eucalyptus camaldulensis is the most widely-distributed of any eucalyptus species; it is almost-proverbially hardy/“enduring”.
River red gums are the “gum tree” best-beloved by Australian members of Homo sapiens.
In 21st century Australia, this “iconic” species is in big trouble.
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Shortly before we forsook Wilpena Creek, and started to walk uphill (and thence into Wilpena Pound) we encountered the pictured, “permanent” waterhole.
Such places are particularly precious in regions where creeks variously rise, rage, flood, trickle, then cease to flow at all – visibly, at least – for unpredictable periods, sometimes many months…
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This post’s photo was taken just three minutes after the second one in this series’ first post.
By 8.24 am, the ridge tops above Wilpena Creek were no longer mist-shrouded.
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All photos in this series were taken on 05 June 2023.
All locations were within a morning loop-walking distance of Wilpena Resort, or a deal less than one hour’s driving distance from Wilpena Pound.
The Flinders Ranges region is a unique and beautiful part of Australia.
Winter is the best time to go there, and most of it is less than a full day’s drive away from Adelaide.
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Even as a spectacularly distorted reflection on the facade of another, lower and more “glassy” edifice, St Martins Tower is unmistakably itself.
Since we moved to Perth in 1983 many different tenants have “badged” St Martins Tower; as you can see in lower right hand quarter of the above photo, the current logo is that of ICBC – a Chinese bank.
From 1978 to 1988 St Martins Tower (140 metres) was Perth tallest building.
In the much more crowded and taller 2024 skyline, it is #10.
The #1 ranking, however, has remained unchanged for 32 years; Central Park (249 metres) still looks down on all other WA rooftops.
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Architecturally speaking, much of what stands tall in Perth is depressingly typical of what stands tall in just about every other substantial city on “our” planet.
Most post-1960 “towers” are both bland and brutal.
However, Perth’s unusually intense winter light can work “magic”, when combined with the happy fact that “vertical”, “flat” glass panes are hardly ever truly vertical or truly flat.
Comments closed…and it’s “companion animal” is a 5.6 tonne numbat!
Together, they make one hell of an “entry statement” – or “exit statement” – for those who travel by ferry to and/or from the South Perth foreshore.
Not coincidentally, South Perth’s major attraction is Perth Zoo, which is within easy walking distance of the ferry station.
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This particular tea house was commendable: the ambience was authentic, unfussily lovely, its tea & “goodies” were very palatable, and the “live” music was of a high standard – not merely “close enough, for tourists”.
Keyboards, synthetic “beats” and excessive reverb + compression were all pleasingly absent.
“Attracting tourists” was part of this tea house’s equation, but only part; very evidently, many local people liked it.
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The above photo was taken in Kashgar’s livestock market – a fascinating place, which Pelican Yoga will eventually explore in much more detail.
The particular characteristics that define “premium” sheep are partly environmental, and partly cultural; the “best” sheep on offer in China doubtless look “highly exotic” to most Australians.
To most Chinese people, Australia’s highly-prized merinos would doubtless appear equally “strange”.
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