The Veronica chronicles: a road trip

We’re off tomorrow on a road trip, just me, my American travelling companion (henceforth to be referred to as TC) driving a 9 year old Holden Viva called Veronica.

For the next week and a half, I hope to bring you regular briefings on our notes and observations. The route will remain a close-kept secret to all but the driver to avoid accusations of getting us lost.

In the meantime, we broke TC in to some Australian cultural experiences with a couple of nights on Stradbroke Island. A State of Origin football match at the Bowls Club was a curiosity, but not nearly as big a hit as the natural wonders of the island. Here are a few highlights.

Early morning Ibis – Adder Rock beach

Eastern Osprey – Adder Rock

Kangaroo and dunes south of Main Beach

Sooty Oyster-Catchers – Main Beach

Myora Springs at low tide. No place demonstrates the value and beauty of mangroves as this one.

 

pelicans – Brooms Head

It’s been a while since I picked up the camera. This past week or so, we’ve been in Sydney. Yesterday afternoon on the last day of a three-day drive home, I communed with pelicans on the beach at Brooms Head. Such wings!

California – Point Lobos Natural Reserve

This place just south of Monterey on the Californian coast must rate as some of the most spectacular shoreline scenery in the world. Not only was the autumn weather just glorious, the wildlife was plentiful. We saw harbour seals, sea lions, otters, pelicans, gulls, egrets and cormorants. A feast for the soul.

a change of pace on Meeru Island, Maldives

Just over an hour’s flight from Colombo is Male, the capital of the Republic of Maldives. We’re spending a couple of days on Meeru Island before heading home on Sunday with a short stopover (connections willing) in Singapore, then the night flight home.

After the hectic lively pace of Colombo, Meeru Island is all about bare feet and chilling out.

Feeling very fortunate on a multitude of levels.

  

young magpie and mother

This young magpie and his mother are regular visitors to our back yard. While I was hunting for new spiders this morning, they descended onto the fence. I lifted the camera to take a quick shot of the two of them, when  ……. 

Port of Brisbane wetlands – egret

This lone egret was a good candidate for some fun adding poster effects to some photos.

    

Port of Brisbane wetlands

We took a short visit out to the Port of Brisbane on Monday to check out the activity at this roosting site. The cast of birds included sooty oyster catchers, pelicans, pied cormorants, stilts, egrets, ducks and an unidentified kite of some sort.

There are two hides at this location. Visitors need to head to the Port of Brisbane office nearby to collect a key to gain access to the area. After returning the key, we took the lift to the Observation Cafe for some coffee and apple pie that came with a great view of the mangroves and St Helena Island in Moreton Bay.