GUMNUTS.....AND OTHER STUFF: September 2014

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

West Australian Wildflower Trip. 1st Day Perth 9th Sept.2014

'When I stepped off the bus at our first stop, John Forrest National Park, my excitement nearly turned to panic when I realized that all the colours in front of me were from plants that I had not seen before, and I didn't know which one to photograph first'. My first encounter with the wildflowers.

The Ross Tour's 'Wildflower Wanderers'

This is the first day of our Ross Tour's 'Western Australia's Wildflowers 2014' trip.

Our tour leader was horticulturalist, author, Gardening Australia presenter, radio gardening guru and the world's master of the pun, Angus Stewart. Our driver was Martin, a Perth local, who was a mountain of information and, with Angus, would make this a fantastic trip I will always remember.

Our shuttle bus trip from home to the airport seemed to take for ever, the traffic through Castle Hill/Cherrybrook was chockerblock, didn't do our heart rates any good, but we still made it with time to spare. After being introduced to Angus and the other members of the trip by Royce, from Ross Tours, it was all aboard the plane to head for Perth, Western Australia.

We were met at the airport by Martin, who from the very first minute let us know that only he would load the luggage into the luggage trailer, he had no argument from me, and it was then of to the Duxton Hotel. At dinner, and WHAT a dinner, that night we met the other 2 couple that had arrived in Perth earlier or by other means.

Lynn and I spent the free time we had on the first afternoon to have a look around Perth close to the hotel.

(With some 4,500 photos to go through, and nearly all the plants being new, this trip might take some time to be completed on the blog.)

The real plants start tomorrow.

N.B. Plant names in RED have been added after page completed.

Videos have to be watched on this page.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Fleurieu Peninsula and Saint Vincent Gulf.

The tip of Yorke Peninsula with Kangaroo Island in the background.

Esperance and the Southern Ocean.

The green, green grass of the outskirts of Perth.

No swans on the Swan river.

Looking up Victoria Ave towards the Duxton Hotel (our bed for the night).

The Duxton and paws.

The Duxton's main foyer (a little like our place).

Lynn meets Lorraine, Jan, Ethel and Norma.

Not so squeezie, our hotel room.
No, we didn't steal Bob's luggage, that's our room number.

Our view over the Swan River to South Perth.

Crossing over Langley Park Lynn thought that the swallows were attacking her,
but all they were after were the insects we were disturbing from the grass. You
could hear their beaks clicking as they caught their prey.

We walked to the Perth Bell Tower.

(Video)

Ascending the Perth Bell Tower.

As long as I don't look down.

Perth Bell Tower.

Bell-ting it out.

View from the Bell Tower.

Elizabeth Quay development project at the (what use to be) Esplanade Reserve.

Perth Bell Tower.

Barrack Street Jetty and the Swan River.

Looking towards the Duxton Hotel over the Supreme Court Gardens and Riverside Drive.

Some of the 12 main bells in the tower.

The oldest bell in Australia. This bell, weighing 459 kg, was cast in approximately 1550 and was one of four bells used in the tower of the parish church at Upton Grey in Hampshire, England.

Perth Bell Tower.

Supreme Court Gardens.

Rainforest in the Supreme Court Gardens.

Council House Gardens and Government House.

Dracaena draco - Canary Islands Dragon Tree.

Supreme Court of Western Australia.

Promises of things to come.

The Deanery (white building) was built in 1859 as a residence and office for the first Dean of Perth, Reverend George Pownall.

These kangaroos call St Georges Terrace home.

These kangaroos call St Georges Terrace home. ("Kangaroos on the Terrace")

Drinking at the water's bank.

Sculpture ("Ascalon"), or someone's washing being blown away.

Government House's veggie patch.

Photo art in Victoria Ave (initiate).

Photo art in Victoria Ave (trust)

Photo art in Victoria Ave (trust) How the eyes were done.

Power in a different age.

Apartment buildings facing Langley Park.

Every cloud has a golden lining. Let's hope the weather is better tomorrow.

End Of Day 1

Scroll to bottom of page, Click on 'Older Posts' to go to Day 2 (next day).

Cameras: Canon PowerShot SX10 IS and Sony DSC-W690.

West Australian Wildflower Trip. 2nd Day Perth to Hyden 10th Sept. 2014

Early morning sunshine gives us hope for nice weather for our first day on the road.

Today we travel to Hyden, with planned stops at John Forrest National Park and the Wheatbelt Flora Garden (Centennial Park) in York.

After entering the John Forrest Nat Park it was hard for me not to jump out the window as we drove, what seemed for ever, past all these plants I was seeing for the first time, before finding somewhere for the bus to park. When I stepped off the bus my excitement nearly tuned to panic when I realized that all the colours in front of me were from plants that I had not seen before, and I didn't know which one to photograph first.

A bit further on Angus spotted flashes of red and green, and it was off the bus to inspect the road-side for the Red and Green Kangaroo Paw, the floral emblem of Western Australia, Donkey Orchids and other fantastic flora. I was now beginning to understand how Joseph Banks must have felt when he first landed at Botany Bay. It was then onto York to visit the Flora Garden which showcases the flora we should be seeing when we get into the wheatbelt proper. York was also our lunch stop for the day.

Approaching Quairading a carpet of pink daisies caught our eyes and Martin once again pulled over. We were all soon out, over the train tracks and happily in amongst one of WA's iconic wildflower displays.
We then traveled onto our accommodation for the night at the Wave Rock Motel, Hyden.

The videos can only be watched on this page.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Day 2, Wednesday 10 Sept. Perth to Hyden, 333 km's.

The morning sun seen from our room shows that it might be a better day.

Time for an early morning walk before the bus leaves. Looking towards the Narrows Bridge and King's Park.

Another couple of early-birds, Darter and Long-billed Corellas.

First stop - John Forrest National Park

Laurie gets a photo of the stampede once the door of the bus is opened.

Kristan has sighted some colourful pea-flowers. The red flower, to the left,
is Grevillea bipinnatifida, one of the parents of the popular garden
plants, Grevillea "Robyn Gordon".

There will many plants that I won't be able to name, this is the first of them.

(could it be: Phyllanthus calycinus - False Boronia?)

Hakea sp.

There were blues (Lechenaultia biloba - Blue Lechenaultia).............

............. and there were blues, Lechenaultia biloba - Blue Lechenaultia.

Calothamnus sp. - One Sided Bottlebrush, Net Bush.

Chamaescilla corymbosa - Blue Squill.

Hakea sp.

A lone wattle flower amongst the hakea.

I was particularly interested in finding the flowers from the Trigger Plant (Stylidium) group,
after reading an article on them .

Getting in close.

Conospermum sp. - Smokebush

The first of the many species of Native Peas we were to encounter.

Verticordia sp. - Featherflowers.

Something in the Myrtaceae family.

Where do I start? Oh, thanks Lorraine, a litle higher and to the left.

I love the feathery flowers of the Leucopogons.

Members of the Drosea family, Sundews (carnivorous plants).

Burchardia sp - Milkmaids

A Calytix sp. (Starflower) growing below, what I think could be a cream coloured Hakea

Close up of the Calytrix. Here they have several species, in different colours, where we in the east only have one.

Millotia sp. Hey, it might not be pretty, but that's no reason not to takes it's photo.

One of the many native peas.

John Forrest National Park was a great place to start, I didn't want to get back on the bus.

Second Stop - Flashes of red and green.

Flashes of red and green beside the road soon had the bus pulling over.

Red and Green Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii) with blue of a Dampiera sp,
yellow of a Synaphea sp and white of a Stackhousia sp.

What a standout flower is the Red and Green Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii).
(Lynn's Photo)

The Red and Green Kangaroo Paw was one of the main target plants, it's easy to see why.

Neil focusing in on a pea while Jean and Jan have found something wonderful on the other side.

The Isopogons over here are something else.

A spider waits patiently in this Stackhousia flower spike.

Gumnuts, we get to see plenty of these.

Donkey Orchids - Diuris sp.

Dryandra sp.

The leaves of this Triggerplant caught my eye.

Thysanotus patersonii - Twining Fringe-lily.

Another pea.

This Grevillea has one thing in common with a lot of plants over here,
sharp pointed leaves.

Pea flowers and yellow Synaphea.

Dryandra sp.

Third stop - York, Wheatbelt Garden and lunch.

Acacia aphylla ---Leafless Rock Wattle, Reindeer Bush.

I never thought that I would see Lynn taking such an interest in photographing native plants.

Some of the captive beauty of the Wheatbelt Flora Garden.

York Town Hall. When completed in 1911 the Town Hall boasted the largest floor

area of any such building in Western Australia.

York Town Hall ballroom.

York is the oldest inland town (1831) in Western Australia and was named after the city of York in England.

Castle Hotel, 1862, is the oldest existing inland hotel in WA.

St. Patrick's Catholic Church. The present Church's foundation stone was laid on St Patrick's day, 1875,
and completed in 1886.

Eucalyptus Macrocarpa - Rose of the West, growing in front yard of cottage.

This mighty Eucalypt provides welcome shade in the Settlers' Village Courtyard.

Damage from the October 1968 earthquake.

Fourth Stop - Quairading, a sea of pink.

Add We yelled as one "EVERLASTINGS, STOP THE BUS". Rhodanthe manglesii - Pink Sunray, Mangles' Everlasting, Timeless Rose.caption

This was the last big patch of everlastings we came across. The wheat fields now cover the land where these once flourished. Rhodanthe manglesii - Pink Sunray, Mangles' Everlasting, Timeless Rose.