Australia revisited
Less than 2 years since my last vacation there, it was time to spend some quality time in Australia again. The main purpose of the trip was the SETAC World conference in Sydney. Of course, an excellent opportunity to explore other parts of this vast country. So after one week in Sydney, I flew to Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and the central parts of the continent. The aim was to drive around in the desert for a week or so and then head down to South Australia and the coast. In Alice Springs I rented a 4WD car, to be delivered in Adelaide 17 days later. The massive Toyota Landcruiser is an excellent off-road car, although the 4.2 L engine was very thirsty and used almost 2 L/10 km. I covered approximately 4600 km during the 17 day long trip. A big thank to Stephen Powell (http://www.stephenpowell.com.au) for correcting a couple of the species names.
Outback walkabout
Trephina Gorge canyon - can be deadly if not prepared, East MacDonnell Range
First I went to the East MacDonnell Range, with many nice canyons and spent a couple of days there. A favorite was Ruby Gap Nature Park, situated some 4 hours drive from the nearest decent road. Here I met some locals, a bunch of 70-years old campers on their annual outback trip. I was invited to camp with them, and we managed to pull off a nice party in the middle of nowhere. After going back to Alice and a refill of diesel, I headed to Palm Valley in the West MacDonnell Range. Thereafter I went down to Kings Canyon after a short stop in Rainbow Valley. Kings Canyons was fine but a bit touristy; I walked the rim in sunset and even saw some dingos on my way back to Kings Canyon Resort. Next day I went to the must-see Ayers Rock. Of course even more touristy than Kings Canyon, but kind of silly not to go there when visiting central Australia. Missed the sunset, as some clouds spoiled the iconic red rock in the late evening.
On my way south I visited the Simpson Desert before staying for one night in a opal cave in Coober Pedy. After the opal capital, I was spending a couple of days in the Flinders Range, before driving past Adelaide down to Kangaroo Island, where I stayed for a small week. On this page I have displayed some photos from the trip, from Sydney, the desert region of Northern Territory and of wildlife from Kangaroo Island.
East MacDonnell Range
Arid riverbed in East MacDonnell Range
Hill in East MacDonnell Range
Arid hills in East MacDonnell Range
The MacDonnell Range Reef Mine was one of the richest gold mines in the region. The mine was operated intermittently from 1892 to 1908
Ruby Gap Nature Park, East MacDonnell Ranges
Ruby Gap Nature Park
Riverbed melons, Ruby Gap Nature Park
Paddy melons (Cucumis myriocarpus), Ruby Gap Nature Park
Outback camping with some locals..., Ruby Gap Nature Park
Camping in Ruby Gap Nature Park
'Western' Shrike-Thrush (Colluricincla harmonica rufiventris), East MacDonnell Range
Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), Alice Springs Desert Park (captive animal)
Outback landscape
Desert outback
Kings Canyon
Outback wilderness
Kings Canyon, rim-walk view
Red sands with spinifex grass (Triodia pungens) along the Ernest Giles Road
Alice Springs
Locals hangin' around
Rainbow Bee-Eater (Merops ornatus), Alice Springs
Australian Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)
Rainbow Valley south of Alice Springs
Rainbow Valley
Rainbow Valley
Australian Feral Camel (Camelus dromedarius), between Stuart Highway and Kings Canyon on the Ernest Giles Road. This species, introduced to Australia during the 19th century for transport and construction during the colonization of the central and western parts of the country, is considered a pest because of its negative impact on the environment. In 2008 a culling program started, and the number of individuals has since been reduced from around 1 million to 300,000 (2013). The meat is sold to Saudi Arabia, where people have a taste of camel.
One of the roughest 4W drive, into Palm Valley in Finke Gorge National Part
Palm Valley
Palm Valley
Palm Valley
Palm Valley in Finke Gorge National Park. It was a challenge driving to this site, which includes an isolated stand of Red cabbage palms (Livistona mariae)
Red Cabbage Palm (Livistona mariae), Palm Valley
Uluru / Ayers Rock
Dingo (Canis lupus dingo), near Kings Canyon
Uluru / Ayers Rock
Aboriginal art, Uluru / Ayers Rock
Spinifex Pigeon (Geophaps plumifera), Kings Canyon
Galah (Eolophus rosicapillus)
Black-footed Rock Wallaby (Petrogale lateralis), West MacDonnell Range
Australian Ringneck (Barnardius zonarius), Alice Springs
Dry lake, along Stuart Highway
Desert Oaks (Allocasuarina decaisneana) and Spinifex Grass (Triodia sp.). On the Ernest Giles Road toward Kings Canyon
Outback gas station, Stuart Highway
Road train, Stuart Highway
Stuart Highway carnage with Wedge-tailed Eagles and Ravens
Selfie in the middle of nowhere. This area north of Coober Pedy is called the Moon Plain, a vast expanse of rocky plains with lunar like landscape that has been the set for many movies including Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Pitch Black and The Red Planet
Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax) eating sheep, Stuart Highway
Serious roadkill, Stuart Highway
Coober Pedy
Coober Pedy - Opal Capital of the World
Dugout motel in Coober Pedy
Central Australia wilderness
Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus), Flinders Ranges National Park, SA
Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus), Flinders Ranges National Park, SA
Stromatolite, the worlds oldest fossils, Flinders Ranges National Park, SA
Flinders Ranges National Park, SA
Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), Flinders Ranges National Park, SA
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (Acanthagenys rufogularis), Alice Springs
Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), one of three egg-laying mammals on the planet (Monotremes: Short-beaked echidna, Long-beaked echidna and the Platypus). Kangaroo Island
Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Kangaroo Island
Australian Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea), Kangaroo Island
Australian Sea Lion suckling, Kangaroo Island
New Zealand Fur Sea (Arctocephalus forsteri), Kangaroo Island
New Zealand Fur Seal, Kangaroo Island
Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus), Kangaroo Island
Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus), Kangaroo Island
Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor), Penneshaw Penguin Center, Kangaroo Island
Flinders Chase National Park, Kangaroo Island
Little Penguin, Penneshaw Penguin Center, Kangaroo Island
Little Penguin, Penneshaw Penguin Center, Kangaroo Island
Admirals Arch, Kangaroo Island
Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, Kangaroo Island
Black-faced (Phalacrocorax fuscescens) and Pied (Phalacrocorax varius) Cormorants, Kangaroo Island
Black-faced Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscescens), Kangaroo Island
Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius), Kangaroo Island
Black Swan (Cygnus atratus), Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island landscape
Kangaroo Island natural sculpture
Stalactites, Kelly Hill Conservation Park, Kangaroo Island
Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii), Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Kangaroo Island
Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata clelandi), Kangaroo Island. This is the second largest species of honeyeater, and the subspecies found on Kangaroo Island is endemic to the island
Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae), Kangaroo Island
Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), Kangaroo Island
Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides), Cleland Conservation Park (aviary bird)
Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae), Kangaroo Island
Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans melanopterus). An endemic subspecies on Kangaroo Island
Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides), Deep Creek Conservation Park
Old opal mine near Coober Pedy
Long-nosed Potoroo (Potorous tridactylus), Cleland Conservation Park
Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus), Cleland Conservation Park
Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata), Cleland Conservation Park (aviary bird)
Grey-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus temporalis), Cleland Conservation Park (aviary birds)
Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea), Cleland Conservation Park
Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa), Cleland Conservation Park
Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata), Cleland Conservation Park
Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca), Cleland Conservation Park
Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis), Cleland Conservation Park, SA
Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus), Deep Creek Conservation Park, SA
Deep Creek Conservation Park, SA
Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus), Deep Creek Conservation Park, SA
Black-browed Albatross (Diomedea melanophris), outside Sydney
Hutton's Shearwater (Puffinus huttoni), outside Sydney
Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Whale-watching trip outside Sydney
Humpback Whale diving. Whale-watching trip outside Sydney
Humpback Whale breaching. Was lucky to get this picture, of the only jumping whale we saw. Whale-watching trip outside Sydney
Downtown Adelaide
Mojito at Manly, Sydney
BHH with a mojito at Manly, Sydney
Taipei, Taiwan, at night
Taipei dining