Beautiful day for a peaceful bushwalk.

[Goldfields]

I decided to pop down to the Grampians National Park today just for a short bushwalk. Of course the minute I started taking photo's of the kangaroos I got the Change the batteries message , and no charged batteries with me, but I managed to squeeze a little bit more life out of the oldies. There was quite a good number of emus but I'd have to have gone accross a wide open part to get close enough to take shots of them, and that would either have spooked them, or if they'd tamed down because of tourists they may have decided to investigate me. Don't mind admitting I'm wary of a beak that size.

A girlfriend up the road will go with me next time I think, she had to take her GSD puppy to obedience today though. I'll charge the batteries and hope for some koala photo's too.

[hazelrunpack]

Pretty cool, GF! I can't imagine taking a walk and meeting up with kangaroos. I have to say, though, that we've had an emu strolling the township before--there was an emu farm not too far from here and an escapee took a liking to a local resident. He still gets kidded about it--they call him Capt Emu.

And it's not the bills you have to worry about--most of the big flightless birds are great kickers

Koalas would be

[Goldfields]

I had to go out to Lake Bellfield just to rejoice in seeing how full it is now. During the drought it got very low. The second photo is just one taken from the deck at the Brambuk Cultural Centre(managed by local aboriginals), where I sat for a while over a capuccino in the sun. What a wonderful place for them to work. The building is beautifully designed to blend into the surroundings.

[Goldfields]

Yeah, those emus test you with the beak before they kick you to death, Hazel. LOL. I wasn't going to get up close and personal with the roos either, some were taller than me and they can rip you up well and truly if they get stroppy.
First photo, just some Australiana.
On my way home I visited an alpaca farm just on a whim, I know better than to approach our friend Rowan with my questions as he always has baby alpacas and would talk me into one. This guy leases/rents out herd guards though and is not selling anything, he wants to build up his numbers. I included the photo of the black blob because anyone with a black dog will understand how hard it is to get a decent photo of anything black.

I'll go back down there soon with my friend and do some bird watching. Unfortunately 80% of the park remains closed after the devastating floods back in January, there was a lot of damage including a 3klm landslip at Mt Abrupt, which I'm told might be a world record for a slip.

[erykah1310]

Amazing...
I'm moving down there

So beautiful, I wish you would post more nature shots and wildlife. Austrailia is one of my top 5 place I will visit in my lifetime

[chico2]

GF,great pictures,love the Alpacas

[hazelrunpack]

Beautiful country! I love those alpacas, too! Even the black blobby one.

[Goldfields]

Originally Posted by erykah1310

Amazing...
I'm moving down there

So beautiful, I wish you would post more nature shots and wildlife. Austrailia is one of my top 5 place I will visit in my lifetime

Ill post some more for you after my next trip, Erykah. I often see something as I am driving, absolutely beautiful big gums, maybe a shearing shed, maybe just colours that are so, so Australian and think I should start snapping ....if only I could lift my foot off the accelerator. LOL. But you know, your own country is magnificent and I like seeing photo's from there too, people tend to be so used to what they have they can lose sight of how special it is.
That black blob - darn shame it wasn't clear - it was having a bad hair day. They hadn't shorn anything off the head.

[Goldfields]

I tend to do funny things like waylay farmers so I can take a photo of their kelpies. This black and tan dog had big splayed feet but by golly he was a fast worker. He'd paid a lot of money for him. Sad to say the owner died not that long after I spoke to him, fell from his sheep truck crate while loading or unloading sheep.

[Goldfields]

Here's another couple I took whilst waiting for a mob to be clear of the road.

[Bina]

Oh, I really want one of those ROO crossing signs.
Amazing scenery, thanks for sharing !

[doggy lover]

cool pictures thanks for sharing, I love to see pics from other countries

[luckypenny]

OMD, those photos are just amazing . I love the kangaroo crossing sign too .

[Goldfields]

Nearly didn't put the roo sign photo in, but then I loved the colours, so I'm glad I did now. Usually they are peppered with holes where the local lads have been using them for target practice. We had to ask Council for some to be put near our place , too many 'roos getting hit by cars when they came out of the forest opposite us to graze on the roadside, but of course it still happens. People won't slow down. I was furious one night when a friend called in to say she'd hit a Koala about a mile up the road. They don't leap out in front of cars like kangaroos and they are big enough to see easily. Very poor driving.

[Shaykeija]

I like kangaroo's and Koala's. Do have any pictures of them in the wild?

[Goldfields]

Those kangaroos in the first photo's are wild, Shay, they just come and go as they please. No ordinary fences will stop them. We had a couple just down at the back of our place yesterday when a friend came to inject his ram that he loaned to us.(Maybe an abcessed toe) Anyway, when he saw the 'roos he said "pity I haven't got my rifle", while of course I blessed the fact that he'd left it home.
When I go back down the the Gap again I'll have to ask at the Information area where I'd be most likely to see Koalas, you'd usually see some in the trees between the town and Lake Bellfield but don't know if that's the case now or not. The Currawongs, see link below, have tamed down to the point where they hang around waiting for handouts when people are eating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currawong

[Shaykeija]

if those beaks were smaller they would look like a raven. I had one of themas a pet when I was a kid. Stole every thing shinny

[Goldfields]

It'd be a fun pet to have I reckon. LOL. A friend's garden is full of Bower Birds and they will steal anything that is blue. They decorate their bowers to attract the females. Here is a link to those birds, but you may like to look at her entire gallery, Bea has lots of good kangaroo photo's, some lovely Aussie scenery, and as she fosters/adopts racing Greyhounds it is just lovely to see the sort of life she is giving them once their racing days are done.

http://www.pbase.com/greytails/austr...in_bower_birds

http://www.pbase.com/greytails/root