Helen Stephenson's Australian Pictures - February/March, 2000 - Highlights

Here are my two favourite sunset pictures.

The picture on the left was taken outside of Strathalbyn on the Bletchley road. I was initially disappointed with it, because I was aiming for "in your face" colours, and that isn't the way this picture turned out. However the more subtle colours and the way the tree silhouette shows up not only against the sky but also against the hills in the background give this shot a charm all of its own.

A drive out along the Callington-Strathalbyn Road provided the view for the picture on the right. I like the sheep along the skyline.

This is the best of the series of pictures I took of prickly pears.

Most of the pictures I took of St.Peters Cathedral in North Adelaide came out with lens flare on them. Only the standard lens picture of the twin steeples was unaffected.

There are pink salt lakes in the Wellington area. Here is some flotsam near the edge of one lake.

Mount Barker Summit is at the Eastern edge of the portion of the Mount Lofty Ranges known as the Adelaide Hills. It is considerably higher than the nearby countryside in all directions, making it a popular vantage point for viewing the surrounding areas and it particularly stands out when approached from the plains to the East. A communications mast was installed near the summit a few years ago.

The town of Mount Barker is a few miles to the East of The Mount from which it takes its name. It is a growing regional centre from which the surrounding district is administered. Shown here are Grays Inn, the War Memorial Monument and the Church of England.

Mount Gambier is an extinct volcano containing a crater lake which is a distinctive blue colour.

Nixon's Mill is a windmill dating from when South Australia was first settled by Europeans. It is currently not open to the general public as it is in the stages of restoration. It looks as if the restoration project is currently stalled, though.

The Old Gum Tree at Glenelg is of great historical significance to South Australians, as it was here that the colony was proclaimed on 28th December, 1936 by Governor Hindmarsh.

Callington is a sleepy little town on the bank of the River Bremer. Old mine workings are common in the area.

Aloe flowers: one fresh one, and two of last year's.

I found the gum tree on the right particularly photogenic. Looking in a different direction in the same paddock, I captured this telephoto shot in which the lakes are visible near the horizon.

Hahndorf was built by German settlers and retains its German flavour. Here is Haebich Cottage, where bed and breakfast accommodation is provided.

Big Lizzie is a historic traction engine permanently housed at Red Cliffs near Mildura in Victoria.

Wentworth is the meeting place of the Rivers Darling and Murray. Pictured are the spot where the rivers join; and a drowned gum tree which I considered to be very photogenic.

On the left is the Victoria Square fountain located in the centre of the city of Adelaide; while on the right I have photographed the new Glen Osmond Water Feature, which is seen by travellers approaching Adelaide from the East via the South Eastern Freeway.

Australia allows trucks on its roads which make the once-legendary 18-wheelers look like child's toys. These giants weigh around 65 tonnes and have thirty four wheels! They consist of a prime mover, a trailer with a turntable at its rear, and a second trailer. A special licence must be obtained to drive one, and you must admire the drivers of these monsters as they regularly drove them through the switchback highway in the Adelaide Hills with its 25kph advisory signs prior to the opening in March 2000 of the new Heysen Tunnels and the extension of the South Eastern Freeway to Glen Osmond.

The Australian Aborigines used to make canoes by cutting bark from trees. This tree is located a couple of kilometres down a side road accessed from the main road between Strathalbyn and Victor Harbour in the Finniss area. My brother's teenagers knew where it was and urged us to make the detour, which was well worth it. This tree had the light on it from the right direction, and the creek in the background made for a really good photograph.

I can't claim to be on particularly good terms with spiders, but this one had its web just off the far end of Mother's verandah and I thought it was rather pretty.

I visited the Cleland Reserve near Mount Lofty, South Australia, shortly before returning to England. Here are some of the birds and animals I saw there.

After attending a family funeral at Centennial Park in Adelaide, our branch of the family visited the Walls of Remembrance where my Father's memorial plaque is located. Here is the fountain at the bottom of the garden with the Walls of Remembrance behind it on each side.

Glen Osmond is an area of historical interst and significance, with the Old Tollhouse and the Tollgate, plus a roadside museum giving information about early mining activities in Glen Osmond. Here is the historic Tollhouse.