a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, or so Alfred Lord Tennyson would have us believe. Well, I’m going to paraphrase that well known line to -
In the winter an old man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of spring.
In the spring of 1990 Coral and I took a campervan on a 14,000 kilometre, six week trip to Western Australia, and fulfilled our dream of visiting the wildflower state. The weather was a mixed bag, but we enjoyed a mind blowing show of the unique western flora, and came back with a photographic record of our trip in slides and prints. I thought I might share a few at this time, as I’m too busy to get out, and spring is still over a month and a half away.
Halfway across the continent you run into the Great Australian Bight, with its magnificent cliffs falling sheer into the sea, The feeling that comes over you when you stand at the edge and look to right and left just cannot be described.
Running down into Esperance in the early evening after a long day’s drive, we spotted this variegated Leschenaultia formosa beside the road, and returned to photograph it the next day. Being so unusual, it was possibly the best find we made during the whole trip.
There are many beautiful pea flowered plants in the west, this one was a lovely colour.
Near Albany in the south west there is this wonderful spot, Little Beach, we saw it at its best with blue sky, and blue water breaking on the white sand of the beach.
Click for a larger version.
Kalbarri up on the west coast is a wonderful wildflower area, and we found there what is possibly my favourite western species, the Coppercup. There are far more spectacular blooms, but in my eyes this one is exquisite.
I’ll finish this briefest of brief looks at the wonders of the west with a shot of Coral in the water at the famous Monkey Mia, it makes us want to pack up and hit the road again. Won’t be able to of course, but come spring we’ll be out enjoying our own beautiful wildflowers, roll on September!
Click on the image for a larger version.
In the spring
Jul 10th, 2006 by Duncan
Ah, beautiful Western Australia. Beautiful one day - stunning the next. We, too, have great memories of two trips over the west in the late 1970s. Is it that long ago???? That is something we must rectify soon - but life keeps on getting in the way. Anyone know a cheap way of solar-powering a 4WD towing a caravan? Anyway - your photos have spurred me on to scan some of the 1000s of slides we have sitting in a box in the cupboard.
Go for it Trevor, they’re too good to be sitting in a box in the cupboard. I have vague ideas about going through mine and putting a DVD together, but as you say, life gets in the way. So much to do, so little time.
That last shot of the ocean is just incredible, Duncan. Nothing at all like that where we’re tripping around at the moment! (-:
Nice to read about your 1990 trip. Seems like a good idea to put a few photos up where they can be seen and shared.
Monkey Mia is a pretty special place Bev, I can remember floating on my back in the buoyant water, drifting along with the incoming tide, utterly at peace with the world.