Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Travelogue:- Homeward Bound and SkyWatch *8

The Bandstand in the heart of Goulbourn.
Goulbourn is situated between Sydney and

Canberra, yet surprisingly has retained the character

of a real country town with friendly people caring

for the land and each other.

The journey frm Sydney to home base was roughly
1,800km. We chose a more scenic route through

the foothills of the Snowy Mountains.

Australia is famed for it's blue hills above
and good ski fields in the alps below

The green countryside was balm to our eyes
coupled with abounding blossoming wild plums



This settler's cottage from the 1940's though in

bad repair was charming amogst it's blossom trees


Crossing the Murray near Jingellic also crossed
the state line from New South Wales to Victoria


I particularly chose this route since I remembered
another spring when I had seen this glorious Magnolia

in a farmhouse garden far from the madding crowd



A black swan ignominously sharing a duck pond



And last but not least to show you all how dire
the droght situation here is, this is the Hume Weir,

Southern Australia's largest dam, where the

cattle peacefully graze. In normal years, the

pylons of the old railway bridge are under water.



It was still 3 day's drive to get home, just didn't

want to tax your patience too far.

To visit splendid skies around the world, click on

the SKYWATCH logo on the right.

99 comments:

  1. Thanks for the beautiful photos. I would love to visit your area sometime, but I will probably never get to except through pictures

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  2. Arija..I'm not miffed, I am being more brief as I injured my shoulder and am using one hand. I really meant that you are welcome for the award that I gave you. Sorry about the confusion. Funny how without a face to read that words can take on many meanings....Oh and I love taking a virtual trip with you...@:}

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  3. Oh wonderful countryside fotos. I love the blue mountains and the sletters's cottage.
    Have a nice weekend
    Hallo from Germany
    Hartmut

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  4. Great scenic shots. re the Hume Weir - Wow! I've only seen it years ago when it was full of water.

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  5. I enjoyed the scenic 'drive' through the countryside.This may perhaps be the only way I will ever see Australia,as we don't do much travelling.Thanks for sharing your sights with all of us.

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  6. Arija, thank you for the beautiful photos! Wonderful Australia! And spring makes it still more beautiful! I've never seen such a big magnolia tree before, believe me!
    So: when you come to Vienna, we will have coffee together, either on the new balcony or elsewhere... :)

    Have a nice week, Arija, and thanks again for showing me Australia!

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  7. So very beautiful, Arija. It looks like aplace I would not only like to visit but also to live. ;-) Happy Sky Watch!

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  8. Such breathtaking photos! WOW! Love the swan and the first shot the most:) My SWF is posted HERE. Happy Sky Watching!~

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  9. What an exciting trip you took us on... so scenic, love the waterway and the valley. Gorgeous compilation.

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  10. Thanks for taking us to this beautiful part of the world. It looks like a perfect place to settle down.

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  11. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. Loved the cottage with the flowering trees.
    Marnie

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  12. What a great tour through your photos! I enjoyed them...

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  13. What a gorgeous country you live it. The series of shots is beautiful. So sorry about your drought - we're a bit dry, but not to the same extent, for sure. Glad you took some extra time for your trip - the scenery was stunning.

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  14. A wonderful series of photos! but I have come to expect that at your blog. I really enjoy them.

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  15. I loved taking this little trip with you!
    All your images were lovely scenes.

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  16. What incredible beauty! thank you so much for sharing!

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  17. Lovely photos! What a beautiful place! Glad you are on your way home but have such beauty to view on the journey!

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  18. Beautiful pictures from the country side. Happy SWF :-)

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  19. I could send you rain by the bucketful at the moment.....
    Your set of pictures make delightful viewing...

    Thank you for joining in with Sky Watch this week and being part of the fun.

    Tom

    Mine's Here

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  20. Ariga: What a neat post as you traveled around your beautiful country. Sorry to here of you water problems.

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  21. Hi Arija looks like you had a fantastic trip - that is the way my wife and I like to travel - just stopping and "drinking" in the countryside. Great set of photos

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  22. Lovely pictures, Arija! Welcome home and thank you for sharing part of your journey.

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  23. Wonderful series with beautiful landscapes!

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  24. The greens and blues are simply amazing, Arija. I especially like the black swan. My aunt likens me to a swan and fondly calls me "Swanie". ;^)

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  25. I'm glad you took the Scenic route, Arija. Thank you.
    Did you dip your feet in the Murray? I might.
    Happy Skywatching.
    ..

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  26. That second one is wonderful, but I do love the swan! I just love birds... lol
    Great shots, all of them!

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  27. Those are all great photos!! I enjoyed looking at them.

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  28. Thank you for the trip. i had fun...I really do wish i could go! Happy sky watching!

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  29. love the way the sky accents the gazebo

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  30. Wow, the hills really are blue aren't they?? So beautiful, and so funny to see Spring when today is our first really colder day! Edward is beyond pleased at the change in the weather!

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  31. tax me!! tax me!! These are just Wonderful! the varing colors and landscapes and spring blooms are just wonderful as we go into fall here! just lovely thank you for bringing us along for the trip :)

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  32. Wow its beautiful entries...Keep it up. happy SWF!

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  33. Beautiful. I enjoy my weekly trip about the world via SWF.

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  34. A lovely travellogue. The blossom is very like hawthorne in May.
    You must enjoy driving.

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  35. You are the perfect guide on a tour through Australia. I have been several times in Sydney and seen the Blue Mountains. It's very beautiful over there.
    Thanks for visiting!

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  36. Beautiful landscapes. :-) Have a great SWF.

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  37. Beautiful: but so sad about the drought.

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  38. Oh my..These are so very beautiful pictures.Love the one with the river,but they are all so nice so it is really hard to pick a favotite!

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  39. Indeed, great pictures - thank you for your visit

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  40. Thanks for the wonderful tour and sweeping vistas! I'm not likely to ever get there, so it's especially nice to 'travel' through your blog!

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  41. Wonderful shots! I think you must live in a beautiful place!:)

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  42. I loved this sequence. Thank you for taking us on your trip with you. Gorgeous shots.

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  43. Absolutely beautiful travelogue! Love your magnolia tree, the blue mountains and the green hills. Cannot imagine the water being up in those places. Drought indeed.

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  44. Wonderful journey through gorgeous spring landscapes!
    I have also heard from my friend, who lives in the foothillds of the Blue Mountains in NSW, the terrible toll the drought is taking.
    The magnificent Magnolia tree reminds me of our garden back in Washington DC. Our Magnolia was taller than the house, several decades old, and next to it a small light pink Star Magnolia. Our daughters liked to paint under the trees. One fine day they decided the easel offered too small a canvas, and proceded to paint the trunk and branches of the smaller tree.

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  45. I think you used the word glorious once; you certainly are having a glorious spring there. Wonderful collection.

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  46. WOW! Beautiful series of photos of your journey! Wonderful blog!

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  47. Hi Arija
    Have just found your blog from your Sky Watch comment on mine (thanks for stopping by). I LOVE the beautiful light you get in your photos. Just gorgeous. I hope you don't mind if I add you to my blogroll.
    All the best
    Jen

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  48. I love your bandstand - visited our local one recently but won't be posting the photo until the 15th (provisional date)

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  49. Wonderful virtual trip. Beautiful mountains. So sorry the land has been suffering drought.

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  50. These are all wonderful, but I love the depth of the second photo.

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  51. What an awesome trip thank you for taking us along. You images are fantastic.
    Cheers

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  52. Wonderful tour with an keen eyed guide.
    Even with the lack of water the trees are abondant in flowers. Lovely.
    Thank you for yoyr visit and comments Lord L also sends his thanks.

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  53. awesome! wonderful set of photos, nice capture..

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  54. I have never seen a black swan. It is beautiful. Lovely photos.

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  55. Lovely shots of stunning countryside

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  56. It has been a long time since I was in that part of Oz - thanks for your gorgeous photos that have pricked my memory of a trip I did there years ago!!!!

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  57. Beautiful scenery and pretty skies! I love that gorgeous Magnolia tree and Black Swan. All your photos are wonderful!

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  58. Hi Arija,Your travelogue with the pictures is great; it is so good of you to show off our wonderful country!
    Yes, those birds can be a bit of a nuisance when they go for the nuts we want to eat. We don't have trouble with the Galahs but the yellow crested cockatoos are always after our pecans. I would not mind and share; but they destroy all the nuts. I hope when the tree is bigger and bears more it won't be so bad; fingers crossed! Spring flowers are early
    this year.I think because we had so much rain over winter. It was also a cold winter.
    No, Queensland has not daylight saving! Take care. T.

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  59. Beautiful blue hills and green countryside.

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  60. beautiful country indeed...and yes I will send a glass of wine for you to sip as you gaze at this beautiful area with a slice of zucchini pie.

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  61. What a fabulous tour - I hope you'll share some of the other three days.

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  62. Wonderful photos thanks for stopping by.

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  63. Hi my dear Arija.. I love seeing this Black Swan.. it reminds me of the day the film crew came to our small village just after we found our land here.. They used a couple of Black Swan from our friends exotic animal farm for the opening of the movie.. they borrowed them and had them swimming below the covered bridges as the tide was coming in( but it comes in very slowly) anyway one of them didn't want to behave and kept taking off and the crew and farm owners had to keep cornering it and shooing it back into place ... at one point it almost got away.. I don't think the guys lent their swans again.. and after we saw the film it was one of those that you should turn off the sound and only watch for the scenery... nasty film.. too bad!..

    it was called The Black Swan...

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  64. Re your comment about fearing it is pollution on the Bay - it looks that way in the image on the blog, but in fact it was a sparkling day. "Louis" didn't alter the photo - to his eye and through the lens when he took to photo, this didn't show.

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  65. Beautiful area for sure I have a penpal that lives in Adalaide

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  66. 1800 kms! In car, you do things in a grand scale! Thanks to share with us.
    This little cottage looks adorable as come from a children tale.
    The Goulbourn bandstand is so welcoming.
    Nice trip. Thanks to share with us.

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  67. Very, very beatifuls photos...
    Australia is a large country !

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  68. Your pics are beautiful but...my cold is getting worse...

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  69. lovely tranquil pics. when we were in australia last december, it rained and rained and rained!!

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  70. The white blossoming trees and the black swan were really magnificent!

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  71. Arija, that magnolia tree is quite something. Your photos of Australia have given me a real tour round a country I have never visited. Thanks so much

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  72. Arija, these are pure eye candy. What a beautiful country! Someday I hope to visit Australia with my camera!

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  73. What beautiful photos! Thanks for taking us along on your journey through the countryside. Love the colors! And thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  74. Awesome! What great, beautiful pictures.

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  75. Beautiful pictures, my son was twice in Australia, lots of space there. I saw in your profile that you are a reiki master, my wife did it too but I'm not sure she is a master,
    Have a nice weekend and thanks for visiting.

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  76. Thank you for sharing these lovely photos, such a treat!

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  77. Arija..we too are discouraged from feeding birds and in some places it is against the law. I look at it as I have taken their habitat and food sources for my home, so I can try to give something back to them. I also keep track of species and numbers in a citizen science program called "Project Feeder Watch". How the birds are doing is a good indication of how the environment is doing. I also keep track of frogs for project "Frog Watch".

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  78. Thank you for your wonderful photos and your comment on my site!
    I have been in Australia (Sydney and Canberra ) and I know also, what Reiki is :)

    You spoke so nicely from Kiki, that I made slideshow about some of her photos, when she is enjoying with me our light summernights and their colours and also sunsets in every time, when we are at lake even in winter.
    You can watch it in this URL:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/lehy/sets/72157607737393469/show/

    if you are interested :)

    Have a happy Sunday!

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  79. Hi, Arija
    I thank the gentle trip on my blog in the Sky theme.
    His series with photos of Australia is wonderful, congratulations on beautiful country.

    Look at his sidebar many flowers, if you want to also participate in a conference with pictures of flowers see the address: Today's Flowers

    This collective happens at the end of Sunday (7:00 GTM) and throughout Monday. Is beautiful, colorful, and you can feel the fragrance of flowers.

    Hugs, Denise

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  80. lovely photos. Its funny when you think of Australia, you don't think of skiing.....

    Gill in Canada

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  81. Thank you for your comment. Thought provoking! Your photos are beautiful.

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  82. Beautiful. That black swan is really something. Thanks for these great views.

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  83. A lovely trip. It looks like I need to bookmark your site so I can come back and explore with more time on my hands. Thanks for stopping by to share my hike.

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  84. Even with your drought situation, it all looks so beautiful.

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  85. Sorry I'm so late with my comments. Such a wonderful series of photos for Skywatch! The cottage is adorable, even if it is in disrepair. The mountains, countryside and wild plum are beautiful! I take the scenic routes every chance I get and end up with tons of photos.

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  86. WONDERFUL photos .. looks like it was good weather and exquisite skies!

    Thanks for visiting mine!

    :-Daryl

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  87. WOW! Australia is very exotic land...when I was a little child I got lot of postcards from one old woman who lived there - she went before the WW II started. Therefore is always nice to see familiar landscapes where I never been physically.
    And thank you for your kind words. My math was 2+2=8! of course, too much in hurry I failed to make a real joke...

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  88. The birds you saw : wow, what a collection, great experience, thanks for sharing. Your birthday skywatch : congrats !!! Your travel : nice to travel with you photowise.

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  89. Arija--That is some beautiful countryside. I would love to go and visit the blue hills near the snowy mountains again. The last (and only time) I was there was when I was 12.
    Thanks for visiting my blog and I will definitely be checking back to see some more pictures!

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  90. Wow... What a lovely place that must be!... I wish it were closer to Portugal...

    Thank you for your visit and nice comment!...

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  91. Fabulous photos from your road trip, thanks for taking us along with you ;) I will do a rain dance for you!

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  92. I live in the area that you photographed and you have done a fantastic job. I wanted to photograph the old railway line on Lake Hume only last week. I never had tried that.

    They let it out I think to make Lake Mulwala fuller, that is my impression, it was actually full about 2 years ago, maybe three. We have had a lot of rain in the last few weeks and the river is very full and it flows into Lake Hume.

    I will be on the lookout for that magnolia if it is in Walwa.

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  93. Great pics. I understand the drought. I live in rural South Australia and we have had less then 8 inches of rain all year and now we are heading for summer. So I guess that's our lot till next year.
    Happy SWF

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  94. Fantastic photos, you have an blog.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Cheers

    http://reginainpictures.blogspot.com/

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  95. I saw the tree today. It has the odd flower left. The garden is so amazing it has at least three stunning trees. There is a lovely bright pink one out at the moment.

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