Lake Nuga Nuga National Park – Queensland 24-07-11

It is estimated that Lake Nuga Nuga was formed only 160 years ago and is the largest natural body of water in central Queensland. It is probable that this lake has reappeared many times in the past.

Molly at Lake Nuga Nuga

Silver leaved Ironbark

Egret (egretta intermedia)

Only one black swan sighted

Cormorant

Magpie lark usually in pairs

Overlooking Lake Nuga Nuga

Wary pelicans – in fact all the birds were nervous of us

We woke a sleeping Turtle

Ibis

I may be wrong yet think that this photo is of the elegant Ooline tree (Cadellia pentastylis) an endangered species – one of the reasons for Lake Nuga Nuga being proclaimed a National Park

Trying to capture the ‘green’ band below the pink tinted sky at sunset.

Our campfire beside the lake!

Carnarvan Gorge National Park – Queensland 22-07-11

Carnarvan Gorge – traditional land of the Bidjara people and Karingbal people who lived here for at least 19,000 years

Fan palm

Cycad (Macrozamia moorei) – many here are over a thousand years old.

Glorious Winter wattle!

Typical track in the Gorge Cycads, tall fan palms, native pines and giant Casaurinas – She oaks!

King Ferns

Eco – loo!

Fan palm and opening in rock face caused by water over thousands of years.

Tannum Sands near Gladstone Queensland 18-07-11

Sonja’s salad with fetta cheese, served with olive sourdough

My jars of salted bush lemons – two recipes. Jars in the foreground have bay leaf, peppercorns, and a cinnamon quill.

Bougainvillea -Sonja’s sunny flat in the background

Tannum Sands beach one evening.

Mollusc tracks in the sand!

There is art in recycling machine parts

Isla Gorge National Park – Queensland 17-07-11

Open eucalypt forests, grass trees, softwood scrubs, boronias and patches of dry rainforest with distinctive bottle trees are the main vegetation types in the park. The park is home to many rare and threatened plants including Eucalyptus beaniana, an ironbark found west of the lookout and Eucalyptus curtisii, a mallee. The plateau has brilliant wildflower displays in spring! so we were not so lucky.

Grass trees after recent bush fire along the ride of Isla Gorge that fortunately left the gorge unscathed.

Soot laden grass tree silhouette.

Overlooking Isla Gorge

Grevillea longistyla

Winter flowering wattle - (Acacia neriifolia)

View across Isla Gorge

Late afternoon sky