Ok, there's this post and only one more and then I'll be back to my normal self. You'll get to listen in on some fantastic conversations betwixt YT and WP, you'll see some pics of wild emus, wild kangaroos, wild koalas (one of the lazy bastards may even actually MOVE!!!), and you'll get to be introduced to the latest parrot to make it's presence known in our backyard.
How's that for a taser --ZAP! Oops, sorry, I meant teaser.
When you last traveled with WP and YT, you had just left Salt Creek (Southern Gateway to The Coorong) and were heading towards Meningie.
Meningie? Did you know that in the local native regional dialect, the word Meningie means mud? Well, now you do. Meningie is about the only rural, country town I've been to in Oz that I didn't care for. Why not? Gonna make you wait a bit as we've got some travlin' to do!
Here's the dry, sterile, no-fun-at-all, map of this arm of the trip:
Shall we have a wee bit o' fun with the crayons? Yes, I heard all the pre-schoolers out in the vast interweb answer a resounding YOU BETCHA!
Ahhhhhh, much betta. Now y'all can really see what's goin' on.
When you look at this pic, just imagine that instead of sand on the other side of the water you are seeing snow and ice as you look out across a fiord to the Harding Icefield. Personally, I'll take the warm sand...
Betchyall dint no I gots meself a job paintin' straite lines
Hey look! Mudflats overlooking the entrance to Turnagain Arm!
I'm just kidding, of course. The water is slightly warmer than Cook Inlet --trust me, I've been in both.
Look! More mudflats!
See that island out there? That's one of the protected pelican breeding islands.
Of course, this means we are at Pelican Point. Sorry, no pics of the pelicans as neither of our cameras could make out a damned thing --with the notable exception of little white flecks which could just possibly be pelicans.
This is not just a tidal pool on the beach, this is the precursor to the Coorong Cave System which I'll be mapping 25 million years from now.
How there are any doubts (young Earthers?) as to how these caves formed is totally beyond me.
This bloke has a great house
And a great driveway
Before I get to babbling more about how you can take week-long camel tours through the Coorong, I'd thought I toss a few more pics up so I don't have to write for a bit.
Hey, lookie! More pelicans!
At least I'm assuming that's what those little white dots on the island are.
I decided to be nice and water the bushes...
See them thar snow-capped mountains?
Well, that's really sand and you are looking at a picture of Younghusband Penninsula. Don't ask me where the name came from cus I donts ka-no.
Ok, camel tours through The Coorong! Wee-hooie! Don't it sound fun? I've ridden on camels down here, BTW. Much more comfy than a horse, that's for sure. Did you know there are more wild camels in Oz than there are in the Middle East? I'm sure it's true as WP read it somewhere when she first arrived here way back in the Dark Ages.
But why is that? It has to do with The Ghan. That's a railway heading north from Adelaide up to the top of the NT. Built by Afghans. They brought camels. Camels took a great liking to Oz --kinda like some Alaskan bloke, eh?
A good friend of ours went on one of the 5 day camel tours along The Coorong when she was visiting one time.
You can read about it (and see pics):
First part is here.
There's this next bit also.
Too here for the 3rd arm or leg, also.
And the last part is here also. Too.
Word salad is an art form and my padawan la'rner --the illustrious Guv of a certain US State-- is rapidly becoming and looking to being rather curiously adept at it.
I now want you to scroll back up and have a squizz at the maps. Notice there's a promitory that divides the north and south sections of The Coorong. Right opposite that little spit of land is 20 acres for sale... Ahhhhhhh...
But of course the nearest town would be Meningie and we certainly wouldn't want that!
Meningie is the first country town in Oz that I haven't liked. It seemed very sterile. There were also notices along the beach about all the do's and don't's. The multiple signs were all full on don'ts and no do's. Them nice folks from Naracoorte who went to the Lucindale show and took their horsies down to the beach at Kingston SE. Nope. Can't do that in Meningie.
I'd probably get flogged for spitting on the pier.
Here's the first thing you see when you arrive at Meningie from the south:
Inviting, eh?
Nice ramp, eh?
Oh look! There's a sign next to the pier.
Let's find out what it says, shall we?
Well, DUH!
There is supposed to be a place where you can rent a windsurfer and play around in Lake Albert. Couldn't find it. And the wind wasn't blowing either. Bummer.
There's one last post about the return journey. You get to see a huge flock of long-billed corella cockatoos, complete with video and SOUND. You also get a video of the ferry crossing!
Aren't you excited?
Perhaps pictures of a fresco mural on an outhouse in Strath would tittalate your senses or sensibilities?
Stay tuned.
1 comment:
one thing i know...when i win the lottery and high tail it to australia, you definately know the places to see! Those pictures are beautiful!!!!
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