Had the good fortune to go visit friends and family in Victoria, Australia over Christmas. I'll get the fish part out of the way first, given it didn't play much of a role in the fun. These guys were seen in Darby river, a tannin stained body of water that flows out of a low marsh on Wilson's prom. I think they may be whiting or perhaps a mullet. Wading through that tea colored water was as close to fishing as I got. It wasn't that I didn't want to fish, it was more there was a lot to see and do with family and old friends that I was looking forward to.
Anyway, Wilsons Prom is one of Australias premier national parks, it's a peninsula that juts out into Bass Strait, and hosts the furthest south Mainland site of Australia. It's well protected from invasive species, and has only one road in and out of it and most of it is wilderness.
Here's how the Darby drains to the sea:
and a view up into the ranges of the Promontory:
The whole place has a kind of Jurassic Park vibe, for instance, on the first day there we saw this:
a mob of emus. The dad typically raises the young for the first two years, these guys are about 1.5 years old or so the ranger said.
It's granite country:
My brother and son and I did a walk up a mountain through these kinds of boulders:
And we later did a boat tour and saw these kinds:
That lighthouse is basically the warning for the tip of the Cape there, the southern most part of the mainland.
These gaps are wind cut.
Fur seals were climbing way up in case the swells were too high
Backside cliff on Skull rock
Frontside has an enormous grassy cavern inside
Saw a white bellied sea eagle on this boat trip. Saw no osprey, which surprised me, looks like their southern range did not include the Prom.
Saw lots of fun birds
Australian Gannet-
Black cockatoo-
Corellas, the town of Fish Creek was basically taken over by these guys, a cacophony of calls and groans in the town park. While I was shooting these photos there was a koala in one of the trees, he was pretty well hidden, so no good photo of that guy.
Australian Raven, note the white iris
Hooded plover
Butcher bird
Anyway, Wilsons Prom is one of Australias premier national parks, it's a peninsula that juts out into Bass Strait, and hosts the furthest south Mainland site of Australia. It's well protected from invasive species, and has only one road in and out of it and most of it is wilderness.
Here's how the Darby drains to the sea:
and a view up into the ranges of the Promontory:
The whole place has a kind of Jurassic Park vibe, for instance, on the first day there we saw this:
a mob of emus. The dad typically raises the young for the first two years, these guys are about 1.5 years old or so the ranger said.
It's granite country:
My brother and son and I did a walk up a mountain through these kinds of boulders:
And we later did a boat tour and saw these kinds:
That lighthouse is basically the warning for the tip of the Cape there, the southern most part of the mainland.
These gaps are wind cut.
Fur seals were climbing way up in case the swells were too high
Backside cliff on Skull rock
Frontside has an enormous grassy cavern inside
Saw a white bellied sea eagle on this boat trip. Saw no osprey, which surprised me, looks like their southern range did not include the Prom.
Saw lots of fun birds
Australian Gannet-
Black cockatoo-
Corellas, the town of Fish Creek was basically taken over by these guys, a cacophony of calls and groans in the town park. While I was shooting these photos there was a koala in one of the trees, he was pretty well hidden, so no good photo of that guy.
Australian Raven, note the white iris
Hooded plover
Butcher bird
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