My Region of Australia – for Katey from Techie Kids

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Dear Katey,

As promised, here is a post showing some of the things to see in my region. My town is on the southern coast of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Our shire has a history in dairy farming, gold mining, fishing, whaling and tourism. Gold mining and whaling are now part of history. Some people still use metal detectors to try to find gold in the hills and the only whaling is whale watching where tourists see the annual whale migrations along our coast. Dairy farming, fishing and tourism are important parts of our region's economy.

It was back in 1847 the first of my family migrated from Scotland to the Bega Valley. They established their farm in the 1850s. This means my mother's side of the family is one of the oldest families in our shire. A cousin still runs a dairy farm, his milk going into the making of Bega Cheese, naturally a favourite of mine. With my family's history, I thought I'd start with some photos of the old family dairy farm.

On the Dairy Farm

When the weather has been kind, the farm is a mass of green but drought can turn this scene brown.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Bega, N.S.W., Australia

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Bega, N.S.W., Australia

This is an aerial view I took from a plane. From the coast, across Wallagoot Lake and to the mountains on the horizon is much of my shire. The farm is on the far right towards the distant mountains.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Bournda National Park, N.S.W., Australia

In My Town

We have two main beaches in my town. This is the longer one to the south. It is known as Pambula Beach. It stretches to the town of Pambula. The photo was taken along a coastal walking track in town.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Merimbula, N.S.W., Australia

A view from the same track across the lake to my town, Merimbula.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Merimbula, N.S.W., Australia

Surfing and other beach sports are popular.

Β These photos were taken at our annual surf competition, the Merimbula Classic.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Merimbula, N.S.W., Australia

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Merimbula, N.S.W., Australia

In The Bega Valley Shire

We have the latest ships come to our shire's harbour in Eden, Twofold Bay.

This really is the replica ship, HMB Endeavour. It was modelled on the Endeavour sailed by Captain James Cook in 1769 till he was killed in Hawaii in 1779. For more about the HMB visit to my area, here is the link to a post on another of my blogs...

HMB Endeavour at Eden – May, 2012

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Eden, N.S.W., Australia

There are historic, picturesque towns popular with tourists. This is Tilba.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Tilba, N.S.W., Australia

There's even an annual jazz festival.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Merimbula, N.S.W., Australia

National Parks with coastal walks - This is in Bournda National Park

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Bournda National Park, N.S.W., Australia

And just in case this is all boring, here are some more animal photos some of which I have not before shared.

This is a white-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) seen along our coast.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Bournda National Park, N.S.W., Australia

Swamp WallabyΒ (Wallabia bicolor) . A marsupial. This little girl was orphaned and lives in an animal sanctuary.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Potoroo Palace, N.S.W., Australia

Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) A marsupial

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Potoroo Palace, N.S.W., Australia

Laughing KookaburraΒ  (Dacelo novaeguineae). Click on the link and you will see the Wikipedia page. On the right is a picture and information about the laughing kookaburra. Below that is an audio file. Click to play and you will hear the kookaburra's call. I sometimes wake to hear them in the park near my home.
This photo was only taken a day ago when one landed on my TV aerial.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Merimbula, N.S.W., Australia

Soldier Crab (Mictyris longicarpus) When conditions are right for them, they can emerge in hundreds or thousands at low tide. The "army" of crabs wander across the sand feeding.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Merimbula, N.S.W., Australia

Sea Urchin (I'm not sure which species)

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Eden, N.S.W., Australia

You said you like dogs...

Each year, one of our local country shows has a wall climbing event for dogs. There prize is a large bag of dog food. The first two photos is of an eventual winner of the large dog section by clearing a higher wall.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Pambula, N.S.W., Australia

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Pambula, N.S.W., Australia

The last is an entrant in the small dog challenge... not quite a champion wall climber but a good try. πŸ™‚

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Pambula, N.S.W., Australia

10 thoughts on “My Region of Australia – for Katey from Techie Kids

  1. Katey

    Dear Mr. Mannell,

    Wow! Australia looks like an awesome place to live! All of the pictures are amazing. I would love to be at beach right now. One day I would like to visit your town. It looks like there is something to do everyday! It seems like you will never get bored.

    One of my favorite pictures was the marsupial. It is so cute! I also, of course, loved the dogs! Thanks again for the comment. I really enjoyed it! πŸ™‚ I’ll make sure to look at your blog for more blogging opportunities.

    From,
    Katey
    Techie Kids

    Reply
    1. rossmannell

      Post author

      Dear Katey,

      One of the advantages of living in an area is being able to photograph it in the best light. The beach photos were taken on clear summer days.

      Being an island continent, our entire country is surrounded by the sea. We can only drive around our own country and not across the border into another whereas you can drive to Canada or to Mexico and South America. I know many Aussies would love to be able to do that.

      I know the U.S. has the opossum as its marsupial but it seems Australia has a much bigger share of these pouched animals. I know I often surprise them when out walking.

      We once had an animal known as the thylacine or Tasmanian tiger living in Tasmania. It looked much like a dog but the females, like all marsupials, had a pouch. Wrongly accused of being a stock killer, they were hunted to extinction. It is sad how many of our animal species have disappeared since the first colonists appeared here and brought in cats and foxes.

      Here is a Wikipedia link so you can see what a thylacine looked like…
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacine

      Of interest, some still believe there might be thylacines living in the more rugged areas of Tasmania. None have been found but it would be wonderful if they have survived.

      @RossMannell

      Reply
  2. Katey

    Dear Mr. Mannell,

    Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to all of these comments. It’s very appreciated!

    The pictures are beautiful! It definetly is an advantage to live in the area that you live in. You should be a photographer! πŸ™‚ Is it sunny for most of the year in Australia? How is the weather? Have you ever visited the United States?

    That is sad to here that the thylacine was hunted to extinction. What are some of the other animals that have been extint? Sorry for all the questions! πŸ™‚

    Australia sounds like an amazing place to live. Maybe when I’m older I’ll visit there one day! Thanks again for your comment!

    From,
    Katey
    Techie Kids

    Reply
    1. rossmannell

      Post author

      Dear Katey,

      Photography, filming, DVD and CD production and a number of other things are hobbies of mine. I do them for fun but don’t make any money from them. You will see on my blogs I add messages to my photos and graphics saying students have permission to use them. I enjoy sharing. πŸ™‚

      Yesterday temperatures in my town reached 30C (86F). It was sunny with clear blue skies. Today the temperature had dropped to 25C (77F) and it was overcast. We are entering Autumn (Fall) here so our days are will soon be shorter than our night and temperatures will drop. I haven’t known it to snow here in winter but the mountains less than an hour’s drive from here can have snow.

      In a way I have been to the United States but only the 50th state when I travelled to Hawaii. I have been as far east as Hawaii and as far west as England, Scotland and Wales but I haven’t yet been able to reach U.S.A. and Canada.

      Australia has a sad record of extinction. Since Europeans first colonised the land, clearing of habitat and the introduction of cats and foxes have caused great problems. I’ve added you question about extinct species to a list I keep so you might receive more information within a week. I have a queue of blogs awaiting visits. πŸ™‚

      @RossMannell

      Reply
      1. Katey

        Dear Mr. Mannell,

        You are an amazing photographer! Thanks for sharing all of the photos you did.

        Wow! 86 degrees! In Michigan, it is 25F. This is too cold for me. You should visit the United States more, when you can. It’s really cool that you visited all those places in Europe! I wish I could visit all those places one day!

        Right now at my school I’m in computer class, next week I will be in art class. We switch off every quarter. We are entering the fourth quarter in a couple of days! School is almost coming to an end. I am very excited! I can’t wait for the weather to get warmer! πŸ™‚

        This will be one of my last times blogging before I switch classes. My other class will start blogging next week. I will try to keep up the blogging at home when I can. Thanks for all cool photos you shared with me! It’s really appreciated! πŸ™‚

        From,
        Katey
        Techie Kids

        Reply
        1. rossmannell

          Post author

          Dear Katey,

          I’m glad you have enjoyed the photos. I enjoy sharing them almost as much as taking them.

          Here in Australia, students are approaching the end of only their first quarter of the school year. Like you, our school year ends in summer but that isn’t until December here. πŸ™‚

          @RossMannell

          Reply
    2. rossmannell

      Post author

      Dear Katey,

      I haven’t forgotten your question about other extinctions and hope to prepare a post shortly even though I know your computer time is ending. Perhaps you will have a chance to see it through friends or home. πŸ™‚

      As you might suspect, I spend a large amount of time on blogs and commenting.

      @RossMannell

      Reply
  3. Katey

    Dear Mr. Mannell,

    I’m very excited to see the new post that you are making about other extinctions in Australia, even though it is sad. I will make sure I keep checking daily to see if I can find it! Thanks again! πŸ™‚

    From,
    Katey
    Techie Kids

    Reply
    1. rossmannell

      Post author

      Dear Katey,

      The post on extinct and endangered species is being written at this time. It can take a little times to get the graphics and links together. Sometimes I have to draw new pictures for posts such as the Tasmanian devil I prepared for another post and again will be using in your post. I hope to finish you post within a day or two. πŸ™‚

      @RossMannell

      Reply

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