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Conifers and eucalypts both tend to be domineering – they are particularly adept at excluding other kinds of trees.
In the Flinders Ranges, however, one sometimes sees “pines” and “gum trees” thriving, surprisingly near to each other.
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At 8.56 am we were just beginning to walk away from Wilpena Creek, and uphill, towards the “lip” of the actual Wilpena Pound.
As is true of many Eucalyptus species, river red gums are forever-engaged in a cycle of growing and shedding their bark and leaves.
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Clearly evident: this tree is no youngster, it has not merely seen fire and rain, and is still alive, probably some centuries on from the relevant seed’s germination.
Commonly known as the river red gum, Eucalyptus camaldulensis is the most widely-distributed of any eucalyptus species; it is almost-proverbially hardy/“enduring”.
River red gums are the “gum tree” best-beloved by Australian members of Homo sapiens.
In 21st century Australia, this “iconic” species is in big trouble.
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Shortly before we forsook Wilpena Creek, and started to walk uphill (and thence into Wilpena Pound) we encountered the pictured, “permanent” waterhole.
Such places are particularly precious in regions where creeks variously rise, rage, flood, trickle, then cease to flow at all – visibly, at least – for unpredictable periods, sometimes many months…
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This post’s photo was taken just three minutes after the second one in this series’ first post.
By 8.24 am, the ridge tops above Wilpena Creek were no longer mist-shrouded.
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All photos in this series were taken on 05 June 2023.
All locations were within a morning loop-walking distance of Wilpena Resort, or a deal less than one hour’s driving distance from Wilpena Pound.
The Flinders Ranges region is a unique and beautiful part of Australia.
Winter is the best time to go there, and most of it is less than a full day’s drive away from Adelaide.
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The “14B” image involved the same telephoto lens as did “14A”.
Here, however the focal point is very much closer – water’s edge, just in front of me.
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Sometimes, when revisiting a long-favourite place, I intentionally limit my photographic options.
90 kilometres south of Adelaide, Second Valley is one such place – a geologically extraordinary and very beautiful coastal location on the eastern edge of the Fleurieu Peninsula.
If you have never been there, I suggest you now have a look at this December 2017 post; it will – virtually, at least – give you a “good look around”, and convey a sense of how some aspects of Second Valley are very old, whilst others are surprisingly young.
On the first day of April 2022, I opted to use a long telephoto lens, only.
Accordingly, even this post’s “landscape view” embraces just a very small portion of what a pair of naked human eyes would see when gazing at Second Valley’s sea cliffs.
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The previous post’s image was a wide-angle view of Aldinga Beach, taken from the beach itself, looking south, shortly before sunset on 20 January 2023.
This post’s “much closer view” was taken at 7. 51 pm on 21 January 2023.
I was standing on a stairway, above the beach, looking down and east, through a much longer (200 mm) lens.
The wind was more vigorous than it had been at the same hour on the previous day.
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Most of the time, the drive south from Adelaide to Aldinga takes one hour or a little less than that.
Aldinga’s coast is a lovely combination of firm sand, safe swimming, inviting coastal reefs (upon which one can walk at low tide) and big vistas of sea, sky, and obviously-ancient hills.
Aldinga also offers interesting bush, and very easy access to the rest of the Fleurieu Peninsula’s many delights.
We have based ourselves there many times, and have often walked along the pictured beach.
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