western plains zoo

We felt like kids in a zoo...

...but we were in a zoo.

Echidna spikes

This eland was standing in a pool of blood, which was dripping down from its horn. The vet told us that the horn was probably broken off in the fence, since the eland is normally a passive animal. The other animals in the herd were initially trying to chase it away because predators would be more likely to attack when there was an injured animal in the group. The horn eventually stopped bleeding, so no treatment was needed.

Siamang monkeys have a very impressive song to mark their territory.

dubbo

I spent the first ten years of my life at Dubbo, and I had not been back for 15 years. My memories of this town are dominated by riding bikes, open spaces, great friends and sport. It was a great place to grow up.

I was very exciting to be back again. Initially, I didn't recognise anything as we drove into town. As we passed the pool where I learnt to swim and the tennis courts where I first hit a ball, my jigsaw memory started to assemble a picture. The streets and buildings were very familiar, just the signs were different. My memory was kickstarted by the autumn colours and the dusty earth smell.

The street I lived in was exactly as I remember, and the friendly owners let me look through my old house. The interior was mostly unchanged, it was just a lot smaller than what I expected.

Gaj

The house I grew up in

The milk bar where I bought chewing gum and cricket cards after school every day.

Even my preschool was the same!

carnarvon gorge

We set off early because we knew we had a big hike ahead of us - I didn't expect it to be 23km, but we made it to the end of the gorge and back. Carnarvon is magnificent. The variety of flora and fauna which is mixed in with creeks and towering cliffs is overwhelming. My camera felt completely inadequate to capture what we were hiking through. The kookaburras greeted us with laughter as we stretched our aching muscles the next day.

A boulder had fallen against this tree, so the tree was gradually growing around it.

I kept slipping down this embankment, trying to get a good photo - hence the worried expression.

"Big Bend" is at the far end of the gorge. The little red speck at the bottom is Claire.

There is extensive Aboriginal art throughout the gorge. These paintings are 4500 years old.