Brumbies, Jabirus and Waterfalls

Middle Rock Lake Cathie

Last day of Winter here in Australia and another wonderful sunrise this morning on the Mid North Coast of NSW.

The swell has dropped off a little but there was still a few blokes out making the most of what was to offer.

After sunrise I did my normal rounds to my favourite spots with the hope of capturing some wildlife.

Word is that a Jabiru had been seen and also a pair of Black Swans with five signets in tow.

The wildflowers are starting to bloom throughout the coastal heathland and with a little more warmth the grasses will recover on the recently submerged islands and banks throughout the lake system.The grasses are a main food source for the Eastern Grey Kangaroo and the Feral Deer who have established in the area.
The Roos and the Deer get along quite well, often seen grazing together.


Lake Cathie is a popular destination for tourists and adventurers travelling around Australia. I cant say I see a lot of fish being caught but the locals seem to know whats going on.

Click on images for full page view.

 

This visitor certainly had the gear to catch fish.

Early surfers at Middle Rock

 

Whats all this got to do with Brumbies and Waterfalls?

 

Well I had often thought how great it would be to photograph wild Brumbies in The Snowy Mountains. During a couple of days away with my daughter we went horseriding at Vallery Trails near Bellingen.
 

Well having only ever been on a horse once before this was quite an experience for me and my not so nimble bones. Everything went quite well until my trusty steed sensed he was nearly home and went into a gallop. Well the old crown jewels copped a caning and according to my three female companions the look on my face said it all. If that wasnt enough when we arrived back I was given instructions on how to vacate my ride and with the knowledge of an expert I lept. After two hours in the saddle I was legless when I hit the ground and went "Ar.. over T.." There was pursuing laughter by my audience!!

Talking with my youthfull guide, she informed me that her own horse was a Brumby, and that there are wild Brumbies in the Guy Fawkes River National Park inland from Bellingen. With that in mind I later researched online and found an Open Day was to be held by "Save the Brumbies" at a sanctuary near Guyra on The New England Tablelands. In the early hours one Sunday Morning of November 2011, I left for Guyra and the following YouTube Slideshow is a record of that memorable trip. The previous week there had been flooding rains on both the coast and on the tablelands, and the decision to go was clear skies at 4.00am that morning. My first stop was Long Flat at sunrise followed by Apsley Falls near Walcha. As you will see the falls were raging and sunrise was breathtaking.

Best viewed in HD

 

 

Here is the link to "Save the Brumbies" where you will find comprehensive information about Australias Heritage Horses and the Guy Fawkes Brumbies. http://www.savethebrumbies.org/

An article I wrote on the Brumbies and was published in New England Focus Magazine. http://focusmag.com.au/ne/featured/save-the-brumbies

 

My SLR camera tip for the day is when photographing in Manual adjust your speed setting low for low light and high for bright light.Try Spot Metering for backlit subjects and Experiment.

 

Fair Dinkum!!



 











Lake Cathie a Village Surrounded by Nature

 

I would like to acknowledge the Biripi, the traditional owners of this land past and present.

 

Lake Cathie is a small coastal village located about 20km's south of Port Macquarie NSW Australia.

 

I have lived here in the Hastings Valley for over 30 years now and for approximately the last 18 years in Lake Cathie. (Pronounced Cat Eye). Stories say that when the original European settlers travelled from Lake Innes down to Lake Cathie they would often see the local aboriginal people peering from behind bushes and it reminded the immigrants of cat eyes. 

 

Later on during the 1930's the European landholders at Lake Innes thought they would be clever by digging a channel between Lake Innes and Lake Cathie, thereby draining the first lake and gaining more farmland. The result was that Lake Innes became tidal and brackish with saltwater.

 

At this stage Lake Innes was the largest freshwater lake in coastal NSW and was home to an abundance of freshwater species both flora and fauna.It is said it was covered in water lily.

 

Several years ago National Parks and Wildlife commissioned a report by company "Umwelt" to look at the feasibility of reverting Lake Innes back to freshwater. The report clearly outlined that it was indeed possible and that it would also benefit the water flows in Lake Cathie.

 

Lake Cathie beachfront has in recent years been subject to coastal erosion, and more recently at the forefront of local council issues due to restrictions placed on property owners.

Perhaps the improved water flows in Lake Cathie from the reversion of Lake Innes would assist with  sand leaving the estuary and being redeposited on the beach.

 

I have put a collection of my favourite images I have taken of Lake Cathie over the last five years in the following YouTube video. Best viewed in High Definition.



  

 

This morning started out pretty bleak with the chance of rain as can be seen in the following image.

 

 

By 9.00am the sun was out along with the wildlife as seen in the following image.

 

 

 

 

My SLR camera tip for today is study your camera manual. 

 

Fair Dinkum!!

 

 

 

 

Out on the Balcony

Well I was out on the balcony thinkin' and I forgot to mention yesterday that I am also a bit of a historian after doing quite a bit of family research.That brings me to the words "Fair Dinkum" and their origins. These aussie slang words are still used frequently, and now seen as a way of saying my response is honest or true.
A little online research shows that "Fair Dinkum" in England may have meant something like "a fair pay for a good day's work", however the one I like most is from the Australian Goldfields during the mid 1850's.
It is said that the Chinese words "din" and "kum" were used by Chinese prospectors on the goldfields and "din-gum" was the response for "GOOD GOLD".



This is my G Grandfather Alexander and his wife Eleanor.

He was born in the goldfields of Victoria where his father Jacob had migrated from Ontario in Canada.

 

Jacob developed a lung disorder, as did many other goldminers, and died quite young leaving his wife, Alexander and other siblings to fend for themselves.

They moved to Braidwood on the south coast of NSW where gold was also discovered and later Alexander and Eleanor moved to Homebush in Sydney.

Alexander was a drover and when Eleanor died quite young, their children were placed with other relatives and in institutions while Alexander was away for 12 months at a time droving.

 

Homebush (home bush) as the name implies, was where drovers and stockmen brought the livestock to markets from all over Australia.

 

 

Most mornings my first stop is out on the balcony with a cup of coffee and the odd durry. Here I decide whether to venture out or just view the world without too much effort.

 

Sunrise at Lake Cathie today.

I did take it from down the road a little after searching for a new location angle and view.

 

 

 

 

 

Back on the balcony (the surf looked magic again today) I noticed a surfer getting some pretty nice barrels out front.

 

Closer inspection of this image showed that it was Bonny Hills local Darren O'Rafferty doing what he does best!!

 

 

 

This little fella is a "Spangled Drongo" who migrates here during winter from New Guinea and far North Queensland.

They are called a Drongo because they migrate south for the winter. This year they have kept us entertained with their mimicking calls and aggressiveness towards each other.

There is about 15 Drongo's in this flock and this one visits the balcony regularly.




Another view of todays Sunrise at
Lake Cathie.
Coastal Banksia in foreground.

 

My SLR Camera tip for the day is experiment with new settings. Fair Dinkum!!

 

Havn't had time to scratch myself !!!

Welcome to my new daily blog with some news and stories from the mid north coast of NSW Australia.

Most days of the week I'm out and about with my camera capturing anything and everything from people to wildlife, sunrises to surfing and the odd event.

Anyhow hope you enjoy and I will look forward to any comments.



Its been a couple of busy weeks here on the Port Macquarie Coast with the Australian Surf
Festival being held at the best of our local breaks from Town Beach to Diamond Head. The image top left is from the Australian Longboard Titles and captured during big swell conditions at Shelly's Beach.


Lake Cathie, just a stones throw south of Port Macquarie, reached a level of 1.6 metres last week, the trigger for the Port Macquarie Hastings Council to open the lake to the Pacific Ocean.

Naturally it is a periodically opening lake, but due to council infastructures and housing developments (mistakes of the past) it must be now opened at a level of 1.6m to prevent damage from flooding.

The lake only takes a couple of days to drain and become tidal. In the process the movement of  sand out to the beach creates some great waves.

The image to the left was taken a few days after the lake was opened last week. My son and best mate Joel (pictured) was one of the first out to get a few barrels in the glassy conditions.

The weather has been warming a little over the last week and Spring is only a couple of days away now.

Maybe my bones are just getting a little old but I reckon that was a pretty cold winter.

Anyhow I'm pretty happy now cause I can get down the beach early and capture some bonza sunrises like this one this morning.

 My SLR camera tip for today is use RAW.                  Fair Dinkum !!