Tasmania

What can I say.  Every time I visit Tassie, I find more wonderful places to visit.  It is a spectacular landscape.

Kerry came to meet me in Devonport and one of our first stops was Penguin.  We didn't get to spend too much time there as it was blowing a gale and very cold.     Summer????

Next stop Sisters Beach.  Very pretty. We found a camp spot right by the beach.

Just inland from Sisters Beach the scenery evolves in to beautiful rolling green hillsides

Then on to Corinna, which had some magical scenery alongside the Pieman River.  We found the campsite there rather expensive but they directed us to a free campsite just a couple of km away.

Black fungi

There were lots of these little mud 'chimneys' on the rainforest floor.  They are the homes of burrowing crayfish who spend most of their lives in their underground burrows.

More beautiful fungi

Walking in the rainforest. Magical

The barge crossing from Corinna over the Pieman River was essential to avoid a much longer drive around, as we headed south towards Strahan.

There had been recent bushfires in between Corinna and Zeehan.  On one side of the road it was burnt out as far as the eye could see.

Next stop was Strahan.  A great place to spend a few days.  The highlight was a trip up the Gordon River in to wilderness country.  The reflections in the water were stunning.  And the boat switched to electric power once we were in this river area, so we travelled silently through the landscape.

Views along the Gordon River from the boat

Leaving Strahan we drove through the mining town of Queenstown, then in to the central highlands

More beautiful scenery in the highlands

Such unique trees in Tassie

And finally back in South Arm where Kerry lives, where there are a number of beautiful beaches and walks right on her doorstep.

I am looking forward to my next visit to Tassie and exploring more of her beauty.

The Great Ocean Road, Victoria

I hadn't driven along the Great Ocean Road since the early 1980's.  The scenery is spectacular and it was wonderful to re-visit the area.  From cliff tops and amazing rock formations, to forest, to seaside towns.  There was so much variety.

The remaining apostles

London Bridge has fallen down.  It used to span these 2 rock formations.  The tourist signs however still point to London Bridge, and most tourists are probably none the wiser.

A sheltered bay with a narrow opening to the ocean.  This is Loch Ard gorge, when the only 2 survivors of a shipwreck struggled ashore.  Having safely sailed all the way from England, the ship was one day out of Melbourne when it ran aground on this rocky coastline in foggy conditions.

Not such a good view of koalas as you would get in a zoo, but it is so much more rewarding to see them in their natural habitat

Erskine Falls.  A long climb down many steps to the bottom,and an even longer climb back up, but worth the effort

A lovely view across the river from the camp site Apollo Bay.

Apollo Bay townsite.  A very cute little seaside town.

Just outside Lorne, in the hills, there was a little restaurant called QDos.  They had an art gallery with a display of one person's paintings - all faces made of flowers.  These were two of my favourites

Happy Wanderings back in Oz

After only a few months back in Perth, it was time to load up the van and head off again.
First stop Esperance, spending a few nights there in the National Park at Lucky Bay, where the roos visit the beach.
Miles of white sand, so fine that it squeaks. And the sea is an amazing turquoise colour.

There were beautiful walks along the cliff and the bright orange WA Christmas Trees were a blaze of colour

An unusual sight near Esperance is the perfectly formed life-sized Stonehenge

Having crossed the Nullabor, next stop was Streaky Bay. and the caravan site right on the beach.  These happy campers had the right idea, as did the pelicans

I wasn't sure what to expect of Coffin Bay - the name wasn't really inspiring, but the camp site in the National Park was.  Emus and kangaroos wandered through, and the casuarinas against the blue skies were magic






Pt Labatt in SA has a permanent sealion colony and you can see why. They have high cliffs behind and the ocean in front, with a large sweep of rocks and rock pools to bask on.  It was a wonderful sight

Inland to the Murray River and the magnificent river gums

Caravan Park with a sea view at Robe SA

A friendly local at Port Fairy

Next stop, The Great Ocean Road, which deserves a page to itself.  to be continued...........

AMAZING MOROCCO

Morocco was so much more than I expected.  I certainly hadn't expected to fall in love with the place.   I came to dance at La Maison Anglaise in Taroudant, because I could combine it with a visit to my cousin Sue who lives by the sea in Agadir.

The varieties of dates and spices in the souks were amazing.

The week of circle dancing just flew by.  We danced on the roof terrace each morning before breakfast. and again after dinner.  We visited the local hammam, where we were washed and scrubbed clean.  The locals go there once a week and it is a very social place.  We also had some very interesting cultural experiences up in the High Atlas Mountains.

Sunrise by the mosque, view from the roof terrace as we started dancing at 7.45am

Dancing on the roof terrace overlooking the town

More dancing on the roof terrace after dinner as the sun sets over the mountains

The Women's Berber Band came to entertain us one evening with their very loud percussion playing and crazy rhythms.  It was great fun and they got us up to dance with them.

More delights in the souk

The food at La Maison Anglaise, as everywhere else, was delicious

Anyone for a gorgeous lamp.  Morocco is a place to come with a full wallet and an empty suitcase

 

Visiting the Berber villages up in the High Atlas Mountains was like stepping back 100 years, apart from the fact that many people now have electricity.  The women spend their spare time cracking argan nuts to earn a little money.  The nuts are then processed in co-operatives to produce argan oil, very good for skin, hair, cooking.  Nothing goes to waste.  The outer husks are fed to the animals.  The hard inner husks are used for fuel.

Village street in the High Atlas Mountains

The original houses here are made of rammed earth, which keeps the inside warm in winter and cool in summer.  There were extensive floods in the area a few years ago with many houses badly damaged.  Repairs have been made using concrete blocks.  Although these give added strength, the insulation is very poor.

We went for a 4km walk in the High Atlas Mountains.  I was fascinated by the aquaduct that the local villagers had built, half way up the cliff, to share water between villages. There are some springs in the area, but the annual rainfall has fallen to around 150mm per annum.

Irrigated fields with the mountains in the background.  We saw pumpkin, maize, lucerne and tomatoes growing.  The work is done by hand, or with the help of animals. Crops are fertilized with animal manure.  The government gives subsidies to put in trickle irrigation, saving water instead of using flood irrigation.

Prickly pears grow very well and are seen for sale on the market stalls

Goats love the argan trees, but over-grazing has destroyed much of the argan forest.  The goatherds allow the goats to graze the trees as there is not much else for them to eat in many areas.

I had a day trip to Marrakech, which wasn't nearly enough to see all the sights.  But I got a taste and would love to come back and see and learn more.  These wonderful mosaics and carved stone were in one of the minor palaces.

More mosaic work and stained glass in Marrakech

My last week in Morocoo was spent in Agadir, staying with my cousin and her little dog Bertie.  We had long walks on the beach every morning.  The temperature was just perfect, and a pleasant relief from inland where it had been very hot

I will be sorry to leave Morocco and hope to come back to see more some day.