Robert's Ramblings

As we came up out of another creek crossing, Trevor with his eagle eye spotted this ancient eye staring back at us from atop a large flat rock.

The heat from the day radiating back out from the rock slab would make this a cosy Bearded Dragon resting place for a few hours yet.

This thorny scaled reptile might not be as old as any of us but in this ancient arid landscape it certainly looks the part inheriting its DNA from a time when dragons ruled all.

#Pogonavitticeps #beardeddragon #dragon #reptile #lizard #outback #southaustralia

Tucked in behind the Torrens Island Power Station with its two huge chimneys is a tiny new power station called the Barker Inlet Power Station.

At a glance you’d think it was part of the larger power station infrastructure but note the two brightly yellow lit stacks over to the right with their 6 stainless steel exhausts each and you realise that it’s an entirely different station.

For the geeks, the Barker Inlet Power Station’s 210MW capacity is powered by 12 Wartsila 50DF reciprocating engines. These reciprocating engines can seamlessly change between natural gas and fuel oils at full load and are significantly more efficient and versatile than the ageing gas turbines being decommissioned nearby.

This power play will take some time but I think we will eventually see the end of those iconic Torrens Island chimneys as South Australia moves toward renewables augmented with highly demand responsive generation plant like the Barker Inlet Power Station.

#Barkerinlet #powerstation #torrensisland #powerstation #gardenisland #SouthAustralia #sunset #goldenhour #clouds #twilight

I was originally photographing a gorgeous Outer Harbour sunset when I happened to looked behind and saw this.

#Cosco #shipping #outerharbour #southaustralia #aerial #drone #goldenhour #landscape #containers #ship

It's while after sunset now. The iPhones with their attention spans long since turned from sunset to social no longer observe the western sky.

Through twilight, the sky transitions through layers of orange and yellow and green before a deep blue heralds the first evening stars.

This is a special time when seabirds skim the border between sand and sea to their night time roosts and just a few witness the end of another perfect day.

#twilight #sunset #goldenhour #ocean #gulls #seabirds #silhouette #seascape #beach #sea #grange #southaustralia

It's been a few weeks now and I am starting to miss being under one of my favourite bits of blue.

Digging back through my underwater images there are a few I'd like to work on but they will take time.

In the mean time here's a little bit above the blue.

#aerial #Isolation #jetty #photography #rapidbay #southaustralia

A few weeks ago we visited the Jam Factory, in Seppeltsfield, and took our time enjoying the work of the various artists and craftspeople being exhibited.

Time and time again I am drawn to glass. I love the way light plays on and through the medium.

Unlike the colours of a painting or sculpture I love the way colours in glass seem to be projected out from somewhere magical place inside.

These hand blown bottles, titled ‘Transition’ by Australian artist Eileen Gordon, were presented so beautifully I felt I had to at least try and capture some of that magic.

Sadly you had to be there!

#Jamfactory #seppeltsfield #art #glassware #glassblowing #eileengordon #gordonstudio #craft #barossavalley #bottles

How would you feel if a face like this emerged from the darkness late into the evening where a gathering had come together to celebrate a ritual rite of passage?

Actually we were all pretty impressed by this amazing cake as we celebrated Rachael’s 21st birthday.

Happy birthday Rachael!

#Dragon #icing #birthdaycake #cake #birthday #medieval #creature

Just an hour’s drive south of Adelaide is a dive location which evokes adventure, mystery, wonder, danger and awe!

Arguably the location of Australia’s most famous shark attack survived by Rodney Fox back in 1963 and the subsequent fatality of Jonathon Lee in 1991.

I have dived here many times and just a little anxious respect precedes each dive. However the rewarding moments I have had exploring this incredible reef structure will always be worth it and are experiences I treasure.

So it was with that same anxious respect we headed down to ‘The Dropoff’ a few weeks ago. After a while motoring back and forth over the reef precipice we finally chose to anchor on top in 6m of water allowing us to both get to the bottom quickly and to shape our dive profile for safety.

Wow, wow, wow! Bluethroat Wrasse and Herring Cale everywhere as well as Queen Snapper, Blue Devils, Longsnout Boarfish and Port Jackson sharks. Gorgornian corals adorned ledges and swim-throughs while huge sponges at 20m dwarfed the ones normally encountered on other local dive sites. Lush dense kelp smothered the entire top of the reef.

At one point in our dive the visibility opened out to more than 12m and the sight from the sand at 20m of the reef reaching up to near the surface face was breathtaking.

We spent over an hour underwater before retreating to the sanctuary of our little boat. Full of exhilaration from this incredible dive I’ll still admit to being just a little relieved being back in the bot again!

#Aldinga #aldingadropoff #scuba #diving #southaustralia #seascape #gorgonian #coral #ocean

Finally the days are getting long enough for me to capture some of the images on my daily commute.

Through winter I drive home in the dark. And well mornings, they’re too focused on other things for me to get my head into it. So now I have light a time on my side my travel home has become so much more enjoyable.

Here’s just one of my favourite spots, the Gilman Wetland windmills.

#Gilman #GlimanWetlands #goldenhour #landscape #silhouette #sunset #wetlands #windmill

That ‘pot of gold at the end of the rainbow’ might just be more than a myth in this freshly watered desert landscape.

The rain now over, snippets of blue appearing in the north and then a beautiful rainbow as the weather’s parting gesture.

It would all be dry again soon so we took note where that rainbow ended so we could head off in search of that gold.

#southaustralia #bush #outback #camping #rain #flood #drought #landscape #flindersranges #rainbow

“I’ve been coming up here most weekends for the last 8 years”, he said, “and I’ve never ever seen any water in these creeks!”.

What are the chances, we all thought? The one weekend we chose to camp out here in the rugged outback east of the Flinders Ranges is the one where 8 years of drought came to an end with 70mm of rain in less than 24 hours.

Our tents got flattened in the strong wind, we were woken at 4am to the roar of a wall of water barrelling down the main creek while another stream flowing under my tent turned it into a water-bed. After a morning spent attempting to dry everything the afternoon brought tent flattening winds again followed by a burst of torrential rain and hail. Another wall of water came down the creak again and hour or so later.

Not being fully prepared, there were some miserable moments in those 24 hours but in hindsight I feel very privileged to have been there and so grateful to witness such a life giving event.

#southaustralia #bush #outback #camping #rain #flood #drought #landscape #flindersranges

The MV Seawolf lies in 20 meters of water just off the South Australian coastal town of Port Noarlunga; its resting place for the past 18 years.

I love the ironic twist of fate that this Japanese fishing trawler has become a home for local reef fish, a host of other marine life and an underwater haven for divers to explore.

Last weekend’s conditions were still pretty gloomy following the recent heavy rains and runoff but the flat sea, blue sky and slack tide made for a sensational diving adventure all the same. Thank you Andy and Jess for being my buddies for this one.

The Noarlunga artificial reef system including its two wrecks is a vibrant dive site full of aquatic life and surprises. It’s worth the effort to get out there.

#Wreck #scuba #diving #seawolf #noarlunga #southaustralia #blackandwhite #underwater #oceanscape #ship #sunk #artificialreef