Robert's Ramblings

Here anchored in the calm shallows of Sultana Bay, ‘Miros’ epitomises how to do a socially distant holiday.

We are so very lucky here in South Australia with relative freedom to move about and enjoy life with only minor inconvenience.

Still, if we find ourselves in lock-down again I wouldn’t mind being all-at-sea in such a beautiful boat!

#Ocean #sailing #yacht #edithburgh #boats #travel #sea #aerial #saltanabay #isolation #miros

Diving in South Australia would not be the same if every dive was not frequented by old wives!

An odd name for these attractive fish but as I am told their name comes from the way they behave when caught by fishers and the way they carry on when landed.

I am happy to see them down here where they belong. Not so desperate at all.

#Oldwives #rapidbay #jetty #scuba #diving #southaustralia #underwater #fish #marine

I offer no apologies for an obviously tourist snapshot! The boldness of this outback town’s welcome sign is nothing short of ostentatious and I simply had to capture it (along with every other visitor to Silverton)!

This humble little town in the middle of the Australian outback is the birthplace of our largest and most powerful company outside of the banking industry. Even on the world stage, BHP ranks in the top 100 companies (depending on your criteria).

Despite its auspicious heritage, Silverton's notoriety has very little to do with its mining giant offspring. It is the movie industry that brought the current Silverton into the public eye with Mel Gibson and ‘Mad Max II’, a.k.a. ‘The Road Warrior’ as the movie was renamed for international release. Since then Silverton has played host to many other Australian and international productions.

Silverton is a quirky place with fascinating local characters and perhaps is all the more interesting, not because of it being the birthplace of BHP but because of its moments in the show business limelight.

#bhp #silverton #newsouthwales #outback #madmax #roadwarrior #tourism #australia #silver #lead #mining

It’s not rained here for more than three weeks now and it’s starting to show.

The wetlands north of Adelaide are becoming more and more like salty badlands every day.
Marches have turn to mud and cracked like a patchwork of crazy paving.

Time to pray for rain.

#parched #arid #dry #texture #patterns #cracked #outerharbour

Mining is tough. Mining in arid outback Australia even tougher. Imagine your self back in the late 1800s, armed with a pick, a shovel and a wheel barrow and working a 12 hour hard labour day.

If you’re still determined to endure such hardship then throw in breathing silicate dust all day and having your lungs turned painfully into mush in the span of only a few years.

How did those old timers do it? How did they cope with the work, the hardship and the excruciating pain of slowly dying from disintegrating lungs? Even today there are still clues if you go hunting.

This innocent little flower can be found growing in amongst the stones of long abandoned outback mining towns. The opium poppy was grown and used by the old timers and its use systemic. Perhaps it was such an important part of mining life that without it early Australian mining pioneers would never have kept the manpower they needed to forge their then fledgling industry.

I am so grateful to live in a place and time where the gift of the opium poppy is simply its beauty.

#poppy #opium #mining #flowers #outback #desert #southaustralia #Papaversomniferum

When I first lay eyes this extraordinary creation by Australian artist Grant Donaldson I just starred and starred and stared.

I was lost for a time in glorious swirls of light and colour and imagined ghostly entities playing trixy with my my senses.

Is the genie long gone or perhaps still lingering; delighting in its seductive play.

Regardless, I love it!

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