<a href="/serendipity/" title="Robert's Ramblings" Looking directly up into the Milky Way and the constellation of Scorpio I see two wandering planets amid a sea of stars An orange Mars, the largest and brightest lingers on the back of the scorpion gazing off at the eerie glow of the Blue Horsehead Nebula to the left. The … Read more
<a href="/serendipity/" title="Robert's Ramblings" There is a huge debate debate in Australia in regards to the storage of radioactive waste. As the world grapples with the problems of dealing with the waste of nuclear power stations, science and the use of radioactive materials in medicine some governments are looking at Australia’s vast barren unpopulated outback … Read more
<a href="/serendipity/" title="Robert's Ramblings" These intricate structures carved into Petermann Pound in the Watarrka National Park carry the lifeblood of the Australian outback, water. It had been a week since the rains and still some water remains in pools and some has been taken into the earth to nurture the trees of the pound. Most … Read more
<a href="/serendipity/" title="Robert's Ramblings" Nothing beats the raw power power of a two kilometer long diesel-electric train pulling a full load but the interstate road trains we shared the roads with have an awesomeness all of their own. Most of the road trains we saw consisted of a prime-mover and three trailers and probably weighing … Read more
<a href="/serendipity/" title="Robert's Ramblings" For the most part the critters we encountered at Uluru and Kings Canyon were timid and did not easily allow themselves to be photographed. This Ring-tailed Dragon (Ctenophorus caudicinctus) at the start of the Kings Canyon rim walk was one notable exception. He was happy to sit here on this rock … Read more
<a href="/serendipity/" title="Robert's Ramblings" A view sought after by many visitors to Uluru who then encounter the ethical dilemma which follows, climb and fulfill a lifelong dream or respect the wishes of the traditional owners and stay off the rock. In 1985 the Australian government gave title back to the traditional owners of the region … Read more
<a href="/serendipity/" title="Robert's Ramblings" One of the most prolific travelers on the planet is the Wanderer or Monarch Butterfly, (Danaus plexippus), and so I was not surprised to find this beautiful creature as we walked around the base of Uluru. Here a wanderer rests on the damp earth from the recent rain drinking from the … Read more
<a href="/serendipity/" title="Robert's Ramblings" Coober Pedy in outback South Australia is a very strange place and that strangeness begins in the desert landscape well before you arrive. Like some alien landscape the white and brown cones of unearthed soil, the dumped mullock heaps of opal mining, dot the landscape. Each little mound tells of an … Read more
<a href="/serendipity/" title="Robert's Ramblings" Arguably sunset on Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock) is Australia’s most famous, most iconic and most photographed event. When I finally got to experience this for myself, watching the colours changing as the sun fell in the west, I felt intimidated by every image I had ever seen and if I could … Read more
<a href="/serendipity/" title="Robert's Ramblings" The coolest icecream I have even experienced was created in front of my very own eyes at N2 on Dixon Street in Sydney. Step one create the mix. Step two start blending. Step three pour in a jug of liquid nitrogen. Step four enjoy the show. Step enjoy the icecream. I … Read more