BACK FROM THE COLD

Posted on December 13, 2013 by splashingpaint

Our workshop in Maldon was a lot of fun. An enthusiastic group, fresh baked cakes and biscuits, brewed coffee, Pub down the road, what more could we ask for – and Julienne arranged for us to stay in the beautiful old miners cottage we enjoyed last time.

Maldon

Morning cobweb

Miners Cottage

Lulu

Resident Chook#1

Resident Chook #2

Garden Roses

After leaving Maldon we headed up into the mountains. After almost an hours wait, a shaft of sunlight finally hit this hill in front of an amazing Indigo sky.

Same sky, different hill

Once above Falls Creek the temperature dropped, fog rolled in and we were surrounded by snow – Unusual for November in Australia.

We intended to ride our bikes to the summit of Mt. Kosciuszko, but when we arrived at Charlottes Pass it was bitterly cold with rain and sleet – visibility was next to nil, so our plan was put on hold.

The fog and wet weather sure made the snow gums look spectacular.

Leaving Charlottes Pass, we camped a night at Thredbo then on to the Murray River

Grass trees

Saw blade Sunrise

Further North, the clouds cleared and the temperature started to climb

DOWN THE COAST

Posted on May 29, 2013 by splashingpaint

With the school holidays over and the weather starting to cool down, it seemed like a good idea to take a couple of weeks exploring all the little beaches and coastal villages to the south of us.

We left home with clear skies and blazing sun, but my wish was for threatening clouds and dramatic light along the beaches – I guess you can’t have everything.

Perfect camping spot on a sunny headland with kangaroos and sea eagles at Diggers Camp.

Sunrise on Redcliff Beach

Cool, clear mornings and deserted beaches

After a few days zigzagging in and out of all the southern beaches, rainclouds started moving up the coast and the swell picked up.

Looking towards Solitary Island under threatening skies. Great for photographs – not so good for painting watercolor.

Painted in haste with a cup of sea water between showers as the tide came in.

Back home in the studio, shuffling around ideas for a large wet and rainy painting.

MALDON AND THE MOUNTAINS

Posted on December 9, 2012 by splashingpaint

With 5 days up our sleeve before the Maldon Workshop started we decided to slowly plod our way down to Victoria via backroads and out of the way places rather than race down the highway.

We camped behind the pub in the little town of Goolma, where the publican spun us a great tale about his favourite dog staring down a possum – neither would give in and they both died without ever moving.

This is the possum

…and this is the dog

Foggy morning behind the pub

We wound our way down onto the Murray River before heading across to Maldon. Great to see the river with so much water and the country in such good condition.

Julienne, the workshop coordinator in Maldon, arranged for us to stay in this fantastic little farm house – complete with chooks and a veggie garden.

Maldon is a beautiful little town protected by a heritage listing to preserve the unchanged character of the place.

The 5 day workshop was a lot of fun. We met some fantastic people and really enjoyed the quiet little country town.

Melbourne was in the middle of the Spanish Festival in Brunswick and the Polish Festival in the City, so there was a lot happening.

After a few days in Melbourne we took off towards the Snowy Mountains via the Sale Wetlands…

…a spectacular series of swamps, creeks and billabongs just out of town – made even more dramatic by the approaching storm clouds.

From Sale we drove up towards the Snowy River and took the long windy track down to McKillop Bridge.

The mountains were magnificent and the road signs basic.

MacKillop Bridge across the Snowy River. First built in 1935 and washed away a few days before it was due to open.

Mmmm – Jindabyne Steak, 4 minutes each side, Yum.

Above Charlotte Pass there were still patches of snow on the ground.

Snow Gums

Thredbo River

Platypus in one of the small creeks.

Stormy night up near Kiandra

Creek on the Long Plain Road

Home via Washpool NP.

HEADING EAST

Posted on June 8, 2012 by splashingpaint

After a week in the Eastern Macdonnells we wound our way slowly back to the Plenty Highway and east to Boulia. From Boulia we took the Kennedy Development Road back to Winton. This road takes us through the old settlement of Hamilton – once an interesting pub, now a roadside stop with remnants of the old settlement.

Hamilton 2012

Hamilton 1988

The roadside stop even has a shower – with cold and cold running water!

Remains of the old Hamilton stock yards.

This old windmill still pumps water up from underground to supply the shower.

Middleton Pub is further along the Kennedy Development Rd towards Winton. It has gone through a few changes over the years. The photo above is 2012 and the shot below is how it looked when we stopped there back in 1982.

Between Hamilton and Middleton are the Lilleyvale Hills – a spectacular range of jump ups protruding from the flat landscape

We found this wet teddy bear, overcome by the grandeur of it all, head buried in the sand.

The Cawnpore lookout provides a great panorama of the hills.

The Kennedy Development Road is normally a 360km single lane strip of bitumen connecting Boulia and Winton. Unfortunately about 20kms approaching Winton had been dug up to be resurfaced. This would have been OK except heavy rain had turned the detour into impassable bog.

There were two road trains bogged in the mud and two more, each loaded with 120 ton of cattle, stopped on the edge of the formed road. The drivers told us the road had been closed so we camped the night on the road behind them. (Big fines for driving on closed roads.) In the middle of the night another truck arrived and tried to drive around us, only to slide down, bogged in the side drain. Next morning road workers arrived with a grader to pull the road trains through.

We managed to churn our way through in front of the grader. Once in Winton we headed for the wash down hose at the saleyards to remove what looked like half a tone of thick sticky mud form under the truck.

By the time we reached Winton rain had set in so we headed for home

EASTERN MACDONNELLS

Posted on June 7, 2012 by splashingpaint

Our plan was to buy fuel at Gemtree at the end of the Plenty Highway then head directly down into the Eastern Macdonnell Ranges via the cattle water pass. Unfortunately, Gemtree was out of diesel so we had to continue on to Alice Springs then head out to the Eastern Macdonnells.

Our first stop was Emily Gap – a small gorge and waterhole cutting through the range. The Aboriginal rock art here is unusual and very spectacular.

Down the end of a rough track are the John Hayes Rock Holes. We were lucky to be the only ones camped here, so enjoyed a quiet walk over the ridge and down through the chain of rock pools. The rough track means this area is much quieter than nearby Trephina Gorge

Traveling to the eastern extremity of the Macdonnells you come to Ruby Gap. The track for the last 40 km is pretty slow going at around 3 hours, but Ruby Gap and the walk up to Glen Annie Gorge make the trek worth while.

Ruby Gap

We managed to find a 4km detour on our way up to Glen Annie Gorge

Glen Annie Gorge

After a 12km walk, mostly in soft river sand, we were happy to be heading back to our camp.

ACROSS THE PLENTY

Posted on June 6, 2012 by splashingpaint

From Mt Isa we drove south west to Urandangi, a pub, a couple of houses and a small aboriginal community near the Georgina River. The last time I visited Urandangi was 1988 and before that 1982. Not much has changed. The store has closed down and the pub now sells essential supplies. Trees have grown taller, the pub has changed hands and the fuel pumps are newer.

Urandangi 2012

Urandangi 1988

We called into the pub for a beer and to catch up on all the local news, then drove down to a waterhole on the Georgina. As I sat and watched it get dark on the waterhole I could hear a faint hiss. It turned out to be the inside dual wheel on the truck.

Next morning I got to try out this handy device I purchased from the Mining Expo in Mt Isa. A Torque Multiplier – guaranteed to remove the most impossible truck wheel nuts. It worked a treat.

After fitting the spare we headed back into Urandangi to use their compressor and mend the puncture.

A donkey and a small horse were entertained for ages watching me break the bead on this rusted rim.

Once the puncture was mended we headed down to Tobermorey station and across the Plenty Highway. The road was surprisingly good compared to the last time we used it. A few big patches of bull dust and corrugations, but mostly fairly smooth. Parts of the road appeared to have been recently graded. Our last trip across this road was after a dozen road trains had beaten it to a strip of rock and pulverized bull dust that could swallow a car.

Along the road the landscape varies from big plains of Mitchell Grass to tortured looking rocky outcrops and gibber plains

Approaching Harts Range, the size of the mountains increase and they take on the typical Central Australian pinks and purples.

Plains Turkeys are fairly common along the road. They walk slowly with their heads in the air and stand about 750mm tall.

Cool Mornings – even with the sun shining.

DIAMANTINA

Posted on May 31, 2012 by splashingpaint

From Old Cork Station we headed down into the Diamantina basin. The Diamantina is a huge system of channels that gradually funnel down into a narrow cutting through a rocky escarpment.