Warburton Yarn Bomb

How timely for International Yarn Bombing Day! We were walking along the river in Warburton, Victoria yesterday and spotted this massive standing snag.

Watch that Bandicoot Scoot

We always enjoy a trip to the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne to check out a bountiful display of native flora and fauna. The endangered Southern Brown Banicoots were especially active and great entertainment. The bandicoot is a marsupial that digs for soil invertebrates and underground fungi.

Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus)

'Birthday Candles' Banksia (B. spinulosa var. spinulosa)

Common Bronzewing (Phaps chalcoptera)

Jindivick Yarn Bomb

Stop the car! Out of curiosity, we took a detour through the little town of Jindivick, Victoria. I knew there was something appealing about the place, before we even got there. It was just a quick stop but we’ll definitely be back for a longer visit.

Llamas and Lyrebirds

Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of either but I was excited to come across a llama farm in the hills of South Gippsland, Victoria. I’m always on the lookout for new fibre possibilities. I would love to make some woven bands with llama fleece.

The lyrebirds on the other hand are more elusive. We were completing a trail in the Tarra-Bulga National Park and saw evidence of recent lyrebird activity. I had a quick sighting of a male on a previous visit but he was doing a mad dash down the trail. Another time, we saw a female but she did not have the majestic tail for which the males are known. The males are also known for the ability to mimic the sounds of other birds. Little did we know but we were about to witness a fantastic show. There was a pair hidden in the scrub up on the hill and the male was gearing up for a grand performance. Even I was able to identify a few of the birds he mimicked, but J was able to give me a more complete list. We listened in awe as he went through his repertoire twice, which included a kookaburra, yellow tail cockatoo, grey strikethrush, scrubwren, bellbird and even a chook (chicken). It was definitely the highlight of my weekend.

There are some great videos on YouTube if you want to check them out, one of the most famous is of Chook from the Adelaide Zoo who recently passed away at the age of 32.

YouTube – Superb Lyrebird imitating construction work – Adelaide Zoo

ABC News – Loved lyrebird dies

Tarra-Bulga National Park, June 2011

I love the way the ferns remind me of a lyrebird’s tail or a twill weave.

Escape to the Country

It’s hard to believe that just short of three years ago, all the trees on the hills in the background were ablaze in the Black Saturday bushfires. Thankfully no animals were injured on the farm and everything else was replaceable or repairable. Not everyone was so lucky.

Counting Sheep in Bendigo

We made the much anticipated trip up to Bendigo for the Australian Sheep and Wool Show with a side trip to the Bendigo Woolen Mills and Bendigo Pottery. There were so many sheep. I had no idea that Merinos could get so big. We definitely needed three whole days and I still don’t think we saw everything. Bendigo is a very lovely city with fantastic antique stores. I can’t wait until next year!

Merino sheep

Merino fleece on sheep

Merino fleece close up

Lincoln Longwool fleece

Bendigo Woollen Mills

Bendigo Pottery kiln

Bendigo Pottery

Bendigo Pottery

Yabbying

On our way to a dam South Gippsland for some yabbying, I got a fantastic view of a koala scurrying across the road. The koala was much quicker than I anticipated, so I only got a quick photo as it ascended the tree. Victoria has a large and thriving population, but it’s the first one I have seen in the wild.

Yabbies are native ‘crawfish.’ I left the job of yabbying to the experts. It’s a simple set up with a stick, fishing line and bait. You put the stick in the ground with the fishing line and bait attached. Throw the line out and watch for a tug, then slowly draw the line in while the yabby is clamping down on the bait. Once it gets close to the shallows scoop it up with a net. If you’re lucky can get two or three in one go. The haul was pretty good.

We weren’t the only ones at the dam looking for a treat. A short-beaked echidna was also seeking sustenance of ants and termites. When approached, they bury themselves in the sandy soil and with sharp quills erect. These monotremes are frequently seen along the roadsides.

Welcome to Australia – biggest Merino in the world

I thought Merino sheep were big, but this one takes the cake at 15.2 meters high and 97 tonnes. The Big Merino in Goulburn, NSW is worth a stop. Built in 1985, he was modeled after a local stud Ram named Rambo. He was relocated in 2007 due to a bypass change and now houses a permanent exhibit on the history of wool in Australia. He was under renovation, so unfortunately we weren’t able to go up to the top level and peer out of the eyes.