Grass Trees.

 I don't know what it is about Grass Trees (Xanthorrhaea), that is so appealing. I love their varied shapes and forms as do so many other people.

Some are fat, some are skinny, some are short, some are tall, and they all have mops of bushy 'hair'.

Seen from a distance as here above, all the old flower spikes sticking up look like a field of swords or sticks ready for the battle. Grass trees grow very slowly, so although some are quite small they may be many, many years old.

Pinnacles Galore.

     These photos show some of the limestone pinnacle formations in the Nambung National Park.

 Most of the photos that I had seen before visiting the park gave the impression that the pinnacles were all huge, but most of them are not! The photos must all have been taken from a low angle I think.

                                   For more information about this amazing spot click   Here

Memorial to the HMAS Sydney 11.

 This is part of the extensive memorial to the ship HMAS Sydney 11 which was sunk off the coast of Western Australia in 1941. More information Here.

This cupola of birds, 9 meters high and 12 meters in diameter, is intended to be uplifting in nature while enclosing a sacred space of remembrance and a symbolic link with the men of HMAS Sydney II. It forms a canopy, which is a filigree of stainless steel and an open weave dome. The whole effect of distilled light reflects the silver sea, creating a sense of disembodiment and peace. Standing at the centre of this empty space, one becomes aware of the vastness of the ocean; this great open grave and as one’s eyes are drawn upward towards the light, there is a sensation of looking up at the surface of the sea from below. By day, the beauty of the Geraldton blue sky can be glimpsed, filtering light through the silver winged shapes into the Memorial inner space; while at night, the cupola, lit internally, would form a dome of gold, glowing on the top of Mt. Scott.
This inner space in itself is highly symbolic and is designed to be evocative of the emptiness left behind by the missing crewmen.

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  This is a very moving sculpture of one of the women left behind when the ship never returned.
You can read more about this highly symbolic memorial here

Paper Daisies

 Another photo of the Wreath flowers, this time with the mauve Trigger plants growing alongside or even in the middle of the wreath. The Trigger plants get their name from the flower parts that have a trigger that snaps down onto visiting bees or flies to make sure that they carry off some pollen on their backs when they leave the flower.

 Millions of white Paper or Everlasting Daisies with a few yellow ones off to the left.

                                                           Another million or so!

Beautiful Wreath Flowers.

 When I was told that we were going to see Wreath Flowers, I misunderstood and thought they were Reef flowers! But they are indeed Wreath Flowers, and amazing they are too.

 It looks for all the world as if someone has stood on the back of  truck and tossed wreaths of flowers out the window!  They only grow in disturbed soil apparently, which is why they are lining the sides of a sandy road some 130 Km from Geraldton in Western Australia.

Almost No Flowers This Time.

 We spotted this amazing motor bike (?) one morning and thought that is looked exactly like a Transformer that the small boys used to play with many years ago. Perhaps they still do actually.

                                     It looks quite comical and also a little menacing.

 This collection of old farm bits and pieces had been welded into some sort of humanoid.

                                      A very clever bit of appropriation of bits and pieces.

                         This emu was also very cleverly made from scrap bits of metal.

A very pretty way of displaying potted flowers in an old manure spreader. It may of course have been used to spread other things too.

Native Flowers and a Bird.

 While about to photograph this lovely Banksia flower, a Wattle Bird zoomed in and commenced feeding on the nectar.

                                                                      Bottoms up here!

 I'm not sure what this flower is, but since returning I have seen it in the local florist's shop. What a stunning colour!

 Another Banksia flower just starting to open. Apparently one can tell the points of the compass from it, from the open flower parts on the right and the closed parts on the left, but I can't remember exactly how one does it.

                                      A strange black and green Kangaroo Paw flower and buds.

A Cut Flower Farm

 The flower known as Geraldton Wax, appears in many native flower arrangements in florist shops around the country, but I had no idea that it was actually farmed for the cut flower trade.

 The owner of this farm is always on the lookout for different colours and forms, many of which are self sown seeds that come up and display different characteristics.

                                         This is a fairly standard pale pink form of the flower.

                                               This one above is a very pretty rose pink colour.

                                This one is a double form of the flower which is not very common.