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A garden enthusiast who loves to travel and capture the beauty of places and freeze the memories of her travels in photographs, as well as document her experiences in verse...thankful for the simple pleasures in life.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Australian Garden

What can I say about the day I went to the Australian Garden, but that it was unforgettable. I was prepared to be inspired by this "uniquely Australian garden", with its wildflowers and the arid landscape, and I was!

With the wind blowing and the glaring, bright sun in my eyes, taking photographs was an experiment in haphazard photography. My hat would be flapping over my forehead, and my sunglasses prevented me from having a good view of what I wanted to capture, and I had to walk far more than I had intended to. The reason for that  will be revealed to you, as I take you on a tour of this very different botanic garden.

Lots of Shadow Shots to be found here. My shadow followed me everywhere!






The Red Sand Garden:
Stretched out in front of me, where I was standing on the viewing deck, was the iconic Red Sand Garden! Just as in the promotional pictures which I had seen, the garden is indeed unique. It was probably more luxuriant in springtime, but it has more character in autumn.





hoarse pleas for water
arid tears drip on parched land
green shoots claw out of red sand

for Sensational Haiku Wednesday

Rockpool Waterway:
I imagine that this was engineered to provide some irrigation for the arid landscape, but it was a soothing presence, in contrast to the dry surroundings.



 precious legacy
man's sojourn on earth is brief
water ageless flows

for Haiku Heights 

The Arid Garden:
It is planted with native bushes, which I couldn't begin to learn to identify, even with the labels, as they were unfamiliar to me. I could appreciate their shapes and textures, and took lots of photos, of which I shall share these favourites of mine:











Water-saving garden:
Even in a dry climate, you can have a garden with the right types of plants and water management.




The Home Garden:
I like the mock-up designs of home gardens - simple but effective to encourage people to use Australian native plants in their garden landscaping.










The Children's Garden:
Really good idea, using tree trunks to create a playground facility for kids to explore.



Leaving the Exhibition gardens, I actually went on a trek all around the   Australian Garden, crossing the dry river bed...


...and seeing the fascinating forms of the Grass trees, Xanthorrhoea johnsonii.


And then, I had this 'great' idea of trekking to Trig Point, just to see the view from an elevated vantage point.



It says 200 metres to Trig Point, so off I went. That afternoon was a quiet day at the garden, as I had seen only one other visitor, apart from us. I was with my sister, and she had opted to wait for me at the cafe as I trotted off to get more photo opportunities. 


On both sides of the track were bush land like in the photo above. It was so quiet, and I suddenly recalled reading a sign earlier on, with instructions as to what to do when we encounter a snake or snakes! The garden, I had read, was home to several species of snakes, and it would not be unusual to spot the venomous Copperhead and Tiger snakes sunning themselves on the tracks!!! It sounded that I would be deemed lucky if I could spot a  sun-bathing venomous snake.
The acceptable mode of conduct, the notes read, was:
1. Do not approach the snake. (???)
2. Wait for the snake to move off the track. (I wouldn't wait. I'd say, Runnnnn, Rosie, runnnn!)

I didn't encounter any snakes on the way to Trig Point, but I practically ran there, praying that no right-minded snake would come out to sun itself in autumn. But the sun was shining that day, and it was a particularly hot afternoon. That thought sent shivers up my spine. So, it was a great relief when I got to the Point, and climbed up to where snakes would not be able to climb...or would they?






For a while, I forgot about slithery reptiles up on that circular construction, high above ground. There was a lone photographer up there, and she didn't look at all perturbed, or flustered. After taking some photos, I took my leave of that safe haven, and went down to the track. My only preoccupation was to look to the right and left of the track as I beat a hasty retreat. After some time, I realized that I had taken the wrong turn, when I caught sight of a sign that showed that I had almost travelled 700metres in the wrong direction. I had to turn back! More risks of coming across the sun-bather, oh no! Finally I reached familiar terrain. I saw the photographer I had met earlier heading my direction, and upon seeing me, she turned back to head for the exit. Could she have intended to look for me, thinking I had lost my way, and seeing that I was safe and sound, she went to her car at the car park? All in all, I must have covered 4 km that afternoon, half the time running away from nothing!


Oh, did I mention that there is a garden shop there?


Here I am this morning, safe from any slithery encounters, having my morning coffee in this mug with a red gymea lily painted on it...looks familiar? 









37 comments:

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  2. Wow such an amazing place for adults and kids to explore. I love to see flowers and plants that grow everywhere. Knowing that even if in an arid places plants still grow brings a thought of hope. Thanks for sharing this and linking for Water World Wednesday I do appreciate it. Hope to see you next week!

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    1. Hi Kim,I enjoy seeing your plants and flower photography.Happy to link in to WWW.

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  3. What a fascinating place; I can see why you could get lost there! Excellent shots and the weather was on your side, too!

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    1. Thanks, Linnea. I was enjoying my visit to your travel blog and Photoblogista. Love your photography.

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  4. Captured beautifully! Visiting from Sky Watch Friday.

    My Skywatch, hope you'd come and see.
    Have a great weekend.

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    1. Thanks, and I enjoyed seeing your day at the park with your children.

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  5. What beautiful sets of Haiku !!! They compliment the pictures so well :-)

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments on my attempts at haiku, Green Speck.

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  6. For me this was a real treat, seeing such an unusual garden and plantings.....Is there a water shortage in Australia, or is the land just arid in general? Your photos, commentary, and haiku made this visit special.....thank you for risking your life to bring it!

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    1. Haha, Joanne, in retrospect, it was funny, feeling scared when there was no real threat. However, any kind of snake makes me scared, venomous or otherwise.

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  7. green shoots claw out of red sand...Very beautiful line...And beautiful photos....loved them

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  8. I love this desert garden, probably because I'm a desert dweller myself!

    Not a Wisp of Green

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  9. I am entranced by these gardens! The first looks like an aboriginal painting, the wispy trees, so much beauty. Such variety in the arid dryness. Which part of Australia was this?

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  10. I adore this place! Visited on a rare sunny day only a few weeks ago! But there were few flowers in bloom! So adore the red sand garden! Gorgeous collection of shadows!

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  11. Hi Rosie, I envy your Australian visit, how i wish to visit again. I can't fully open all your photos maybe coz of low memory of the laptop I am using now, but i smiled at your mention of 'haphazard photography'. I love those i've seen so far!

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  12. What an amazing place! All these unusual but very beautiful plants are so captivating.
    Visiting Australia is just a dream for me, so I'm glad to see some of its attractions through your beautiful photos.

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  13. Wow, what a beautiful place. The flowers and plants are all beautiful. Thanks for sharing, have a great day.

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  14. Gorgeous place! The gardens are amazing.

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  15. That's an amazing garden. I've never seen anything quite like it.

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  16. this is a quite interesting garden--most of the flowers are unknown to me.:p
    the red sand is beautiful--must be stunning at sunset.

    Today's Flowers

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  17. The garden is great but the water full is terrific ! Nice pics !

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  18. This is a fantastic place to walk around, poisonous reptiles aside. I have a great interest in snakes but prefer to keep them at a respectful distance! Your photos are delightful, thank you so much for sharing them.

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  19. A beautiful place and so many different landscapes!
    Thank you sharing your walk and pictures with me.
    Gisela

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  20. What Amazing photos. The detailed views of the flowers and the exquisite views of the landscape. Truly Amazing!!

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  21. I would LOVE to visit this place (except for the snake possibility).
    So vastly different from Indiana in the midwestern US.

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  22. Thank you for the tour! Beautiful photos and haiku to go with.

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  23. I am wondering where the Australian Garden is. Love the pics, and of course I recognize so many of the plants and flowers. I am linking up to your through Mosaic Monday. Have a wonderful week.

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  24. Hello Rosie, over from Mary's Mosaic Mondays. I share your love of flowers and gardens and photography, although I am not as skillful as you, especially at macro shots. These are amazing. I love the textures of the sand, rocks and water. Great post.
    QMM

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  25. What a beautiful garden! I am amazed by the red soil. You are very well traveled, Rosie. Enjoy!

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  26. Wow...what an amazing garden...the red sand and the water fountain are spectacular!

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  27. Hi Rosie, i've seen this before and i've commented, wonder what happened. The Grevillea and the kangaroo paw are very significant for me, i miss them and always remind me of so many things Australian.

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  28. Fascinating garden...loved going through your post!

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  29. Good to read about your time spent at the Oz garden...

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    1. Thanks everyone, for having the patience to scroll down the page, and for reading my post!Sorry I'm away so much that I can't reply to each and everyone who commented, but I'm so happy to see you here.
      Rosie

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  30. Incredibly looking garden. Is this the one in Cranbourne Victoria? The red sand garden is an interesting idea. Not sure whether I would like it in a suburban backyard though.

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