river

Niagara Falls, ON, After Dark.

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It’s fair to say that the falls are every bit as majestic at night as they are during the day. They’re given a little extra help in summer, though, with coloured lights that shine on them in different configurations, giving rather magical effects.

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Sometimes they use particular colours to signify a particular group of people or a particular event.

The night Sean and I were there, they made the falls on both sides a greenish colour for ten minutes to signify the soldiers who were serving overseas. I thought that was pretty special. I realise that it makes no difference at all to the experiences of the soldiers overseas, but anything that reminds us that we’re at home in relative comfort, and they’re doing it tough on some assignment thousands of miles away, is a good thing. The other people there obviously felt the same way, because everyone spoke in hushed tones and there was a minute or so of almost complete silence except for the pounding of the water to pay respect to those who had lost their lives in service of their nation.

 

The other really special thing that happened that night at Niagara Falls was that Sean and I had our own little adoption ceremony where we took each other as brother and sister, at least, as officially as we could. That is just one more thing that makes Niagara Falls incredibly special to us both. It’s a night neither of us will ever forget.

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The lights of the skyline beyond Rainbow Bridge are really pretty, especially The Niagara Skywheel at Clifton Hill. I do like the way they’ve kept the developments and buildings back a bit from the falls themselves. It makes it possible to enjoy the majesty of the falls without all sorts of commercialisation being thrust upon you.

It wasn’t raining. It just looks that way because of the mist plume that produces its own “rain”. If you’re going to the falls at night, and someone tries to sell you a rain poncho for $2… don’t say no.

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Melba Gully.

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Driving through the Otway Ranges from Princetown to Cape Otway, the road snakes through lofty forests of mountain ash, often lined with tree ferns and vines.  In more than one place there is old growth forest on one side of the road and views of the Southern Ocean on the other. Pine plantations dot the landscape, sometimes prim and green, sometimes cut and messy.

We took an “unscheduled detour” down a dirt road that led to one of the plantation logging sites. The bush hugs the side of the road even more closely, enormous trees towering overhead. I have no idea how those enormous log trucks negotiate those tight bends on a narrow road, but the signs that warn one to “proceed with caution” should not be taken lightly.

As we took advantage of a clearing to turn around and head back to the main road, we saw a mob of kangaroos in their natural environment. There was a big male in the group who would have easily stood six feet tall. I think he is the biggest kangaroo I remember ever having seen.

We headed further east to our destination for the evening: Melba Gully.

Melba Gully is tucked into the Otway bushscape not far from Lavers Hill.  It offers beautiful scenery and some well-maintained tracks for walking.   During the day it is magnificent, but as the sun drops behind the forest the gums and ferns take on an other-worldly quality and one’s other senses become more alert. The chatter of the birds and the gurgle of the Johanna River at the bottom of the gully become more prominent. The smell of the eucalypts and the damp forest floor is refreshing  and clean.

At the end of the track is a section of boardwalk which keeps visitors on the track and out of the surrounding forest. All along this section of the walkway, glow worms twinkle like fairy lights. It’s a bit like looking at the stars in the night sky except that these tiny creatures are embedded in the bank about a meter away from where you stand.

It’s a beautiful, serene place to enjoy a little of nature’s magic.

If you ever have the chance to visit, wear good shoes for walking and take a torch so you can find your way back up the track in the dark.

Port Fairy.

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The weather today was perfect  for a visit to Port Fairy, a beautiful little town on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia. The sun was shining, there was a very slight breeze, and it was a glorious 19 degrees Celsius.

I walked slowly along the boardwalk which extends along the bank of the Moyne River, where the fishing boats moor. The water sparkled, lapping against the banks and the boats as we walked and enjoyed the scenery. Boats bobbed.  Seagulls hovered and swooped. Fishermen tended to their boats and chatted with people as they passed by. Two teenagers enjoyed the sunshine, sitting on the side of the boardwalk and dangling their feet over the water, holding hands and chatting happily.

I made my way to the main street of town, where small shops offer their wares, cafes invite visitors to enjoy coffee, cake or ice-cream, and everything has a rustic feel to it. There are no department stores or fast food chains here.  The cafes sell food that is made on the premises. There are two bookshops – I believe that this is always a very good recommendation for any town. Other shops sell handcrafted gifts, boutique clothing or old-fashioned sweets. The supermarket still has staff that will carry your bags to your car for you.

Whenever I visit Port Fairy, I visit Rebecca’s Cafe. The freshly baked cakes and slices are mouth-wateringly good, and their thickshakes are incredible. The coffee here is also excellent. However, those aren’t the only reasons I visit here. I visited here shortly after the passing of my beautiful friend, Rebecca. She wasn’t connected with the cafe or the town in any way, except by sharing the name, but it occurred to me then that she would have loved the place, too, and the connection has stayed with me ever since.

Many of the buildings and houses in Port Fairy date back to the early years of the settlement that was originally named Belfast by its strongly Irish population. They add to the strongly reminiscent sense of days-gone-by that characterises the township. It may seem odd that a place can be rather old-fashioned and quite up-to-date at the same time, but this beautiful town manages to achieve that balance very nicely.

Moyne River, Port Fairy, Victoria.

Moyne River, Port Fairy, Victoria.
Photograph is copyrighted by the author of this blog.

Echuca, Victoria

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Echuca sits on the Murray River which forms the natural border between Victoria and New South Wales. In its heyday, it was the busiest port in Australia, shipping wool, cotton, timber, wheat and supplies all over the inland regions of three states, until rail took over as the main form of transporting goods because it was faster and more flexible in terms of routes and destinations.

Now, a visit to the Port of Echuca is generally for the purposes of tourism and recreation.

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The river has been known to flood to quite epic heights in the past. The markers on these trees give some indication.

 

The Clydesdales are always a highlight for me. I love these gentle giants, and they’re so photogenic!

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Houseboat holidays are enormously popular here. It’s a great way to explore the river and leave the rest of the world behind.

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Peterborough, Victoria.

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Peterborough is where the Curdies River meets the Southern Ocean.

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This tiny hamlet sits on the Great Ocean Road, where people often see little more than the wide river as they drive over the bridge toward better known sights and the town of Port Campbell.

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By doing so, they’re missing out on some great scenery and a beautiful sandy beach where the river provides much safer swimming than in this part of the ocean, which is notorious for rips and strong undertows.

 

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