Recent Rainy Rambling ...

... or Wecent Wet Walks.

On Monday I managed to fit in a good walk before the rain started.   Possibly the highlight was watching a Wombat head for its burrow.

Yesterday I returned to the Queanbeyan STW for a quick bird foray.  In 20 minutes I racked up 19 species including 8 Freckled Ducks.  As I left, I observed what would have to be the world's least necessary sign.
That ain't chocolate milk shakes behind the railing!

Today I headed off along the track from Kambah Pool to Red-Rocks Gorge.  The weather wasn't great (for walking - but as a positive, you could hear the grass growing as you passed).

The next image was taken from the lookout up the Gorge itself.  There is a substantial flow in the Murrumbidgee!
I had hoped that some of the Grevillea would be flowering, and bringing in the New Holland Honeyeaters but it wasn't to be.  (They are too clever to be out and about in weather like this.)  However the condensed moisture on the twigs was attractive.
 There are more water droplets on these Eucalypt flowers.
Now we get to official matters.  One wonders what level of intellect would put these two signs up next to each other.  It is good that they are spraying the weeds and one hopes they have checked that it won't get into peoples drinking water, but ....
The most annoying signs were on the walking track which is now part of the wonderful Centennial Trail.  This trail was a rather whoop-a-dee-doo-dah element of the totally unnecessary celebration of Canberra's Centenary.  I believe it was the Emperor Claudius who distracted citizens with bread and circuses.  To reflect this nonsense there are now nice signs at intersections along the trail (which has existed for at least the 30 years we have been in the Canberra area).
So someone was on a nice little earner (in fact probably very nice but not very little) to design the whizzo logo (top disc) and the well stylised arrows.  They probably even specified the shade of brown to use to signify something or another about the Guvmint connecting to the soil.  Unfortunately they also took away all the old sign posts which had the great benefit of telling you how far you had come.  This was very useful when we had to medivac a member from an ANPS walk.

However another attribute of the new! improved!!!  trail must be leading to prosperity in the fabricated metal products industry around Canberra (or Beijing or Gujarat).  That is the number of nice shiny new gates that have appeared.
Yes folks, the ACT is heading for a gate-led economic boom.

Incidentally, the vehicle tracks service a water pipeline leading from the River to a golf course further up the hill.  You can't ride a bike, or walk a dog on the track as it s in a Nature Reserve, but taking water to irrigate a golf course is fine!

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