The House(s) of Fran_mart

 The business today was going to the Western Treatment Plant (WTP) near Werribee.  I am not sure how big the place is, but its huge.  We often do 60 km on the tracks in there.  Today started off with what could be called Average weather.  Possibly a step down, to Ordinary.  It was still raining when we left our accommodation in Rosslyn St.  The first image is Spenser St, but the small camera didn't like the low level of light: at 0800 hrs it was still barely light. I think these next images are somewhere over the Westgate Bridge but still manky. The rain stopped just before the the Point Cool turnoff, but the temperature still hovered around 8C. It was good to get Bird of the Day done with early.  These 3 Brolgas were seen from Point Wilson Rd, before we actually got into the Plant. We got a few birds in the T-section ponds but it was so unpleasant out in the wind we didn't get out of the car.  Touring the Western Lagoons a highlight was a fl...

 We haven't seen the daughter for a while so decided to head down for a few days.  As this was quite a quick decision I thought it unlikely we'd be able to get into the IBIS on a Saturday night so explored AirBnB, looking to stay in Docklands.  They offered us about 450 places and seemed to define Docklands as including St Kilda, Footscray, Fitzroy and Collingwood.  (The latter 3 examples made me think of a joke from the 1980s "Which three AFL teams start with F?" to which the answer was "Fitzroy, Footscray and F..... Collingwood.")  We eventually chose a place in West Melbourne - Rosslyn St, close to the Flagstaff Gardens. To the trip. Bird of the Day got off to a good start with a flock of Choughs before Orbost.  That got topped by 3 Emus in a paddock at Newmerella. Don't you love road works?  Because of the centre dividers 400m of work required 2 kms of contra flow with huge tailbacks.  Getting in to Sale there were some nice old buildings: a c...

This will be a few pictures from the drive back to Mallacoota which I have only just got around to uploading.  We set off around 10:00.  The first image was near the Royalla Solar Power site.  Without the cement truck to suggest otherwise this could be an art installation. I think this is the Tinderry Range behind Michelago.  It is finally beginning to look vegetated after a massive bushfire in December 2009.  I think the bare rock on the RHS skyline was always there. Not a concrete pumper, but art.  It's at Numeralla and I think it is actually owned by the National Gallery of Australia. Frances commented that one can tell where houses are because there are often deciduous trees around them.  Another hint is pestilential berry laden shrubs.  The photo was taken at 100kph (from the passenger seat) and I can't be sure if it is Cotoneaster or Hawthorn.  Both pests with the fruit eaten, and thus the seeds spread, by parrots, cockies and currawong...

 Frances has a developing interest in geology and "Stories beneath our feet " had a number of references to features between Bombala and Berridale.  We had never driven the Snowy River Way so it seemed like a few ducks lined up.  As well as this innovation we decided to come via Cann River as the fuel price there was the cheapest (diesel 181.9 c/l, cf 215.9 in Mallacoota or 186.9 in Bombala) between home and Canberra.  Here is our route: about 20km and 40 minutes longer than our normal route We had taken the Pajero as:  I wanted to get a new rear light assembly as the sticky tape I had been using on it for the last 8 years was getting a bit iffy;  I wasn't sure what the road from Ando to Berridale would be like; and We might want to go into the mountains while we are in Canberra. I have added a 4th element having done the trip: the Monaro Highway from Cann River to Bombala is in very poor condition.  We were pleased we weren't taking the Mazda which is...

 Another trip to Canberra for dentist and a couple of croquet matches.   The first images shows the outcome of 'pesticide' use along Imlay Rd.  We didn't stop to read the signs but I think it was an all embracing herbicide that nailed everything.  In a few areas the spray had drifted into the trees off the verge. Once in the South East Forests NP it looked as though they had slashed rather than sprayed.  A good thing, but we didn't take a snap of that. We found a log truck crawling up a hill for a km or so but was able to get past him OK  Once on the Monaro Highway we met this peleton doing 15 kph.   The caravan had a couple of looks at getting past but pulled back in, so I - I suspect knowing the road better than the van driver - made with the loud pedal and got past all three in about 100m.  I kept out to give the van driver a hint that all was clear but he held back: I suspect he was still behind them when they got to Bombala. After r...