Play Time

I spent some time today down at Success Hill reserve by the river, getting to know my camera a little better. It was mainly 'point and click' but I did mess around a little with the colour enhance mode and also the manual focus. It was immense fun and hopefully I will only get better with time.

Here's a few of the photos I took.

The first two are of an Arum Lilly, also known as Death Lillies. They are my favourite flower and they're just beautiful. Unfortunately, they're considered a noxious weed and it's now illegal to sell them. I did 'acquire' some a while back when I was living in the hills, thanks to a shovel, a bucket and a populated area of creek bed down by the local pub. I really should get some more for down here, but my garden isn't quite big enough. *sigh*



The next two are of our local grass trees. They're more commonly, and politically incorrectly (is that even a valid term?) known as Blackboys. There's an old legend that every time an Aboriginal dies, his spirit would inhabit a new grass tree and they would live for eternity as part of nature.
I have always been told that they only flower after a bush fire but I'm sure I heard somewhere that that is a common misconception. All I know is that there has, in the not so distant past been a fire through the area and the tree in the bottom photo is flowering spectacularly.


Just a pretty view of the river. It's rather full and brown at the moment due to the heavy rains we've had recently.

My Dad used to tell me stories of when, as kids, he and his brothers would come down to this pipeline bridge and spend hours jumping from it into the water. Apparently it was an extremely fun way to while away a hot summer's arvo. Of course, that was back when it was actually safe to swim in the river without fear of contracting some horrible disease...

I managed to get rather muddy trying to take this shot but I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

Another pretty river shot from through the trees.

Success Hill was one of the first stopping points years back when the Swan River was first colonised, due to this spring. I'd never seen it in winter before, only ever in summer when it's been little more than a trickle. The winter rains have invigorated it!

And that's about it for now guys. I'll have more photos for you soon though as on Saturday I'm heading out and about with Kat and then I have a cocktail party to go to with work. My trusty camera will be accompanying me!