on Barrenjoey Headland

I was trying to get a decent photograph of this tea-tree. So far, using Rachel's camera produces better photos than I can using my fancy Nikon SLR....

Now, in summer, the riot of flowering heath of late winter has gone, but there were still some lone flannel flowers and native fuchsia. I was chasing this tea-tree, but the rain kept on coming down, so I had to put my camera away and come away..


Leptospermum


Looking up the Pittwater from Barrenjoey


Looking across to West Head in the misty rain

theses and botanising

I am currently writing up my thesis, and taking an inordinately and unnecessarily long time to do so. I have been on only one botanising walk, since my return to Sydney. (So, two photos from that walk.)

And here at work (avoiding work) I found a specimen from the NSW herbarium's record, with a photo of an actual plant collected by Banks and Solander. (If it is not from Banks & Solander, then it does come from the British Museum Collection..) Such an incredible collection. (Click to see it...)
Plantnet Acacia julifer



Casuarinas and banksia on Barrenjoey Headland.


Leptospermum squarrosum, a lovely tea-tree common in the coastal scrub.

Given that Acacia julifera was collected by Solander and Banks, here is a photograph of a beautiful tree planted, I think, in the 19th century, and a plant in the Botanic Gardens whose plaque says "Not collected by Banks and Solander". It is a magnificent tree.


Eucalyptus grandis.

Going to Newcastle

Paperbark in the Wetlands.
Hunter Botanic Gardens (just out of Newcastle)


Angophoras & Banksias. Hunter Botanic Gardens.


Wetlands. Hunter Botanic Gardens.


Went to Newcastle on the weekend. It took far longer than I had anticipated to get to Fassifern from the Williamtown airport, and of course a great deal longer because firstly our aircraft was late, secondly having been loaded aboard, the plane was not fit to fly and hence we were loaded into buses, zoomed around the airport and came back to where we started, to an almost identical plane and by this time Qantas was desperate to beat the curfew at Williamtown...... A long, long journey. I left the University at 3.15, got to Rob's by midnight.

On Saturday, in the rain, we drove up to the Hunter Botanic Gardens, which I had wanted to see. They were very different from most botanic gardens, for the most part we were walking on paths which looked to wind through the wilderness. They were lovely in the rain.

(The wetlands almost look to have been specifically created, with all those drowned and dead trees.)