Friday 31 March 2017

Cyclone Debbie

Cyclone Debbie caused a lot of damage. This image is from the 'earth' site.


She trashed the Whitsundays, and dumped buckets of rain all down the Queensland and NSW coast.


The politicians have been particularly pathetic recently, subsidizing an Indian coal mine and mocking people concerned about climate change.

Here are a few photos from the extra rain.


Austinville Creek


Austinville Creek


Purlingbrook Falls


Hinze Dam overflow


The race below the Hinze Dam


Columnar basalt rock formation at Fingal Head. Cook Island in the distance.

We had to get Nimrod down from Raby Bay to her annual appointment at BoatWorks in Coomera. The plan had been to bring her down on Thursday, ready for her liftout on Friday morning. The weather was wet on the Thursday, with a northerly of 20-25 knots, but Debbie was due to swing round and blow hard from the south for most of the week. A case of 'now or never'. 

The creek was flooded a kilometre down from our house, so I went round the back way to meet my mate Julien at Coomera. The back road was open, but later in the day suffered a major break! 


Julien and I got Nimrod down to BoatWorks without difficulty. Quite a bit of debris in the Coomera River. I stayed at his place that night, until the creek dropped enough to get home the next day.

As predicted, Debbie blew hard from the south for days. Just as well we made the move when we did.

Tuesday 21 March 2017

Grand-parenting on Lord Howe Island

My daughter Anna lives in Melbourne with her partner Sim, and daughter Aelie (3½). We try to meet up every few months. This time was on Lord Howe Island, one of George's favourite places. We have been advised by friends who live there that it is better to fly there and enjoy it from the land, rather than sail across dodgy seas to an uncomfortable anchorage.

We had a lovely week together, staying at Leanda Lei, near the centre and an easy walk or bike-ride to a shop, the museum and the beach.

Here are some photos.


Aelie




Sim and Aelie


Using a 'Spy-board'


Friendly fish at Ned's Beach (where fishing is forbidden).


Mounts Lidgbird and Gower







Bikes outside the museum




Parrot fish




Anna and Sim climbing Mount Gower


Providence petrel (Pterodroma solandri)


Female Lord Howe Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis contempta), I think

An interesting article about the history of the Lord Howe Island volcanic activity over the last 30 million years. How we traced the underwater volcanic ancestry of Lord Howe Island.