A Rose in Oz

Red on Red Hill

5/17/2019

On a hill about 2,400 feet high, Red Hill Nature Reserve sprawls over 736 acres. Only five and a half miles south from the center of Canberra, the top of Red Hill offers spectacular views of the city and surrounding suburbs. In late autumn, I went looking for the “red” in Red Hill and found it in some of the most surprising places.

The name “Red Hill” likely originated with the early European settlers when they saw the reddish soil. Red Hill is made up of very hard metamorphic rock, called hornfels. As it weathers over time, iron oxide is released, accounting for the red color.

Red rocks and soil

Pathway up the hill

Red rock

The vegetation joins with the soil and rocks in adding touches of red to the environment.

Grevillea

Red stems and eucalyptus leaves

Grape leaves from house and yard bordering the reserve

Birds provide fast-moving splashes of color as well.

White-cheeked rosella, also called eastern rosella

Gang-gang cockatoo

Female king parrot

Crimson rosella

Humans, not to be left out, provide their own touches.

Water for the canine visitors

Trail marker for the Red Track

Red rock sculpture

I can’t think of a better way to spend a morning than enjoying all the reds on Red Hill.

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Water’s Power: The Blowhole, Tasman Arch, and Devils Kitchen

5/10/2019

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The power of water does weird and wonderful things to the southern coast of Tasmania. Strong winds from the southwest create pounding waves that attack the rockface and erode the coastline. In addition to the Tesselated Pavement, three other sites on the Tasman Peninsula illustrate the remarkable power of water: The Blowhole, Tasman Arch, and Devils Kitchen.

Before looking at The Blowhole, here’s a primer on how water forms caves. Imagine the sea as it crashes against the base of cliffs. The waves carry sand and rock debris, which act like a big horizontal piece of sandpaper, cutting a notch into the vertical rockface until a crack or joint is reached. Compressed water and air wedge in the crack, forcing the rock apart. Continued erosion makes a cave longer and wider.

The Blowhole was a sea cave and tunnel until the roof at the back of the tunnel collapsed. The result was a broad arch with a blowhole behind it.

It may not look like much at low tide in the photo above; The Blowhole is far more impressive on a stormy day.

The second formation, Tasman Arch, was once a large sea cave like The Blowhole. Wave action over thousands of years made the cave wider and longer until most of the roof collapsed.

Eventually, the water will cause the rest of the arch to collapse as well so that it looks more like the next formation.

Devils Kitchen was likely a sea cave and then a tunnel. The waves over many thousands of years have eroded the rock, causing the roof to completely collapse. The water follows its inexorable path, cracking joints to create new caves in the rockface.

These three formations are remarkable examples of what the power of water can do.

“Water is patient, Adelaide. Water just waits. Wears down the cliff tops, the mountains. The whole of the world. Water always wins.”

From “The Waters of Mars,” Doctor Who

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Tessellated Pavement

5/2/2019

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On a recent trip to Tasmania, on Eaglehawk Neck, at the northern end of Pirate’s Bay Beach, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Looking down, it was as if some ambitious giant had decided to lay a walkway of rectangular tiles between the beach and the water. This phenomenon is called the Tessellated Pavement. Although this extremely rare geological formation appears to be manmade, it’s in fact created by erosion.

The erosion causes what are called “pans” and “loaves.” The pans occur on the shore, where high tides leave salt behind on the rockface. The rock at low tides dries out for longer before being immersed again. Salt crystals develop, which erode the rock surface more quickly than the joints, resulting in concave depressions.

In contrast, the rock surface closest to the water is wet much of the time. Salt crystals don’t have an opportunity to develop. Erosion results from the sand carried in the water, which tends to flow through channels in the rock. The edges of the rock erode faster than the surface. The results are formations that look like loaves of rising bread.

The depressions in the rockface create tidal pools, a haven for many kinds of sea life, and birds are attracted to the plentiful pickings.

This type of geological wonder is found in only a few places in the world, so I feel fortunate to have seen it.

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ANZAC Memorial

4/25/2019

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The Kemal Ataturk Memorial in Canberra. Photo by Diane Williams.

On this ANZAC Day, I think I’ll go to ANZAC Parade, Canberra’s major ceremonial avenue, which opened in 1965 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ANZAC landing in Gallipoli. ANZAC refers to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers who landed at Gallipoli in the First World War.

Although more than a dozen memorials stand on ANZAC Parade, there’s a special one I’d like to revisit: the Kemal Ataturk Memorial. This memorial honors Kemal Ataturk, who commanded the Turkish forces at Gallipoli and later became the first president of Turkey. It also honors both the ANZAC and Turkish soldiers in the long, hard Gallipoli campaign. Soil from ANZAC Cove in Turkey lays underneath the dedication plaque.

Dedication plaque. Photo by Diane Williams.

It may seem odd to honor one’s enemy in a capital city, but Turkey and Australia agreed to recognize the bravery and heroism of soldiers on both sides to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing.

The aim of the Gallipoli campaign was to gain control of the straits of the Dardanelles, which would allow Great Britain and France to directly attack Constantinople, thus forcing the Turks out of the war. The ANZACS landed at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, a mile away from the intended landing. The soldiers met sharp cliffs and deep ravines, which came as a surprise since they had the wrong maps for the location. The ANZACs faced Turks fighting for their homeland led by the capable and determined commander Kemal. Conditions were harsh: poor food, water shortages, and flies led to disease. The temperature extremes over the eight-month campaign caused sunstroke and frostbite.

Although the Turks eventually forced a withdrawal, the cost was enormous: they had lost more than 80,000 troops, while Australia had lost more than 8,000. For both, the punishing campaign helped to forge national identities.

The combatants came to respect their adversaries. There are tales of soldiers going over to enemy trenches to exchange supplies during lulls in fighting. When the ANZACs withdrew, they left notes for the Turks, thanking them for a fair fight and assuring them that the food left behind wasn’t poisoned.

Later, long after the war ended, this tribute to the ANZAC soldiers buried at Gallipoli was often (and perhaps erroneously) attributed to Kemal Ataturk:

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. Having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

The Kemal Ataturk Memorial recalls the heroism and sacrifices made by soldiers on both sides. Rather than demeaning adversaries or seeing them somehow as less than human, it asks us to instead acknowledge our shared humanity—a worthwhile thing to do on ANZAC day.

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Street Art for Everyone

2/21/2019

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Imagine someone with a spray can, painting graffiti on a wall. How do you picture that person? Chances are you envision someone young, in a hoodie, standing in a dark underpass. Last August in Canberra, the Streetwise Project decided to change that perception and transform a drab public place into something more colorful and dramatic.

The call went out to find people, age 55 or older, who wanted to work on an intergenerational street art project. Two professional graffiti and street artists served as mentors and planned to teach their techniques in workshops. The professionals, both younger artists, would then paint murals with the new group of older artists at a bus station.

The Streetwise Project had several goals: to combat ageism, reduce stereotypes about graffiti and street artists, and give an intergenerational experience to older people, to bring them into the community and lessen feelings of isolation.

A few months later, 35 enthusiastic people, all over the age of 55, attended three workshops. Calling themselves the Silver Sprayers, they were passionate and inspired to paint. The result can be seen in the wonderful, quirky murals at the Woden Bus Interchange.

The Silver Sprayers all loved their first experience in making street art, and the public’s reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Since the project is ongoing, the group is hoping to paint more in Narrabundah, another suburb of Canberra. Next stop, Narrabundah!

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Yellow in Yarralumla

2/15/2019

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Yarralumla is a southern suburb of Canberra, located around 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) away from the city. Although the formal suburb was established in 1928, the land has been known as Yarralumla for a much longer time, at least since 1834, when the area owned by Sydney merchant Henry Donnison was given the name in a land survey. The word “Yarralumla” comes from an aboriginal word meaning “echo.”

The streets in Yarralumla have the names of governors and botanists, such as Hopetoun Circuit, named for Australia’s first governor-general, and McGillivray Street, named for botanist Donald McGillivray.

Yarralumla stretches along the southwest bank of Lake Burley Griffin. The lake was created in the early 1960s by blocking the Molonglo River with a dam. Many Canberrans are drawn to the lake, to enjoy the outdoors and have some fun. On a recent visit, I was struck by the sunny yellows all around me.

Circling the lake is a bike trail that is 28 km long (17.39 miles), divided into three loops and connected by two bridges.

Colorful wildflowers and birds dot the trail.

Like the Canberra suburb of O’Malley, Yarralumla is home to more than 30 embassies and high commissions. Eight of the countries represented in Yarralumla feature yellow in their flags.

Belgium embassy

Myanmar embassy

Near the Yarralumla shops, away from the lake, I found a reminder of my sunny morning there.

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Adelaide's Beaches

1/31/2019

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My daughter starts back to school soon, so in honor of this last, precious week of summer, I decided to write about Adelaide’s beaches. On the coast of Gulf St. Vincent, we managed to visit three of them--a study in contrasts--in one afternoon.

Semaphore, the northernmost one we travelled to, is a charming little beach town. Oriented to families, it boasts fair rides, kite flying, a small water park, and a miniature steam train.

A little south of Semaphore, we discovered Grange. This quiet village has a wooden jetty that is perfect for fishing and lots of uncrowded beach.

We ended the day’s beach odyssey with Glenelg, located on Holdfast Bay, only 20 minutes from Adelaide’s central business district. This beach is the busiest, with something for everyone. People can enjoy snorkelling, scuba, and boating. A Ferris wheel is only one of many kid-friendly spaces. Others include a splash park, pedal cars, water slides, trampolines, and climbing activities. Cinemas, restaurants, and shops line the historic streets. Established in 1836, Glenelg is the oldest European settlement on mainland South Australia.

Gulf St. Vincent has many other beautiful beaches, and I look forward to exploring more on future trips!

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Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary

1/17/2019

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While visiting Adelaide, we decided to drive north to explore the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is 60 kilometers (around 37 miles) of coastline, wetlands, and salt marshes.

This protected land is a refuge for shore birds and water birds. Some are resident species, while others are migratory. It is a key feeding and roosting site for birds that migrate between Australia and the northern hemisphere via the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

This flyway, another name for a migratory route, stretches from Siberia and Alaska south through East Asia and Southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand. The flyway crosses 22 countries and measures 25,000 kilometers (around 15,500 miles) each way. More than 50 million water birds travel this route, and they depend on these wetlands and others to feed and rest so that they have enough energy to complete their trip.

The Sanctuary helps to protect threatened bird species such as the curlew sandpiper, ruddy turnstone, red knot, and eastern curlew.

Ibises and gulls

Egrets and cormorants

Salt marsh

The Bird Sanctuary land may be only 30 minutes north of Adelaide’s central business district, but it feels miles and miles away from anywhere.

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Between a Rock and a Hard Place

1/10/2019

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In Sydney one weekend, I was wandering down Hickson Road in Walsh Bay when I saw a car that had been crushed by something and moved off the street to a roundabout. What on earth had happened?

As I came closer, I saw a huge boulder balancing on top of the car, apparently responsible for the damage. Had the car just been left there?

I circled the car and saw that the boulder had a face.

Odd, right?

This piece of urban artwork is called Still Life with Stone and Car by sculptor Jimmie Durham. Born in Arkansas and now based in Berlin, he created this piece for the 2004 Sydney Biennale. The Biennale is an international festival of contemporary art.

Still Life with Stone and Car was created onsite in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. A two-ton stone, quarried from Australia’s Central Coast, was lowered by crane onto the red 1999 Ford Festiva hatchback, which had been specially purchased for this work. Before the stone was hammered into position, Durham painted a face on it. Why? Durham said, "To my way of thinking, if the stone is simply a stone without a face, it becomes a gesture, but with the face painted on it, the work develops a strange narrative."

Strange indeed.

Durham’s work was moved to its current location in 2006. It certainly blends into the environment. I should have realized sooner that it was street art but had ignored two signs that frame the work, no matter which way you approach it on Hickson Road. These signs are by artist Richard Tipping and they read:

The name of Tipping’s piece? Artwork, naturally enough.

Clever.

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Telstra Tower

11/21/2018

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A tall spire, like a fantastical sceptre from a fairy tale, stands on the summit of Black Mountain. One of the best-known landmarks in Canberra, Telstra Tower is a transmitting station for television, radio, mobile phones, and conferencing via video or telephone.

Telstra Tower opened in 1980 and stands just over 192 meters high, or about 632 feet. The lower level features a model of the tower and a short video about the tower’s design and construction. Telstra Tower won two design awards, one in 1979 for the imaginative and effective use of concrete and a Civic Design award in 1980.

Model of Telstra Tower. Photo courtesy of Diane Williams.

Accessible by elevator is an interior viewing gallery, gift shop, and a café with the best hot chocolate in Canberra (according to my daughter). The highest mail box in the Australian Capital Territory is here as well, a vintage beauty from around 1912. Mail is gathered from the box Monday to Friday and stamped with a “Telecom Tower” mark.

Interior viewing gallery

Highest postal box in the Australian Capital Territory

Two levels of exterior viewing galleries offer superb 360-degree views of Canberra’s suburbs, lake, and mountains. It’s the perfect spot for newcomers to orient themselves to the Bush Capital.