LAKES ENTRANCE, VIC and Surrounds
This morning we went for a walk along the foreshore of Lakes Entrance and found the marina area to be filled with many large boats, yachts and trawlers, speaking of a deep channel into the town. Originally known as Cunninghame and the marina area as Reeves River and then Cunninghame Arm later.
These 2 pictures are carvings were done
to commemmorate the soldiers and
volunteers of World War II.
Done from the bases of enormous
trees left over from logging/harvesting,
they are huge and must weigh tonnes.
LIL - Especially for you (just like our 'friend' at Yamba!)
After having lunch overlooking the water we headed for the small town of Metung. We had thought to stay here and use it as our base in this area, but couldn't find very much info on it, so we decided rather than drive the 20odd kms in and back out if there wasn't anywhere to stay, we would just come down on a day trip to have a look. What a magnificent place! It exudes oppulence and bespeaks happy retirement for many people, with an up-market, trendy appearance but a comfy, relaxed atmosphere.
Leaving Metung we drove up to Bairnsdale and stopped for walk around this large-ish town. Stopping into Rivers we decided we really needed a pair of shoes & socks each and OMG! - I had to pay for this because Greg found no plastic in his wallet. Well, after racking our brains we had the thought that it must still be with the guy we hired the boat from in Mallacoota for fishing........
Drove back to the van at L.E., with a bad, bad feeling but no! amazingly, yes it was with David and Greg suggested he drive back tomorrow to pick it up....................... Sure why not, a 6 hour round trip sounded just like what Greg loves doing, but definitely easier than trying to organise new credit cards (THANKFULLY IT WAS GREG WHO LOST THE CARD...as all you feminine friends would agree!) but me-thinks quietly I may keep this one up my sleeve for future reference if needed hehehehe!
Oh yeah! Isn't this gorgeous (Just like calling your dog "DOG" or your cat "CAT"!)
Saturday, 19th May 2012....
OKAY EVERYONE: Question 1 - WHAT IS A SHELL? (no peaking ahead either)
So, Greg was up bright and early and headed off to pick up his little plastic card from Mallacoota and I went over to the laundry and did the washing. (Whoo Hoo!) After hanging it all out I decided I had several hours to fill in without my trusty guide and hitched up the bike with the camera, water bottle and locking strap and headed into town along the 3.5 km foreshore walk/bike track.
Wow, found a shell museum and aquarium (I have never seen so many collections of shells in one place, and some of the most unusual marine animals dredged up from the deep in full preservation) Awesome and this private collection has shells from all over the world. So I duly removed the bike helmet, locked the bike to a fence and locked the helmet to the bike with the bike chain Greg got me, just outside the museum and entered paying the requested $6.00. fee. Remember guys, I've never done this bike locking thing before & it's all a little bit funny I think if anyone was to be watching, but oh! well..... gotta learn sometime!
Question 2: WHAT IS A NUDIBRANCH? (no peaking again either!)
Answer to Q1: Shells are created by snails for protection of their soft bodies, just like our fingernails and are made from Calcium Carbonate (Lime). They are permanent fixtures and grow with them.
Yay! Just knew you would know that ..... Good work people.
The Museum was established inb 1962 an dholds one of the larges private collections of natural marine life in the world. They have over 90,000 shells and continue to receive more and well as when rare and unusual creatures are brought up by trawlers and fishermen around the area and further afield.
Leaving the display area I found myself in the gift shop area (as we always do when we go to these exhibits and try to find the way out). So, while quietly looking at all the shells and giftware the nice lady came over and gave me a cane bowl so I could collect any shells I may like to buy. Finding a really great Tea Towel with our National Anthem on it (Just in case I forget the words when I get dementia) and some wonderful shells of such truly exquisite beauty they just demanded to be purchased, I paid for my cane bowl load of shells and trust tea towel which the kind lady then placed into a nice, hole-less plastic bag.
On leaving the building, I stepped out into a brisk, cold wind and some sprinkling water from the grey skies above. Thinking I may need the sunnies to stop the rain getting in my eyes I go over to unlock the bike and Yep! There laying neatly in the locked up helmet locked with the bike to the fence are my really nice "Maui Jims".
Obviously no one in Lakes Entrance noticed the UN-LOCKED Sunnies (thank goodness) or if they did they just as obviously didn't realise what they were looking at ......... Ha ha : their loss (and my lesson to BE MORE CAREFUL - It takes more than a key to lock a bike). Also kinda comes into the category of locking up the Weber & gas bottle outside the van to the drop-out awning arm on our van (But I did tell Greg that I would think it would take 2 people to carry the Weber AND the gas bottle since they are locked together!)
Okay: Answer to Q2 - A nudibranch is a snail or slug WITHOUT a shell, and some are the most beautifully coloured creatures in the ocean.
Yay! Knew you knew that one too (clap, clap, clap)
LAST QUESTION: No 3 - What is it? It can change colour slowly to hide; they hide in sea-weed; they have a frill on their bak and tiny fins at the sides of their heads; and they can lay 200-300 eggs in 1 breeding day?
If you said a Sea Horse- you are almost fully correct. If you said "a pot-belly sea horse" then you are absolutely correct & the eggs are dropped into the sand and the male picks them up and pushes them into his pouch on his tummy just like a kangaroo. (They have relatives called Leafy Sea Dragons and Pipe fish)
Anyway, put on the helmet & sunnies, emptied the tea-towel & shells into my back-pack and wrapped the camera in the plastic bag (thankfully some people still use plastic bags) and peddled frantically the homeward 3.5 kms.
Well, after a while back at the van the sun came out again and I filled in the balance of time waiting for
Greg by taking some pics of swans in the wetlands beside our caravan park:-
This guy was so cute and not afraid to come and check out my
camera.
And he didn't mind a pat either :)
He did get tired of waiting for food though!
This was a really pretty spot and all within 10 or 15 metres of our site.
Well, off to Kyabram tomorrow where I will hopefully get to catch up with my cousing Mal and his wife Jane and see my Aunty Noela who I haven't seen in forever ........
See you all soon.... Cheers everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment