Kalamina Gorge ~ Karijini National Park
Karijini history
Covering an area of approximately 628 hectares, Karijini is the second largest national park in Western Australia’s (WA). Its landscape of deep gorges and rocky tunnels was formed over 2 billion years ago, when the atmosphere contained much less oxygen, and the only forms of life were simple iron and silica rich bacteria and algae. Over many millions of years, these iron-rich deposits gradually turned into the tough well-bedded rock you find in the park today.
Formerly known as Hamersley National Park, its modern name originates from the traditional Aboriginal land owners. The Banyjima, Kurrama and Innawonga Aboriginal people of Western Australia (WA) have lived in Karijini National Park for over 20,000 years, and it is proven that the diversity of vegetation and animal species found in the park today are a result of their ancient land management practices.
European explorer F.T. Gregory explored the area in 1861 and named the Hamersley Range, a major feature of Karijini National Park, after his close friend Edward Hamersley.
Dales Gorge
Dales Gorge ~ Karijini National Park, Western Australia
Journal of the Geological Society of Australia: Revolution in earth history (1971: Trendall, A. F.)
The 2,400‐metre thick Hamersley Group is characterised by its 900 m of banded iron formation, and is the middle of three constituent groups of the Mt Bruce Supergroup, which forms the contents of the 2,300–1,800 m.y. old Hamersley Basin. The Hamersley Basin initially covered about 150,000 km2 of northwestern Australia, and in its present widespread outcrop, the Mt Bruce Supergroup is mostly little disturbed or metamorphosed. Within one iron formation unit 142 m thick, the Dales Gorge Member of the Brockman Iron Formation, within the Hamersley Group, there are three scales of stratification, termed macrobanding, mesobanding (the normal ‘banding’ of banded iron formation) and microbanding. Microbands are thin (0.2–2.0 mm) regular laminae, alternately rich and poor in iron, within chert mesobands. Microbands, mesobands and macrobands may all be correlated over the whole of the present outcrop. Microbands are believed to result from annual seasonal control of the primary precipitation in the basin, while alternations between microbanded chert mesobands and the adjacent non‐microbanded chert‐matrix are thought to reflect a 25‐year environment cyclicity. There is also a higher‐order cyclicity. The microbands are chemical evaporitic varves. There are many published accounts of modern non‐glacial varves of a similar order of thickness whose identity as varves is established by direct evidence. Many of these are couplets of laminae, one half being largely organogenic, and similarly structured couplets have been widely accepted as varves in descriptions of Phanerozoic rocks. Evaporitic laminae have also been so accepted, although there are no exact modern analogues. Microbands are closely similar to these in geometry, and all varves are characteristically regular.
Secular variations in all depositional environments are likely to be related, in the absence of major tectonic changes, to variations in the total annual receipt of solar radiation. The controls of insolation are well known, but their past variation is only usefully calculable back to 1 m.y. Variations of these controls, and especially of rotational obliquity, outside the Pleistocene limits, seems to be the most likely source of an explanation for the various depositional cyclicities of the Dales Gorge Member. The history of Earth’s revolution around the Sun (Revolution in Earth History) is a topic concerning which much evidence still remains to be read directly from the stratigraphic record.
Cape Range National Park, Exmouth
Cape Range National Park
The Cape Range National Park is one of the most pristine and beautiful coastlines found anywhere in the world. The area is well known for its striking contrasts of clear blue seas, coral reefs and sandy beaches combined with the diverse, rugged, range land scenery of the peninsula.
Cape Range is the only elevated limestone range found on the north-western coast of Western Australia. Its impressive weathered limestone peaks have spectacular plateaus of up to 314 metres high. Cape Range forms the spine of the peninsula and stretches north-south along the coast to the North West Cape. You can climb deep rocky gorges and enjoy some breathtaking scenery.
There are some excellent walking trails to be explored including the Mandu Mandu Gorge which stretches on a 3km trail following an ancient river bed system before returning along a spectacular elevated range. The Yardie Creek Gorge trail is a much shorter walk and follows a rocky freshwater gorge providing wildlife viewing opportunities including native birds, skinks, lizards and Black Footed Rock Wallabies. A much easier way to see the Yardi Creek gorge is to join the daily Yardie Creek Boat Cruise.
Mt Bruce (Bunurrunha), Karijini National Park
http://www.juanitamarchesaniphotography.com.au
Mt Bruce (Bunurrunha)
Spectacular views from the top of the second tallest peak in WA, called Bunurrunha by the Aboriginal people. There are three walks of varying lengths and difficulty:
Marandoo View is 500 metres and takes 30 minutes return.
Honey Hakea Track is 4.6 kilometres – allow 3 hours return.
The walk to Mt Bruce Summit is 9 kilometres – allow 5 hours for the return trip. This walk is recommended only for fit and experienced walkers.
Fern Pool ~ Dales Gorge ~ Karijini National Park
Climbing down this gorge is not for the faint hearted, unfit or very young. Certainly not recommended for anyone with cardiac or skeletal problems…I found it murder on my broken back.
Unfortunately a number of people have fallen to their death attempting to climb down into the gorge. It was certainly worth the pain and suffering in the end, my partner and I really enjoyed our time their with the Kalamunda Gem Camera Club in May.
Via Flickr:
Canon 17-540mm L
Baroque Age ~ History of Horse Art
The Baroque age saw a renewal of the art of equitation and horses in artwork was more popular than ever before.
The Baroque age began in the final years of the 16th century and the end of the Renaissance. There was a renewal of the art of equitation and horses in artworks were more popular than ever before in history.
Classical riding was in vogue in royal courts and in the houses of European nobility. This was also a time period in which many dissertations on the subject of high school equitation were written. The treatise of Xenophon, a noted Greek historian and author of equitation, was rediscovered and studied and the partnership of horse and man were once again a subject of society and artists alike. The horse was evident both in painting and in the art of riding.
Such masters as Rubens, Van Dyke and Velazquez painted portraits of their patrons mounted on elegant horses. Opulence was the key of the era, and horses were depicted with flowing manes and tails, with rounded hind quarters in a manner that was very rich, but not in relation to reality. Often the horses, even in battle scenes were painted in high school poses.
Movement had a great appeal to Baroque painters, and the poses Rubens selected for the horse in his work certainly displayed complete mastery. Small scale battle scenes were popular themes in the 17th century as can be seen in the works of Jacques Courtois, Philips Wouwermans and Jan Wyck. Normally the horse was portrayed in small scale, did not require great detail – in fact the battle scenes were not based on reality or historical engagements.
Caravaggio certainly captured the drama of the age with his brilliant chiaroscuro. Caravaggio’s painting of St Paul’s Journey to Damascus is linked under illustrations on this page.
Le Brun’s style of painting might be unfashionable today, but was delightfully in tune with the Baroque period. His patron’s included Chancellor Seguier ( a riding school master), Cardinal Barberini and Pope Urban VIII, then later in life Louis XIV.
In many art works of the day, much more importance was placed on horses than in previous time periods.
In painting the favorite pony Prince Balthasar Carlos, Diego Velasquez had to work from the deceased and stuffed pony, it having already lived it’s life.
Stefano della Bella was an etcher and imitated the work of Callot, but his love of animals, especially horses, infused the subject matter of his prolific career and he portrayed many horses in many poses, including the work horse.
The art works of Aelbert Cuyp and Philips Wouwermans were typical of the Dutch style, and very naturalistic.
It was also during this time period that horse sporting art became a genre. Horse racing as the subject of artworks abounded under the patronage of the British Tudor and house of Stuart, as well as Charles II. Owners of winning horses commissioned portraits. Charles II established Newmarket as a center of racing and Barb and Arab stallions were imported and crossed with the local stock of England, giving rise eventually to the Thoroughbred. The genre of sporting art continues to be popular today.
Strelitzia
Strelitzia is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. The genus is named after the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, birthplace of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom. A common name of the genus is bird of paradise flower, because of a supposed resemblance of its flowers to the bird of paradise. In South Africa it is commonly known as a crane flower.
The species S. nicolai is the largest in the genus, reaching 10 m tall, with stately white and blue flowers; the other species typically reach 2 to 3.5 m tall, except S. caudata which is a tree of a typically smaller size than S. nicolai. The leaves are large, 30–200 cm long and 10–80 cm broad, similar to a banana leaf in appearance but with a longer petiole, and arranged strictly in two ranks to form a fan-like crown of evergreen foliage. The flowers are produced in a horizontal inflorescence emerging from a stout spathe. They are pollinated by sunbirds, which use the spathe as a perch when visiting the flowers; the weight of the bird on the spathe opens it to release the pollen onto the bird’s feet, which is then deposited on the next flower it visits.
Orchid Surprise ♥
I was out attending to appointments yesterday and spent some time in the afternoon swimming the dog. When I got back home I found a lovely bunch of my favorite flower at the front door. It really made my day and cheered me up. They were sent by my partners mother who lives in England. My partner is in England for several weeks right now visiting family, I was unable to go this time 😦 I would have loved to take my camera to England to do landscapes, seascapes and especially to capture some atmospheric photos of the 1000 year old Corfe Castle, maybe next year I will be well enough to go.
I am looking forward to Adam’s return in April in time for our exciting road trip to Karijini National Park to do some photography and spend 3 weeks camping in the remote north west of Western Australia.
Xanthorrhoea
The best known common name for the Xanthorrhoea is blackboy. This name refers to the purported similarity in appearance of the trunked species to an Aboriginal boy holding an upright spear. Some people now consider this name to be offensive, or at least belonging to the past, preferring instead grasstree.
Xanthorrhoea is important to the Aboriginal people who live where it grows. The flowering spike makes the perfect fishing spear. It is also soaked in water and the nectar from the flowers gives a sweet tasting drink. In the bush the flowers are used as a compass. This is because flowers on the warmer, sunnier side of the spike (usually the north facing side) often open before the flowers on the cooler side facing away from the sun.
The resin from Xanthorrhoea plants is used in spear-making and is an invaluable adhesive for Aboriginal people, often used to patch up leaky coolamons (water-containers) and even yidaki (didgeridoos).
Flickr Photos
Juanita Marchesani Photography 