Western
Australia
We
drove from
Perth to Shark Bay along the coast and returned by a more
inland route.
One
of our first stops was the Gravity Center, a museum with a lot of
information about the nearby LIGO gravity wave observatory.
The first picture is an
example of
the inverted pendulum mounting that
is used to stabilize the mirrors.
It permits motions that
are about the
size of an atom's nucleus to be
recorded free of interference from earth tremors.
Other detectors in Europe, Japan and the US form a network that work
together to improve sensitivity, determine direction and further reduce
noise.
The second
shows some things
that have fallen from the sky in Australia, part of a fuel cell from a
satellite and a meteorite.
Along the edge
of Lake Thetis
near the town of Cervantes we found living stromatolites.
These are colonies of
cyanobacteria
that trap sediment and precipitate calcium carbonate from the water
forming domes and rings just below the surface.
Fossil colonies like
these are
considered to be the earliest living things that have yet been found on
earth (possibly as much as 3.5 billion years old).
This bird we saw there
is probably a
Black Winged Stilt.
Two beaches on the
Indian
Ocean. No other people, just these two cormorants.
Further up the coast we
passed these
salt lakes and gypsum mines.
If you are in this area
be sure to
visit Kalbarri.
There are walks along a
gorge with
spectacular views that cannot be captured in a photo
Kalbarri's Bigurda trail
leads along
coastal cliffs with more incredible views.
Castle rock, cliffs and
a natural
bridge are just a few of them.
As we drove north along
the Indian
Ocean Drive we noticed abrupt changes in the vegetation.
Even though it was all
desert there
would at times be a fringe of color along the road.
Probably taking
advantage of runoff
from the pavement during occasional rains.
We saw our first
kangaroos.
I don't intend to insult
them but
they aren't any smarter than the deer we have in Kentucky.
If they are standing
facing away from
the road you can count on them to turn and bound into the center of
your lane.
When they see your panic
stop they
will jump into the bush only to leap back onto the road just when you
thought it was clear.
Here is an authentic
billabong.
We stopped at a nearby
roadhouse (gas
station, convenience store) for refreshments.
We saw a goat that had
come down to
get a drink but no jolly swagman.
Still further north we
stopped at
Shark Bay where we saw more stromatolites.
The tides in this
protected arm of
the bay has allowed them to develop a variety of forms.
Another beach on the
same bay was
composed of nothing but these tiny shells.
The penny and Nancy may
give you some
idea of the scale.
Over time the shells
become cemented
together and can be cut into blocks and used for building.
This is a quarry not a
structure.
Another beach along the
road, this
one sandy.
It was very private.
We had it all to
ourselves except for
this little guy.
He was about 9 inches
long but as you
can see, mostly tail.
More wildlife along the
road.
This time, Emus
Returning to Perth we
took an inland
route to see more of what the area was like.
A few of the interesting
sights.
A radio telescope,
windmills and
Eucalyptus trees that looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss story.
And it seemed that every
town had a
mural.
We saw fields with huge
flocks of
sheep and others covered with flowers.
Here are links to other
sights in Australia
Western
Australia, Northern
Territory, Alice
Springs, Uluru, Cape
Tribulation,
Great Barrier Reef, Tasmania, Victoria, Wildflowers
See
other places we have visited here.
Go
to our Personal
home page
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page
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Nancy
and
Alan