Botanic Park Duckwalk at Dusk

Adelaide's city centre is surrounded by extensive parklands. Although they are bit by bit being chopped back for commercial purposes, we have managed to preserve about 95% of them in our 150 year history as a proper self governing colony capital. The above pic shows part of the Botanic Park, which lies just outside the botanic gardens, at sunset a week or so ago. I was passing by and liked the light.

Big Botanic Brook

This image seems to be refusing to show itself on the 'regular' view of this blog. To see it, you will need to click on the [blank] square below.

...

This is from my walk through the Botanic Gardens, a view down into the creek from the bridge immediately downstream from the waterfall (see below).

And yep, I've gone upto the biggest size photo which Blogger will allow. Let me know (in the comments) if this causes you problems.

Intrepid Explorer

Here's a snap of me in the Botanic Gardens recently. I've put it here on the web so that you I can use the URL created by the posting to use it in my 'profile' on these blogs.

Introducing Adelaide's Botanic Gardens

The above photo of Botanic Brook (click here to see it) was taken during a recent stroll through the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, about five minutes walk from the town centre. My bus goes by it every day. I used to come here very often, knew it back to front. It's being slowly commercialised (like all good things seem to be these days), but still contains many beautiful sights. The Botanic Brook, flowing through the centre of the park and feeding several water features, is itself a key feature.

...

The following photo was almost an accident, as I was zooming into the creek as the shot exposed. There's a still point roughly in the centre...

Memorial Fountain

The 'Botanic Brook' enters the gardens from the Parklands, and immediately collects in a large dammed (?) pond, complete with fountain. Viewed from elsewhere, the fountain is part of a remembrance architecture (there's an arch as well) to commemorate Australian and American friendship during WWII. It always amuses me to see Japanese tourists standing there for photos, not knowing what it is that they use for a backdrop.

...

I fooled around with shutter speed a bit, the next photo looks pretty textured at full resolution...

Elf Tree

When I was a teenager we called this tree the 'Elf Tree', we were pretty much into Lord of the Rings and AD&D! I still think the name appropriate, albeit for different reasons.

...

Between the Fountain and Mallee sections, the Elf Tree provides shade from sun, shelter from rain, and somewhere just to climb upto and watch the world go by...

Elf Tree Portrait

This is a 3 shot vertical 'panorama'.

...

On the Track

This is a five shot panorama, with the additional feature of me sitting on a log next to the trail through the temperate forest. Thanks to the Panasonic's 10 second delay feature!

...

Once you get to know the Botanic Gardens well, there's a site for every occasion. Even on a very busy Sunday, when the car park was full and the main paths crowded, I was still able to find peace in the Temperate forest section.

...

There are always pleasant little surprises, if you keep your eyes open...

And there's always a bench to suit if you're feeling weary, with a choice of shade or sun. These are in the 'Classground', dedicated to the monastic dutch pioneer of the science of hereditary, Linneas...

Growing alongside the brook with which I introduced this series of posts lies this grove of swamp oaks (tucked in behind the more famous lotus pond). There's some lovely seating in this spot, if you don't mind sitting at the tree's feet. I read many of my University tutorial readings here...