Seven top things I loved about Tasmania, Australia.

1. The birds, especially the parrots.
 
2. The wildlife, but not the road kill

3. The golf course at Country Villas, Launceston where we stayed for two luxurious weeks. 
 
 4.The beautiful, green countryside
 

with the well fed, healthy aned happy  looking livestock. 

5. The famous Mole Creek Caves. 
Best stalictites and stalicmites I have ever seen and the most hilarious and upbeat guide I have ever met. 

6. The amazing Victorian buildings and bridges. 

 

7. And my lovely, kind and generous husband, Graham for taking us there. 

 We had a wonderful; adventure and a happy Christmas and New Year. 
It is a great way to start off 2014. 

There are more photos to come. 
I am in the process of sorting them all out so watch this space. 

Creative Quote of the Week

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. 
If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough”
― Oprah Winfrey

Fun with animals in Launceston, Tasmania

Images from Launceston Tasmania

Rabbit from lounge window, on golf course. Rabbits are shy, so you can't get up very close

There is tons of grass for them to eat.

Early morning grass and dew shots on the golf course at the country Club Tasmania

                   Sparkling dew

 Beautiful Banksia in town near a Japanese garden in the middle of Launceston next to the council building

Beautiful Victorian clock tower that chimes every quarter of an hour, takes you back in time to when most towns had these.

Beautiful bokeh caused by early morning dew.

The internet is so slow over here, even though it's broadband  that it makes it difficult to post photographs.

This is the view of the rocks and water on the Tamar River from the swinging suspension bridge in the  Cataract Gorge only five minutes drive from the centre of the city.

The pattern of the rock outcrops were beautiful.

We went to The Tasmanian Zoo, don't go there and it's very expensive and all the birds and animals are locked up looking miserable in tin sheds. 

The three Tasmanian devils I saw were lolloping along quite happily but they all had skin cancers which is a contagious disease which is galloping through their population.

Very sad.  The cages are all too hot with parrots looking depressed. Water is dirty and branches in the hot cages old and dry.

I am definitely writing to some animal cruelty authorities before I leave.

This place needs to be closed down. I felt traumatised by it.

The other thing that is disturbing is the amount of road killed kangaroos and other marsupials I have seen.

 It breaks my heart to see so much carnage. 

 I  did manage to get two shots of  Echinda's who were walking on the side of the road when we went through some  large forests near Cascade mountain.

 I hope it didn't end up as road kill as well.

  I looked it up on the internet and Tasmania is known as the road kill capital of Australia.  

 Here is a  photo of a  dead Tasmanian Devil  that I took near Cascade mountain and I'm sorry if it upsets viewers but  this type of thing needs to be exposed.

 I came here to take lots of shots of  wild life so of course my eyes are scanning the side of the roads for live one. 

 I'm noticing more than most people I guess.

When you run over an animal why not stop and at least give it a dignified burial?

If you can't stop running them over, why not carry a spade in your boot?

How long would it take to dig a hole in a grass verge to bury it. This would at least fertilise the soil.

 

The problem isn't going away by averting eyes and pretending it doesn't exist or worse doesn't  matter.

If enough people respond and lobby the tourism department, surely something more can be done.

Baby monkey study in Central Park Launceston

This little guy loved interacting with the children through the glass.

Creative Quote of the day
I learned the way a monkey learns, by way of watching its parents.
Prince Charles



 

Launceston, a morning spent in town

 We went into town to have a look around to have a good coffee, photograph  the architecture and to City Park to see the Macaque monkeys and trees.
 .

This city has one of the best collection of intact  Georgian and Victorian architecture in Australia.

 

 The beautiful detailed artwork and craftsmanship makes you yearn for these places in your own city.
How could anyone living in this elegant place not have an appreciation for art and culture and creativity?

 This park has formal plantings of trees and garden, heritage fountains and of course the monkeys which they obtained in the 1980's.

This  is a bronze sculpture of a botanist, bronze sculptures are everywhere in Launceston.

 

The detail on these types of works is awe inspiring.  

This is a fountain that is shaped like a bird cage was gifted to the park by Queen Victoria.

 

Sculptures are everywhere in this city.

Tasmanian Tigers in bronze

 Women are honoured as well, it's a beautiful thing to see female  figures as part of buildings.

Creative quotes of the day

Sculpture is the art of the intelligence.
Pablo Picasso
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/sculpture.html#tCJWvJvtetqljLKe.99

Sculpture is the art of the intelligence.
Pablo Picasso
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/sculpture.html#tCJWvJvtetqljLKe.99

Sculpture is the art of the intelligence.
Pablo Picasso
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/sculpture.html#tCJWvJvtetqljLKe.99

"Sculpture is the art of intelligence"
Pablo Picasso

"What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul"
Joseph Addison.