As Melbourne in Australia goes into another 7-day lockdown, I’ve been thinking about my lovely holiday in Victoria last year – a couple of weeks before our part of the world went mad – and have been wondering when it might be ‘safe’ to return to tripping across the Tasman Sea to visit loved ones. So I thought it would be nice to share some images from that driving holiday and remember a happy family time.
Ozothamnus turbinatus, or coast everlasting, is found from South Australia to New South Wales and including Tasmania. The leaves are aromatic when crushed. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Billardiera longiflora, or purple apple-berry, is a small evergreen vine found in cool, moist forests from southern New South Wales to Tasmania. The berry is edible, although some say the flesh is best for jams and chutneys. Photo: Sandra Simpson
A ghost forest on the Cape Otway road. A few years ago the koala population in the area was slowly starving to death, after the animals literally ate themselves out of a home – the dead trees are Eucalyptus viminalis (manna gums), native to southeast Australia including Tasmania, killed by hungry koalas. Read more here. Photo: Sandra Simpson
To finish, let’s celebrate these living eucalyptus trees in the Otway National Park, a lush rainforest. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Sandra's Garden 