mayarn
Maya Gonzales Berry Joined: September 26th 2009
Logged in: November 18th 2009
Logged in: November 18th 2009
Travel Blog Posts
Lillian Stokes Rock
A trillion stars, a billion grains of sand, a million drops of rain, 3.5 thousand kilometers of road, hundreds of mosquitos, dozens of wild animals, two people, and one land cruiser--our bush camping trip from Perth to Adelaide was nothing short of amazing. As we set out to explore the southeastern part of West Australia's coast and to cross the Nullarbor Plain, we hoped to have as much of an, off-the-main-road-outback-experience as possible. Rather than relying on conventional campsites and caravan parks, our goal was to find secluded spaces that would allow us to experience and appreciate the Australian wilderness. For the most part we were able to do this. Four nights were spent bush camping in fairly isolated National or Conservation Parks, and three nights were spent in more conventional National Park campgrounds. Other than ... read more
Sunrise Arkaroola
It is not uncommon to hear people in Adelaide claim that they live in the driest city, in the driest state, in the driest continent on Earth. There have been drought conditions in this part of the world for the last several years. Often, when I walk the streets of my new hometown I reflect on this fact. As I look around me and see all the beautiful gardens and flowering trees, I find it hard to believe that there is a lack of water. Not only is there a lushness around me, but my skin feels hydrated, and I lack the constant thirst I have when I am in more arid country. Throughout the winter we seemed to have plenty of days of rain. Far more than I ever saw when living in Southern Spain, ... read more
Arid Mt. Gammon
Our recent trip to Arkaroola included a couple of days at the Mt. Gammon Ranges National Park, located on the southern boundary of the Arkaroola Wildlife Sanctuary. The park has several bush camping areas, and we decided to stay at the site near Grindells Hut because of its proximity to several hiking trails. It is one of the more isolated camping areas, and we had to traverse a 17 km 4wd road to access the camping area. There is a Hut, that can be rented from the Park Services, but we stayed down among the river gums. Finding the ideal site was a bit tricky, because you don't want to put your tent under the large trees, as they are known to drop heavy branches without warning. Fortunately, we arrived early and were able to find ... read more
Emu and Chicks
My choice of Cobber Pedy, as this past July's Birthday destination was not based on the fact that it is the Opal Capital of the World. My interest arose after reading Jack and Harry: No Turning back by Tony McKenna and Mervyn Davis. The story, set in the 1950's, is of two young mates who ran-away from their home in Perth when falsely accused of theft. Their journey takes them through the heart of the Australian Outback, to Coober Pedy. After finishing the story I was ready for visit to Coober Pedy, not in search of the shimmering gemstone, like so many others, but in a quest for a better understanding of the South Australian Outback. If you look at a map you can see that Coober Pedy is in the middle of nowhere. Over 800 ... read more
Wind Carved Cliffs
Recently, Mark and I headed over to the Eyer Peninsula. For all us Yanks, Eyer is pronounced air. Triangle shaped and over 300 km in length, The Eyer Peninsula is located on the coast of Southern Australia between the Spencer Gulf and the Southern Ocean. This was actually our second visit to the peninsula. Last March we spent a long weekend hiking the National Park in the lower portion of the peninsula. We spent one day hiking in Coffin Bay National Park, and the other at Port Lincoln National Park. Each park boasts good trails, magnificent scenery, and an abundance of wildlife. Not only did we see a Death Adler, an Orange Spider Wasp, a Skink, and several ‘roos, but we actually saw a mob of over 30 Emus! It was really a breathtaking experience Our ... read more
