Australian beauty

Days before Christmas, to enable daughter Joanne time to finish her shopping and wrapping etc, I took 4 of her 5 daughters to Yanchep National Park for a picnic lunch. Spent ages with youngest of the 4 who at 9 years of age just loves photography, a girl after my own heart. Following are photo's I took while enjoying the natural bush and wildlife.Although Koala bears are not native to Western Australia, there is a enclosure here, we spotted quite a few asleep up in the trees as we walked along the boardwalk in their enclosure.This little guy got hungry and we stood watched and took photo's of his progress down the tree.
The particular eucalyptus leaves that they eat do not grow here so are flown in each day to feed them, you can see the downward facing leaves that he is eating.

He decided that he preferred this bunch of leaves and scampered across the branch to feed on them, they do look so cuddly.

I do not know the botanical name of these trees but they are commonly called blackboys, they are very slow growing but do look lovely with their grass skirts.

Outside the Koala enclosure you walk into an Aboriginal display where at certain times they demonstrate dancing etc, unfortunately it wasn't this day. Their dancing is so very distinctive imitating different animals and birds. This is a little humpy with a setting for a fire.This lovely amphitheatre is nestled in the bush, don't think that it is aboriginal though. Lovely earthy colours of bark and stone. A touch of verdigris on the tap shows how well it blends with the natural bush colours.

lovely bronze new growth on a native proteathese beautiful gold tipped pink blooms are such a contrast against the white/grey leaves, the flowers are almost the size of a teacup. and these amazing wood cups after the blooms have finished

the gum trees do have spectacular coloured flowers which stand out in the rather drab colour of the scrubby trees and bushes.This rather large beautiful grey kangaroo was about 2 meters away from the path that we where on, she has nestled into the shrub for shade, can you see her little joey between her front feet.lovely old gnarled tree smoothed from wind and rain, and probably bushfire at some time a mushroom growing into the trunk of this old tree

waterfowl looking for dropped picnic snacks

to make up for the dry browns of the bush the bird life is so vibrant, but they lack the lovely musical birdsong you get from the plainer birds. I think this was a mother and child bird jetties for canoe's but the water is so low that it is impossible to tie them up here, grand daughters at far end. It was a lovely day spent with lovely family members, I hope you have enjoyed the beauty of the Australia through my camera lens. Jacky