What a week it's been!

This morning we left our lodgings early so we could make a detour to Lake Fyans before heading off home. A dank misty morning, there was no-one else there. Which was an absolute bonus. Marvellous moody images of the lake. Wonderful bird-life that was so unafraid, they were zooming around so close to my head, I could hear the wing beats.

We have had the most marvellous time in the Grampians. There are said to be 160 kilometres of trails - we only walked about 15 of them. So you can guess we will be heading back there just as soon as we can.

I can't tell you how lucky we are - we live close to some of the best wilderness areas in Australia - although the rest of Australia might dispute that. But if ever you lot, from "up north" come down here - don't just think of the cities, wonderful though they are. Get off the mainstream tourist beat and visit some of our bush. It's magic.

And lucky me - another bird for THE list. This is a Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus) . A bird I never thought I would get to see.

Mr. Wiki says:

The Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus) is the largest Australasian treecreeper. The bird, endemic to eastern Australia, has a broad distribution, occupying areas from Cape York, Queensland, throughout New South Wales and Victoria to Port Augusta and the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Prevalent nowadays between 16 degrees S and 38 degrees S, the population has contracted from the edges of its pre-European range, declining in Adelaide and Cape York. Found in a diverse range of habitats varying from coastal forests to mallee shrub-lands, the Brown Treecreeper often occupies eucalypt-dominated woodland habitats up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), avoiding areas with a dense shrubby understorey.