Beach treasure hunt

These two people are combing the beach with their metal detectors. As you can see by the tracks in the sand, the Beach Cleaner has passed over this area. While I was watching they uncovered a few items; so I guess their efforts were rewarded.

ABC Wednesday - B for Beach Cleaner

This is "The Boss Beach Cleaner" which I found working to clean up Glenelg Beach after a busy Monday holiday. The operator tows it up and down the beach and from what I gather, this happens every day starting at daybreak.

This is a quote from the manufacturers website:

"Beachcleaners International have taken the principle of hand raking and automated it with the revolutionary BOSS Beach Cleaner. The principle of sifting and lifting the unwanted debris from sandy areas has led to the development of this simple and compact unit designed to provide years of reliable service.

Towed behind a conventional tractor, the BOSS Beach Cleaner can pick up glass, cigarette butts, bottle tops, plastic, seaweed, syringes, cans and drift wood faster than any other beach cleaner; this innovative product is doing its part to help clean our environment."

To find out more about ABC Wednesdays go to mrs nesbitts place.

More of the One and All

The One and All is a sail training vessel and even on public cruises passengers are given the opportunity to participate; helping hoist the sails and going aloft like the fellow in this photo.

On day trips like these the ship can carry 50 passengers, but on the week-long sail training trips, only 25 passengers are permitted.

When going out on the nets on the bow or going aloft, people are expected to wear safety harnesses as can be seen in this photo.

Here are views of the ship from the front and the back.

As I said yesterday sailing was particularly enjoyable on that day; here's a shot of me at the helm of my boat with a view of the One and All behind me.

Under sail

A while back I posted a photo of Adelaide's sail training ship, the One And All, in response to a request from Sailor Girl. I set off early this morning and sailed north along our coast to get a shot of this beautiful ship under sail. Conditions could not have been better; gentle breezes and a clear blue sky. The wind picked up for a brisk sail back to the marina.

Over for another year

The last race for Adelaide's 10th Tour Down Under was a 16 lap race around a 5.5 km street circuit. Andre Greipel (Team High Road) claimed victory in the race and the Tour in yet another very close finish.

It is estimated over half a million people attended the Tour Down Under events this year. It is great for South Australia; for tourism and cycling.

We rode 10 kms into the city to watch the final and had a picnic lunch trackside with a group of our cycling friends. It was great to see so many others, including young families, doing the same.

Australian citizenship

Today was Australia Day and right across the country there were many celebrations and ceremonies such as this one at Glenelg. Pictured is a group of people receiving their citizenship.

Before being given their citizenship papers they recited the citizenship oath:

From this time forward, under God,
I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,
whose democratic beliefs I share,
whose rights and liberties I respect,
and whose laws I will uphold and obey.

All new citizens have the choice of making the pledge with or without the words 'under God'.

Prior to today these people had to satisfy certain conditions and pass the Australian citizenship test. The test is only recent (introduced in October 2007). It is designed to assist people who want to become Australian citizens gain an understanding of Australia’s values, traditions, history and national symbols.

2008 Challenge Tour

Today, along with 3403 other cyclists, I participated in the 2008 Mutual Community Challenge Tour. I rode the 73.5 km route from Woodside to Strathalbyn and I finished! It was a great experience riding alongside so many others; some younger, some older; some on hi-tech racing bikes and others on hybrid or mountain bikes like me.

Riding the same course as the pros makes you appreciate their incredible level of fitness and commitment. I completed the 73.5 km course in three hours with the bonus of having two fifteen minute stops for refreshments. They rode the full 134 km course from Mannum to Strathalbyn in three and a quarter hours with no stops.

Yes, that is a photo of me crossing the finish line.

Photo by Bev

Drumming up business

I think I have found an Aussie friend for Clarice's charming lady; posted on 23 Jan. I hope she will accept his balloons. (No suitable flowers in bloom right now.)

I took this photo yesterday at Hahndorf. The 'gentleman' is trying to drum up business for a local hotel. It worked on me; I went inside for a nice cold beer. But then I reckon I deserved it with all the bike riding I've been doing lately!

Read the sign - "All day dinning". This one of my pet hates; the number of spelling errors that occur on public signs. Is it the retired teacher in me picking up these errors?

ABC Wednesday - A for arduous

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Today I went with a group of cycling friends to watch the 2nd stage of the Tour Down Under. We took a short cut along an arduous bush track to get to the Mylor road to see the race. We are not competitive cyclists in lycra; just a group enjoying the fresh air and exercise. For some of us it was a training day for the Challenge Tour on Friday.

From Mylor we rode into Hahndorf to see the riders again; then a few kilometres out of town to a vantage point to see them on a couple more laps and then back to Hahndorf to see the final sprint to the finish line. The town was decorated in purple.

To find out more about ABC Wednesdays go to mrs nesbitts place.

The winner signing on

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I reckon I should have bought a lottery ticket today! As luck would have it, the only photo I took of a rider signing on was this one. Mark Renshaw went on to win the first stage of the 2008 Tour Down Under. Mark is an Aussie riding for the French Credit Agricole team. He was ecstatic about his win, being the first Pro-Tour race he has won.

Tour Village

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This is the Tour Village in Victoria Square in the centre of Adelaide. No it is not where the cyclists live; only their cycles. The teams stay in the Hilton Hotel, just across the road.

Each of the nineteen teams has a tent garage for storage and maintenance of their bikes. Each afternoon during the tour, the village will be open to visitors. Click here for another view of the village.

The people lined up are waiting to collect their jerseys for the Mutual Community Challenge Tour on Friday. I have heard that over 3000 cyclists are participating; I will be one of them.

Down Under Classic

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Glenelg comes alive once again. Tonight was the first event for South Australia's 10th Tour Down Under. Nineteen teams competed in a 25 lap dash around a 2km circuit. An estimated 75 thousand people lined the streets to watch the race which was won by Germany's Andre Greipel.

Spectate.
Participate.
Celebrate.

The slogan used by the organisers suggests there is something for everyone. Prior to tonight's race, many cyclists participated in the Mutual Community Fun Tour, a 12 km race culminating in a lap of the circuit. Young cyclists also participated in UNISA's Mini Tour for Kids which took them on a loop that included the Finishing Arch.

I am sure there was lots of celebrating, but not for me tonight - I had to get home to do this blog!

Container terminal

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This is the Adelaide Container Terminal at Port Adelaide's Outer Harbour. This is one of the reasons the cranes shown yesterday are no longer in use. This berth can accomodate much larger ships than the phased out dock 2.

Retired giants

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Like two sentinels standing guard; these two cranes on dock 2 at Port Adelaide are no longer in use.

Times have changed and so have the facilities and operations at Port Adelaide.

One and All

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The 42 metre long One and All is South Australia's youth development sail training vessel. It is moored at dock 2 at Port Adelaide.

Port Adelaide is under redevelopment at present, with lots of waterside housing being built. In the background you can see a new bridge being constructed. Port Adelaide is several kilometres inland and was once a busy port. Now most cargo ships dock at Outer Harbour, which is at the entrance to the Port River.

I am posting this photo in response to a request from Sailor Girl. Yesterday I went to Port Adelaide to photograph this vessel, and was fortunate to be able to have tour of it as I have a friend who is the ship's engineer.

In addition to the sail training voyages, they regularly run evening and daytime cruises. I now intend going on one of these, so I am sure you will see more of the One and All sometime in the future.

Click here and here to see more photos of the One and All.

ABC Wednesday - Z for Zoo

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This is the front wall leading to the entrance of the Adelaide Zoo. The zoo is within walking distance from the city centre and is home to over three thousand animals, mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. The zoo displays the animals in settings similar to the natural environment that they would live in; no longer in stark, bland cages.

In addition to this zoo, we also have the Monarto Zoo; a thousand hectare open-range sanctuary located about 70 km from Adelaide. It focuses on breeding programs for rare and endangered species.

Links to other ABC Wednesday participants can be found here.

Temptation - The Dolphin Boat

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This catamaran, Temptation, offers cruises along the foreshore from Glenelg; the main objective being to give passengers a chance to look at or even swim with dolphins. I took this photo several weeks ago between Glenelg and Brighton.

When I sail in this area I also see dolphins from time to time. Click here to see a photo of a dolphin swimming alongside my boat.

Bakewell Bridge

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This afternoon I went for a ride on my bicycle to check out the new Bakewell Bridge underpass that was officially opened yesterday morning. I am pleased to see the effort going into new road design to cater for cyclists. There is a dedicated 1.8m wide bike lane on each side, as well as a shared path for pedestrians and recreational cyclists.

Additionally there is a bus/taxi lane and two vehicle lanes in each direction. Work commenced with the demolition of the existing 80 year old bridge in October 2006. The project, which cost 41 million dollars, also includes new rail and road bridges.

Click here to see a view to the west from the bridge and click here to view the rail bridge during construction.

The Old Gum Tree

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This is the Old Gum Tree at St Leonards (near Glenelg).

Click here to see the 2007 Proclamation Day post.

Tennis club mural

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Anyone for a hit of tennis? This is a mural painted on the rear wall of a tennis club near Glenelg. It is certainly a big improvement on the standard practice hitting wall.

Perhaps some of our professional tennis players should play here; no opponents to get upset with and no umpire decisions to dispute!

Torrens outlet

The River Torrens flows into the sea just beyond the bridge. Prior to 1938 the Torrens did not flow into the sea. Waters from the river flowed into a series of wetlands and lagoons, and eventually into the Patawalonga to the south and the Port River to the north. The outlet was constructed after a major flood in 1933.

I’ve been tagged by Carol Anne of Arkansas Times to play along in the New Years Resolution game. She was tagged by Kim of Celina Daily Photo.

Here is how the game goes: When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions we seem to fall into four categories: 1) quite serious about them, 2) flippant about them, 3) pressured to do them, or 4) do not do them. So, the purpose of this little game is to let us know which category you are in. I will give mine, then tag 3 other sites to do the same thing.

I guess I really fall into category 4. I do however have a couple of ongoing goals/resolutions which are to finish all the projects I have started or planned. To achieve these I probably need to spend less time on the computer. (Then why am I doing this - the blog, the photography? I guess it is because I like a challenge; it keeps the mind active.)

Now to tag three others: Sailor Girl at Atlantico Azul (Lisbon) and D & T of Athens [Perspective] and Rambling Round of Selma, Ala. Daily Photo. If you haven’t already, go check out their sites, as well as Jim’s and Carol Annes.

Beach Cricket

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Yesterday Glenelg beach was transformed once again; this time for a XXXX Gold Beach Cricket Tri-Nation Series game. Three countries were represented by retired test cricket legends. Whilst Australia has been dominating the world scene in test cricket it was not the case here; England ruled supreme defeating New Zealand in the final.

Click here to see an overall view and here to see the between games' entertainment.

ABC Wednesdays - Y for yaccas

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This is a photo of some yaccas or grass trees. They grow in parts of South Australia, but this photo was taken in the Grampians in western Victoria. Mostly you see yaccas with a brown dried stalk. New flowering stalks shoot up in response to a fire or drought.

"It's hard yacca mate." This is a colloquial Australian expression meaning that something is hard work. Yaccas are harvested manually using digging tools; a laborious task. In South Australia commercial harvesting now only occurs on Kangaroo Island. Gum from yaccas is used for resins and varnishes.

This is my first post on ABC Wednesdays, but if I had started last time I would have had an X photo; this one! The botanical name for the yacca is xanthorrhoea.

Adelaide city

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I have been posting for over a month now and have not yet shown a photo of Adelaide City; so here it is. Adelaide was built on the banks of the River Torrens, a source of water for the first European settlers. The river's function now is aesthetic and recreational. The photo is taken from a spot near the weir which holds back the water; the river only flows after heavy rains.

The bridge you can see is the Morphett Street Bridge; it links Adelaide and North Adelaide. In the background you can see the Mt Lofty Ranges; about 10 kilometres east.

Granite Island wildlife

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Granite Island at Victor Harbor has many species of wildlife, the most significant being a colony of little penguins. The penguins are rarely seen on the island in daylight hours as they spend the day out at sea fishing. Consequently when we visited the island we did not see any penguins; just some birds on a rock.

To read more about the island and the penguins click here.

Tram on Granite Island

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One of Victor Harbor's main attractions is Granite Island. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway. You can walk to the island or ride on the horse drawn tram. The tram has been serving the island for over a hundred years.

Click here to see another view of the tram.

Encounter Centre - Wooden Toys

Today we visited my brother at Victor Harbor (80km south of Adelaide). He took us on a tour of the Encounter Centre, where he is manager. The centre is a community based charity that runs a variety of activities, in particular programs for people with special needs.

One of their main activities is the manufacture of quality wooden toys. The rocking horse shown here is a fine example of their products.

Click here to see and read more about the Encounter Centre.

'Tour Down Under' Tram

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Some of our new trams have had a new coat of paint already; full scale advertising along the side. This one is advertising the 2008 Tour Down Under (20th - 27th January). This is a major event for South Australia and this year even more so. It is having its 10th birthday and this year is being included on the UCI ProTour calendar.

The 2008 Tour Down Under will be the first ever ProTour cycling race to be held outside of Europe.

Today it was announced that Australian cyclist Cadel Evans will be a special guest at the event. Cadel was the 2007 Tour de France runner-up and the 2007 UCI ProTour champion.

Click here to see a more detailed photo of the artwork.

A personal retreat

This quaint little stone hut is on my friends' property. Just after breakfast on New Years Day I went for a walk in the bush to have a look at it. Liz said she often used to escape there to get a good sleep when she was on night shift.

The morning after ...

Breakfast on New Year's Day. We stayed at our friend's place overnight after the New Year's Eve's party and in the morning were treated to a scrumptious cooked breakfast before heading home. Three couples stayed in their campervans, others slept in the house but guess where we slept? (Click here to find out.)

Theme Day - best photo of 2007

I have only been posting for a little over a month, so I feel that my choices are a bit limited. However, I have chosen one photo that I consider is worth a second look.

I originally posted this shot on Dec 8th using the title "An Aussie Gardener". The kangaroo is part of a display on the banks of the River Torrens adjoining the West End Brewery. I think this fellow has been taking good care of the plants.

Other Theme Day participants are:

Paris, France - London, England - Hyde, UK - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Grenoble, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Riga, Latvia - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - New Orleans (LA), USA - Wichita (KS), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Francisco (CA), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Mainz, Germany - Melbourne, Australia - Portland (OR), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Toulouse, France - Naples (FL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Brussels, Belgium - Stayton (OR), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Baziège, France - Nashville (TN), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Prescott (AZ), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Philadelphia (PA), USAEvry, France - Trujillo, Peru - Arlington (VA), USA - Denpasar, Indonesia - American Fork (UT), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Coral Gables (FL), USA - Montpellier, France - Joplin (MO), USA - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Boston (MA), USA - Torun, Poland - New York City (NY), USA - Dunedin (FL), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Chateaubriant, France - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Budapest, Hungary - Austin (TX), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Cypress (TX), USA - Bicheno, Australia - Wrocław, Poland - Brookville (OH), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Cheltenham, UK - Wellington, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - London, UK - Haninge, Sweden - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Arradon, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Mumbai, India - Terrell (TX), USA - Bogor, Indonesia - Delta (CO), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Saigon, Vietnam - San Diego (CA), USA - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Belgrade, Serbia - Auckland, New Zealand - Seguin (TX), USA - Inverness (IL), USA - Oslo, Norway - Singapore, Singapore - Las Vegas (NV), USANew York City (NY), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Torino, Italy - Susanville (CA), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Memphis (Tennessee), USA
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