An undemanding 75km drive from Whyalla through saltbush plains had us in Port Augusta by mid morning. After lunch we headed off to see the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden and some of Port Augusta.
The Garden was developed in 1993 to research, conserve, display and promote a wider understanding of Australia's arid zone flora. The temperature was 34 degrees and the sun was beating down mercilessly as we walked around the garden. The Eremophila* plants looked a bit bedraggled in the heat, some were dying, some were dead and some were flowering their little hearts out. Just what you would expect in an arid zone. The plants were named and some photographs follow, but we can't guarantee we have the names correct for every one.
*
"eremos" from the Greek meaning "desert"
"philia" from the Greek meaning "love"
"Eremophila" meaning "desert lover"
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181014 The entrance to the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden
with The Flinders Ranges in the background |
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181014 A projection sundial at the rear and a conventional sundial
in the foreground |
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| 181014 Springpod Cassia |
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| 181014 Sturt's Desert Rose |
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| 181014 Sturt's Desert Pea |
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| 181014 Sandhill Native Fuchsia |
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| 181014 Darling Pea |
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| 181014 Goldfields Bottlebrush |
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| 181014 Golden Everlasting |
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| 181014 Aniseed Boronia |
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| 181014 Eremophila Splendens |
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| 181014 Poached Egg Daisy |
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| 181014 Granite Poverty Bush |
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| 181014 Showy Eremophila |
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| 181014 Eremophila Divarigata Polycada |
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181014 Bristly Sea Heath
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| 181014 Eremophila Post Tree - has one brilliant red flower |
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| 181014 A Roadside Wattle |
The Flinders Ranges formed a backdrop to the gardens and we went to the nearby Matthew Flinders Red Cliffs lookout, which is near the end of Spencer Gulf's ingress into the land.
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| 181014 Red Cliffs Lookout at the top of Spencer Gulf |
Before we were all plum tuckered out, we managed a few sights from a water tower in a Port Augusta suburb and took a run (in the car) down the Esplanade. Port Augusta is a bit smaller than Whyalla but is better presented. It is the meeting place for all roads and rail heading north, south, east and west, so much so, we don't know where to go from here - except we definitely won't be going west.
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| 181014 Looking south from the water tower - power station in the distance |
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| 181014 Looking over Port Augusta from the water tower |
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| 181014 Looking north east from the water tower |
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| 181014 Port Augusta's foreshore |
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