Abandoned Shale Mine, Glen Davis

I felt a lot like I was Indiana Jones when exploring the abandoned shale mine in Glen Davis.  For several reasons.

Firstly was the nature of the ruins themselves.  They were only abandoned 60 years ago, but the remaining rows of pillars and soaring brickfaced walls and arches make them look a bit like ancient classical ruins, like Ephesus in Turkey or Pompeii in Italy.  

Secondly, nature has done a remarkable job of reclaiming many of the ruins, with huge trees growing inside the old walls and monstrous, thorny weeds, the size of small trees, just as you'd find in an Indiana Jones movie.  

Third was the marvellous natural setting of the ruins.  Set right in the heart of the Capertee Valley with sandstone cliffs on either side.  Not quite like Petra in "Indiana and the Last Crusade", but beautiful nevertheless.

Fourth, I had to do my explorations in secret.  The mine is only open to the public on Saturday afternoons at 2 pm for an hour, so I had to slip over the fence and creep in quietly, and I faced the constant threat of discovery and capture.  

And finally, but most importantly, there were snakes!!!  Not pitfulls of snakes like Indiana faced in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", but I did see two large black ones in the space of just two minutes!  And as I had snubbed my toe the day before, I was wearing open sandals, so totally vulnerable to poisonous bites!  

So all in all, it was a marvellous adventure.  Of course, I was not there to find priceless relics, but to take photos and this I managed to do without capture or being bitten, so mission accomplished.  I think Indiana himself would have been impressed, except for the girlie squeal I made when I nearly stepped on the first snake.

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Scenes from Glen Davis in Capertee Valley

Glen Davis is a tiny town situated in the Capertee Valley. The valley forms a canyon that is apparently (according to Wikipedia, so it must be correct!) the second largest canyon in the world.  Only the Grand Canyon is larger.

From 1938, the town became the centre of an oil shale industry and housed over 2000 people at it's height. However, the township was almost completely abandoned in 1952 because shale oil was not viable in a non-war, non-government supported economic environment. After the closure of the oil shale mine, the skeleton of a town survived in the form of some properties, a post office (that is now closed) and a shop or two that survived intermittently.  Now the shops are closed too.

The creation of the Wollemi National Park has brought a degree of tourism to the area, especially attracting birders like me who can see an unusually high number of species here.  That's what attracted me here in 2007 but this time I was on a mission to photograph the old, abandoned shale mine.

Fortune finally knocked at the door...

...but alas, they had given up and gone long ago...

Old truck

This derelict, old car on the way through the Blue Mountains has seen better days and will almost certainly never drive again, but she still manages to keep an aura of dignity about her.  I love photographing old cars.  Like old buildings, they have great stories to tell if only they could speak...

Is this little girl photogenic or what!

I went over to see Brendan and Eva's new house which is absolutely fantastic.  I was even more excited when I discovered that Jodie is not shy of the camera.  I'll make the most of it while it lasts.  She's absolutely beautiful, I'm sure you'll agree.

And of course, Ella is as wonderful as ever, always full of fun.

Bondi Sculptures by the Sea 2011

I went to Sculptures by the Sea today and it was great, even better than last year and 2008, although there were no saucy boulders this time around.  I went very early and it was a good call.  The weather started dark and overcast and unfriendly for photographs, but it cleared up nicely after a while.  As usual, there were some really quirky sculptures like a skeleton up a ladder!

Cute little critters