Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Oh, how it's changed!

In the midst of continuing drought, I hate to think how barren Canberra would look without Lake Burley Griffin, which is a dammed up section of the Molonglo River. The brown hills in the foreground of these photos were covered in tall pine plantations until the 2003 bushfires. There are many thousands of small pines trees covering some areas (I'm not sure whether they have been planted or self-sown) but it's a far cry from the picturesque scenes of just a few years ago. The blue hills in the background are the Brindabella Ranges, on which we can see snow occasionally during the winter. The Snowy Mountains, including the main ski resorts of Perisher, Blue Cow and Thredbo, are further to the south.







The large white house at the end of the lake is Yarralumla, the home of the Governor General of Australia.Posted by Picasa

8 comments:

Kerri said...

The water is so blue! I was wondering when the fires took place and you've answered my question. It must've been a scary time. I hope you get some much-needed rain soon..enough to do some good and make the land green again.
Thanks for these lovely photos. I love seeing where you live!

Unknown said...

Beautiful photos Alice...
Just wanted to let you know I am back from my little break and catching up with everyone :)
xx

Michelle said...

You should take a look from Mt Stromlo......now that shows a really dry landscape.

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

The lake water looks so pure & blue...Lovely picturesque view of lake and mountains.

WendyAs said...

Beautiful pics Alice. It looks very dry there. Skiing??..did I hear you say skiing?

TUFFENUF said...

You photos are breath taking! Postcard picture perfect! Thanks!

Gina E. said...

Hi Alice,
I was surfing on Ms Robyn's blog, and decided to click on a few links I hadn't visited before. Looking at your wonderful photos of our beautiful capital city has whetted my appetite to visit there soon! After watching the Anzac ceremony in Canberra on tv last Tuesday, I commented to Ken that we should drive up there again one weekend. The last time we were there was for the Impressionists exhibition at the National Gallery - about 15 or more years ago I think...
So many people down here 'knock' Canberra, saying it is a cold place without any soul. I am darned if I know what they mean - I have only been there three times, and each time, I want to go back and see more.

Reflection Through The Seasons said...

Beautiful pictures as usual Alice. I do love having the opportunity to explore your vast country through blogging friends like you! As you well know, UK is such a small island in comparison. The water of the lake, look like the blueness of our sea. Lots of Love - Marion