Hallo Alfie
Banned
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I'm going for Nimbin! (well, when I was in my 20s I did).
These days, somewhere on the coast to dabble my toes and have a quiet spot of fishing.
Australia
- Thread starter Akhenaten
- Start date
I'm going for Nimbin! (well, when I was in my 20s I did).
These days, somewhere on the coast to dabble my toes and have a quiet spot of fishing.
Kempsey, unfortunately. I'm just asking because I just got accepted to Southern Cross university.
(I lived in Nimbin for a little bit, until the police raided the house next door for heroin)
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Akhenaten
Heretic Pharaoh
I had rellies at South West Rocks years ago. Probably dust by now, I expect.
I'll do a post on Lismore shortly. Just gotta deal with some blimp-related business in another thread.
Police raided a house in Nimbin!? For drugs!!!??? Well I never.
ETA:
Speaking of Crux:
I'll do a post on Lismore shortly. Just gotta deal with some blimp-related business in another thread.
Police raided a house in Nimbin!? For drugs!!!??? Well I never.
ETA:
Speaking of Crux:
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I've got a story about Nimbin. My best friend in the early 70's, Alan, who was also my Best Man, was a hippie, muso, pot smoking, good looking, smart chick magnet. Anyway he chucked in his job bought a Kombi and set out for Nimbin. We wrote to each other for a while, his letters being rambling, multi-coloured streams of consciousness, before losing contact.
Anyway recently I googled him and found he is now an Anglican Minister at Lismore. I'm still stunned, but will catch up with him one day.
Akhenaten
Heretic Pharaoh
Heh Heh. Good story, lk.
I'm sure there's a message in it for us, but I'm buggered if I know what it is.
I'm sure there's a message in it for us, but I'm buggered if I know what it is.
I don't go to South West Rock, far too expensive. They want $2.50 for a Can of Coke, screw that.
Yeah, you can't even walk into some places Nimbin anymore without being offered a "Stick" of the "junk" (or robbed).
Sounds like your typical Anglican Minister.
If you're interested in dirt cheap House prices, come to Kempsey.
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Sideroxylon
Featherless biped
I'm in the Ankara, in the middle of the country so that is a problem. I've caught some tiny perch on lure in a dam north of here but if you have any advice PM me. I was spoilt growing up in Darwin I guess with its great freshwater and saltwater opportunities.
Akhenaten, there are plenty of both fish and lovelies over here though not so many blondes.
Akhenaten
Heretic Pharaoh
I'm prepared to take your word on it about the fish, but I think we'll need to see some evidence of the other.
Let's look at what we've got . . .
Well, then. Proven.
That was easy.
Let's look at what we've got . . .
Well, then. Proven.
That was easy.
Sideroxylon
Featherless biped
I'm prepared to take your word on it about the fish, but I think we'll need to see some evidence of the other.
Let's look at what we've got . . .
[qimg]http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/MissTurkey.jpg[/qimg]
Well, then. Proven.
That was easy.
Can't argue with empirical evidence like that.
gumboot
lorcutus.tolere
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No, we stayed at the ancient foe of the Carrington - the Mountain Heritage (formerly the 1920's temperance hotel "The California"). Fortunately they serve alcohol now.
It was very much a running visit - I was only there for a few days for my sister's wedding, and most of my time was spent doing wedding-related things. I did meet some very bubbly (and kinda cute) girls in one of the outdoor stores however who tried to sell me a soft toy kangaroo for $1500 (it was marked down from $2600 because apparently it was broken).
Ha, no. We did manage to get down to Echo Point on the morning that we left, and I am glad we did as the views from there are stunning. I plan on returning soon and spending a bit more time out in the country side.
Well the wedding itself was held at Yester Grange in Wentworth Falls, which was a particularly spectacular place, with the house opening onto a small lawn that dropped away dramatically to a stunning view of the Jamison Valley.
I read about the legend behind the Three Sisters also, which is a pretty neat story even if it's not actually a traditional aboriginal story.
Akhenaten
Heretic Pharaoh
Oh cool. I've seen the Mountain Heritage but never had the pleasure of a stay. I read an interview a while back with the lady who owns the family which owns the hotel, and she seemed really nice, so I hope both places do well in these tough times.
You've reminded me of the Hydro Majestic at Blackheath with this talk about yummy places to stay. I was just exchanging yarns with my Mum a couple of weeks ago about the HM. Unfortunately, it's less now than it was in its halçyon days, but still fairly palatial, and the views are to die for.
$1500 for a stuffed kangaroo? Let me know when you're coming over again and I'll get you a live, working one for a grand.
Well, all I can say to that is:
The Three Sisters, Katoomba, NSW
I have no idea about the origin of the legend, so I'll post if for comment.
Unverified Sources - not Hittites though said:
The legend of the Three Sisters
I often walked from Wentworth Falls to Katoomba via the Jamison and Megalong Valleys when I was younger, coming back up to the top of the Narrow Neck by way of the Water Board ladders. Those two valleys, plus the Burragorang were all part of my extended backyard at one stage, as well as the Grose Valley on the other side. (seekrit home of the Wollemis - don't tell anyone).
Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains, NSW
Walked to Jenolan Caves a couple of times too, but that was a damned long way, and I'd die if I tried it now. Lucky I can do it by litter these days.
Onward, slaves!!!
ETA: Which reminds me. The picture above is what parts of the Nile Valley looked like before desertification of the Sahara. I remember it well.
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HawaiiBigSis
List Management
Is Jamison Valley glacial in origin? Sorta looks like... Pretty, as is the Three Sisters...
arthwollipot
Limerick Purist Pronouns: He/Him
No - glacial valleys are U shaped. This is clearly a V. This area of the blue mountains, as far as I know, is volcanic in origin.
Not that there are any active volcanoes left in Australia... no decent ones, anyway.
Sideroxylon
Featherless biped
Prof Bernie Joyce from the University of Melbourne was recently arguing that emergency plans should be drawn up to deal with the possibility of a volcanic eruption. Apparently there had been eruptions about every 2,000 years in the state, but the last was around 5,000 years ago.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/volcano-eruption-overdue-20090920-fwvp.html
The volcanism is the result of broad hotspots . You can see an interesting map of east coast activity here:
http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/australia/volc_australia.html
There is also a well referenced blog entry on the jubject here:
http://volcanism.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/australia-overdue-for-volcanic-eruption/
arthwollipot
Limerick Purist Pronouns: He/Him
Interesting!
Akhenaten
Heretic Pharaoh
Pretty much what Arti said, although I'd have to note that the Jamison is a bit ambiguous when it comes to V-ness or U-ness. A fast-moving glacier might cut a valley like this, but the rocks are all wrong anyway, so I'll call it moot, on first appearances.
I'm not an Earth scientist, nor do I play one on an internet forum, but I'll have a go at describing what you see above and if any of my terminology is wrong then the editors will fix it up later.
The area in which the Jamison Valley is located is known as the Blue Mountains and is approximately 100 km (60 mi) West of Sydney, NSW. The name 'Blue' derives from the fact that the vapour of Eucalyptus oil in the air gives the mountains that colour when viewed from any distance more than a few hundred metres (yards). You can see this effect in the photo above.
The mountains here are a spur of The Great Dividing Range, which is something like a baby Rocky Mountains running down our right-hand coast. The mountains here aren't really mountains at all, but an uplifted sandstone plateau which has been resected by a number of fast-flowing streams. Many of these now find their way into Sydney's water supply, and it's very good water.
You can see the what I mean by plateau when you look at the horizon in the photograph. It's actually quite flat up on top of the ridges, and that's where all the towns are. The early expansion of Sydney was greatly restricted by the difficulty of forging a route across the Blue Mountains to the fertile Western Plains, and the original crossing by Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson was a major step in Australia's development. The route they pioneered is still the only practicable crossing for hundreds of kilometres (miles) North or South. More on that in a later post.
The cliffs at the top of the valley are the result of a period of rapid uplift and high rainfall. The torrential streams, as they were then, cut quickly downwards through the relatively soft layers of sandstone, resulting in something similar to the Hudson Canyon off New York, or even a smaller version of the Grand Canyon. Similar streams also carved out Sydney Harbour, before subsidence made it what it is today. If you took the water out of Sydney Harbour, bits of it would look like the Jamison, only with dead fish and stuff, instead of trees.
The cliffs you now see weren't cut by the original streams. Over time, the land has subsided, rainfall has decreased, and the water has almost found its level. Most of the original debris was carried off long ago, and the broad V at the bottom of the valley is made up of scree that has fallen in relatively recent geological times.
The reason for the cliffs is in the rock that underlies them. If you look at the photo you'll see a band of light orange sandstone and beneath that an area of darker rock. That darker rock is made up of shales, mudstone and coal. The effect of water cascading down the sides of the valley is to erode these soft materials, undercutting the sandstone above and causing big vertical slabs to fall away. The light orange on the left is the result of a fall in the last few hundred years, while the darker rock on the right has been exposed longer and has oxidised.
For some scale, the cliffs here are about 70 m (200 ft). They are relatively uniform throughout the mountains since the rock strata is almost perfectly horzontal. This seems to be in common with the Grand Canyon. The altitude of the plateau is about 3500 ft (3500 ft) [le metrique is NOT for altitudes
] The vegetation is of two distinct types, above and below the cliffs. The top of the plateau is mainly dry sclerophyll forest and feeder swamps. The valley floor is temperate rainforest, and tough going. A walk in the dark green, if you know that term.
That's just the top-of-my-head version, HBS. I'm happy to give you some researched answers if you want to know more
Glaciation in Australia
I know very little, but I don't think there's much to know. The only remains of the last ice age that I'm aware of on the mainland are the flatland, swamps and what I take to be terminal morraines left at the edge of the ice sheet, which are to the North of Melbourne, Victoria. Taswegia has old cirques and aretes, but no live glaciers.
Again, I'll do a proper write-up if you want me to. Always a pleasure, ma'am.
Anyway, I see that the conversation has turned to volcanoes, which are much cooler than glaciers, which is a strange thing to say.
Seeya Sis
Damien Evans
Up The Irons
It can't be, the last time that area was covered in ice was probably in the Permian. There was no glaciation in Australia except for the "high" alps in any of the recent ice ages, and they're several hundred kilometres south of there.
gumboot
lorcutus.tolere
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Akhenaten has nailed it. The Blue Mountains are a Sandstone Plateau with gorges carved out by waterways. It geographic terms it's usually referred to as "tableland" rather than mountains, and it's much like the Grand Canyon or similar.
Tableland is typically vastly older than mountains formed by tectonic movement, and usually occurs in very geologically stable land (because earthquakes and volcanoes make quick work of Sandstone).
Tableland is typically vastly older than mountains formed by tectonic movement, and usually occurs in very geologically stable land (because earthquakes and volcanoes make quick work of Sandstone).
Akhenaten
Heretic Pharaoh
Yay! Score one for Pharaoh.
Thanks for the additional info mate. Yeah, tableland is the obvious term but it was hiding from me.
Am I right in thinking that the near-horizontal strata is what produces that 'Grand Canyon look'? The nice even cliff lines above a scree slope, is what I mean.
Your point about volcanoes wrecking sandstone is borne out very well if we move north up the Great Dividing Range a few hundred clicks and encounter the massive New England basolith. I'll do a post on that shortly, and then we can talk about volcanoes some more, because they're cool, as established in an earlier post. Warrumbungles, here we come!
Once again, thanks gumboot,
Cheers,
Dave
Thanks for the additional info mate. Yeah, tableland is the obvious term but it was hiding from me.
Am I right in thinking that the near-horizontal strata is what produces that 'Grand Canyon look'? The nice even cliff lines above a scree slope, is what I mean.
Your point about volcanoes wrecking sandstone is borne out very well if we move north up the Great Dividing Range a few hundred clicks and encounter the massive New England basolith. I'll do a post on that shortly, and then we can talk about volcanoes some more, because they're cool, as established in an earlier post.
Warrumbungles, here we come!Once again, thanks gumboot,
Cheers,
Dave
gumboot
lorcutus.tolere
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Volcanoes are awesome. What is really awesome is climbing to the top of Mt Ruapehu (an active Volcano in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand). You can actually feel the mountain vibrating under your feet, and if you stand still long enough you slowly start to sink into the scree. Standing on top of that much power makes you feel exceedingly small.