Loch Luna

This peaceful place is sometimes filled with the sounds of gun shot and barking dogs. How lucky we were to arrive on a weekend when Loch Luna  was as it should be, a sanctuary for for birds and wildlife.

A place of winding channels and billabongs, connected to the Murray River, the richly irrigated and productive farms of the Riverland were not far away. Yet we were in a lonely place where we could watch the endless processions of birds, flying above the billabongs and backwaters.

For 3 days, we saw no one as we walked and watched. After the arid Mungo National Park it was lovely to be beside still water, beautifully reflecting the changing light and striking forms of trees  at the waters’ edges. The string of interconnected pools were like a highway for the birds,  flying above and paddling through the water.

The weather changed from warm, sunny and still to stormy, chilled and grey while we were there, as winter came closer. The birds were fast flying and elusive. They weren’t to be captured in my lens, so we happily observed their endless movements, in flocks and alone, existing peacefully, for that weekend anyway. It was sad knowing that at times their home is so invaded for the sport of hunting.

Beware beside the edge of these pools. Slippery grey clay can take you away unexpectedly! In this case it led to a chilly half hour of careful feeling along the bottom of the pool, and luckily, lost spectacles were retrieved.

 

Rich and harmonious colours were everywhere, a feast for our eyes.

The immense age of the river red gums has led to incredible shapes and textures, in endless variation.

 Farewell Loch Luna.This is one more place  to which we must return.