Magpies, Ibises, Kookaburras, Parrots, Cockatoos, Wedge-tailed Eagles, Wombats, Kangaroos and…Kelpies

March 18, 2010

Trip Day – 39

Rose Valley, Victoria, AU

Stephanie's farm is called Rose Valley, and is easily seen on Google Earth (look up Cheshunt, Victoria, AU) stretching from north to south between two ridgelines. There's a bit of natural amphitheater effect at the Brown House. Bird song and other forest noises are magnified. Mornings are filled with the calls of all the native birds…and sheep, of course, when they're grazing close by. And when the Kookaburras are about, their distinctive 'laugh' is laugh.

I've seen live kangaroos, dead wombats (nocturnal creatures that get nailed like deer by cars at night) and all manner of wonderful birds. The most lasting impression of the birds will be the flocks of parrots and cockatoos. I've never seen either outside of a pet store, zoo or someone's home and tend to think of them as solitary semi-exotic birds. Not here. They are everywhere and no one pays them any mind. Cockatoos are so plentiful and noisy that they are a nuisance. I haven't been successful getting a picture of a tree full, but they do travel and feed in groups.

Wombats are herbivores that can be big boys and girls. They live in burrows, either in the woods or open fields and pose threats to stock, people and vehicles. You can imagine what an unsuspecting axle would experience hitting one of these things at speed. I've seen two. Both dead at the side of the road, victims like deer in the US of collisions. Cars don't leave the scene unscathed.

I haven't seen kangaroos when I've had my camera handy. On the way to the farm, we passed a meadow that was literally full of them. I regret I didn't ask Stephanie to stop, but I thought I was likely to see others later. Saw one last night on the way back from dinner, but didn't have my camera. Oh well.

The dogs Matt uses for farm work are Kelpies: smart, happy and all muscle. Matt's two dogs are both aging and have lost some of their edge, but are still wonderfully intuitive about their work. Whistles and short verbal commands are all they need to move sheep where they're wanted. One dog is the house dog. He's Lindy's and the girls' companion and doesn't do a lick of work. A young dog is in training, but at the moment too exuberant to be useful. He'll calm down in a few weeks and Matt has very high hopes for his abilities.