sandhill wattle, or more commonly called umbrella wattle, Strzelecki Desert, South Australia
We arrived at Montecollina Bore, just off the Strzelecki Track as the sun finally set. It was a relief to be here, although we wern't alone. There were quite a few campers of all sorts. Coming from the isolation of Lake Eyre, it was a rude awakening, especially when someone decided to crank up the greatest hits of the last few decades. So much for a relaxing night in the desert. One thing that never ceases to amaze, and at the risk of sounding cliched, are the stars. The night skies out here are peppered with little pins of light. Because there is so many of them you can almost find your way around by starlight alone. Morning began quiet and still, with last nights entertainment no longer assualting the desert air all was at peace awaiting the dawn. I arose early and stated off West over the dune and away from civilization. The recent deluge had left the clay pans between dunes wet and boggy, and over the third and tallest dune, about half a kilometre from camp, the Eastern sky was turning that particular orange. Another front on the way. Having never been to the desert I was in a wonderland of all things new. Like a child with a new toy, I couldnt wait to photograph it. I found a clay mound in a pan between dunes, an Acacia growing from its top while its roots worked around its weather beaten shape. The warming rays of the sun caressed its flank while illuminating the vegetated dunes beyond. Climbing a dune I could see the distant horizon all around, dune after dune stretched West, their sandy lines running parrallel to the horizon. North and South my dune stretched forth like a linear ridge, up and own, festooned with flowering shrubs and golden wattle, while the clay pans in between, a darker sand lay mainly bare of vegetation. East with the Sun glowing bright, were the three dunes I'd walked over and then a line of trees where camp must be. The sky above was blue with cirrus dancing West to East. Brown kites circled the dunes, coming closer, floating away
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Photo credit: © Matt Smith / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: acacia, australia, australian, basin, beauty, blue, desert, dunes, eyre, lake, landscape, ligulata, natural, sand, sandhill, sky, south, strzelecki, trip, umbrella, wattle, white, wildflowers
