DESKTOP 3323 - SPRING SKY

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

DESKTOP 3322 - DAFFODILS IMPRISONED

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DESKTOP 3321 - WATTLES

Wattles in bloom in Melbourne, by the shores of a suburban creek.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme
and also part of the Nature Notes meme

DESKTOP 3320 - WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA

The seaside city of Wollongong,  located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney. Wollongong’s Statistical District has a population of about 300,000, making Wollongong the third largest city in New South Wales after Sydney and Newcastle, and the ninth largest city in Australia.

 

The Wollongong metropolitan area extends from Helensburgh in the north to Shellharbour in the south. It sits within the Wollongong Statistical District, which covers the local authority areas of Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama, extending from the town of Helensburgh in the north to Gerroa in the south. Geologically, the city is located in the south-eastern part of the Sydney basin, which extends from Newcastle to Nowra.

 

Wollongong is noted for its heavy industry and its port activity, having a long history of coalmining and manufacturing. The quality of its physical setting is unique, occupying a narrow coastal plain between an almost continuous chain of surf beaches and the cliffline of the rainforest-covered Illawarra escarpment. It has two cathedrals, churches of many denominations and the Nan Tien Temple, one of the largest Buddhist temples in the southern hemisphere.

 

The city attracts many tourists each year, and is a regional centre for the South Coast fishing industry. The University of Wollongong has around 24,000 students and is internationally recognised. Although other explanations have been offered, such as “great feast of fish”, “hard ground near water”, “song of the sea”, “sound of the waves”, “many snakes” and “five islands”, the name Wollongong is believed to mean “seas of the South” in the local Aboriginal language, referring to NSW's Southern Coast.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme

DESKTOP 3319 - FLORAL

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 3318 - SPRING LANDSCAPE

Spring landscape with a carpet of yellow Oxalis stricta, called the common yellow woodsorrel.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DESKTOP 3317 - PUP

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

DESKTOP 3316 - WAITING...

For Spring!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

DESKTOP 3315 - EVERLASTING DAISY

Helichrysum ‘Silvery Rose’. This hybrid can  be grown in a variety of garden situations from the perennial to dry garden or a flower meadow. The long flowering performer is an excellent cut flower and the ultimate dried flower which holds the intense colour for long-lasting beauty.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DESKTOP 3314 - GREENHOUSE

The tropical plant greenhouse in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.