Old Owl's photos with the keyword: augusta

A Happy Bench Monday to everyone. This bench overlooks Flinders Bay and the Southern Ocean. The building is part of the historic site at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, one of the storehouses. This is a windy part of Western Australia and sitting on the bench can be a precarious perch at times. On this day (my very oldth birthday) the wind wasn't too bad and I sat for a while and watched the choppy waters. The spit of land to the right (south west) is Seal Island. South of here is Antarctica. Have a great day and I hope the rest of the week is not too stressful for you.

Two male humpback whales showing off to a female (who is under water and does not seem very impressed). These two, plus a number of others, have been courting the female whilst we watched. She makes them chase her and, because she is much larger than they are and can be very fast and active, she tries to tire them out to see which one is the strongest. Then she will possibly mate with the winner; however female whales can be very fussy about these things, apparently and sometimes they demand a "sing off" between the potential suitors. Maybe these two here were still competing; or maybe celebrating; or just having a good, raucous, exhibitionist time as all adolescent males will, especially when they meet a girl and have the chance of a bit of rumpy-pumpy. Good luck, guys. Whales gather in this bay south-east of Augusta before starting their migration up the coast to the tropical Indian Ocean to the north of Australia, where the females will give birth before heading back south to the cold waters of the Southern Ocean again in late September and October.

Apologies for the softness. The sea was choppy, the boat was bouncing, the spray was all around and we were a fair way out in the bay. This is the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse, taken from out in the Southern Ocean whilst we were looking for humpback whales. I hope all is well with all of you.

.

In the new marina outside Augusta WA. Please press Z to make it pop.

The lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin, near Augusta in Western Australia is 39 metres high (57 metres above sea level). The buildings on the right are the original cottages for the keeper and his assistants. This lighthouse is still operational, although it is now automated. Despite satnav, radar and other devices, the simple shining light is still an important aspect of maritime safety, especially at this point where there are many rocks hidden just below the surface of the water. This lighthouse is on the furthermost point of south western Australia. To the south (left on this photograph) the nearest landmass is Antarctica. To the south also is the confluence of two oceans, the Indian Ocean to the west and the Southern Ocean to the south and east; the latter ocean can be very stormy and windy. Indeed the winds on the Cape are almost constant and are sometimes very strong. (I can vouch for the fact that standing on the platform at the top of the lighthouse can be a very unnerving experience!) The structure was completed and opened in 1895, which is before the existence of Australia as a unified country. Indeed, requests from the colony of Western Australia for financial help for the construction were rebuffed by some of the other colonies who objected to paying towards something so far away from their own coastlines. (This, of course, doesn’t surprise us in WA, who are still treated as bogans on the edge of civilisation by those in the east :-)

Seine Bay, Hardy Inlet, Augusta WA.

Seine Bay, Hardy Inlet, Augusta WA.