Yarra Yarra ~ Melbourne
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A Billabong is a Wiradjuri word that is used for an isolated pond that is left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. Billabongs are called oxbow lakes in other parts of the world. This billabong fills during heavy rains and is refreshed when the Yarra floods. The rust colored water is the result of the surrounding red clay.
This well worn trail runs beside the Yarra River and is used by walkers, runners, and bicycle riders. This trail runs almost the entire length of the Yarra River.
When viewed as a color photo, the appearance of this fallen tree is entirely different than the B&W version
Early morning mist on the Yarra River flowing past gum tree, running through the municipality of Buleen.
This scene is typical of the bush surrounding the Yarra River. Gum trees are dying prematurely due to a variety of causes that can be summed up by the pressures of human intervention and a recent prolonged drought.
Historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Aboriginal: Berrern, Birr-arrung, Bay-ray-rung, Birarang, Birrarung, and Wongete) is a perennial river in east-central Victoria, Australia. From its source in the Yarra Ranges, it flows 242 kilometres (150 mi) west through the Yarra Valley which opens out into plains as it winds its way through Greater Melbourne before emptying into Hobsons Bay in northernmost Port Phillip.
The Yarra cuts its way through clay soil in its lower reaches. It takes with it a silty gray mud and pulls down the gum trees whose roots are too close to the carving action of the flowing water.
The river continues to shape its environment by erroding its banks. Trees that fall into the river providing s perfect habitat for native animals like the Duck-billed Platypus, a semi-aquatic mamal that lays its young in eggs, yet suckle them like other mamals.