Verdun good, Hanhdorf .....

On the 21st we set out for our morning walk.  It being a Saturday there were more fisherpersons around than during the week.

Hopefully, by doing a click and zoom, you will be able to read this version of the Tjilbruke legend, on a sign at Kingston.

The modern Marino has a mixture of housing styles.

As I said, more fisherpersons around on the weekend.

This is a very nice garden.  Its owned by the guy who accused a woman of letting her dog crap on someone else's lawn!

Our aim for the day was to visit the house and studio of Hans Heysen in the Adelaide Hills (claimed to be in Hahndorf by the boosters of that town, but it appeared actually to be in Verdun).  As we set off we passed a voting station: the camera seems to have been bluffed by speed (or perhaps the tears of the Liberal candidate who lost).

We carried on to South Rd which we intended to take to go up to the Hills.  South Road has been massively realigned so that to turn right on to Shepherds Hill Road you have to leave to the left almost immediately.  This must have been designed by the same morons who did the approach to the West Gate Bridge.  We managed eventually to find our way to where we wanted to go (as there was a U-turn bay I presume a lot of folk are forced into the same error).

Whatever.  We found our way to The Cedars to find lots of cone-bearing trees at the home of the eucalypt painter.

What I thought was a sample of Andy Goldsworthy's "Wall" turned out to be a needle-covered log wall, which was a tad unusual.

After signing up for a tour of the premises we had a look around the area near the house.  This included a small caravan which Heysen used for his field work in the Flinders Ranges.  THe top popped up so that he could paint while sheltered.

The car was towed by this Model A Ford which. as Heysen didn't drive, was driven by his son David. On the tour we were told how the son got his licence before he was old enough but no-one was fussed: it was a small country town after all!

I thought this guy was an aspiring artist attempting to recreate one of Heysen's works.  In fact he was just looking at an information stand on the "Artist's Walk".

Heysen's studio.

On the tour we went in to the studio for an interesting talk.  On one side were a lot of materials which he had used - presumably left there after his death.  I noted that a lot of the materials were stored in cigar boxes: perhaps a nod to the Heidelberg school?

Autumn in the Adelaide Hills.

Many interesting items in the tour including: 

• Hahndorf was named after Captain Hahn from the ship which brought the original settlers from Prussia;
• Heysen's wife, Sally, was the daughter of Bartels, the first German Mayor of Adelaide.

When they bought the property - after several approaches to the previous owner - they put these ornaments on the outside of the house: (1919 for the year and H(ans) and S(ally).

This is the route we followed (taken from eBird.  The arrowed bit is the Artist's Trail.

A heap of interesting fungi.

Lots of mistletoe in the trees.

There were a few sculptures around the trail, although the staff told me afterwards the plan for the site doesn't include a theme of making it into a Storm King or Yorkshire Sculpture Park.  It will include some cabins for accommodation.  This is 'Infinity' by So Dong Choe.

'Inner Space' by Benn Carroll.

One of the information panels.  This contained prints of some of Heysen's work set in front of (possibly) the tress he had included.

This very big tree was certainly one he painted.  Also in an info board.

A natural pool that had been augmented by a wall to hold in water for the stock to drink.

In contrast to the very nice setting of the Cedars, Hahndorf has become a contender for the place where, when the Earth needs an enema, the tube will be inserted.  This is possibly the worst example.

This gives a bit of an idea how jammed the main street is,

On our way back we called in at Wittunga, in Blackwood.  This is a Tamarind tree.

Very popular with Rainbow Lorikeets.

This is a Kaffir Apple (Dovyalis caffra) - presumably from Seth Efrika.  I have come across an interesting link for an introduced plant. 

On returning to our accommodation (with Frances' sister) we found that her dog had been shifting shoes!  Apparently this is common behaviour (the word 'normal' is not quite appropriate).