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| Khancoban Pondage at Sunset, New South Wales |
So picturesquely pleasing, the scene
seemed perfect.
Too perfect …
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| Reflections at Khancoban Pondage, Snowy Mountains, New South Wales |
From the vantage point of our campsite
in the Khancoban Lakeside Holiday Resort we wondered if instead of
just crossing the border over the River Murray from Victoria into New
South Wales, we'd inadvertently stumbled through a portal into
another country.
Was this REALLY Australia?
Who knew what may have been unleashed
when the tunnels deep beneath the Snowy Mountain Range towering
behind us were blasted over 60 years ago??
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| Still life with Pelican at Khancoban Pondage, New South Wales |
Ahead of its time and considered one of
the engineering wonders of the modern world, the complex series of
tunnels, lakes*** and dams of the Snowy Mountains Scheme that harness
and divert the Snowy River for irrigation and hydro-electricity flow
ever downwards to the Khancoban Pondage.
Where in a setting so soporifically
serene its hard to imagine what's buried within the mountains behind,
we fall asleep only to awaken to the rising sun, lighting the pondage
from the other side.
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| Dawn at Khancoban Pondage, Snowy Mountains, New South Wales |
Yes, it really IS too
otherworldly.
BUT … there's good reason for it.
 |
| Murray 1 Power Station, Khancoban |
Through its windows far below, we spotted
them.
Yes, although they're cunningly
disguised as generators, their distinctive and unmistakeable shape
wouldn't fool a die-hard Dr Who fan for a moment!
Daleks? At Khancoban??
 |
| The "Daleks" of Khancoban |
Did the Snowy Mountains Scheme blasting
that tunnelled under the mountains apart crack open a portal? Maybe
the influx of 100,000 overseas workers who helped build the Scheme
include some aliens?? Or perhaps they've been enslaved – doomed
forever to produce clean, green energy for Australia, the uncanny
perfection of the Khancoban Pondage a distraction from what lies
beneath …
Although the authorities will doubtless
deny that the Snowy Mountains Scheme was just a front to contain a
Dalek invasion of Earth, it's surely not impossible.
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| Is that a Dalek I see before me?!?! |
* By Australian standards!!
** But not for long …
*** aka 'Pondages'
Read MORE:
G - this one's for you!
PS For a fresh look at Water from around the world, visit Nature Footstep's Waters! You won't regret it ...
I love that dawn photo and that yellow is amazing.
ReplyDeleteImagine..Daleks right here in Australia!
I am not keen on daleks, so thank you for warning us of their presence. Is it your skill with the camera or is Australia very photogenic?
ReplyDeleteWell, you've proven there are Daleks at Khancoban, but is there a telephone booth of any colour within cooee?
ReplyDeleteLove how the second picture reflects the trees in the water. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGreat yarn, great images and I just love the Dalek twist in the tale.
ReplyDeleteOn the lookout for Daleks, but alas, not spotted yet in our tiny town. What a delightful twist on your post Red. I sure would enjoy waking up to that view on the pond every morning. Have a wonderful day :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid the Daleks were one of the most terrifying monsters ever. Now when I look back, they're remarkably lame! Their squeaky voices don't sound so scary these days!
ReplyDeleteLovely, just absolutely lovely.
ReplyDeleteBarb.
So that's where Dr Who banished them. Is that scenery for real or just a digitised image to prevent us seeing the real Aussie countryside.
ReplyDeleteThat really is a beautiful area. I would love to visit there. Great shots!
ReplyDeleteI have never been to the Snowy mountain area and your photos are just utterly gorgeous. Will add to my bucket list!
ReplyDeleteA super first picture, I am always amazed how beautiful Australia is.
ReplyDeleteGreetings,
Filip
Daleks? Any room for a scythe & medieval folklore? Open to new ideas, imaginative, & clever. Always beware of the too perfect, but you put it in a fun way. ~Mary
ReplyDeleteThat second picture is just out of this world! Maybe you did go through a portal..... lovely post.
ReplyDeleteI just read about where the traveling stones got to (in San Antonio).
Oh gosh, some of these images are like oil paintings! I love the variety of mood they convey. You know you are so lucky to live there:)
ReplyDeletelovely scenery. When you see scenery like this you wish you were a painter. :) Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSome of your scenic shots do look like paintings, very pretty. The Snowy Mountain range looks beautiful. Thanks for sharing another part of Australia. Have a happy week!
ReplyDeleteWonderful colours. Hope there was no extermination!
ReplyDeleteCheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
Ooh, these landscape photos are all wonderful! And you got me laughing out loud at the Dalek comment.
ReplyDeletewhat amazing views! and I love the softness of your reflection image. so beautiful. Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by my blog today Red. Yes, I am so lucky to have some wonderful beaches to walk on in my lunch hour - they certainly soften the day for me.
ReplyDeleteHow embarassing... I had to google "Dalek"! And I´ve never seen Doctor Who.... Well, guess I´m just an old Trekkie (I even brought the whole original James Blish-series home, went into every second-hand bookshop throughout Australia for that!).
ReplyDeleteThe pics remind me of Canada! Not that I´ve ever been there...
Oh, btw, I checked the calendar again - I could choose Jan-June 2013 as starting month... I need September for Spouse, are they working on it? It would be a perfect birthday-pressie and I´d like to order 2 months in advance the latest...
ReplyDeleteDr Who - Where are you? Probably the same place I would be - on that gorgeous lake. Are you sure you are still in Australia? In fact the way you get around down under I'm starting to wonder if you are hitching a ride in a blue phone booth.
ReplyDeleteThat still life looks stunning. Perhaps that is how the Daleks lure in their prey? Stun them with fascinating vistas!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful photos. Count me in for this trip , Daleks and all. I'll hate it when your adventures come to an end. I hope your week is off to a great start. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteToo funny Red! I reckon you could take on Davros and his metal men.
ReplyDeleteThe names alone of the places here are something to conjure with. So Daleks would certainly not be out of place here.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, your pictures of Oz scenery never cease to amaze me. How can one little (hihihi) continent alone have so much perfection to spread around? And what are the Sheilas and Bruces in Earl’s Court doing there when they could be paddling in the pondage?
Best post ever Red..apart from the absabloominfabulous scenery which is beyond words..you found DALEKS...as a huge Dr. Who fan, I just knew they would be lurking waiting to attack at any given time :)
ReplyDeleteIt sure is different landscape to the usual for Australia but it is still unique with its flora and fauna. Another wonderful area of our country.
ReplyDeleteLovely images!
ReplyDelete@River - Thanx! It's clear Daleks are a universal menace if they've made it downunder!!!
ReplyDelete@Andrew - Hahaha, that's a leading question ... of COURSE it's my skill!!! Actually, I just stand there and take the shot - lucky for me, I'm in the right place at the right time!!
@FruitCake - I wonder would the Doctor be lured by a glass & metal Telstra phone booth with a non-working phone?? I guess we'll find out soon!
@MJWC - Sometimes I look through the viewfinder and gasp at what I see. I can't claim responsibility - I just shoot the scene!
@Joan - I'm sure we'll all be laughing on the other side of our faces come the Dalek uprising!!!!
@Saucy Kod - Haha, you'll find the Daleks where you least expect them ... and it would be a pleasure to shoot the changing face of the pond over a year! If the Daleks didn't get me first ...
@Greg - Aha! So you've been taken in by their 'makeover' then?!?!?! Be afraid ... be VERY afraid!!
ReplyDelete@Barb - Thank you! But it was even better live!
@Fun60 - I'm sworn to secrecy - you'll just have to come over again on a fact finding mission and see for yourself!
@Lorac - And I'd like to visit there AGAIN! Is it a date??!!
@Kath - Although I'd visited the Snowies before, I don't really remember much - in my defence, I was only 4! It's certainly going on the 'must go again' list!! See you there?!?!
@Filip - And with my photographic skill level, you can be assured that the photos aren't doctored!
@FrankandMary - HAha, the 'too perfect' always turns into a nightmare in Hollywood ... the influence of which has infiltrated even this unspoiled perfection!
ReplyDelete@Sallie - HHHMMMmmm... so how do I know if I've been through a portal??!! I certainly seem to be back in the real world now, haha!
@LONDONLULU - This is the only kind of 'oil painting' I'll ever be guilty of!!! Maybe I should try printing the shots onto canvas ... watch this space!!
@NatureFootstep - Not me!! I KNOW I'm not a painter, so taking a shot that looks like an oil painting is as good as it gets!
@Eileeninmd - It's a pleasure and privilege to show it to you!
@Stewart M - If there was, it happened after we left!!
@Hilda - It was so weird to see the 'Daleks' - I just HAD to capture them!
ReplyDelete@Jill - Thank you!! It's always exciting to visit a new place and take a new (for me) kind of photo!
@Iris - I should have put a link ... and when I was young we used to get calendars with photos of Canadian mountains - these look VERY similar!! Keep checking CafePress - I have written to them a number of times without much success. They tell me that it's always 3 months in advance ... I'm actually looking for a new shop, but there aren't many around!
@SFlaGuy - Yeah, well maybe I passed through a portal without knowing. It sure didn't look like any part of OZ we'd been to before!!!
@TMWH - Hahaha, I knew there was something I was missing ... maybe it's too late & I've already been brainwashed ...
Ok, I´ll check from time to time!
Delete@Mary - Well, you're in luck! I've no intention of ending my adventures anytime soon!! Not until the Daleks take over, anyway!
ReplyDelete@Mark - Haha, yeah - maybe I'll stun them with exotic scenery pix!!
@Friko - Yes, this 'little' continent sure packs a punch!! I'm still going strong after exploring for 20+ years!!
@PDP - We should be plotting to prevent the rise of the Daleks NOW! How do we contact the Doctor again?? Glad to find another fan out there - and I'll be on full alert for more villains in my travels!!
@diane b - It's unlike anywhere else we've been so far!! But I'll keep my eyes open ...
@ImageBloke - I'm sure I had even more pleasure taking them than you did looking at them!!!
A Dr. Who fan in the house??!! I had a good laugh. I believe they are Daleks! Exterminate!!! Exterminate!!! I love all your landscape photos. Thanks for sharing your part of the world. Lots of wonderful places to see....so until I have enough money to travel out yonder, I will be living my dreams thru you:)
ReplyDelete