Photo Gallery
In our forested, hills environment, there are many delights for the photographer, artist or walker. Vantage points from the Darling Escarpment afford wide vistas of the city of Perth, nestling on the coastal plain, embraced by the curving Swan River. There are sweeping views over the nearby Swan Valley winelands and beyond to the Indian Ocean in the west.
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In winter, our rainy season, the creeks and streams flow down through rocky gullies, forming cascades and pools, attracting ducks to secluded nesting sites and providing habitat for fresh water crayfish and frogs. Several varieties of wattle (Acacia species) colour the hills in dazzling yellow over the cooler months.
In spring, the region becomes a kaleidoscope of wildflowers, for which Western Australia is famous. The gradually unfolding tapestry provides botanical delight from July through to November.
From left: Coral vine, Donkey Orchid, Kangaroo Paw and Leschenaultia
This is also the time for the annual Darlington Arts Festival. The 2002 festival won the Shire of Mundaring's Event of the Year, in the January 2003 Australia Day awards.
In summer, endless blue skies provide the view-finder with those typical Australian scenes of eucalypt trees and paddocks with dozing ponies, sheep and cattle. Birdlife converges on the gardens as winter running streams dry up.
Autumn
in
Darlington is special, as our early settlers planted
many of the world's most
beautiful deciduous tree varieties.
The big Black cockatoos fly in from the south to feast on the ripe green nuts of
Marri Eucalypt and seeds of pine
cones. Bobtail Skinks seek places under leaves to hibernate. Several species of marsupial also reside, or move through the area,
passing between the national parks flanking Darlington. These include Kangaroos,
Bandicoots, and smaller creatures.
Woven through the seasons,
the native fauna co-habit with Darlington's
residents, coming and going depending on their needs. The lucky
photographer or artist has opportunities to capture all, the people, the
environment, the animals and plants,
through the seasons of the year.