Banksia Bonanza

Today we had the most unexpected and extraordinary experience.  We visited the Banksia Farm in Mt Barker (near Albany) and met one of Australia's foremost authorities on the Banksia Species.  Kevin Collins and his wife Kathy are absolutely passionate about Banksias and have every known specie known to man on their property.

We ended up spending the better part of the day.  First of all talking with Kevin and learning so much about the Banksia as a species.  We decided we needed a break before launching into a photographic session and Kevin sent us off to the award winning pie shop in Mt Barker.  Good decision, they were fantastic pies.

Well, I was in my element.  Two and a half hours later I had made my way around approximately half of the property.  It's 11 acres in all.  I just had to give up at that point.  I was exhausted and exhilarated at the same time.  

The image I have chosen is one close to my heart.  Mind you we have spent half and hour trying to decide which image to blip!!  This one is known as Banksia Laevigata or more commonly as the "Tennis Ball" Banksia.  Having hit thousands of tennis balls over the years, I opted for this one in the end.  Honestly, it's a day I will never forget.  It's always fantastic to meet a person who is absolutely passionate about what they are doing and we came away knowing so much more about the Banksia than we could ever have imagined.

This is a back blip as we had absolutely no internet reception at the caravan park last night