Animals

A welcome and fairly regular visitor in our neighbourhood (another shot in a note)

A pod of Orcas (or "Killer Whales" if you prefer) swam around the ship, then passed beneath: I was fortunate to have my camera handy when they surfaced alongside.

This magnificent team of horses, pulling a dray, was in a street parade in a nearby town.

Immature Elephant Seals, Macquarie Island, resting ... as they do. I suspect they had been to the same party as the earlier one :) It's a tough life being an 'Ellie'.

A year-old Elephant Seal, which has returned to shore for its annual moulting, resting against the fence surrounding the meteorological enclosure. I suspect it had been celebrating HFF the previous night. :)

This seal pup would have been two to three months old - they grow incredibly quickly. Strictly speaking it should be called a Southern Elephant Seal - but often they are referred to simply as "Ellies". That mucus on the nose is common and of no apparent significance. From the Australian Antarctic Division website: "Pups weigh about 40 kg at birth and are weaned after 24 days by which time they weigh on average 120 kg. A large weaner may weigh in excess of 220 kg."

Young male elephant seals wallowing among the kelp that surrounds the island and is strewn on its beaches.

Macquarie had its usual low cloud when we landed, at least it wasn't raining! The first sight, for most visitors, is of the elephant seals spread along the gravel beach, interspersed with penguins.