Sihala Kala Ranga 2019 (සිහල කළා රංග 2019)

These are some performances done in the 2019 concert by students of Sihala Kala Rangayathanaya in Adelaide Australia.

Kids Ride on Toy Car

Recently I bought a Toy Ride on Car for my kids. These videos are how I fixed the car and how kids enjoy it.

Little Crystal Creek Falls, Crystal Creek, Queensland, Australia

Another interesting waterfall in Queensland is the Little Crystal Creek falls in Crystal Creek. This is made out of 2 to 3 small cascades of water and a pool of water.

This waterfall is located about 75 kilometres North West of Townsville and is reachable in a hour of driving. The road is bit winding after turning from Bruce highway. But it is sealed all the way so a two wheel drive small car would take you there without any problems. When driving from Townsville there is a big car park about 200 metres before the bridge to the left. It can easily accommodate 15 cars so you do not have to worry about finding parking.

At the park there will be 2 boards with maps and details about the area. To reach the waterfall, you need to walk about 150 metres towards the arch bridge from the car park. The bridge is a 18.3 metre long bridge constructed in 1932. There is no separate path but can walk on the left side of the road so be careful if you are travelling with children. You can reach the bridge with a pram or a wheelchair and have a look at the waterfall. But to go anywhere near the water you need to walk down the stairs and some walking on the rocks depending on the side you start walking down. I would say it is an easy 15 minutes walk from the car park. Also you can reach the waterfall starting from any side of the bridge giving you different views of the nature, so you can start from one side and come up from another.

Once you walk down you will be able to see the creek. In the dry season there will be not much water so it will be safe to walk besides the water. Near the bridge there is a table and a bench to sit and relax and have a picnic near the water. Near the car park there are barbecue, toilet and waste disposal facilities as well as a park for children to run around so I would recommend enjoying some food over there.

			Score out of 5
1	Parking Availability	Adequate	5
2	Wheelchair Access	Main Viewpoint – No Secondary Viewpoint – No Picnic Areas – Yes	1
3	Accessibility	Easy walk till the bridge and then stairs, total walk for about 15 minutes from car park.	3
4	Facilities	Covered Sitting Areas – No Toilets – Yes Barbecue – Yes Garbage Bins – Yes	4
5	Scenery	Waterfall Stream Bridge	3

Hope you will enjoy the video.

 

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Genoa Falls, Genoa, Victoria, Australia

If you are interested in waterfalls and not too fussed about the height, I think you will like Genoa falls in Genoa in the state of Victoria, Australia. Belonging to the Croajingolong National Park, Genoa falls is a set of small cascades of water each with a height of no more than 3 meters, located near the Victorian and New South Wales border.
Genoa falls is located in about 488 kilometers East from the city of Melbourne and can be reached in about 5 and half hours’ drive. Access to the falls is via an unsigned dirt road which can be easily missed. I am sure there are many who are passing in Princess highway daily without knowing there is a small waterfall in this location. After turning to the dirt road, you just need to drive about 200 meters to reach the place to park the car. There is space to park 3 or 4 cars comfortably. This will not be a problem since this is not much of a famous attraction, so you will find space to park your car at any time of the year.
At the car park, there will be a small sign mentioning that you are in the Genoa falls in Croajinolong national park. Camping, open fires and pets are not allowed to make you and others safe at the location. You have to walk about 500 meters to reach Genoa waterfall from the car park, I would say the walk is moderately difficult because the last part descending to the Genoa creek is having one or two steep steps and path is narrow. Better look for reptiles such as snakes and lizards on your way. Keep a good eye at your children if you got them on your trip since the area is hazardous specially with uncovered waterholes.
Once you go down the final set of steps, turn left to reach the main attraction. It is a Basalt floor all the way to the waterfall with random water holes. In dry weather, you will be able to reach the waterfall without getting your feet wet.
After the waterfall the stream will divide into two parts, one will be going behind the boulders and hidden, the other smaller stream will be visible, follow it downstream. In about 30 meters, to your left you will see the other stream joining back with two small waterfalls.
Another good thing is that you can walk the breadth and length of the stream in dry weather without getting wet. When wet, be mindful, the area will be slippery with the algae build-up. I feel the water is bit Ionic from the slight Brown colour seen.
Apart from space to park the car, there are no facilities available on site. So, if you plan to have a barbecue or a picnic, this is not the place. Also, be prepared to carry your garbage out, since there are no garbage bins available.

			Score out of 5
1	Parking Availability	Adequate	3
2	Wheelchair Access	Main Viewpoint – No Secondary Viewpoint – No Picnic Areas – No	0
3	Accessibility	Moderately difficult walk of about 15 minutes from car park.	2
4	Facilities	Covered Sitting Areas – No Toilets – No Barbecue – No Garbage Bins – No	1
5	Scenery	Waterfall Stream Mountains	3

Hope you will enjoy the video.

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Agnes Falls – Hazel Park – Victoria – AustraliaTemp

Today I thought to post an article about the highest waterfall in Victoria, which is Agnes Falls in Hazel Park, Hazel Park is a suburb in the state of Victoria in Australia. Agnes falls is located about 200 kilometres South East of Melbourne city, which can be reached in about 2 and half hours’ drive from Melbourne city.

At the end of the Agnes falls road you can park your car and walk for about 100 metres to reach the first viewpoint. This part is mostly downhill so is easily accessible. Walking further 200 metres will get you to the main 2 viewpoints to enjoy the beautiful Agnes falls. There will be bit of uphill walk involved. If needing a break there will be a seat on the way, but nice scenery will facilitate the walking and you will be there in no time

At the end of the short walk you will have to go down few steps, so wheel chair and pram access is not possible. After walking down turning left will take you to viewpoint 2, which overlooks the mountains and the distance Toora windfarm.

All viewpoints are well guarded and safe for little children, but if it is a rainy day, look for puddles of water in the main viewing area otherwise you will end up in wet shoes / feet.

Spanning 59 meters, Agnes falls becomes the highest waterfall in the state of Victoria and has 3 cascades of water. Due to the quality of the water in Agnes river, it is found ideal for domestic use and Agnes river is used as a source of water for the nearby Toora township. The 1924 proposed water supply scheme ensured year-round gravity fed water for the township, and the first part was completed on 1926.

There is wheelchair accessible toilets, few tables with benches and 2 undercover tables with seating to have a picnic. Remember to bring some bags to carry your garbage since there are no waste bins provided.

			Score out of 5
1	Parking Availability	Adequate	4
2	Wheelchair Access	Main Viewpoint – No Secondary Viewpoint – Yes Picnic Areas – Yes	3
3	Accessibility	Easily accessible within about 10 minutes walk from carpark.	4
4	Facilities	Covered Sitting Areas – Yes Toilets – Yes Barbecue – No Garbage Bins – No	3
5	Scenery	Waterfall Mountains	4

Watch the video and get a feel of the location before you plan your trip to Agnes Falls.

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Port Willunga Beach – Port Willunga South Australia

While we were travelling with some of my friends, we did visit Port Willunga beach which I thought would be a good place to visit by any beach lover. It is about 45 km away from Adelaide city, which will take about 50 minutes if you are travelling by car.

There re two ways to get to the beach,

a. Go past the restaurant and head down to beach. – This is the quickest and shortest way to get to the beach. No stairs are there in this path so is wheel chair friendly.

b. Turn left before the restaurant – You need to walk for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the pace you are walking to get to the beach and at the end there are some steps you need to go down. The short walk will reward you with the view of jetty pylons and the man made caves.

Facilities – There are toilet and shower facilities but no sitting areas, so portable table and chairs will be handy.

Port Willunga Beach

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Harben Vale Cherry Farm – Balhannah South Australia

If you like Cherries like me, another orchard you should visit is Harben Vale Cherries in Balhannah SA 5242. Located on Altmanns road, this orchard is about 100 hectares and produce Beef cattle, Potatoes and Cherries. This is a family owned farm which was with Altmann’s family for some 160 years.

They have started growing Cherries for about 10 to 12 years now and has a very open rural outlook rather than the steeper more traditional areas around Lenswood. You will find ample free parking in the property. This orchard has about 8 main Cherry varieties grown in 3 Hectares. Picking is easy since the trees are well trained and you can easily pick Cherries without using ladders.

Cherry season is a short 2 month period normally from December to January each year. Produce might even finish before the end of the season depending of the number of people visiting farms, So always call or check their web site before visiting. Current farm managers, Wayne and Julie Altman are very friendly people and they would be happy to help if you contact them.

When visiting, it is better to wear shoes in which you can easily walk on grass. Since it will be summer, hats are also recommended. Buckets will be provided to all visitor groups to pick Cherries into so you do not want to take anything for collecting what you pick. At the time I visited, they did not charge any admission fee and one kilo of Cherries were sold for $ 5. These prices can always change so I recommend you to check with the owners before picking since whatever you pick, you should buy. Since these Cherries are fresh you can keep them for few weeks without any problems, if you freeze you may even be able to keep them for few months. But I like to consume them within 2 – 3 weeks from picking.

Address : Altmanns Road, Balhannah 5242.
Phone : 04 3900 1962
EMail : wjaltman@adam.com.au
Web : http://harbenvale.com/

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Mount Lofty Lookout

A place you would visit to enjoy great scenery while you are in Adelaide South Australia is the Mt. Lofty Summit Lookout. You will be able to see most of the Adelaide while being there. At 720 meters above sea level and 17 kilometers from the city is a good place to enjoy an evening.

To assist visitors there is an information centre to gather more information about the area and a restaurant (http://www.mtloftysummit.com) to enjoy a cup of tea. If you got some more time to spare you could also visit Cleland wild life park which is nearby.

Drive with care since the roads in the area are having bends, also be on alert since there are many cyclists active in the area. There s a big car park so you will find a space to park your car but it will cost (was $3 on May 2013) you since at all times parking fees do apply.

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Beerenberg Strawberry Farm – Hahndorf South Australia

If you like Strawberries and would like to pick your own, then there is a good place you can do it in Hahndorf South Australia.

It is called Beerenberg Strawberry farm, located on the Mount Barker road. If you are planning to visit them to pick your own strawberries you need to visit them from October to May which is the Strawberry season. Else you can buy their produce from the shop.

Normally they are open everyday except Christmas day from 9:00AM to 04:00PM. Anyway it is always good idea to give them a call before going.

There is enough parking on site and there will be a helper on busy days.

Once you are there you can visit the shop to get permission to enter the patch. When I was there entry was $ 3 per person. They will also provide containers to bring the Strawberries you pick. Remember to pick whatever amount of Strawberries you would like to buy. Normally you can keep them from few days to about 10 days in fridge (obviously you can keep bit more days than this but then they wont be tasting fresh). Once you have enough Strawberries picked you can bring them back to the shop where they will weigh it, so you can pay. While I was there they sold a Kilo of Strawberry for $ 9, but the price always changes from season to season, so it is always best to check the price they are selling before heading to the Strawberry patch.

If you are travelling with young children, I do not recommend a pram since the ride will be bumpy, best is to use a child carrier sling.

Address: Beerenberg Strawberry Farm,
Mount Barker Road Hahndorf,
South Australia, 5245
Phone: +61 8 8388 7272
Fax: +61 8 8388 1108
Email: admin@beerenberg.com.au
Web: http://www.beerenberg.com.au/

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Painted Desert – Arckaringa South Australia

One of the most famous places in Australian outback is the painted desert. Which consists of different beautiful landscapes which was formed millions years ago while it way covered by water when it was under the sea. Since these attractions are in remote locations for some of us it will be difficult to find them. I agree some of the attractions are in the guide books but I assure you they are not that easy to find when you are on your own without any phone facilities or mobile data connections to browse maps. So for people who are interested in visiting these places I hope this article will help them to locate some of the attractions. Remember to cache your GPS or maps before you leave town or simply buy a detailed map.

All these places are accessible through unsealed / dirt roads and it is always better if you have an AWD or a 4WD. But if you are travelling in dry whether and if you are cautious you will be able to visit all of them in a 2WD as well. Few other things to remember when going to outback places are mentioned in my other post.

The Breakaways

The breakaways has colourful small hills which are broken away from Stuart Range, hence their name “The Breakaways”

You will not miss the road to the lookout since you need to turn right just before the Dingo fence when you travel from Coober Pedy to Oodnadatta. There will also be road signs for this.

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Dingo Fence

Dingo fence or Dog fence is holding the title of longest man made object in the world having a length of 5614 kms. This runs from Surfaces Paradise in Queensland to Bight in near Western Australia border. This was put up to protect the live stock on the south side of the country from the northern predators.

You can have a look into this if you travel about 15 kms from Cobber Pedy to Oodnadatta.

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Painted Desert

Painted desert lookout is also giving you a great view onto the vivid coloured mountains. There is a walk of about 15-20 minutes after parking your car. The way is marked in a nature friendly manner by collecting stones to make up arrows as seen in my photos. Some parts of the walk is bit challenging so if you do not like walking or afraid of heights or slopes best is to wait in the car.

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On your way to these you will encounter other interesting natures creations as well.

On the Way to Painted Desert VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL