5 is the number of fingers on a normal human hand

Five is the number of mainland Australian states

5ive is the name of an extremely bland boy band

V is 5 written in Latin

Five is the number of male cousins I have on Mum’s side of the family

5 is the number of serves of vegetables the Australian Government recommends you eat each day

Five is the number of senses we have: smell, sight, taste, hearing and feeling

5 is the value in cents of the lowest denomination Australian coin

Five is the number of letters in Yield, the name of Pearl Jam’s fifth album

5 is how old my blog became on 20 October 2008. Happy belated 5th birthday to Joe’s Ramblings!

Adelaide has better Iced Coffee; Perth has more construction

Perth has a better transportation system; Adelaide has the Central market

Adelaide is closer to the rest of Australia; Perth is closer to Asia

Northbridge is larger than Hindley Street

Adelaide has the National Wine Centre; Perth has more mining company

headquarters

Perth has a greater population; Adelaide has the best footy team

Adelaide CBD is ringed by parklands; Perth has Kings Park

Perth has biltong; Adelaide has Coopers Beer

However, all of the above differences pale in comparison with the following contrast:

Adelaide has yiros; Perth has kebab

The final blog post of Australian native flower photos I snapped at Perth’s Kings Park last night and this morning.

A Banksia. As a child the Banksia was my favourite flower and I still love them today. Currently, Kings Park’s bushland has very few flowering Banksias. I look forward to seeing them in full bloom during their 2009 flowering season.

A wildflower

Intensely yellow Wattle flowers

A close-up shot of a beautiful purple flower showing the fronds surrounding the three main petals

For my other Kings Park flower photos, visit Parts 1, 2 and 3

Other photos of flowers I took at Perth’s Kings Park. My thanks in advance to anyone who can help with names for the flowers whose identity I’m unsure of.

Nameless pink flowers

As yet unnamed yellow flowers

A young flower

An older flower of the same species with a fly on it

(See also: Kings Park Flowers Parts 1 and 2).

Kangaroo Paws have a striking flower with red stems and green petals instead of the far more common green stems and red flowers. They are endemic only to the south west of Western Australia.

This Kangaroo Paw stem has several dead blooms (the lower ones), two flowering blossoms (with fronds) and three unopened buds (at the top). Out of focus in the photo’s left central background are a bunch of other Kangaroo Paws. 

Several Kangaroo Paws together

More beautiful Kangaroo Paws for your buck…

A younger Kangaroo Paw bloom

Kings Park, to the south west of Perth’s CBD, is one of the world’s largest inner city parks. The park area contains picnic areas, memorials, a tennis club, cafes, reservoirs and remnant bushland. Most of my time in Kings Park has been spent on the paths in this bushland photographing flowers whilst they are still novel to me as a recently transplanted South Australian.

The Xanthorrhoea, also know as yakka, grasstree or blackboy, is a perennial Australian native plant often featuring a spike from which its flowers grow. The spike is usually straight but can vary in shape.

A young Xanthorrhoea spike posing a question in its pre-flowering stage

A straighter spike, also yet to flower

Bees extracting nectar from a flowering Xanthorrhoea spike

A close-up photo of a fly on the white Xanthorrhoea blossom

I arrived to Perth yesterday afternoon. The 3+ hour QANTAS flight from Adelaide went well except for the bumpy landing and 20 minute wait for an empty bay at Perth Airport. Sat behind me on the plane were Adelaide Crow life member Nathan Bassett, his partner and baby.

The most luggage I’ve ever travelled with. QANTAS were very good to only charge AUD$22 in extra baggage fees. In comparison, the $4 cart fee at Perth’s Domestic Airport Terminal was an horrendous rip-off.

I’ve already found a house to share. From the 25th I will live in East Victoria Park, close to Curtin University.

This morning I ran through glorious Kings Park and along the Swan River shore into the city. Kings Park’s highlights included Kangaroo Paw, Banksia and Xanthorrhoea plants and flowers along with Australian Ringneck Parrots and Red Wattlebirds.

Will miss you…