2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show

Go to Index

2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show
Photo Competition


1)  In a 2024-December bushwalk,
     John Graham took this photo, depicting a
     Megadolomedes australianus
     (Giant Water Spider).
- Just so that there is no misunderstanding ...
  The giant spider is not me ... ok 😊

Location: A Gerringong Creek waterfall
                 Unofficially known as Pensions Falls
                 Budderoo NP, NSW, Australia
Date: 2024-December-05

Trip report and photos of the bushwalk are here:
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/2024/12/pensions-falls-gerringong-creek.html



2)  John Graham submitted the above
     for a photo competition in the
     2025 Sydney Royal Easter Show.
- It was displayed in the 2025 Easter Show's
  Arts & Crafts Pavilion.

Unfortunately, the photo didn't win a prize 😭



3)  I attended the 2025 Easter Show.
- Complete with the same outfit as in John's photo
  😊
- And ...

4)  ... And submitted the above
     for the photo competition
     in the 2026 Easter Show.
- It was displayed in the 2026
  Arts & Crafts Pavilion.

5)  Zooming to my photo on the display board.

Unfortunately, the photo also didn't win a prize 😭



6)  In retrospect, I should have submitted
     this picture instead.
- It may win the 1st prize 🙂

7)  But I think all the previous photos lack colour.
- So I asked ChatGPT to give me
        • a red shirt
        • a red hat
        • and red gloves
- I'll submit this picture to the 2027 Easter Show.
- I bet this one will win the 1st prize 😀😀😀

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/

John Graham's photos in 2025 Sydney's Easter Show

Go to Index

2025 Sydney Royal Easter Show
Photographic Competition


John Graham submitted 3 pictures for judging
in the Easter Show's photographic competition.

Photos:
1 - 3    Paul Ma  looking at a giant spider

7 - 8    Sornkin Lam
            in Grand Canyon, Blue Mountains

9 - 10  Tracey Coates
            also in Grand Canyon, Blue Mountains


Paul Ma

1)  Original photo by John Graham, depicting a
     Megadolomedes australianus
     (Giant Water Spider).
- Just so that there is no misunderstanding ...
  The giant spider is not me ... ok 😊

Location: A Gerringong Creek waterfall
                 Unofficially known as Pensions Falls
                 Budderoo NP, NSW, Australia
Date: 2024-December-05

2)  Displayed in Easter Show's
     Arts & Crafts Pavilion.
     2025-April

3)  Display board in Arts & Crafts Pavilion.
     2025-April

4)  I attended the Easter Show.
- Complete with the same outfit as in John's photo
  😊

It was pointed out that
I can pose in front of the above photo.


5)  And so, I did 😊

6)  And again 😊

And I can keep doing this ...
forming an infinite progression 😊

But I think I'll stop here 😊



Sornkin Lam

7)  Original photo by John Graham.

Location: Grand Canyon, Blue Mountains, NSW
Date: 2024-December-22

8)  Displayed in Easter Show's
     Arts & Crafts Pavilion.

Tracey Coates

9)  Original photo by John Graham.

Location: Grand Canyon, Blue Mountains, NSW
Date: 2024-December-14

10)  Displayed in Easter Show's
     Arts & Crafts Pavilion.

11)  Display board in Arts & Crafts Pavilion.

The bushwalks
where the photos were taken

Photos #1 was taken in a bushwalk
to a Gerringong Creek waterfall,
(unofficially named Pensions Falls)
in Budderoo National Park, NSW, Australia.
2024-December-05

Trip report and photos are in this link:
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/2024/12/pensions-falls-gerringong-creek.html


Photos #7 was taken in a bushwalk
inside Grand Canyons,
Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia.
2024-December-22


Photos #9 was taken in a bushwalk
also inside Grand Canyons,
Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia.
2024-December-14

Many interesting photos from the trip are
in this link:
https://onemanadreaming.blogspot.com/2024/12/shafts-of-light-grand-canyon-blue.html



Post Script

Unfortunately, none of John's photos won a prize
😭

It would help if I wear:
    - Red dress
    - Red Hat
    - Red gloves

I think John and I should collaborate
to do just that for the 2026 Easter Show 😊

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/

Spider phobia - burn the house down

Go to Index

There was a spider, I panicked.
But I think it is gone now.

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/

Oxypetalum coeruleum

Go to Index

Oxypetalum coeruleum (Blue Milkweed), formerly known as Tweedia caerulea

Caught in the act is a crab spider grabbing a bee !!!

Photographer: Johanna Evans
Date: 2021 December
Location: Tamworth, NSW, Australia

Oxypetalum coeruleum is native to South America from southern Brazil to Uruguay.
Now naturalised in some parts of eastern Australia.

It has the United Kingdom Royal Horticultural Society's Award of "Garden Merit" ... whatever that means  :-)

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at https://mntviews.blogspot.com/

Huntsman Spider with its egg sac

Go to Index

I had a shock the other day when I opened a binder and found a Huntsman Spider with her egg sac. Considering the shaking to the binder when I took it down from the bookshelf and plonked it down on the desk, yet the spider was so hell-bent on protecting her egg sac that she wouldn't budge and run away. Amazing !

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at http://mntviews.blogspot.com/

2 spiders

Go to Index

Please help me to identify the 2 spiders in this page:

1)  Found under a rock, on top of a pagoda-like rock formation on the plateau above Dicksonia Forest Ravine / Dingo Creek (at the 3-way corner of Blue Mountains National Park, Wollemi National Park, and Newnes State Forest), NSW, Australia ~~~~
Is it a Flat Rock Spider (scientific name: Hemicloea) ?

Above photograph is in my trip report to Dicksonia Forest Ravine (photo #38) ... click on this link:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/dicksonia-forest-ravine-nsw-blue-mts.html


2)  A tiny spider found in Awabakal Nature Reserve, NSW, Australia. (The back ground is a hat.)
Is it Phonognatha graeffei ?

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at http://mntviews.blogspot.com/

Wolf Spider

Go to Index

The wolf spider is the only species of spider that carries its offspring this way - live, hatched and wriggling on her back!
After a gestation of 9 to 27 days (dependent on temperature) during which the eggs are carried around in a silk globe attached to the mothers stomach, the offspring hatch and climb on to her back. They stay there until they're ready to hunt alone.

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at http://mntviews.blogspot.com/

Beautiful St Andrew's Cross spider

Go to Index

No one quite understands why these
St Andrew's Cross spiders weave a big X of
white thick ribbons (Stabilimentum) on their webs.

More information on these spiders are in:
http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_weavers/StAndrew.htm

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/