Today's ABC Open photos

The purpose of our lives is to be happy - The Dali Lama  By Myles Shaw ·  · From Pic of the Week    

Street art in Fitzroy, Melbourne

Published 10 Mar 2017.  Fitzroy VIC 3065

Yabbying

By nic_saint ·  · From Pic of the Week

Published 10 Mar 2017.  Yarrawonga VIC 3730

'Welcome to my parlor 'said the spider to the (butter)fly.

By Allie Cam ·  · From Pic of the Week

This opaque spider hides in the agapanthus waiting for lunch. There are multitudes of Caper White Butterflies here.        Published 10 Mar 2017.  Mount McEuen QLD 4606

  

Pilbara stone

         By hmc_perspectives ·  · From Pic of the Week

       Published 10 Mar 2017.  Telfer WA 6762

Red backed fairy-wren

By catblack10 ·  · From Pic of the Week

Red backed fairy-wren    Published 10 Mar 2017.  Sippy Downs QLD 4556

Country road

By snaphappy82 ·  · From Pic of the Week

Apologies to those who are seeing this shot for the second time, I wasn't completely happy with the last version. I'm quite the perfectionist, so had to get it right (clearly still an amateur).

Published 10 Mar 2017.  Kamarooka VIC 3570

Today's ABC Open photos

Cactus family

By Kevin Parsons ·  · From Pic of the Week

These cactuses have been planted - and are growing - in the hollowed-out logs.      Published 16 Jan 2017.  Maryland NSW 2287

Welcome to Cessnock

       By rachellecorcoran ·  · From Pic of the Week

  Published 14 Feb 2017.  Newcastle NSW 2300

The pawn

By Etienne ·  · From Stargazing

This image was taken in Halls Gap, Australia on an early Autumn morning. It is a self-portrait taken with a friend on the Boroka trail, while we were contemplating the skies.  I set my tripod on the ground with enough time to allow me to enter the composition. A head-torch was used to illuminate a beam towards the milky way core.  Every child is born with curiosity on their minds and wonder for the world. This image alludes to the complex and bittersweet harmony between life and consciousness.         Published 09 Mar 2017.  Glenisla VIC 3314

Bars and Stripes

By Allie Cam ·  · From Pic of the Week

Shining Bronze Cuckoo checking out nesting opportunities, much to the horror of the local wrens.  (Seems topical)   Published 10 Mar 2017.  Mount McEuen QLD 4606

Pink Sturt Desert Pea

By Larry Angell ·  · From Pic of the Week

I have these growing in my front yard along with red flowers and red centres.  Published 10 Mar 2017.  Broken Hill NSW 2880

Noosa River

By Ros Organ ·  · From Pic of the Week

Sunset waiting for the super moon to appear.   Published 10 Mar 2017.  Noosa Heads QLD 4567

Today's ABC Open photos

The force of nature

By luxlusive ·  · From Pic of the Week

One of the most powerful and outright amazing scenes I've witnessed! The full force of 100's of millimetres of rain fall over a few days. Honestly, most waterfalls I've been too, when your getting closer you can hear the calm flow of the water running over the rocks and splashing down below. Walking towards this fall was deafening. The sound of the water gushing over the rocks and bringing down debris hitting the floor below. It was definitely the sound of destruction. The best part about it was that I couldn't actually see the falls at first as the whole valley was covered in fog which then slowly started to lift later on.    Published 08 Mar 2017.  Carrington Falls NSW 2577

Monstera fruit

By gorgeousgippsland ·  · From Pic of the Week

Published 07 Mar 2017.  Lakes Entrance VIC 3909

Shearing in 40 degree heat

By Chantel Renae Photography ·  · From Pic of the Week

Day three of shearing at 'Offham', Cunnamulla and the temp here has cracked 40 degrees. Outback Queensland always sorts the men from the boys.  Published 09 Mar 2017.        Cunnamulla QLD 4490

Trying to get these kids out the door to school

By therealdeal_photography ·  · From Pic of the Week

Trying to get these kids out the door to school is near impossible sometimes...        Published 09 Mar 2017. 

Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse

By Di Lymbury (Nardoo) ·  · From Pic of the Week

View south over Treachery Beach as Sugarloaf Point lighthouse overlooks the area, guiding seagoing vessels safely, as it has done for many years.      Published 09 Mar 2017.  Seal Rocks NSW 2423

Gorge Walks

By jesbarbz ·  · From Pic of the Week

Published 08 Mar 2017.  King Leopold Ranges WA 6728

Runaway Teen Parents

KELLY BURKE, The Daily Telegraph

April 14, 2017 11:03pm

THE teenage parents who sparked panic after fleeing a Sydney hospital with their newborn baby have claimed they only ran off because they desperately wanted to spend Easter with their daughter before she was “taken away” from them by Child Protective Services.

Jayden Lavender 14, told Seven News he just wanted a few extras days with baby daughter Aria Jayde Tanya when he and 15-year-old girlfriend Jenifer Morrison smuggled her from Nepean Hospital yesterday.

“All we wanted to do was spend Easter with her, we’re a Christian family, that’s the one thing I love — we go to church and everything,” Jayden said.

“I don’t know what I did wrong, all I did was try the best for my baby ... we had everything we possibly needed for her.”

Jenifer fought back tears as she spoke and said she felt “broken” after being separated from Aria.

“I would be a good mother for her, I just want her home and safe,” she said.

Jayden’s mother Tracy Lavender has been keeping a bedside vigil over the infant in Nepean Hospital.

“While she’s in hospital I’m going to be there by her side,” Ms Lavender said.

She said Jayden and Jenifer made the decision to smuggle their baby out of hospital after they were told they would not be able to take Aria home with them.

“You’re talking about two kids that have just had a baby, that just wanted to stay with their baby — that’s all it comes down to,” Ms Lavender said.

With their baby swaddled in a blanket, the young couple left Nepean Hospital just after midnight on Thursday, caught a train to Mount Druitt and bought a tent, sleeping bag and camping supplies from Kmart.

They then spent the rest of the night camping in Willmot, in Sydney’s west, while police mounted a massive manhunt.

They were found yesterday afternoon in Captain Cook Dr in Willmot, and Aria, unharmed, was taken back to Nepean Hospital.

The teens were interviewed by police but no charges were laid.

A few weeks after learning of the pregnancy, Jenifer and Jayden became engaged and planned to marry before the baby arrived.

They couldn’t because they were under 16, despite Ms Lavender declaring she would have signed her consent for them to wed.

“They’re young, yeah, they made the mistake of being young,” Ms Lavender said.

Police investigate cliff death of teen lost in National Park

Shazia Edah-Tally's family leaving Suttherland police station yesterday

Keely McDonough, The Daily Telegraph

April 14, 2017 7:36am

THE body of a teenage girl who went missing while bushwalking with her boyfriend south of Sydney was yesterday found at the bottom of a cliff in the Royal National Park.

Shazia Edah-Tally, 19, went missing on Wednesday afternoon while bushwalking near Bundeena with her boyfriend of eight months.

Police are investigating the tragedy, which they believe occurred after the teenager became separated from her boyfriend and failed to return to a nominated meeting point on Wednesday night.

The man, whose name has not been released, raised the alarm at 5pm.

The boyfriend

A search of the Wedding Cake Rock track yesterday morning found Ms Edah-Tally’s badly broken body on rocks at the base of the 30m-high cliffs about 11am. She had been missing for 18 hours.

Tragically, as rescuers searched for the Baulkham Hills student, her mother said she had faith her daughter would come home.

“We want her to come home. I have faith that she will,” she said.

Less than an hour later, her daughter’s body was found on the rocks far below. The family were visibly distraught as they were taken away by a friend.

Inspector Steve Worthington from Sutherland Local Area Command said it was a tragic incident and a full investigation into how the woman died was already under way.

“PolAir located a body at the base of a steep cliff, along the coast track between the Water-Run and Wedding Cake Rock,” Insp Worthington said.

“The pair were going down this coast track. (They were) having some fun and running ahead of each other.

“The coastal track runs close along the cliff face. It’s a steep cliff in excess of 100ft in depth from top to bottom.”

Insp Worthington then added: “I’m not ruling it (foul play) in or out.”

Rescue crews winched the body out from the bottom of the cliff about 1pm.

The boyfriend was taken to Sutherland police station, where officers quizzed him about the incident.

Today's ABC Open photos

A seat with a view.

By Steve Porter ·  · From Pic of the Week

After a week holidaying on Straddie, I finally managed to drag myself out of bed early enough to catch the sunrise. It was definitely worth it.  Published 06 Mar 2017.  Point Lookout QLD 4183

View from the other side

By Belinda Nugent ·  · From Pic of the Week

Once a poddy, always a poddy.    Published 02 Mar 2017.  Dubbo NSW 2830

What lies underneath

By oxalis_curator ·  · From Pic of the Week

Beneath the bark is a incredible rosy red.       Published 02 Mar 2017.      Risdon TAS 7017

Secret, maybe not so secret water fall near Lawson

By james_terry70 ·  · From Pic of the Week

Secret, maybe not so secret water fall near Lawson, Blue Mountains. Ill be back when its raining.Published 21 Jul 2016.  Lawson NSW 2783

Lake Argyle at Sunrise

By Landi Bradshaw ·  · From Pic of the Week

I live in Kununurra and quite often when I would visit Lake Argyle Resort and be swimming in the infinity pool to see people walking to the edge of the ridge opposite the pool. I knew I wanted to find this spot and found out how to get to the walk track. 

This particular morning myself, my partner and a couple of friends departed Kununurra at 3:30am to drive out to Lake Argyle. 

We commenced the one hour hike around 4:00am with dogs in tow and to make sure we got to the highest point just before sunrise. We made it just in time! And wow what a view it was. 

The ranges in our view were slowly changing colour as the sun came up, starting from a light pink and changing into a bright yellow. Such a beautiful spot and not even the hundreds of flies on our faces and backs could ruin this moment.    Published 14 Oct 2015.  Kununurra WA 6743

Morning fog

By honeycut ·  · From Pic of the Week

Perfect conditions driving over Donna Buang this morning. With low cloud obscuring Warburton below, the sun was radiating the mist through the majestic Mountain Ash above the cloud level. Could almost be two different photos joined together!           Published 07 Mar 2017.  Warburton VIC 3799