Eli Waters Lake with Waterlilies

Eli Waters is a modern suburb at the outskirt of Hervey Bay.
There is a lake that runs behind the shopping centre between Xavier College and the Estate behind.
This is home to a host of waterlilies....blue, white, pink and red....and many waterbirds, some who migrate from overseas to visit the lake in seasons.

The lake is covered with weed which makes it look like a swamp rather than a beautiful lake.
I am sure it also harbors many mosquitoes in the stagnant areas.
However, the waterlilies are very beautiful....

Water Lettuce..
The pond is also full of water lettuce....A free floating aquatic plant. Often escapes from aquaria. Looks like a very small open leaved lettuce or cabbage. Leaves pale green. Spreads from stolons which form numerous 'daughter' plants. It has a dense fibrous root system. Very quickly forms dense masses.
Problem: Mats can choke streams. Spread very rapidly and can deoxygenate the water, resulting in fish kills. Water losses increase due to transpiration. Creates a haven for mosquitoes.
http://www.fncw.nsw.gov.au/noxious/w1.html

Gold Coast Flowers on the Beach

Gold Coast Flowers

The shore has been planted with many new plants.
Among them the strange twisting limbs of the cordylline create stark shadows and shapes against the sand.
Also prevalent were the red and gold Bottle brushes, which the parrots delighted in.
The flowers were vivid and rich and laden with nectar.
Fences were thick with this orange creeper full of rich vivid orange. Some of the creepers climbed and covered huge trees with a mass of orange blooms.
There was salt bush and pigface planted along the sands.

The Flowers attracted birds seeking nectar..the small Honey eater, the thrush and the colorful parrots.