Tellin' a "Ginny"

We experienced a Bush-walk with Regis’ cousin Wade and his daughter Stephanie, but

Are You Sure This is Only an Hour Walk?

number one son was still in school when we had this adventure and he was a little put out by not being included, so he claimed to have a new and improved bush-walk he wanted to take us on. This one within walking distance of the house. He said he had gone on this walk with his “mates” and it was a good one with a multitude of Australian bush vegetation to experience. When questioned, he assured us it was approximately an hour’s journey, with a great view at the top of the hill. He pointed out a distant cell tower and said that was where we were headed. It looked a ways to me but when questioned he assured me it was probably only a little over an hour’s walk.

A big Gum Tree

Always open to another Australian adventure we said we were more than happy to go with him. Being a teenager, it took a while to actually get to the walk, as homework at the library, and difficulty waking up on the weekend, delayed the walk, but on a sunny warm Saturday, he appeared dressed in camo gear, army boots and a Boston Red Socks hat, saying he was ready to go.

This was a different bush-walk. Instead of following a clear national park trail, we started up a narrow worn stream track with rocks and roots trying to trip you. Other than the narrow track there were no markers on the trail, but he assured us he thought he recalled the way.

He was correct about the varied forms of vegetation. As we entered the bush the distinctive

Finding the Local Wildlife

bell ringing call of the Bell Bird greeted us. We walked through a dense almost tropical section, where we saw an iguana that was a good three feet long that scurried away as we approached, and a little water dragon that ignored us as we passed his spot on a rock by a little pond. We passed massive gum trees including “Ghost Gums”, which are so white they look like they are made of concrete. A group of Kookaburras were roosting on a group of these trees as we passed and their unique laughing call pointing them out as we walked on. Other areas were dry bush and other areas were full of Australian pines.

It was worth the walk.

I'm Tired Let's Head Home

As we reached the top of the hill, and started along the crest, I realized we were being “Ginnyed”, as my watch showed we had been walking for an hour already. At the top, we joined an actual marked track that lead us to a spectacular look-off with views out over the area. I questioned our young guide about the time difference, and he claimed he thought it only took an hour, and I told him the story of our friend who took us on a bike ride that was “Only 20 Km” when in fact it was 20 km just one way so the total was actually 40 km. That is where I invented the term “Telling a Ginny” which means you slightly mislead your friends about the distance of a trek to convince them to go.

We arrived back slightly dusty, and a lot tired and hot, but it was another great Australian experience.

Bushwalking

Ready to go Bushwalking

Our first full day in Australia and we had to do something “Australian”. Since it is spring here and the temperature was expected to go up to 25°, our first choice was to go to the beach, and have lunch of Chicken-salt French Fries on the beach for lunch, but Steph, Regis’s niece came home and changed the plans, suggesting we go Bushwalking and then go to the beach.

Great Views

Here in Australia you do not go to the “woods”, you go to the “bush”, and you don’t hike, you “Go for a Bushwalk”. Now they do use the same term for the trails as in New Zealand, and we headed for the Wyrrabalong (Pronounce that “Where I Belong”) National Park Track. This is an interesting park, situated between a residential neighborhood and the steep ocean cliffs, so although a beautiful natural site, it is conveniently close to the city so people can use it easily. There was a nice parking lot at either end, and the track itself was well maintained and easy to walk on with sand underfoot and stairs on the climbs. As you “Walk” the track you come out onto beautiful look-offs with spectacular views all the way to Sydney from cliffs that are shared with para-gliders and hang-gliders launching out over the ocean. Fortunately no one was taking advantage of the updrafts and we had the cliff to ourselves.

Time for Chicken-salt French Fries

Hiking through the woods, or “Bushwalking” in Australia is so different than in Canada, because the vegetation you walk through is so completely different from what we are used to. No maple trees, no oak, and no pine or spruce. There were Banksia, Gum trees, and paperbark trees. It is really weird, It was like walking through a completely different landscape. Even in Asia or Europe there are trees I recognized, but here on a continent not connected to anything else, a completely alien world has developed. The trees are different, the flowers are foreign, everything is new. As I walked along I was constantly stopping to photograph plants and trees I had never seen before.

We still got to go to the beach only it was even nicer after a long bushwalk and those chicken-salt French fries were even tastier.

Termite Nest