Bushrangers Bay ...

Last Saturday was a beautiful winter's day in Melbourne and picture-perfect for a trip down the coast to Cape Schanck, on the tip of the Mornington Peninsula.

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping their little hearts out (it seems "tweeting" infers something else these days!) and the wind was blowing (away, almost everything not nailed down!). But that wasn't going to stop me from my plans ... off I went in my darling little car (with windows that no longer wind, a radio that long ago died when I forgot to get out & put the aerial down when I went to the car wash ... that in itself being an almost annual event ... and that was built in the days when power steering & a cd player were considered luxuries beyond the reach of mere mortals such as myself) down the Nepean Highway in search of adventure at Bushrangers Bay ... how exciting! The name itself conjures up images of Ned Kelly and his gang hiding out from "the law". But in actual fact, the area was the hideout for a couple of guys from London who thought they could make a living out of robbing people and I have never heard of either of them before - Henry Bradley & Patrick O'Connor ... not exactly invoking too much fear in me, don't know about you! Their entire career together lasted 40 days before they were caught and eventually hung in Melbourne Gaol, so I'm not sure they were exactly that successful in their chosen profession...

But what a spot they chose to call home, even if it was only briefly! Cape Schanck is an incredibly picturesque spot and is where you'll find the second oldest lighthouse in Victoria. (I didn't walk towards the lighthouse on this particular excursion ... I have been there before and plan on going there again because I do have a soft-spot for this part of the world ... but these days, instead of charging to enter the park, there is a hefty entry fee into the lighthouse (about $20 per adult), so being the thrifty soul I am some days, I decided to skip it & went wandering in the footsteps of infamous outlaws instead ... much more enticing!)

So with the wind in my hair, and my belly full of rye & cheese sandwich, with a side of tea, I started off down the track. It was a slow journey because I kept finding things I wanted to take a photo of! I'm not going to bore you with all the snap-shots I took, but a few of them aren't remaining unpublished for long!

As I walk along the winding trail which at times comes quite close to the cliff's edge, to my right there's the rugged coast, with its crashing waves and salty sea-spray, then on my left the rolling, lush green hills with the blackest cows I've ever seen! Every now and then you come across what is quite obviously an animal trail which winds its own way across the track and off into the scrub ...

For the most part, there wasn't another soul along the track ... until out of the blue along came someone power-walking from one end to the other (and seemingly missing all the beauty surrounding them!), or I did get passed by a couple of joggers, and also a couple who were obviously training for some sort of cross-country race or event ... either that or they really were just comletely nuts!! I'd rather give them the benefit of the doubt, but who runs through all of this?! People are very polite tho - they all say g'day as they pass.

The terraine gradually changes the closer you get the ocean ... the occasional fern starts to present itself, and the trees aren't quite so stubby but rather more majestic (even if they are still a little on the scrawny side). The descent toward the ocean is steep, but exciting to know that I'm finally getting to what I've been seeing and hearing in the distance for all this time ... Bushrangers Bay! The ocean is rough today and the waves don't hesitate to build and crash on the shore. You can feel the power behind them, even from the safe distance of the rocks.

With the tide rapidly rising (I had to run a couple of times to avoid getting soggy boots!) I made my way back up the stairs, and then the hill, and along the path which I hadn't noticed was on a gradual decline on my way towards the ocean! Alas, I am no more fit than I was last week, so I found myself huffing & puffing a little more than I would've liked ... anyway ... I made it and despite being distracted by the cows and kangaroos, I finally made it back to the car and, finally out of the wind, started to make my way on the journey home ... what a wonderful day that was!

Doing the things we like to do ...

Hello friends.

I'm back!

Since being home from my trip abroad earlier this year, I've discovered that I really am missing my "blogging time" and also, I'm lacking a good excuse to have my camera draped around my neck without looking like a complete tourist in my own backyard (quite literally at times!); so I've decided to continue on the literary journey I began in Europe and share it with anyone who may be interested. The intent is to not only get my thoughts on paper (as it were) but to also get out of the house every weekend, come rain or shine, and see some of the beautiful country I'm so lucky to live in. With my trusty Nikon in hand, I plan to explore new locales and revisit old favourites ... all with the view to document my adventures. So here goes! ...

A couple of Saturday's ago now, the first after the end of financial year, was spent exploring the Organ Pipes National Park and Mt Macedon.

The Organ Pipes National Park isn't very far out of Melbourne, roughly 30 minutes north of the CBD (directly opposite Calder Park for any racing fans out there). The Organ Pipes themselves are basalt and were formed by lava about one million years ago ... that just blows my mind! I think we forget that we live on such incredibly old  land sometimes. I know I do ...

It's a fascinating and beautiful part of the world and well worth the minor detour off the Calder Freeway to get there. There's another rock formation, called the Rose, which is simply stunning. And a little further down the track, the Tesselated pavement...

Be warned tho - don't dismiss the steep descent on the walk down ... the trip back up that hill is an effort! I'm really not that fit I've sadly discovered ... maybe I need to have a little more "Wii" time afterall ...

Next stop was going to be Hanging Rock in the Woodend/Macedon area, but it was already early afternoon by the time I got there so decided to save my $10 entry fee (per car) for another day when I was a little less late to rise & I went discovering the summit of Mt Macedon instead. The area around here is how I always think people living overseas would think of Australia - if it's not the red, hot desert or the pristine beaches with crystal clear waters, then it's the farming land with its rolling hill-sides and green, green grass with gum trees rustling in the breeze (or gale-force winds as the case was today) ... I must say, I do quite like watching cows ... odd, I know, but they're strangely serene.

So, after a little of soaking up the country-side, and before I got swept away by the wind; I went on the relatively short drive to the top of Mt Macedon ... and discovered that the higher you went, the windier it got!! (I know, der! Hey, I'm my mother's daughter some times, what can I say?!) And bloody cold. The sun may have been beaming down, but it sure wasn't generating any discernable heat! A cup of chai at the very quaint coffee shop/bistro/french-themed gift shop later, I strolled to the WWI monument not far from the summit. This Memorial Cross is only second in importance to the Shrine of Rememberance in the City and was built by Bill Cameron, a regular "joe", back in the 1930's in rememberance of not only the mates he lost in battle, but also to the hundreds of other men & women who lost their lives protecting our country. Did I mention how windy & cold it was up there?!?! And don't bother trying to use your mobile ... there's no reception at all. It's been a great day exploring ...