Thursday, March 25, 2010

Fitzroy Falls Revisited


Fitzroy Falls, originally uploaded by zuctronic.

November 29th, 2009

We only had a few more hours before the rental car place in Sydney closed and we'd be charged for another day on the car. We were at least an hour away from the city, but I wanted to see Fitzroy Falls again. We were going to be driving past anyway, so we stopped and took a little hike. Things looked pretty much the same as the first time I visited.

After passing the first lookout, we heard some scratching in the bush. When I looked to see what was there, I saw a spiky little ball crashing through the brush. An echidna, about the size of a football, was digging for food. When it noticed us, it curled its head under its body to hide. I got a few pictures, but they only show its spiky backside.



This was my last hike into the wilderness before heading back home. It was bittersweet to feel the warm air of summer and know that in a few days I would be back in the sub-arctic climate of Chicago. While swatting off the flies I tried to focus on the moment and not the flight home. My photos and my journal don't record the musty camphor smell of eucalyptus in the hot air, the buzzing of insects, the foreign bird calls and rustling leaves. For those things, I have to close my eyes and remember.



1 comment:

Virginia Bed and Breakfast said...

Fitzroy Falls is home to a fantastic waterfall. It has been a traveler destination for over 150 years. Travel approximately two hours from Sydney, the Fitzroy Falls village lies on the main road between the South Coast at Nowra and the Highlands to Kangaroo Valley. This stunning area is situated on the north eastern end of the Morton National Park.