Safari 2018 July 3rd, 4th & 5th

July 3rd- Taree

Pews in Green Cathedral

The weather was fine enough this morning for us to go for a walk along the edge of Wallis Lake which was across the road from where we were camped. One track we followed led us to Green Cathedral. This was a wonderful space set up as a church which was used by a local congregation to pray for Peace across our world. It really was a lovely place for people to worship in. There were logs to sit on and a pulpit for who ever had the responsibility of conducting the service whether it was a Wedding, Memorial service, Baptism or the regular weekly service.


We left out campsite  of two days, to continue north up the coast. We traveled through several settlements including the town of Taree, where I found a huge Spotlight shop..could have done some damage there, if left for too long.
We lunched at Harrington where we watched the pelicans which always prove to be a central focus.
Continuing on we drove through the bush of Cowdry Bay National Park and have camped at the Diamond Head Camp Ground. It is sitiuated very close to the beach which makes it a delightful spot to spend  at least 2 days.

Pelicans waiting for lunch

We can hear the sea  from our camp. Late in the day we walked for 35 minutes along the beach which is very wide and clean and with huge waves rolling in with the tide. What a sight for an artist, story teller or poet. The waves were wild with spray coming off the tops of them as the water spilled onto the sand . There was such energy being spent in the rolling water and foam, not to mention the spray spewing across the scene blurring all the details. I found our beach walk quite exhilarating  and exciting this evening with all the power and noise from the waves being sprayed into the atmosphere.

July 4th. 

After rain overnight the day dawned fine but quite cloudy. We packed our lunch and set off to walk to the camping area over the headland known as Indian Head Campground, about 4.3 km away. It was an interesting walk going over the headland through beautiful bush. Light coastal rain dampened us considerably. However we did enjoy our lunch when we reached our destination. It was a round trip to return, to camp, and very much shorter. I really enjoyed the bush with many flowers in bloom easily dominated by a wonderful display of Banksia blooms. I was able to identify a few flowers but unfortunately there was no clear information available to assist me.

Bush scenery

 I will name a few for my records. Three types of Banksia, Flannel flower, Rice flower, Caladenia Orchid, Yellow pea flowers, large Meleleuca trees in bloom and Grass trees are just a few that brightened the scenery.
At one point there were masses of Bracken fern which I do not usually admire but these were quite bright in colour and no doubt refreshed by the rain. The views from the cliffs were spectacular with rocks and wild water.

Crashing waves at the bottom of the cliffs

                                               John walking through the bracken ferns
July 5th 

We have had a lovely day enjoying the warmth of the sun in a clear blue sky.  We set off early this morning to do a short walk in case rain came again this afternoon. The flowers were lovely once again. The little white Caledonia orchids are easy to find in the wet patches of growth. They seem to really thrive in these spots. This afternoon the beach attacted us again. The sands are so smooth and clean with waves chasing us along as the tide was coming in. 
We explored several tracks and eventually found Kylie's Hut set among large gum trees and neatly cut grass. Photo shows June standing on the veranda of the timber Hut which is so similar to the Huts we visit in the bush and High Plains of North Eastern Victoria.

 Kylies Hut is an historic hut that was built by local man Ernie Metcalfe for Australian author Kylie Tennant who moved to the area during World War II. Kylie used the hut as a writer’s retreat, no doubt using the stunning scenery of the park for inspiration. She wrote the novel called 'The Man on the Headland' which was about Ernie.
 As I write this the day is nearly done and tomorrow we will move a little further north again. We have enjoyed our stay here with the kangaroos and birds. We were shown two Tawny Frogmouth very well camouflaged sleeping on a branch of a Meleleuca tree. There Pide Butcherbirds, Friar birds, Kookaburras and lots of bright green Lorikeets. I was able to identify them as Scaly Breasted Lorikeets because of their completely green head with a red bills.