It was Wednesday! Hump days aren't normally exciting unless your intent is to capture a popular walking trail without all the weekenders and interlopers asking you on every..., single..., setup whether you've taken a good photo and then proceed to ask questions about what camera they should buy. I would avoid all that, allowing the mind to marinade in a creamy sauce of warbles, whistling wind and whisky - to be clear, I'm not a hiking alcoholic just reflecting on 'warm' sips round the campfire.
The granite outcrops of Melville Caves rise up out of the gloom from a fresh fog blanketing the small valleys of Kooyoora State Park as I progress slowly through the woodland taking in the many hollows of the box gum country saluting their rock sentries above. If I were a bird I'd live here, unlike Melbourne there's no shortage of homes to rent.
Whilst appreciating the rock chasms of the complex making up Melville Caves my ears prick at the first warning that I'm not alone. It's not an eerie kind of Wolf Creek disturbance but more like hormone-filled teenagers all competing for commentary shock and awe. Audio travels well from low to high ground especially where hard surfaces are involved. So while the clown brigade are stumbling up the terrace I figure I've still got time to exit sideways before the first "whatdya doing?" gets fired my way.
I escape the first rampant touring party, but then lose hope as a second, third and I lose track of how many groups materialise like space-invaders in the surrounding hills. While I countered for the Weekend Camper I hadn't calculated for the mid-week school bus. Que-sara-sara, at least there were no camera recommendations needed, supposing these kids knew anything other than what's on their phones.
School buses aside, plenty of rugged beauty and tranquility to be found at Kooyoora, the rocks are magnificent, quickly accessible and perfect to bring little one's along for a scramble.
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Purchasable prints from hiking adventures: galleries.gett...
2 окт 2024
