PhotoJournal of the Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia: Walking Meditation, at One With Nature

I decided, spur of the moment, to catch a bus… somewhere…

… it didn’t really matter, I had no destination, no agenda

Other then to find a place to walk and take some photos.

On another whim, I got off the bus at Marcoola

… finding another beautiful beach, but I was in the mood for adventure

And a beach provided only minor satisfaction.

The surf surged in rolling waves, the water, beach, sky looked sharp and bright;

I spotted a small island off to the right… and a long wide beach;

The sand was warm… the breeze playful

and I watched

as 4 helicopters flew overhead.

By then I was bored with the beach… off I go…

looking for a place to explore.

In the park I studied the map of the Coastal Pathway, which followed the coast line through natural bushland… it looked interesting so I turned north, following the path to the Marcoola-Yaroomba Foreshore Bushland Conservation Reserve… as indicated on the map.

The road also followed the coast, with houses and holiday accommodation

on one side and coastal bush and a multitude of pathways (leading to the beach) on the side I was walking.

I followed a few in, where I discovered lush flora and a young magpie.

Shades of green, splashes of red… it was all very pretty.

It really is hard to resist these magical paths…

A vine embracing a fence post holds my attention… nature taking back what is hers…..

One path took me to a natural wonderland… where greens were deep and vibrant… the air hummed with cicada, almost drowning out the roar of the nearby surf.

Some moments carry their weight in gold

folding tenderness around the soul.

Untamed… tangled… almost prehistoric… beautiful

And then I found it, the Marcoola-Yaroomba Foreshore Bushland Conservation Reserve

I had no idea where I going, not really, and no clue as to what I might find…

But people were strolling the bush path… so off I went…

Walkways stemmed off the main path… linking coastal communities with the beach….

A crossroads.

Well look at that… if I walk a straight line through here I’ll come out at MT Coolum… where I can catch a bus home… only 1.3 km to walk.

With that loose plan in place… I was free to breath in the trees

and feast my eyes on the natural architecture.

An untraveled path stretched before me… birds sang and hyperactive insects filled the air with a constant buzz…

All around me the tree tops sways… vine clad branches clothed in variegated shades…

Progress markers kept me informed, pointing out side paths that lead to various areas… this side path leads to the beach…

And this one to Glen Retreat Park… but if I veered off the main track I’d never get to the end…

Although I did pause… to capture moments within the moment….

Like this sun-dappled tangle of spider web…

610 meters to go….

Sandy tracks always always lead to the beach…

But the way ahead still held my attention….

460 meters…

Some detours really do look tempting… almost luring me to wander off…

But it was getting hot… so no detours this time;

Just another marker…. 280 meters…

This butterfly was very intriguing…. It flew across the path several times from side to side… arcing in a wide sweep to swing ever closer to my face…

I stood in the center of the track… just me & a butterfly, sunsplashed leaves rippled with light… dark shadowy bowers making a sharp contrast…

As I stood there mesmerized by the butterfly’s antics, I sucked on a eucalyptus lolly …. I always take a few on walks… and I wandered if the smell of eucalyptus

Was responsible for the butterfly’s behavior… I held out a hand to it and for a brief whisper of a moment it landed on my finger….