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….
Startled itself, I think…. it rested for a few moments
on a vine tendril before flying off over an overgrown clearing…
And I continued on…. And reached the end a minutes later…
I know that mountain… Mt Coolum…. And at the end of
this street should be a bus stop…
