Living in the Clouds

Last week I had the great good fortune of house sitting a painters home and studio in the clouds, with Newcastle noisily rumbling past at its feet.

Overseeing the mighty steel and coal port, cargo ships coming and going, storms arriving and leaving almost with the frequency of the ships. A mighty experience and an even money  challenger to what was going in the studio itself. Having experienced the painting process on a couple of occasions I had decided that if possible to capture I'd attempt to photograph the studio where Dino Consalvo lets go of everything and his paintings are born.

Jailbird

Up above King Edward Park are these old, resting, military installations. Late afternoon sun, long shadows, creative model, you can't go wrong...

Seen from a Beach...

Cruising along an ever narrowing road we came upon this most beautiful beach. 'Big Beach' (or Oneloa in Hawaiian) is referred to, in the guide book, as the crowning glory of this park. Climbing over a volcanic headland we found 'Little Beach' or (don't go there with your daughter; it's a nudist beach in any language).

This part of Maui is just stunning. With fish tacos we picked up along the way this was an awesome spot to enjoy the late afternoon. A little late and pretty well all swimmed out from earlier in the day we regretfully stayed on dry land. That won't happen next time.

Long time coming...

It's been a while since the last post here. Life moves slowly at times. Just booked a trip to Melbourne in a couple of weeks. New grist for the mill...

Hawaiian Times

Two weeks in Hawaii. Too much lava, not enough surfing, great time.
Some snaps from our time there. Black and White, there is colour elsewhere...

Continued Walking (because Still Walking doesn't really make sense)

Have embarked on a quest to walk the walks of the many walking books I have in my possession. With great luck and perseverance I will attain my goal and achieve happiness, fitness and enlightenment etc. (or at least a hearty appetite)

It's an honourable quest, well within my abilities, and so rich with rewards. Some of the beautiful landscapes I have so far encountered.

Walking

This morning I walked Moonee and Ghosties Beaches. It's been a while, and though things are beginning to change it was a lovely walk. The air is fresh and clear, the only sound the waves pushing the sand back and forth. As usual the beach, for a time belongs to only me. It's a fine feeling knowing there is somewhere so natural and unaffected so close by. I am surely spoiled here and aim to make the most of this amazing place while it lasts.

Looking to the East not much has changed, though further up off the sand the ugly signs of the upcoming development are in full bloom. Most of the bush has been cleared. Areas that were meant to have been remediated after the mining operations (but never were) have now been pushed around into a series of hills and dales reminiscent of every other development site you've ever seen. Mulch from the minced up native bush borders the site to prevent the loss of sand erosion with the runoff, with large mounds of 'mulch' sit at regular intervals around the perimeter.

Saving the bush walking community a good deal of effort Rosecorp has conveniently relocated the native bush into easy to access mounds which walkers are free to circumnavigate at their leisure. The experience is exhilarating.

Could this be a sign of things to come? Sadly, I think it's inevitable.

More than a Day at the Beach

More than a day, more than a beach. This has been brewing like the churning ocean from the day I picked up my fathers old Yashica twin lens. I'm back here again and here I will stay.

Off the Beaten Track

Actually you can't imagine a landscape any more beaten than this one. A bit further south from where I have been walking and into the Wyong Shire. I walked into this area on a fire trail with the usual accompanying debris by the side. Washing machines, wheel rims, bottles, paint cans etc. If it can rust or shatter you'll find it in the bush in profusion. Oh and it helps if it is not particularly damaged by fire like the rest of the environment. Even the dumped bundles of newspapers haven't burnt, while all around them is ash.

After walking for a distance I leave the track, something now possible since the fire came through. It's beautiful and liberating to walk through the trees and really feel the slope and curve of the land. None of the pungent prick, the stab and scratch, the spiny barrier the bush usually provides to block free access - there is no bush. The only impediment to my progress across the land is the frequent fallen tree and these are easily circumnavigated.

The thing I begin to notice after a while is an absence of the usual detritus. No rubbish anywhere. In general I cant avoid the rusted metal and broken bottles that litter the landscape. Now I've started to look for it and to my astonishment I find nothing. No rotor from a washing machine. No rusting car body. No soft drink can or bottle top. It's extraordinary and it feels very odd after all I've seen in the past weeks (and years).

The conclusion: no tracks into the bush = no dumping of rubbish. Simple.

I believe I have discovered an area free and clear of any human interactivity. I believe, in a haze of fantasy, that I have stumbled into some sort of bushy paradise. Has any fellow human set foot here before. Am I the first upright walking biped to navigate this zone. All evidence points in that direction. I revel in these notions for a time as I enjoy this experience. It does feels like as though I am an explorer. And perhaps I am one of the first to see the landscape here in this way at this time.

The bush at the moment, may not have the natural beauty we usually associate with our natural environment, but right now is an extraordinary time to go into the bush for a walk.

Odd Man Out

It may appear at first glance that there is indeed an odd "man" out here, but in fact it is not as obvious as you may at first think. Of course it is the darker tree with the blackened bark. Severely burnt to a char. Or is it the tree with the blackened crevice on the side which seems to indicate a hollow. This tree has actually been burnt out completely through its centre. There is nothing but an empty shell, but this tree will continue to grow and thrive in it's own way.

Is the odd tree the third image? They are not all gum trees. This third tree is an Angophora and not a member of the Eucalyptus family at all. These beautiful trees look similar to the gum trees common to the Australian bush. They also share the same habitats as many of the Eucalypts, but on closer inspection they are not in the same botanical classification.

Perhaps the fourth tree is the odd tree out due to the particularly beautiful patterning of the bark. I believe this is a Scribbly gum, it is a member of the Eucalyptus family. It is an outstandingly beautiful tree and shares habitat with all of these other specimens.

If you picked the last of the images then by my classification you would be correct. This tree tree is an outstanding specimen, it has beautifully textured and patterned bark, it has been burnt by the fire but not in an area visible in the image. It is actually an Angophora as well.

No this tree is different to all of the others because it is no longer a living specimen. The fire had gotten into the tree at the base and burnt out the roots, They were still smouldering the day I made this image, some two weeks after the fire had passed through. The tree in the last image is lying on it's side, burnt off at the base. The roots have a reasonable chance of surviving and regrowing a new multiple trunked tree, but this trunk and branches will return to the earth from which they came.

Sad yet still a beautiful and magnificent tree.

 

I pissed on a burning log today

Every day since the fire I have walked in the once familiar bush behind my home and in the surrounding area. There has been no time since I began walking here that I have had this feeling of discovering something new every single day. There is so much that I have never seen before and may never see again. Each day, even each moment, the landscape through which I traverse is different.

It surprises me the resilience of this fire. We were evacuated two weeks ago tonight. The fire burnt through, the flames went away, the RFS mopped up, the days have cooled down, a heavy rain storm hit the area... Every day when I walk in the bush, I find many smouldering tree trunks, red hot coals, wafts of smoke through the once solid and impenetrable bush.

I pissed on a burning log today, as I do everyday. I only wish I had more to give.