Out of the traffic, out of the car and into the trees.
So quiet in here.
Shady woodland, trees standing tall. A sense of presence, of being observed. Everything alive.
We greet the forest, our old friend opening a welcoming door, showing us in.
A trunk here and there surprises with grotesquely curving limbs reaching forward, gaping. Rufous fantail flirts a dance of joyful being, up, down and around, tail flicking the fan.
We're pushing into soft white sand now, uphill rising, opening out into the light, no enclosing canopy here.
Aah. Here we are. On the high dunes, under a cloudless blue, wandering in Nature's garden.
Full fat creamy banksia flowers thrust upwards from glossy green whorls of serrated leaves.
Shiny spheres of slender green lines burst from the tops of grass tree trunks, some still thrusting a long dark spear into the salt clean air.
Ah look there, such a spindly little bush, such beautiful blossom, a delicate wattle with soft fluffy cream puffs and pink buds.
And here, is that a boronia, four crisp white petals and burgundy stems?
Brahminy kite rides the air pockets above, hitching a lift on the updraft, ginger wing feathers gleaming in sunlight. Soaring away now.
The soundtrack of the high dunes belongs to the honeyeaters, small and warbling, or large, knobble-nosed and I swear, talking, whole conversations.
Our eyes are everywhere, we are mad with the beauty, the strangeness of form and colour so peculiar to Australia.
We move only a few steps at a time.
Little rounded clumps of yellow pea flowers. Occasional small eucalypts, red-stalked, domed in form. Wedding bush, radiant in all-white blooms.
And out there, out beyond the green, the incredible, indescribable winter ocean blues.
Small trees close a canopy over the track ahead, shady, dark. A flash of russet wings low across the track. What was that?
Once again we enter the forest, the track winding downhill.
Up there in the sunlight, the russet of a pollen laden casuarina waiting for a breeze to carry his gift to the little cones held by the lady beside him.
Down into the swamp crossing, a little creek gurgling under a boardwalk.
Soft ferns under white paperbarks, the canopy opening in places to light the swamp.
The track winds up from the swamp and steep downhill again. Ocean is roaring now.
Out onto the long stretch of beach and that unbelievable blue, bordered by Devil's Kitchen one end and Hell's Gates the other, rocky dramatic headlands.
Huge rolling viridian, white-capped, curling, thumping into the rocky outcrops, thrashing foam metres into the air.
It's a weekday. Just a few people wandering, or soaking sun. Just one out surfing. Hardly anyone on the beach. We sit and rest, snack on our supplies.
How lucky we are to live here.
A couple of men in wetsuits nearby are picking up their boards and heading out. One of them asks us if we have lip salve. Rose offers the stub of a lipstick. He rubs some on, and they smile and joke with us, then go and contemplate their entry to the ocean.
Mid afternoon. Time to return.
We hike the hill, and drop down again to the swamp crossing, up through the forest and out onto the high dunes once more. The light is softer now, the air cooling.
The honeyeaters are working the garden, upside down in the sweet banksias, sipping, calling to each other, flying full-pelt, chorusing alto, bass, soprano, tenor.
Velvety blue afternoon shadows glow in the wide white sandtrack. Oh look here, a creature trail of little feet and tail.
Back through the garden, into the forest.
Oh my goodness, what's that!
A long segmented worm creature, sliding in the track sand. We move it out of harm's way and it burrows down into the loose sand. How does it do that?
We're nearly out of the forest, emerging into that other world.
Such a gorgeous walk, such a beautiful day.
If you'd like to do this walk, go to the Park Edge Rd entry to Noosa National Park (Sunshine Coast UBD Map 9 Q 17). Take track 5 down to Alexandria Bay. It's around 4.6ks return. Some good tips...stick to the track, take water and snacks. It's a heavenly walk, and if you have energy to spare, start earlier in the day, turn right at the beach and walk up onto the Headland above Lion Rock and Devil's Kitchen. I've seen eagles, dolphins and sea turtles from there. At the right time of year you might also see the whales on the move. Spectacular.
There are no facilities at Alex Bay or along the track. There are no lifesavers, surf is dangerous, swimming very risky. There was no signal on my mobile at Alex Bay, and there is just one fixed radio phone at the end of the track at the beach. So play safe eh.
Sounds spectacular. Look forward to joining you on your next walk!
ReplyDeleteWildflower walk's not too far away now. Come walkin with us.
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