Waratah (Telopea Speciosissima) Flowers Red and green together always make me think of Christmas. Of course, in Australia,Christmas is in the middle of summer. Waratahs are a spring flower, and the magnificent flowers we came across on our walk in the Blue Mountains National Park near Leura early October made me think of the holiday season ahead.
You never know what you will come across on a walk in the Australian bush!
In October, my husband and I had a brief interlude in Katoomba, the principal town in the Blue Mountains, just a ninety-minute drive from Sydney. Our charming 1930s guesthouse gave us access to the myriad of local arts, boutiques, coffee shops and bistros, as well as endless walking tracks. We opted for a short walk to the Three Sisters land formation in the morning (see: Echo Point), and after a delicious lunch of genuine Brittany crêpes, we set off in the car for the five minute drive to the neighbouring town of Leura to the trail-head of a short walk.
We had decided on the Pool of Siloam and Lyrebird Dell Walking Track circuit simply because it looked easy, and we hadn’t done it before.
It was a delightful two kilometres of up-and-down: through rainforest and bird song; past waterfalls and Aboriginal heritage sites. The blooming waratahs and other flora were a magnificent bonus.
Do come along!
Pool of Siloam Track From the Gordon Falls Reserve in Leura, it is a short and well-marked walk down to the Pool of Siloam.
Seed Pods The Australian bush is full of subtle colours and rough textures.
Banksia Serrata
Leaf in the Dark As the track continues down to the base of this cliff, it gets darker, and the plant-life changes.
Pool of Siloam Land features in Blue Mountains often have names with biblical references (e.g.: The Temple of Baal Cave, Jenolan).
Under the Falls This lovely, shaded pool gets its name from Birkhat Hashiloah (Pool of Siloam) in the City of David, where Jesus sent a man to heal his blindness.
Pool of Siloam Stepping stones lead through the ferny glen, across the trickling Gordon Creek, …
Path out of the Pool of Siloam … and up the other side.
Gorse Bitter Pea (Daviesia Ulicifolia) The vegetation changes again, as we rise up out of the glen.
Blue Mountains Ash (Eucalyptus Oreades) Reaching up to 40m tall, the beautiful straight trunks of the Blue Mountains ash rise up to the sky around us.
Down to Gordon Creek We climb back down towards the creek, under overhangs of weathered sandstone.
Lyrebird Dell We cross the creek again at Lyrebird Dell – hoping (and failing) to see one of these long-tailed Australian birds as we pass.
Wild Lilies There is plenty of interesting flora in the damp shadows.
Edges of the National Park Back up towards street level, we are once again among the eucalypts: this one with a fabulously gnarly trunk.
Grevillea Aspleniifolia There are about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the grevillea genus – most with unusual-looking, bird-attracting flowers.
Banksia Named for botanist Sir Joseph Banks (1743- 1820 ), banksia is another genus of plants unique to Australia, with around 170 species.
Into the Woods We walked back through the woods full of birdsong, to return to our car.
Now, as we head into the holiday season, I’m reminded of the sublime red and green waratahs, and I think how lucky I am to have access to such magnificent wild places.
Here’s wishing you and all your family a wonderful Christmas – or a Happy Whatever-you Might-be-Celebrating this festive season – and a Happy New Year.
Motu Woman Corrugated iron, fibrocement, wire fencing – and smiles – are the chief components of “modern” Motu villages in Papua New Guinea.
We were trapped!
Eleven photo-enthusiasts, photographer Karl Grobl, a couple of local guides and a bus driver – all trapped.
We had been warned: Papua New Guinea is not the safest place to travel. But, it was not tribal conflict, or spill-over from the recent election upheavals, or even tourist-targeting raskols (bandits) that had us stuck in a hot bus.
It was children!
It was if they had been wound up for weeks and fed sugar and red cordial all day before our arrival: from the moment we turned in towards the Motu village, they cheered and laughed and jumped all over our bus like mad things. It seemed unwise to try to work our way through an overly-enthusiastic crowd of sticky fingers and runny noses with our camera gear. We decided to try again the next morning, when – hopefully – everyone would be a bit calmer. Just getting the bus back out of the parking lot without running several youngsters over looked challenging.
I was glad we had more luck the next day, because these villages are fascinating and unique.
The Motu, long-ago descendants of Polynesian people, are traditionally sea-goers who are thought to have arrived in Papua New Guinea about 2000 years ago. They settled across the Port Moresby area and much of the eastern tip of the country, building their villages on stilts over the water to keep them safe from black magic and bad spirits (see: Koki Fish Market).
Hanuabada, which means “big village” in Motu, is the oldest and largest of the remaining stilt-villages. The original wood and thatch houses were destroyed by fire during WWII, and subsequently rebuilt (under the Australian administration of the day) from corrugated iron and fibrocement, on wooden pylons.
My Lonely Plant guide (2012) points out that you need an invitation to be allowed into the village; we were able to visit thanks to our two local guides who had relatives here. These women were fascinating to talk with. Although marriage within the village was preferred traditionally, obviously today’s social networks spread much more broadly: these women were educated, worldly, and had extended familial connections with Indigenous communities in Northern Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. They spoke good English, as well as Motu, and “Hiri Motu”, the local lingua franca.
The village itself was – shall we say -“rustic”: simple houses built over the waters of Moresby Harbour, connected to the land and each other by elevated and swaying wooden paths. And therein lay the challenge for me: while I was a mountain goat in my youth, these days I get vertigo easily. Even with the patient assistance of local villagers, my cameras and I could not make it too far out onto the rickety, uneven walkways of timber planks.
It was a bit embarrassing: the locals didn’t mind the loose steps or missing pieces as they casually walked around eight-to-ten feet above litter and refuse-filled waters. According to Wikipedia, more than half of the Papua New Guinea national cricket team comes from Hanuabada; I guess running around on these perilous raised passageways improves their sporting performance!
Crazy Kids! The children went wild the first time we tried to pull into a Motu village.
Kids on the Stage Those youngsters who weren’t banging on the bus, climbed a temporary stage …
Girls on the Hustings … and vied for our attention, as we made pictures through the bus windows.
Village People When we finally made our way out through the sea of children, the women waved us off.
Gabi Hanuabada Village The next morning we were able to stop our bus at some dusty roadworks …
Gabi Hanuabada Village … to get a sense of the size of the village in the harbour, and its unique construction.
Walkway From terra fima, the walkways looks easy enough to negotiate, as they rise up over the mud …
Houses on Stilts … and towards the tightly-knit network of simple houses.
Face in a Window
On Daddy’s Back
Houses and Walkways
Motu Man in a Doorway Warm and welcoming smiles are everywhere – as are the signs of betel nut chewing, which is technically illegal.
Woman on her Hanuabada Village Porch
Motu Woman
A Gaggle of Children Once I was back on solid ground, it didn’t take long for the children to find me …
Trio of Kids … and – without my coaching – push each other into posed positions.
“The Look”
Happy Couple There is very little work in Hanuabada Village itself – most Motu men and many of the women work full-time in Port Moresby. Our visit was on a Saturday – so there were plenty of adults around.
Spontaneous Family Group
Yo! All the children seem to favour hand gestures.
Mum and Bub Like young mothers everywhere, this one was happy to show off her baby.
Children in the Yard Papua New Guinea has a youthful population: more than half the people are under 25.
Old Woman Weaving Some of the houses are over dry land rather than water; in the shade under one of these, an elderly woman sits weaving mats.
Kids in the Carpark As we are boarding our bus to leave, more children – with their smiles and hand gestures – crowd in to see us off.
Traditionally, Motu grew some of their own produce in garden plots near their villages, the men fished, and the women gathered shellfish and crabs. They still do some fishing – although the villagers told me the fish was less plentiful – but they buy their produce from the local shops.
So, life changes.
There were few apparent resources in the village for the children, and the dusty car park seemed to be the only play area. Many of the children were chewing mouthfuls of betel nut. They had sores, runny noses, and dental decay.
One has to wonder what the future prospects are for those who don’t become members of the national cricket team. In the absence of toys, the children clearly have to rely on their own imaginations for entertainment.
Perhaps that is why they were so excited to see us.
As usual Ursula, with pictures and words you easily transport me back to far off places we have been together.
I remain impressed and dazzled by the history lesson you always provide, making me wish I had read your Weekly Wanders episode before going. You always delight and amaze.
And we too send warm Christmas and New Year greetings to you and Gabe.ReplyCancel
Thanks so much for your lovely comments, Jan! It is always a pleasure sharing trails with you and Lew. 😀ReplyCancel
Karl Grobl -December 18, 2017 - 1:10 am
As always Ursula, you’ve done a wonderful job of combining images and text to inform, enlighten and remind us all of places and experiences that we’ve shared. Thank you!ReplyCancel
[…] country – two weeks across four main locations: Port Moresby (see: A Slice of Life and Life on the Edge); Milne Bay (see: Portraits from the Dance and Innocent Eyes and Head Hunters); the Middle […]ReplyCancel
Red Pigface on Tabarca A native to South Africa, the Ice Plant (carpobrotus edulis) is a colourful – if invasive – addition to the rocky coastal views over the islet of Tabarca in the Mediterranean Sea.
Is there anything that says “Mediterranean” more than bright sun bouncing off blue waters and old white-washed walls? Add fresh seafood and salads bathed in rich olive oil, and the picture is complete.
The tiny islet of Tabarca, just off the coast of Alicante in Southern Spain, is the real deal.
The island was originally known as Illa de Sant Pau – Saint Paul’s Island – because it was believed that Paul the Apostle had disembarked there, or Illa Plana – Flat Island – because of its level surface.
Originally uninhabited, the islet, which is just 5 nautical miles (9 km) off the SpanishMediterranean coast from Santa Pola, was a refuge for Barbary pirates on their raids from North Africa. In 1760, to protect against these raids, Charles III of Spain ordered that the islet be fortified and populated. A Spanish garrison, and a number of Genoese sailors who had been shipwrecked near the coast of Tunisia, were settled on the island. The sailors named it Nueva Tabarca (‘New Tabarca’), after their original home near the Tunisian town of Tabarka, which was a part of the Republic of Genoa until 1741.
Today, Tabarca is the smallest permanently-inhabited islet in Spain, with about 60 year-round residents. The islet incorporates a marine reserve (Reserva marina de la Isla de Tabarca), and tourism – especially in summer – is the main source of income.
My husband and I were staying in nearby Albir, and decided to visit Tabarca as part of day-long boat trip from Benidorm.
Do join us!
Taxi Service to Tabarca The islet is just 8 nautical miles (15 km) from Alicante and 5 nautical miles (9 km) from Santa Pola, and relies on a number of boat services. Looking rather plain from the sea, the Church of St Peter and St Paul was finished in 1779.
Boatman on the Deck We travelled to the islet on a large tourist boat from Benidorm: about a two-hour cruise along the Costa Blanca.
Tourist Boats at Tabarca Once we finally arrive, we have to wait as a queue of tourist boats in front of us move in and out of Tabarca’s small dock.
Boatman and Tourists It is nearly high-noon, and the sun bounces off the deck of the boat where tourists wait to disembark. One of the staff members watches on.
Boatman Our boatman watches carefully, still waiting for our turn at the dock.
Southeast to the Lighthouse Our first stop, once we are off the boat, is an outdoor restaurant with a view. We were ready for a fresh seafood lunch of local specialities. It is mid-May: weeks away from the height of tourist season, …
Southeast to the Lighthouse … so the beach is quiet as we look southeast, over the neatly stacked and empty chairs, to the Faro de Tabarca, the island’s lighthouse.
Rugged Coast In the other direction, we can see southwest to the fortified walls designed in the mid-1700s by military engineer Fernando Méndez Ras.
Cova del Llop Marí – Sea Lion Caves With the crystal clear waters around the island, stunning volcanic rock and limestone cliffs, and a glorious Mediterranean climate, it is no surprise that Tabarca is popular with tourists. In summer, the villas in town are full.
Portal on the Mediterranean Most of the residences on the islet are empty when we visit; in 2013, Tabarca had only 59 year-round inhabitants. Ten-times this number stay here in summer.
Cala del Llop Marí As we walk around the island, we have views east, back across Sea Lion Cove, …
Lilies on the Cliff … west across the Cala del Francés, …
La Cantera and the Old Fortifications … and across the low-lying rocks of the neighbouring island to the mainland.
Platja de Birros Sun-bakers take advantage of the beautiful weather.
Jesus on a White Wall The light bounces off the white stucco walls of the quiet houses.
Light and Shadows and Murals Painted murals add to the tidy charm of the orderly streets, while birds fill the blue sky over our heads with sound.
Wall Plaque
Doorway
Herring Gull
Nou Collonet The streets are hot and quiet. You can tell how important tourism is by the number of restaurants nestled into every corner.
It was a unique and enjoyable – albeit quiet – place to wander and lunch.
Gardener A elderly Burmese woman gives me a gap-toothed beetle-nut grin as she pulls weeds in a public park in Yangon. So many people still perform hard, physical labour with no early-retirement, but are never-the-less ready with a smile! (11September2012)
It was a “simpler” time …
I visited Myanmar late in 2012, with photographer Karl Grobl from Jim Cline Photo Tours and local guide Mr MM. The country had just opened its doors to international tourists, and was on the brink of change. Aung San Suu Kyi was still under house arrest, and was still locally and internationally revered.
But not all the current troubles are “recent”: when I visited, our planned trip to the Rakhine State was aborted following the violent conflicts (8 June 2012) between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhines.
Even without that portion of our tour, the two weeks we spent in Myanmar was a richly rewarding experience, about which I have posted many times (see: Ursula’s Weekly Wanders: Myanmar).
When I first arrived in Yangon, it was raining – the kind of relentless, unremitting tropical rain that W. Somerset Maugham described so well in his stories of Southeast Asia. The pounding on the roof was deafening as the waters streamed down the colonial iron lattice-work on the windows of my hotel and bounced back from the pavement below.
At the first available break in the weather, I ventured out and met my first smiles.
Golden Statue Washed clean by the tropical rains, a golden statue rises out of the parks around Kandawgyi Lake, near my hotel. (11September2012)
Karaweik Hall Myanmar’s ornate architecture is unique and distinctive. One of Yangon’s newer landmarks (completed in 1974), the gilded Karaweik Palace, is modelled after the Royal Barge used in the past by the Burmese Kings. Shaped like the mythical Karaweik bird, the restaurant complex looks like it is floating on Kandawgyi Lake. (11September2012)
Writing a Letter We visited the Kyakhatwine Monastery, Bago, to watch the monks line up for their last meal of the day (Lining up for Lunch). The lay people around the monastery were as interesting as the monks themselves: this elderly woman was hunched over her work when I approached her. (12September2012)
Total Focus Her total focus as she painstakingly copied the text she was writing was palpable.
For “The Lady” The old woman proudly told me that her work was for “The Lady”. Everywhere I went, I saw revered representations of Aung San Suu Kyi. In spite of the current ambivalence about her outside Myanmar, I doubt very much that her image is at all diminished among every-day Burmese. (12September2012)
Flowers of the Cannonball Tree – Couroupita Guianensis These unusual flowers are usually only seen in Hindu and Buddhist temples. (13September2012)
Cannonball Flowers – Couroupita Guianensis The hooded flowers are said to look like the sacred snake, or nāga, and the tree resembles the one (Shorea robusta) that Maya was holding onto while she was giving birth to the Lord Buddha.
Lady at the Loom In a hot, dark room in Mandalay, women sit working large looms. (14September2012)
Concentration
Hands at Work The silk lace that the women are making is complex: requiring different coloured threads and a great deal of concentration. (14September2012)
Silk Shuttle
Novice on a Bench Monks and novices are everywhere in Myanmar; …
Burmese Novice … this particular novice is sitting outside a barber shop in Heho. (20September2012)
The Haircut Inside the small shop, a man is getting his hair cut.
The Cut The barber pays attention to his work …
Monk in the Mirror … while the novice watches.
Clippers
Reflection
Study The men are a study in concentration …
Barber and his Client … until the cut is finished, …
The Happy Customer … and they show off the finished product. (20September2012)
Making Dough You are never far from freshly-made food in Myanmar! (23September2012)
Sticky Dough on the Griddle
Young Boy and his Mother It is the people that make travel special; the open face of a young boy on Yangon’s Ring Train brings my trip full circle – pardon the pun!
As I said: when I visited, the country was on the brink of change following the 2010 election of a nominally civilian government. Clearly, however, not all the anticipated transformations have worked out as positively as some of us had hoped. The election of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party in 2015 has not eased the ongoing ethnic conflicts.
The generous, gentle people that I met all over the country belie the current news headlines. I can only hope they can work out a positive way forward.
The Three Sisters Back in the Dreaming, there were seven sisters who lived in the Jamison Valley in Australia …
Stories abound.
Sitting high above the Jamison Valley, in theUNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains of Eastern Australia, three unusual rock formations stand out. Collectively known as the Three Sisters, Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo were formed by the ongoing erosion of wind and rain against the soft Narrabeen sandstone of these mountains.
According to locally-told tales, these three sisters – who were members of the Gundungurra people living in the Jamison Valley – were turned to stone by their father, an Elder named Tyawan. In one version of the story (q.v.: Myths and Legends), he is protecting his daughters from an evil bunyip – a locally feared creature with a terrible voice and a penchant for eating young girls and women. The bunyip, angry at being woken and deprived of his meal, chased and cornered Tyawan, who used his magic bone to change himself into a lyre bird and escape. Unfortunately, in the process, he dropped the bone! To this day, lyre birds scrabble in the undergrowth looking for the bone, and the stone sisters wait to be changed back into the beautiful young women they once were.
Another version of the story is more like the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet: the three sisters fell in love with three brothers from the neighbouring Nepean tribe, but marriage between these groups was forbidden by tribal law. The brothers decided to capture the young women by force; Tyawan turned the girls to stone to protect them, but was killed in the ensuing battle and could never change them back. It has been suggested that this popular narrative is likely to be the recent invention of a non-Aboriginal Katoomba local, Mel Ward, rather than a genuine Indigenous Australian Dreamtime legend.
Whatever their stories, these outcrops are amazing in their own rights, especially as their moods and colours change in the shifting light. They are also extremely accessible:just 110 km (68 mi) west of Sydney, they are visited by busloads of tourists – mostly foreign – daily.
Rather than wrestle with parking at the popular Echo Point Lookout, my husband and I chose to walk the 2.3 km down the hill from our charming 1930s guesthouse in Katoomba, the chief town in the Blue Mountains.
Come join us!
Rhododendrons on the Street Katoomba, with its elevation of 1040 metres above sea level, has a subtropical highland climate. On our visit in October, the spring flowers were in full bloom.
Petals on the Ground
Spring Blooms in the Trees
Flowers on a Wall The town of Katoomba came into its own in the late 1800s with the start of ‘Crushers’, a commercial metal crushing plant, the opening of the Katoomba Coal Mine, and the development of health and recreation facilities. Some of the buildings and infrastructure date back to this time.
‘Kapsalie’ Built between 1915-1916, this lovely federation bungalow is typical of houses in the Katoomba area.
The Jamison Valley As we cross from Lurline Street to Echo Point Road, we start to get views through the trees …
The Jamison Valley … and over the valley.
Echo Point Lookout Services Just before we reach the Echo Point lookout itself, we stop to have a peek into the very modern shopping and food centre, …
Coffee Shop with a View … where customers sit with panoramic views over the valley.
“Katoomba” The viewing area at Echo Point lookout is perched overlooking the Jamison Valley and the iconic Three Sisters. I always enjoy visiting the Echo Point Visitor Centre – which has added a roof of solar panels since my last visit. What was more surprising was the lack of crowds! In spite of the beautiful spring weather, there were not the usual hordes of tourists.
Walkway to the Three Sisters Echo Point is the gateway to a number of walks: along the clifftops or into the valley below. We settled for the easy 500 metre pathway to the Three Sisters themselves.
Flowers and Roots In contrast with the non-native flora of Katoomba, the Australian bush features delicate flowers and subtle colours.
Blue Tongue Lizard Australian fauna can be skittish and hard to spot. These delightful life-size sculptures along the pathway represent those animals hiding in the bush.
Track to the Three Sisters The concrete pathway winds along the cliff edge …
Taking in the Views … with overlooks giving access to panoramic views.
Moss in the Crannies The porous sandstone in the cliff-side walls along the walkway are home to mosses and small plants.
Echidna A life-size sculpture of one of Australia’s unique monotremes.
Sister! We catch our first glimpse of one of the sisters from the walkway. Until 2000, the Sisters were popular with hang-gliders and rock climbers; these activities were stopped on on environmental grounds and out of respect for the Gundungarra and Darug people.
Archway to the Sisters The Giant Stairway down to the valley floor and the Honeymoon Bridge across to the first Sister were officially opened to the public in 1932.
Stairs down to the Honeymoon Bridge
Honeymoon Bridge People take photos on the steps to Meehni, the first of the Sisters – and the only one that visitors are now allowed on.
Grass on the Sister A closer view of the rock formation shows off the strong vertical jointing properties of the Narrabeen sandstone, interspersed with erosion-resistant ironstone.
A Quiet Moment A man checks the photos on his phone at a Jamison Valley overlook.
The Three Sisters Ironically, the best view of the Three Sisters is from the Echo Point lookout – back where we started from! The coloured striations show the effects of erosion: with the lighter orange and yellow sections being the freshly exposed rock.
The Three Sisters are a unique Australian icon and a symbol of the Blue Mountains. I was very impressed with how much Echo Point and the pathway to the Three Sisters had been improved since my last visit; the whole area was enjoyable and easy to explore.
Of course, we still had a long walk back up the hill to town centre, to a well-earned lunch, and to our hotel.
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
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It was a unique and enjoyable – albeit quiet – place to wander and lunch.
Lovely photos as ever Ursulla,
Have a Very Happy Christas and please do not stop wandesring!
Thanks so much Pete! I’m always happy to see you On Line – one day we’ll meet in our person. Wishing you a very good new year! 😄