Stories & poems
The Imparting of Knoweldge by Jenny (Melbourne)
It's impossible to thank you enough for such a wonderful trip to Croajingolong. I loved the variation in the landscape that we either walked or travelled through and it was a joy to walk in forested areas after some time spent in the arid areas.
However, Jenny and Wayne, it was also your ability to impart your knowledge and insight into the area that took the trip to a higher level.
No doubt it helped at Point Hicks that the whales turned on a pretty good show, but just sitting on the porch was OK too.
I also loved the time to myself on the two mornings at Gipsy Point that I went down early to just sit in that beautiful spot listening to the chatter of birds while soaking up the atmosphere.
Of course, the trip to see Alison Green's studio added another dimension, thanks to Leslie.
And, what a great group!
Special Memories of Walking Croajingolong in Spring by Christina & Terry (Melbourne)
Sitting on the sea-facing verandah of the Point Hicks lighthouse was very special - watching the whales swim by with all their antics, as well as the seals on the rocks and the variety of birds, both over the sea and in the bushes nearby.
One activity full of impact was spending some time on the remote beach near Point Hicks collecting plastic rubbish that had washed on to the beach. We only spent half an hour doing it, but the picture of it all laid out on the ground made a powerful impression of how much plastic we have added to the ocean and how far it spreads
More Memories of Croajingolong by Leslie & Charlie (Oregon, USA)
Thanks, again Jenny, for a marvellous Walking Croajingolong tour and for the photos which provided some lovely memories. We appreciate your skills, guiding and outstanding people skills, plus your choice of including Wayne as your assistant. You were both terrific!
I had thought on the return from Oz that it would be my last overseas trip. After receiving your photos and remembering what a splendid trip it was, I’m reconsidering.
Concert on Mt Everard By A Pickles (Sydney)
It was the third morning of the Walking Croajingolong tour in October 2014 and we were climbing Mt Everard. It’s not a very big mountain (500 m) but uphill all the way, so we were taking it gently and botanising as we went. The weather was not the best, it was overcast and showery and the strong winds off Bass Straight had been giving us an exciting view of pounding waves from our accommodation at Point Hicks Lighthouse. However, most of the walk was sheltered under the canopy of tall trees, giving an atmosphere of peace and the lovely smell of damp forest.
The understory of the forest was full of flowers, glowing in the diffuse light. Shining red Correa flowers hanging like Christmas bells in the bush, blue Dampiera, purple Patersonia not quite out because the sun wasn’t shining, and pea flowers in every shade from the lemon yellow to deep rusty orange. As we got towards the summit, different flowers appeared including bright blue nodding lilies and a streaked rock orchids.
We were standing on top of a large rock, contemplating the last dash to the trig point, when an extraordinary concert started in the surrounding bush. No less than three lyrebirds started pouring out their songs, each trying to out-sing the others. The effect was stunning, and all plans to move on were abandoned. We just sat down on our rock, got out our lunches, and enjoyed the concert for the next 20 minutes.
The lyrebirds’ mimicry was amazing, all sorts of bird calls mixed up together: whipbirds, kookaburras, currawongs, magpies, cockatoos and many others, some totally accurate and others broken and mixed with other calls. Whipbird calls seemed to be a particular challenge – the pitch was occasionally slightly off – but the calls of yellow-tailed black cockatoos had me looking up in the trees just to check that they hadn’t flown in. We only got a glimpse of one lyrebird darting under a trunk, but we wouldn’t have interrupted the concert for anything.
This is why I keep going on Jenny’s tours - when we come across something special there is always time to stop and look and listen. This is the second time I have walked Croajingolong, each time there have been different special moments.
Walking Croajingolong by A. Grifffiths (NSW)
We enjoyed each walk so much it is hard to decide which was the favourite, though walking along the beach on that beautiful warm afternoon, was hard to beat.
One thing I really enjoyed about our walk, and I have told everyone who asked about it, was that it was a real holiday complete with that carefree sense that the word implies. We have never done a group holiday before, preferring to arrange it all ourselves independently. However, just turning up every morning after breakfast and allowing the day to unfold, trusting the details to someone else (you) was a great pleasure. All the usual anxieties, about the state of the road, how much food to take, nasty wet tents, how many more kilometres, are we on the right path etc etc, were absent.
Performing whales by S. Pritchard (Qld)
“Imagine sitting on the front verandah and watching humpback whales "perform" for you! Seeing their tails out of the water (are they standing on their heads?), then gazing in wonder as they lift their bodies out of the water (are they now standing on their tails?). The delight when two do it together -- so synchronised, seeming so effortless!
Imagine walking alone along a shady track, when the others had opted to return by a different route to the lighthouse, and startling a wallaby grazing next to the track. Even though it bounded into the bushes, it did not go very far and I squatted by the track and "talked" to the wallaby while being regarded with interest and no fear.
Imagine finding scarlet honey eaters feeding in the bottlebrushes right by your bedroom door! Imagine walking to (and up if you so desire) the second highest sand dunes in the southern hemisphere! Imagine unbelievable sunsets, beautiful little bays and sandy beaches. Imagine all this and more if you walk Croajingolong!”
