Yesterday I went on a drive I’m calling ‘My Maules Creek Explore’—venturing off the main roads, stopping frequently and taking photos. It’s what I call ‘fun’—by myself in ‘the bush’—just looking, listening, feeling—and I relax and breathe in beauty. But also reality—scorching sun; bindies and sticky-beaks, flies [absent yesterday, but more than amply replaced at one spot by the stench of a dead pig!]; very rough ground and a body that is anything but agile and flexible.
Three special ‘episodes’ yesterday:
Three special ‘episodes’ yesterday:
Episode 1: I drove down a side road and parked off the causeway in the dried out bed of a small feeder into Maules Creek. I guess I was there 15-20 minutes—passed by a car [Mum taking kid to the main road to catch the school bus] and then later by the same car returning to the property. I enjoyed the morning light on the trees, the silence [bird calls being the only sounds], the colours and shapes of the water-worn igneous rocks, watching the birds’ flights and being able to capture a little of all this on camera. |
Episode 2: I stopped the car and got out when I saw a flock of white-winged choughs in the field This species always ‘chatters’ away but these were making a lot of noise. Then I saw the fox. A couple of birds broke off from the group and started hassling it. The fox ran out of the field and onto the road, stopped and looked at me, then continued on across the road and under the fence into the opposite field. |
Episode 3:
I drove off west of Boggabri. One rural road came to an abrupt end—in a town it would be called a T-intersection, but the term didn’t seem appropriate in this setting. Their were both gates and a cattle guard for a road through properties on the left; while to the right there were sand tracks on unfenced land [probably the south-east edge of Jack’s Creek State Forest]. The first track led to a creek with a rough crossing—now if I had been in a 4x4… So I backtracked and headed down another track which led to a dammed up billabong—a ‘magic’ green pool in the parched bush. The lushness of the reeds, the reflections in the still water and the dragonflies… Little red ones, and big yellow ones impossible to photograph because of their speed and erratic changes of direction.
I drove off west of Boggabri. One rural road came to an abrupt end—in a town it would be called a T-intersection, but the term didn’t seem appropriate in this setting. Their were both gates and a cattle guard for a road through properties on the left; while to the right there were sand tracks on unfenced land [probably the south-east edge of Jack’s Creek State Forest]. The first track led to a creek with a rough crossing—now if I had been in a 4x4… So I backtracked and headed down another track which led to a dammed up billabong—a ‘magic’ green pool in the parched bush. The lushness of the reeds, the reflections in the still water and the dragonflies… Little red ones, and big yellow ones impossible to photograph because of their speed and erratic changes of direction.
On the way home I headed up a track that I was sure would connect up with Gun Club Road.
Actually I’m still sure it does, but… I couldn’t shift the branches—they look light enough but were still rooted in the ground, and had no tool heavy enough to break the ends off them. Well, actually, I could have done it, but by that time it was very hot, I was tired and it was a lot easier to turn around, find the next rail crossing and head up the Kamilaroy Highway. |