Weekend Walks

Spring has sprung and cast her vibrant green hues over the landscape. And today, I’d like to share with you some photos of our local scenic delight – the Alfred Nicholas Gardens.

  How lovely is this entrance?

This once private estate is now thankfully, open to the public and has become our favourite walk every weekend.

Situated in lush natural forest, the gardens range from wild, stunning deep green fern gullies with streams that are cool and damp all year round, to secret nooks with fishponds, to expanses of lawns dotted with majestic native and deciduous trees.

With 13 wonderful acres to explore, we never get tired of seeing it in all seasons. From the magical russet red/gold palette of autumn, the dark emerald cooling shade in summer, the cold, crisp beauty of winter and the verdant greens in spring.

As we walk along the many linking paths, we are surrounded by sentinels of mighty Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus Regnans), their 100 metre tall canopies towering overhead. Truly impressive!

The more cultivated parts of the gardens have many beautiful exotic trees and shrubs including, rhododendrons, azaleas, viburnums, magnolias, ginkgoes, cherries, elms, maples, oaks and liquidambars.

And, what I love most is the secret surprise - a truly lovely picturesque lake with waterfall and Japanese inspired bridges linking to a sweet little grassed island.

Tucked away at the end of the lake is a quaint little iconic boathouse. Reflected in the serene waters, it is one of the most photographed buildings in Victoria.

We always like to get there super early in the morning and have this enchanting realm “all to ourselves”… just for a wee while.

At any time of the year, it's like a little magical wonderland.

 And look who found a ball!
Left for him by the park fairies :)

The Forests in My Mind

Forests. I seem to find myself living in or very near them. And during the periods in my adult life that I didn't, I would visit one. Often.

During the time that my husband and I built and lived in a modern housing - tract - estate, I felt that something was missing.  I needed the restorative effects of a forest to feed the inner me. To balance the visual effects of row upon row of black roofed "show homes", with healthy doses of uninhabited (by man) wilderness.
Somehow, I needed the security that a forest gave me.

Why is this I wonder? Does a forest cocoon oneself? Does it call back to the very primal self lying deep within, forgotten and clothed by centuries of civilisation?

Is a forest a real and metaphorical place to lose oneself?

When I was young, I would bury my nose in my big book of fairy tales. I lost myself in the illustrations - especially those of the forests. To me, they weren't dark, spooky, foreboding places of dread.  They were places of refuge.

As a wee child, I felt exposed and vulnerable. Life was violent and lonely. I longed to find a real forest. To disappear into. To hide.
For a child in suburbia, that was not possible. But, I could do it in my mind.

I created a forest where I could dwell safely, hidden from fear and danger. This was my place of retreat when I had no other escape.

Life often comes full circle. And wishes can come true.

Today, I walk through the undergrowth of the forest. Taking care where I tread. Microcosms of life abound here.
Minute communities go about their lives unseen, unheard. Those who take time to pause and see, really see, will be rewarded with glimpses into the essential roles being played in the ecosystem.

Hidden

Creatures of the bush hide. Avoiding detection. Waiting. Many are nocturnal and in the evening, if I'm quiet and still, I'll catch a glimpse of a forest dweller. Comfortable under the cloak of darkness. Feeling safe among the silent sentinels of the forest.

I know how they feel.