It is at the end of Maitland Bay Track! Di, one of Bron's friends recommended a secluded beach for us to escape the near-90 degree heat, and it was wonderful! We spent about 5 hours swimming and hanging out in the shade on the sand and just relaxing. One of the things that makes it a less-visited beach is that there is a 1.2 km hike down to the beach, which means a hike up at the end. It wasn't too bad as we waited until after the heat of the day to make the treck back.
Other notable things about today were the birds. We woke up in the tent to the strange sound of the cat-bird (recording is linked below) and later at breakfast were visited by two large Australian cockatoos! As I listened to the cat-bird I just couldn't help thinking how much my friends Naomi and Tasha would love to sit here in the backyard listening to those birds - both of course for different reasons! (one loves cats, and one loves birds) Finally, I found out that the original tribe from this area are considered a 'first contact' tribe so they got the full impact of the diseases, relocation to missions, etc. which decimated their numbers. Now the Darginyung people claim, in a sense, the Guringai people's lands, as the Gurinagi are no longer an organized tribe. Keep in mind that these were nomadic peoples, and it is very possible (though I still have more to learn) that they, like indigenous peoples of North America, did not consider land ownership in the same way that Europeans did. 10 Things I'm thankful for today: 1. My awesome husband who, dispite his sore knees, hiked that hill like the tough guy he is! 2. The sun. 3. Australian cultural history (thank you Di!) 4. Kids that know how to swim. 5. That Olin and Alta are SUPER into doing chores right now so that they can make Australian money! 6. The "Rivendell stairs" that led from the beach. They looked just like they should be out of Middle Earth. Sorry! No pictures - I'll get one next time we go to the beach. 7. Cold white wine (great prices on white wine here!) and cold ginger beer for the kids at the end of the day! 8. Skyping with Bill and Gay Lynn (Tom's parents). It was good to talk to them. 9. Waking up in a tent! 10. The sun.
1 Comment
Kathy Haug
1/9/2017 18:08:16
I'm loving your daily posts from Australia and look forward to them. The birds are amazing as are your pictures of the beaches. What a fabulous adventure for your family and for a whole year too!
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AuthorThe Liljemark's enjoy exploring the world. This blog chronicles our adventures. Archives
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