Day 34: Australian Bushland

After breakfast this morning Greg, Madi, and I headed out to the John Forrest National Park, about 45 minutes from the house.  The park lies just outside the city and it covered in unspoiled bushland, looking just like the fertile areas of the outback.  There are rolling hills throughout the park, and along the trail we took, the Eagle View Trail.  This trail is 16 km long (10 miles), and goes through hills, bushlands, and burned bushlands.

We registered our hike at the ranger’s office, and then we were off.  The first section of the trail followed a small river, and we passed a couple of small waterfalls.  This was the thickest part of the walk, where the trail was very narrow, lined on both sides by bushes, including many spikey ones.  There was lots of ducking and moving limbs to the side.  As we moved away form the river, the plants became less dense, but the ground was still covered in bushes.  There were also lots of rock outcroppings, which gave the area a very rural feel.  In several sections, both along the river and further inland, the ground was absolutely covered with thousands of tulips, as far as the eye could see.  I can’t imagine what it must be like in the springtime when they all bloom.

The river at the start of our hike.

Climbing down some rock stairs.

Hiking away.

Through the bushland.

Rock outcroppings

Climbing some rocks

More rocks! There were lots, and they made good places to rest.

As we climbed the first hill, we came to its rocky summit, which gave us a great view of the city of Perth off in the distance.  The rest of the hike we didn’t see any of the outside world, so we stopped there for a rest and a snack.  As we ventured on we made sure to keep an eye out for wildlife, especially kangaroos, as we had seen many tracks and droppings.  Of course, they are great hiders and tend to lay low during the day, but we figured with the hundreds that ought to be in the park, we might see one group.

Perth in the background

Group photo!

Resting and snacking. This is 1/4th of the way into the hike, so we were still fresh.

Further along the trail, we entered into a section of bushland that had been burned recently.  In the dry summers of Australia, bush fires are very common, and there was one in this park just a few years ago.  About half of our hike was spent trekking through burned portions of bush, but it was rather interesting, as the level of burn received varied from almost desolate to fully recovered, yet blacken.  Part of what makes the area so striking are the native Australian trees that already look burnt, though they are actually alive and well.  These plants add an extra degree of desolation, despite springing with life.

We climbed over several hills, eventually stopping for lunch, and having the view around us change every couple of kilometers.  In one area, fairly open thanks to the fires, we saw our first kangaroos.  We turned a corner, and down at the end of the trail were three kangaroos, blending in well with the brown background.  There were no angry males, so I slowly approached them and managed to get within three or four yards of them before permanently scaring them away.  We saw even more near the end of our hike.  I was just walking along watching when step when one suddenly hopped away, about two yards from me.  Greg had seen him, but assumed I had too and was trying to be quiet.  Regardless, I followed the three a ways and managed to get fairly close.  Greg went on around and sent one back my way after he ran away.  I thought it was great that I got to see wild kangaroos instead of domesticated zoo ones.  I imagine there were probably hundreds of kangaroos that saw us, but they were either too well hidden, or the bush was too thick, for us to see them.

The trail. Some parts were more of a dirt road.

Crossing a stream. This is where we had lunch.

The first kangaroo we saw.

The next kangaroo we saw.

We finished our walk after about five hours, very impressed by the genuine bushland and the constantly changing landscape.  Madi also did awesome, far better than either of my sisters, or my mom, could have done.  She moved at a nice, consistent pace, and never complained, just like Greg and I.  All of us definitely got a good workout from the climbs and length.  Of course, nothing can compare to Nepal.

Almost there!

This evening, I saw bits and pieces of an Australian Rules Footy game, which is a bit of a combination of American football and soccer.  Basically, they run with the football down the field, punting when they want to get it further.  When it is fumbled or intercepted, whomever has the ball does the same thing, trying to get it through the goals.  There is virtually no stopping, they just keep moving the ball no matter what happens.  Most impressive, though, are the fields.  All of the Aussie Rules fields are ovals, between 150-200 yards long, and 120-150 yards wide.