The Battleship Tops yatra

In a light rain, twelve people set off along a track on Kings Tableland for a day of mindful walking.

And mindful smelling, listening, looking,... Not too far into the day, a pair of glossy black cockatoos thought caution was the better part of valour, and flew up from their tree and away, in their graceful languorous way. They are an uncommon sight, as they have a limited palate, feeding mostly on Allocasuarina, so this was a fabulous few minutes. Their undertails are bright red.

Here are some images from the day, many thanks to Peter Miles for these beautiful photos. The flowers this day were quite spectacular. I cannot bring you the scent of Boronia fraseri or of damp bush - but this is some of what we did.

We ate morning tea on a lookout with the misty Kedumba valley below, Wild Dogs and Narrowneck beyond.



We meditated in a cave which has a long Gundungurra history - was the best part for me. Will Moon found a very faint handprint just behind his zazen spot.


The rain held off and we walked in occasional sun to a spot where we could look down on Lake Burragorang. This used to be Cox’s river but is now Sydney’s main water supply. Ah - thank goodness for waratahs flowering. Tiredness and sore feet vanish in the instant of joy at seeing that fiery red flower, with its tall strong stalk and leathery leaves.


The waterbody / ruffled gently / in its sandstone bowl
DL