wondrous walk

My favourite walk with Poppy is one we call the river walk. The Blythe Conservation Area meets our property at the eastern boundary. Across the paddock and through a gate, we join a walking track. A short distance along, I look to my right and am awestruck at the realisation we live in our own patch of Tasmanian wilderness.

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The view across the valley changes with the seasons.

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Now and then there is a little surprise

and the forest embraces from all sides as the track continues.

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Nature’s debris has its own beauty

and the trees reach for the sky.

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About a kilometre into the forest, the track descends steeply to the Blythe River,

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a serene spot for a few hours of fishing.

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The light reflects the natural tannins in the water.

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The best time of day to walk the river track is early morning, the rising sun glistening through the trees is spectacular.

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Just another day in paradise.

La Villa

A leisurely walk from the apartment in Ponte a Serraglio is the village of La Villa, the commercial centre of Bagni di Lucca. The houses along the way were intriguing, I would love to have seen inside them.

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They had great views of the green hills and the river flowed just outside their windows.

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The delicate wildflowers were putting on a show.

The main street wasn’t too busy

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and we found just what we were looking for.

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The park had a lovely fountain.

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The view downstream from the town bridge was serene.

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I don’t know who this gentleman is but I think he has kind eyes.

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We were a little early for lunch and were forced to endure a beer at the bar next door, complemented by bowls of olives and potato crisps, to pass the time.

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Lunch at Ristorante Del Sonno was well worth the wait. I discovered my favourite pizza – ham, artichokes, olives & egg. I returned to La Villa a week later with the ‘wives’ while the men were busy building guitars. We lunched at Del Sonno,

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overlooking the gorgeous facade of Teatro Accademico

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and the cute dog waiting outside.

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We then walked off our meal along the river path dedicated to Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. They lived most of their lives in Florence and had a summer house in La Villa from 1853-1857.

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No wonder they wrote such beautiful poetry with inspiration like this.

Territory Wildlife Park

On a perfect winters day in Darwin, we set off to discover Territory Wildlife Park, situated about 60km south on 400 hectares of natural bushland. We spent a few hours wandering through woodland, wetland and monsoon habitats.

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Along the Monsoon Vine Forest Walk is one of the largest domed walk-through aviaries in the southern hemisphere.

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Birds weren’t the only creatures in the aviary.

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The surroundings were stunning

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with the occasional surprise at ground level.

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Some of the trees had created fascinating designs of their own.

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The Park is well set out with a shuttle train continuously travelling the 4km loop, a welcome service as the temperature rises. Each exhibit entrance is adorned with cute critters and clever decorations.

The display of free-flying birds at the Flight Deck was amazing.

The eagle trying to break open an emu egg with a rock showed the innate behaviour is still strong in these birds in captivity.

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Neil, the bush stone-curlew stole the show.

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Just when you think you’ve seen everything there is something new to surprise.

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Kent

After five wonderful days in London, we caught the train from Charing Cross to Tonbridge, Kent, and picked up our hire car. We drove to Tunbridge Wells, where Michael grew up, and explored the town.

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The Pantiles is a Georgian colonnade, named after the pantile paving on the Upper Walk in 1700. Now lined with shops, galleries and cafés

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the area was created following the discovery of a  chalybeate spring in the early 17th century.

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After lunch at The Duke of York

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we visited High Rocks, which weren’t as high as they seemed to a young Michael. The drive was scenic

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and the pub inviting.

We found our way through the back lanes to our B&B, The Duck & Drake, just outside Rolvenden.

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The room was lovely

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with a gorgeous view to greet us the next day.

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We stuck a pin in the map and headed for Hastings,

where the ruins of the castle, built by The Normans in 1070, sit proudly above the town.

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We took the easy way to the top

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for a closer look at the ruins

and the magnificent view.

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Back in the car park, this young gull had made himself comfortable.

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We drove on to Eastbourne

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and after a leisurely lunch, we started back to The Duck & Drake, discovering Bodiam Castle along the way.

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Built in 1385 as both a defence and a comfortable home, the castle was used in Monty Python & The Holy Grail as Swamp Castle.

 

There were no curtains, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utuchVE_56M, but I think they would have obscured the scenery.

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One last stop for a quick beverage at The Elephant Head

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where we made a friend

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and we finished the day with a fabulous meal at The White Lion in Tenterden.

Gunns Plains

Gunns Plains is a rich, fertile valley in northwest Tasmania. Named after botanist and early explorer, Robert Campbell Gunn, the Leven River winds through pastures, grazing stock and rich, red volcanic soil. Forty minutes drive from our house is George Woodhouse Lookout where George and his wife, Lurlie, are resting with a view of their beloved plains.

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The view is breathtaking, even on a cloudy day.

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It is a place we like to take visitors, building them up to this astounding vista as we get nearer. It was a little disappointing, one clear June day, to find the valley under heavy cloud. Still beautiful but not quite the same.

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The scenery is just as captivating once down on the plain.

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I love the poplar trees as winter approaches.

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Beneath this gorgeous landscape lies over 150 caves. The second largest was discovered in 1906 when a possum hunter’s dog fell into a hole. It was opened to the public three years later. The formations in the cave are magnificent, particularly the calcite shawls

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and the flowstones are so varied.

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Stalactites, stalagmites, columns and young shawls abound.

This cute little fungus caught my eye.

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The underground river still flows and is home to the endangered freshwater crayfish, platypus and eels. The delicate display of the glow worms can be appreciated when the torchlight is dimmed. We look forward to returning to the caves, maybe with our next visitors….