It's not very far from home the drive to Southport, but it's funny how you tend to arrange trips further afield and look at your own 'backyard' last of all! Today we decided to make the short run down to visit a place I remembered visiting some twenty plus years ago. I have always known of the place as Burial Ground Point, but a quick exploration of the net when I got home informed me that it is in fact Rossel Point...but it is still the location of a convict burial ground. I had vague memories of the place being a rather barren and stony ground with a rough old rusty iron railing around it. Perhaps my memory is failing or playing tricks on me, because I discovered today a lush and vibrant place bushy with bracken and quite wet underfoot from recent rains. Frogs croaked happily in the abundant dampness. It wasn't wet enough to cause problems walking, but rather well soaked like a lightly squeezed dish sponge.
I was disappointed to find no signs or markers supplying information about the place, although there were some posts where a sign had previously been mounted, and there was a strong galvanised iron fence around an extensive area which presumably was the site of the convict graves.The profusion of bracken made it impossible to see if there were any markers inside. It would have been interesting to read about the history of the place, so I might need to follow up and do a bit of research.
It was such a beautiful day; some sunshine after such a lot of rain and wind, so wandering about climbing the rocks and taking in the sights was so enjoyable. I was lucky enough to see a seal in close to the rocky shore. I only caught two glimpses, one of his tail and then his head popped up for a moment and then he was gone again. Busy fishing no doubt! A couple of skinks showed their faces but scurried into crevices as I moved near. I took a photo of some tea tree flower buds and discovered when I got home that I had also captured a grasshopper, although I didn't see him at the time. He's a bonus! Can you see him? Right in the middle of the picture!
I have to admit it wasn't a terribly energetic time. Sitting and enjoying the solitude and peace was enough to keep me busy for quite a while. I'd like to share some of what I saw from my perch.
I feel so lucky to have places like this so close to home. I can't imagine life in a city where there are so many people and cars and so much man made everything all around. I don't mind going for a day or two but that's enough. Days like today, just sitting and soaking in all this beauty, feeds my soul in a way that the hectic comings and goings of everyday life can't. I know I am so lucky to have this choice in my life. I read somewhere recently about someone taking children from the cities in England to the seaside. There were ten and twelve year old children
who had never seen the ocean. That is so difficult for me to comprehend. It means I am lucky on a very grand scale. I will not take it for granted. Not for a minute. I will breathe it in and feast my eyes on it and let it fill me up 'til I think I might burst with the joy of it. That's how it is. How privileged I am to sit and breathe air that has not a hint of smoke or exhaust fumes or industrial output...just pure beautiful air with the healthy sting of salt. How long will that last if we keep abusing our oceans? I don't know. My heart worries for the future.
If you live in a city, I hope you can find a way to spend time in wild places. It will make you want to save them and keep them forever. I love to walk with my camera because it makes sure I notice small details I might otherwise miss. It makes me want to explore and look at things from other angles. It tunes me in with the place and space. I love it. David has a different approach altogether. He takes eye pictures, not photographs. He prefers to look at the whole space and place as one big glorious thing. I like to find all the little bits and pieces...all the surprises that go together to create the magic of the place. Funny how we're all a bit different
in the way we see and experience things. It's good to have other perspectives. So these few pictures show the big picture, and I hope you won't mind if I share with you some of the details of the place too. I've had some trouble organising the photos; I'm not sure how to put them where I want them. On a word document I can move things around to be where I want but that's not how it's working here on Blogger! I have things to learn either about the limits of the formatting or the tricks for getting it to work for me!
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| Orchid |
My favourite finds today are the little fish pictured below, which is exactly how I found it...just a little rock fish in a sandy hollow on top of a rock, and the comical little wooden family at the bottom of the page. I love the whimsical faces and didn't notice them until I loaded the pics onto the computer. I think they're gorgeous. I took the picture because I loved the wind and sea-worn timber, but finding a family in the photo was a delightful surprise.I especially like 'mum' in the middle with her sideswept seaweed fringe.
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| Stone fish in a sandy pool |
One of my favourite places, gorgeous pics
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