Once upon a time I was lucky enough to have a childhood that included scrabbling down cliffs, with nothing but the salty wind and seagulls for company. I have to wonder if my parents would have given me the thumbs up on my chosen play spot...
What a wild and wonderful place Cape Solander is. All these golden eroded sandstone cliffs, hanging high over the wild blue ocean, empty all the way to New Zealand.
A tiny, tannin-stained creek trickles over the edge and, standing safely further back, acres of heathland, home to thousands of tiny birds which pop in and out of the prickly undergrowth, safe from the ever-present wind.
The heathland winds its way up to eucalypt forest. Even though, just beyond sight is an enormous oil refinery, you'd never know it; it's so peaceful. It was here my sister in law and I began a walk yesterday, making our way out to the cape in the hope of seeing a whale or maybe two.
Spring is just around the corner and although there was a delicate show of red and white flowers, there were millions of buds that I imagine in the next few months will make a breathtaking show in every colour under the winter sun.
Our first sight of the ocean, unbelievably, included the sight of a whale spouting and I broke into an excited trot, squeaking like a frustrated rat when I couldn't find the pathway out of the scrub fast enough. Finally, we were both out, standing on the cliff edge watching two humpback whales travelling past, some distance from the shore. Just so amazing to see. We may have seen perhaps six whales before we headed back. It was hard to turn away in case we missed another!
A beautiful sunny day, in the glorious bush and the sight of those spectacular creatures, not to mention all in lovely company. What a lucky girl am I!
Thanks to Karen for the whale shot, my humble little camera was not up to the task, no matter how much I squinted!
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