Cape Solander II

I headed out once again to Cape Solander. A month or so had passed since my last visit and with Spring well under way, I thought things may have changed a little- and they had!
I love the tiny rainforrest at the beginning of the path; huge straight trees, palms and pitosporum and ferns in the undergrowth and a little creek tricking in the half-light. Then it's sparsely treed forests of scribbly gum, turpentine,scraggy old peperita and the pink curly arms of the angophera. Lot's of cockatoo's screeching overhead and playing acrobatics on the grass tree flowers. We also saw the first of the channel-billed cuckoo's that visit each year from New Guinea and which promptly set about driving us all insane with their horrible screeching and calls.
Then you come to my second favourite part of the track. Just before you reach the heath, a small hill runs down with slightly stunted trees on each side. It's very protected and still and a haven for flowers.
A little further on you come to the wind blasted small tree's and shrub, also still at ground level and a haven for birds and lizards like dragons. I have seen snakes here at times too.
And the final part, my favourite (but not by much), are the heathlands which cover all the sandtone plateaus at the edge of the sea. There is the constant twitter and tinkle of small birds against the faint booming of the ocean against the cliffs. It is often breezy or windy here but if you get down low, it's still and warm and I imagine it is a lovely place to live if you were a bird. Tannin stained water trickles down toward the cliff edge and the sound of frogs is added to the chorus.
There is a safe spot to climb down the cliffs (away from the bits that make my legs go funny!) and you clamber over giant chunks of sandstone fallen off the underscored cliffs. You walk under these shelves reasoning that it would be silly for these pieces to crumble right now while you are under them!
Keeping well away from the pippi studded lower rocks, notorious for washing away fishermen, the cliffface is a magical world of fossil crusted rock, stalegmites, ferns, pools of rainwater, and the most amazing rocks of every hue and finish. Some are dry and potholed, others are wet and slimy (but only to look at)but it is all beautiful. And behind you , you have the ocean pounding away under a blue sky- magnificent!
Petrels and terns and pelican fly over the sea and ravens, swallows and spiders hang around the cliffs. Obviously you are not alone, but it's all so wild and open, you feel very much like you have all this to enjoy for yourself.

Cape Solander Walk and Whalewatch

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!