|
To this bushwalk organised by Janusz and Ewa Rygielski, we prepared since the end of December. The advertisement shone with some nice description of three easy walks, a visit to the Buddhist Monastery and an optional swim in the creek or a dip in the Ocean. Some of us found the 7.00 am meeting place on Bruce Highway and the Landsborough intersection a bit early in the day, but in spite the 80 km distance to be covered in that short time, a whole group of 27 people turned up. Blue cloudless sky and bright Australian sunshine were promising us a perfect day. Rejuvenated gum trees sparkled with the previous night’s shower. It was nice to see a cavalcade of our 15 cars travelling through the winding roads, in impenetrable bush ranges, stretched at the back of Mapleton. Each of these “Baby walks” took us to a spectacular view from the rocky top we were on, over a green valley, proudly displaying green pastures and shiny mirror faces of freshly filled in, dams. Water was a welcome picture in the landscape. We did not have to exert ourselves climbing. It was just a very user friendly stroll over wide paths, sheltered by healthy looking Eucaliptus trees and exposed to a fresh mountain breeze. A very easy and most predictable day. Just a day of leisure, which we felt we deserved. But how wrong we were, not knowing what atrocities we were going to face, in just a few hours time. A visit to the Buddhist Monastery went very smoothly. We enjoyed beautiful gardens, we sampled traditional food, we visited ablution blocks, we agreed to adhere strictly to the local regulations restraining us: from killing, from sex, from alcohol and other ungodly behaviour, whilst at the Monastery. We seem not to have breached any of these rules, but I might have witnessed and accidental death of a mosquito and an ant, trying to draw blood from some one’s arm. So the “no killing” rule was the hardest to obey. But we understood the importance of not “putting the lid down” in the toilet block, preventing trapping of insects and a painful death by accidental drowning. On entering the car park, quite busy on a Sunday, a blond haired Buddhist nun, expressed her surprise by our fifteen car cavalcade. Were we all going to be converted? But our colleague quickly put her at ease, saying: “Christians are taking over, as you can see.” In return she only smiled and was not greatly concerned by our “unfriendly” greeting. By two o’clock we were to drive towards the beach at Currimundi. Once back on the Bruce Highway, we soon found out that it was quite difficult to keep our 15 cars together and the “character building exercise” soon started. We tried to follow one another, but it became more and more difficult, so soon we realised that some of the drivers got lost and were heading for home. Separated by the traffic lights from our leader, we decided to find our own way to the beach, not knowing that there may have been two or three different accesses to this same place. We were sad to see some people “missing”, but there was no choice, we just had to go ahead with what we had planned. We found a table overlooking the beach and started preparing for a triple birthday party. Cake seasoned with falling twigs from a tree and wine was to be served. At this moment the “missing” people started to appear on the horizon. We were happy to be together again. There was a faint sound of thunder in the background, but who would worry about a coming storm, in a country of no rain. So the most appropriate action was to disrobe and get a dip in the Ocean. The water was just velvety and warm with gentle surf and a cool breeze, but the greyish looking clouds, were coming closer and closer. Why not stay a little bit longer? The task of getting home was easy, just simply follow a motorway all the way home. Seeing some violet greenish clouds forming ahead of us, made us feel a bit worried. As the raindrops started getting bigger and bigger, and vehicles switched on their headlights, we knew then, we were going to face “a mother of all storms”. It was impossible to see anything through the window and most cars just stopped and pulled off to the side of the road hoping for the weather to improve. We were still going towards the Getaway Bridge, but driving became by now too dangerous. The day turned into night and it was impossible to control the wheels of a vehicle immersed in many inches of water. We decided to exit the motorway and find some safety in a suburban street, away from the fast traffic. As we were pulling into a petrol service station, we heard a big bang and all lights went off. Other vehicles like ours, were also trying to find shelter there. A wall of water occasionally hit our car from the vehicles passing by, as most of drainage pipes were blocked. Ambulances and fire brigade cars were rushing by. We were soon able to continue with our journey and we could see that some suburbs were not really badly hit by this storm, but in some places, police patrolling vehicles were forced to close some intersections. I was very happy to see that my home and garden were safe, but seeing my neighbours’ car parked to its three quarters of length parked in the garage, I realised, that people here expected a hail storm. As my neighbours never use their garage for parking, this time they decided that even a partly protected car, was better off, than not sheltered at all. I was also pleased to see the water being pumped out from my yard into the street, as there was such a heavy downpour. My electric clock, having stopped, told me there were power cuts, caused by an electrical “big bang”. But by the time I got home the power was restored and I considered myself very lucky, as some of my friends had a lot of damage done by the hail storm. Having shut the garage door, It felt so good to be unpacking my car, under a secure roof, in the security of my own home. Away from the bushwalks, and away from the “big Bang” of the elements. After this eventful and spectacular start to the 2004 bushwalk season we should expect a prosperous year without too many bushwalkers succumbing to the bushwalkers’ sore knee syndrome. Or maybe sore knees do not exclusively belong to the bushwalkers, but just remind us that we are “getting on” and have to take greater care of our bodies? On this note, I wish everybody a Happy New year and hopefully without too many “big bangs”!!!
|
