A Regal Experience at Royal National Park
Well, here's a site I stumbled upon by accident. I was checking out a map of the New South Wales area trying to find new places to venture to see when I noticed this big patch of green by the ocean, not too far away: Royal National Park. It's just about an hour and a quarter away from the house! How could I've missed it!
Looking it up in my guide book, I discover that it's the world's second-oldest national park, founded in 1879 (after Yellowstone, founded in 1877). Here's a sign at one of the entrances to the park(1). I drove out there right away. The park is big, so I decided to focus on getting to a spot called "Figure 8 Pool."
Can I whinge for a moment? (That's complain to you non-Aussies.) Their park signage really stinks! I almost started walking in the wrong direction—even with my iPhone in hand! Here's a look at typical paths at an Australian national park (2). The walkway was covered in leaves, have huge holes here and there, and tree roots all over. Some of the paths go over boulders. Very, very rustic. The worst American national parks are tame by comparison.
Not sure if you can see this, but I am looking down from a cliff onto these huge trees (3). This is a selfie (4) with a fallen tree whose trunk is about as tall as me! Most of the path was heading steeply down until you reach a sandy plateau; then it all leveled off (5). Eventually you clear the tree line and find a huge open space that looks down into a bay, with big ricks in the distance (6). Here's a close up of the rocks on the left (7), but our path continued to the right (8). You see the details of the rocky outcrops (9)? We're going around the first to the second, just peeking out behind it (10).
Some of the path is covered with metal grates that sit atop nature and water. I discovered this sunning water dragon (11) as he kindly posed for a photo. It was as if he were used to all the attention! Not a peep from him! And check out the varigated foliage (12).
The trail moves sideways through an area called "Burning Palms" (13) I suspect there must have been a brush fire here or something at one time, or many times. Again the trail was not well cleared. Tall thin grasses line the narrow path and reach out to bush walkers' (hikers') legs; you can get easily scratched. Eventually you figure out you have to head to the beach (14).
Skirting the bay you aim for the first outcrop that now looms high in front of you (15). And then its a climb over boulders. Not little rocks…boulders (16-17)! I fell on one and scraped my knee (haven't done that in about 35 years) and bruised the fleshy heel of my palm (never done that before—I didn't even know it would bruise)! A day later my thumb started tingling! But I am better today.
Along the way there are flat spots where the water pools. You can only see the Figure 8 Pool at low tide, otherwise you can't get to it. But at low tide, there are wonderful pools that collect all over the place. I love the way they reflect the sky (18-19). Waves crash in so you don't want to get too close to the edge (18).
Rounding the first outcropping you find another bunch of rocks. Big and flat (20-24). And among these is where the pools form (23-24). Two of the pools merged together to form the Figure 8 Pool (25). It's about the size of a large hot tub and about as deep. Many of the pools were deep enough to sit in. I did not come properly dressed, but there were bathers enjoying the warmer water heated by sun and stone. In these "artsy" shots, I liked the different colors of the pools (26, 28). And here's a selfie with the Figure 8 Pool (27).
Here are some details of the rocks. I noticed this varigation (light and dark) on a rock (29) and as I looked closer, I noticed tiny, white crabs tucked into its grooves (30). Another rock had a hole worn through it (31) and here are some more arty shots (32-33). I really liked the different colors made by the stone, algae, reflections and water. A nice day all around.
Lastly, this is how I celebrated my nephew Daniel's 18th birthday last Friday: I went to see an outdoor presentation of Zootopia at our school, St. Angela's Primary School. About 150 families brought lawn chairs and bean bags and "rugged up" (bundled up) in blankets as the temperatures dropped into the upper 50's. The outdoor screen (a big blow up, like a bouncey castle) and the projector were hired for the night and a great time was had by all. I was reminded of the days of my youth when we had drive-in theatres. (I had to explain what a drive-in was to my Filipino associate as his home town that didn't have such a thing!) Until next week—love and hugs!