T’S DAY 6 and we’re sitting down to our final breakfast together – oatmeal garnished with sultanas, almonds and honey; chunky slices of freshly baked fruit toast with lashings of butter (if you’re so inclined); and steaming coffee, a selection of teas and juice. Just the fuel we need to power through our last 10km to meet the ferry at Lake St Clair, our journey’s end.
Gathered around the table are Rob and Izzy, both from Adelaide and at different ends of the age spectrum; Ian and Liz, newly dating and charmingly enamoured; Jan and Kim, best friends for life from Victoria; Michael and Alanah, seasoned Blue Mountains walkers and delightfully engaging; the brilliantly dry-witted Nell, en route from “Brisvegas” to Canberra after our Tassie wander; and me.
Skilfully preparing and serving the feast are our cooks/ hiking guides/first-aiders/all-round golden humans – Danah (a passionate botanist); Shawn (a skilled photographer); and Angus (what he doesn’t know, I’ll never know).
The mood is a little heavier than on previous mornings. We’re all a little melancholy. The days have slipped by with the kilometres and none of us are quite ready to leave the wilds and step back into our daily lives.
“Stay with the forest today,” Danah says. “Savour every moment, and don’t let your mind leap forward. Let the rest of the world wait a while longer.”
Denne historien er fra March - April 2024-utgaven av Australian Geographic Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra March - April 2024-utgaven av Australian Geographic Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Loveday Internment Camp, SA A
DURING WORLD WAR II, civilians n Australia deemed \"enemy aliens\" - mostly those of German, Italian and Japanese descent were housed in internment camps.
THE STORYTELLERS OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
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A BEAUTIFUL DISASTER
Does last summer's mass coral bleaching event sound a death knell for Australia's beloved Great Barrier Reef? \"Not on my watch!\" is the message coming from he army of heartbroken, but resolute, marine scientists who've responded to the crisis by doubling down on their research.
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The search is on across Australia's deserts for a culturally important vulnerable lizard.
RESCUING THE CHUDITCH
After intensive planning, recovery for this endangered marsupial species is being stepped up to secure its future.