A Reflective Kind of Day

Today dawned cool and grey ~ sort of faded, like the place I stayed! Anabel’s was a gorgeous so-called heritage home, but I discovered it’s up for sale, the manager isn’t on site, and I was literally the only person in the building last night!

I left in search of coffee and breakfast, and discovered lots of places are closed on Mondays! But came across a lovely place called Cafe Rhubru… the lone traveller’s kit ~ if you’re trying to read what’s on the kindle, it’s Richard Cole’s book, “Murder Before Evensong”!

I left Scottsdale and made a stop 20 minutes’ later in a little place in the middle of nowhere called Legerwood. I’d been in two minds whether to make this detour, but was glad I did. This small place has been put on the map by a series of carved trees. 

Back in 1918 the residents planted a row of 9 trees in memory of 9 local guys killed while serving in World War One. Then in 2001 a report said the trees were no longer safe and it seemed the memorial was to be lost. But they commissioned a Tasmanian chainsaw sculptor to work with the tree stumps and create likenesses of the soldiers, the creations then being varnished to protect them. 

They are odd… obviously poignant, and lots of detail in the creations, and odd. It really struck me that this place, in the middle of nowhere, has this enduring memorial to 9 men who died over 100 years’ ago, and the local community continue to look after it.

As I drove on, I realised it’s two weeks’ since I left home… two incredibly full and rich weeks. As I drove, I guess reflecting on the memorial I’d seen, and the two weeks’ away, I was suddenly l very aware of being on my own, and really missed Paul, and Missy! 

Once again, I drove through stunning and enormous landscapes ~ roads carved through forests climbing up and down mountains; wide open countryside, with huge vistas, straight roads, and majestic backdrops of mountain ranges. 

And then the road changed ~ to gravel and dirt, 30km of mountain hairpins on gravel, and I saw no-one. It was beautiful and sort of haunting, realising I was totally alone, in the middle of nowhere, on the other side of the planet… kind of puts you in your place! Google maps gave up and I resorted to real maps!

Then I finally met a logging truck ~ a sign of life! You don’t get the huge road-trains here like you do in mainland Australia, but still 2 or 3 trailers. 

Logging trucks and then other signs of life… cows and farms, as I headed east towards the coast. A few miles inland, I stopped in the little town of St Mary’a and the very wonderful “Purple Possum Whole Food & Cafe”!

And then the stunning east coast, breath-taking! I first headed north to Binalong Bay, on the end of the Bay of Fires, a stunning stretch of the coast with fine, white sand, rocks, crystal clear water and bush. 

I headed on a few more miles to a place called The Gardens and spent some time on the beach, no-one around, the changing light as the sun emerged and then dropped in the sky. Earlier in the day, when I was driving, I’d tried to play some music, but the sound quality was terrible! On the beach I loved the ‘music’ of the tide up and down the beach, the birds, the breeze.

I love the ocean… and again I was aware of my utter insignificance in the vastness of the world; one person amongst the almost 8 billion on the planet right now; yet believing that each of us matters to God. I was reminded of previous reflections on the name Hagar gave to God, El-Roi ~ ‘the God who sees”; named by a woman in the wilderness. God sees; and knows the number of hairs on our heads. … hmmm!!

As the sun was going down, I headed south along the coast, retracing my steps and then on to the little town of Bicheno, with gorgeous pink sunset, as I looked out over the ocean, by the ‘famous’ Bicheno blowhole. I then enjoyed a fresh lobster roll from the Lobster Shack, fresh caught and yummy! Then headed to my abode for tonight. A day of many miles, I think about 180, and reflections, and stunning scenery.